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Beach huts on Bright Beach, Melbourne

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Things to see in Melbourne

Tourist information: 

Melbourne Visitor Centre
Federation Square, corner of Swanston Street and Flinders Street
Tel: (03) 9658 9658.
www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/touristinformation
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800.

The Melbourne Visitor Centre also operates an information booth in Bourke Street Mall.

Passes: 

The See Melbourne & Beyond Attractions Pass (tel: 1300 661 711, in Australia only; www.seemelbournecard.com) offers free admission to over 35 attractions in and around Melbourne. Two-, three- and seven-day passes are available for purchase online or from the Melbourne Visitor Centre.

Eureka Skydeck 88

Eureka Skydeck 88, located on the 88th floor of Eureka Tower (once the world’s highest apartment building with 92 floors), is a stunning observatory deck (open to the public). The Southern Hemisphere’s highest viewing platform boasts breathtaking 360-degree views of Melbourne and its environs. Thrill seekers will delight in The Edge experience, a 3m (9ft) glass cube that juts out from the side of the building and is suspended nearly 300m (984ft) above the ground. Certainly not for the faint-hearted!

Opening Times: Daily 1000-2200.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 7 Riverside Quay, Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: (03) 9693 8888.
Website: http://www.skydeck.com.au
Federation Square

Designed as an architectural icon in a city that loves modern architecture, Federation Square is a complete new city block, bringing together social, cultural and commercial activities. Highlights include The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, which showcases works of art by Australian artists (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art), and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). The odd-looking geometric-designed buildings and the extensive rolling-hill sandstone paved plaza are attractions in themselves. Plenty of eating and drinking options are available here, including Chocolate Buddha, Taxi Dining Room and Transport Hotel.

Opening Times: Daily 24 hours.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Corner of Swanston Street and Flinders Street (opposite Flinders Street Station), Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: (03) 9655 1900.
Website: http://www.federationsquare.com.au
Heide Museum of Modern Art

The former home of John and Sunday Reed, patrons of the Melbourne art scene, was turned into the Museum of Modern Art, following their deaths. Their home now houses admirable exhibitions of contemporary Australian art. The sculpture park, in the museum's grounds, is particularly impressive.

Opening Times: Tues-Sun 1000-1700.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 7 Templestowe Road, Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: (03) 9850 1500.
Website: http://www.heide.com.au
Immigration Museum

The Immigration Museum gives Melbourne’s multicultural vibrancy a human face. Moving depictions of thousands of immigrant stories - tales of joy, ingenuity, love, hearth break, conflict, disaster, family, freedom, safety, sacrifice - are told. Given Melbourne owes its cosmopolitan vibe to the many waves of immigration, this is a must see on any itinerary. Allow a few hours at the museum.

Opening Times: Daily 1000-1700.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 400 Flinders Street, Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: : (03) 9927 2700; 13 11 02 in Victoria only.
Website: http://museumvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/
Melbourne Aquarium

Expect a Barrier Reef-style exhibit at this cheerful aquarium, with lots of colourful fish, captivating jellyfish displays, and a giant walk-through tank holding large fish, massive grey nurse sharks and huge rays. See Antarctic King and Gentoo Penguins. You can dive with the sharks too - and you don't need any previous diving experience. Allow 2-2.5 hours to see everything the aquarium has to offer, longer if you plan on swimming with the sharks.

Opening Times: Daily 0930-1800 (until 2100 in January).
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Corner of Flinders Street and King Street, Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: (03) 9923 5999.
Website: http://www.melbourneaquarium.com.au
Melbourne Cricket Ground

The Melbourne Cricket Ground, or MCG, is the world-famous venue for numerous national and international cricket matches. It also hosts many Aussie Rules (Australian Football League; AFL) games, including the Grand Final in September. The ground is open for guided tours and contains the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame and National Sports Museum.

Opening Times: Guided tours available daily 1000-1500, except on match days.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Yarra Park, Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: (03) 9657 8879.
Website: http://www.mcg.org.au
Melbourne Museum

Australia's largest museum boasts an indoor rainforest, a giant Rubik's-cube-shaped Children's Museum, the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, and assorted displays featuring dinosaurs, insects and much, much more. The museum has both permanent and temporary exhibitions (see website for details). The stuffed horse in the glass case is Phar Lap, Australia's most famous racing horse. Located behind the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, and just a short walk from the free city circle tram stop number 10.

Opening Times: Daily 1000-1700.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 11 Nicholson Street, Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: (03) 8341 7777; 1300 130 152, in Australia only; 13 11 02 in Victoria only.
Website: http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
Melbourne Observation Deck

Although no longer offering the highest observation point in Melbourne, this is still a top spot to peer over the city. Located on level 55 of one of the tallest office buildings in the southern hemisphere, the Rialto Towers, the Melbourne Observation Deck offers 360-degree panoramic views of Melbourne and the surrounding areas. The facilities also include a licensed cafe-bar. A 20-minute film about the city is included with admission.

Opening Times: Daily 1000-2200.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address: 525 Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: (03) 9629 8222.
Melbourne Zoo

The award-winning Melbourne Zoo, Australia's oldest zoo, houses more than 300 animal species from within and beyond Australia. There is an African rainforest with gorillas, orangutans, hippos and big cats, as well as a particularly impressive butterfly house and a bushland exhibit, which is home to many of Australia's native wildlife species.

Opening Times: Daily 0900-1700.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Elliot Avenue, Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: (03) 9285 9300.
Website: http://www.zoo.org.au
National Gallery of Victoria International

NGV International showcases Australia's finest collection of international art. Among the paintings usually on display here are offerings by Gainsborough, Constable, Bonnard, Delacroix, Monet and Rembrandt. There are also excellent temporary exhibitions (see website for current details). The building is a work of art in itself. Nearby, in Federation Square the Ian Potter Gallery: National Gallery of Victoria Australia showcases artworks by a range of Australian and Indigenous artists.

Opening Times: Wed-Mon 1000-1700.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: (03) 8620 2222.
Website: http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au
Old Melbourne Gaol

The Old Melbourne Gaol was established in 1841 and expanded rapidly during the gold rush. The jail was the setting for 136 hangings, most famously for that of Ned Kelly in 1880. Exhibits include a collection of death masks, the scaffold where Ned Kelly was hung, his gun, and a suit of armour worn by a member of his gang. The jail closed its gates to inmates in 1929 but still runs real life arrest and incarceration scenarios for interested visitors.

Opening Times: Daily 0930-1700.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 377 Russell Street, Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: (03) 8663 7228.
Website: http://www.oldmelbournegaol.com.au
Rippon Lea Estate

Designed in 1868, this is the last of Australia's great privately owned 19th-century suburban estates. The mansion boasts opulent interiors, including elaborate embossed wallpaper and beautiful stained glass, and has lovely landscaped gardens, which include a conservatory, lake, orchard, and extensive flowerbeds and shrubbery.

Opening Times: Daily 1000-1700.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address: 192 Hotham Street, Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: (03) 9523 6095.
Website: http://www.ripponleaestate.com.au
Royal Botanic Gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens, located just 2km (1.2 miles) south of the city, off St Kilda Road are among the best gardens in Australia. There are more than 40 hectares (99 acres) of careful plantings, native and foreign trees and shrubs, a delightful herb garden, and plenty of chirping birds. Free guided walks, departing the Visitor Centre, are conducted Tuesday to Sunday at 1100 and 1400, each taking between 60 to 90 minutes. Of special note is the Aboriginal Heritage Walk which gives unique insight into the culture and customs of its Traditional Owners (tel: (03) 9252 2429).

Opening Times: Daily from 0730 to dusk.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Birdwood Avenue, Melbgourne, Australia
Telephone: (03) 9252 2300.
Website: www.rbg.vic.gov.au
Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens

As the only major 19th-century Palace of Industry Exhibition building in the world to survive substantially intact, the Royal Exhibition Building was designed in 1878 for the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880-1881. Following Australia cutting its apron-strings from mother England in 1901, this grand building hosted the inaugural opening of the Australian Federal Parliament. It was also the site of the inaugural unveiling of the Australian flag, which was first flown atop the building’s magnificent dome. Guided tours are available (booking is essential).

Opening Times: Guided tours take place at 1400.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: Yes
Address: 9 Nicholson St, Carlton, Melbourne, Australia
Telephone: 131 102 (in Australia only).
Website: http://museumvictoria.com.au/reb/

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