Melbourne‘s residents are duly proud of their city. This is Australia’s cultural and sporting capital. While Sydney is International and Cosmopolitan, Melbourne is Australian and is one of the world’s most liveable cities. If you Like good food and great wine then Victoria is the place for you. Melbourne’s Queen Vic Market is a food lover’s delight. You can mosey around sampling everything from cheese to chocolate taking in all the smells and sights it is a real melting pot of cultures and gets the taste buds watering.
Beyond Melbourne, Victoria invites you to explore its rugged coastline, and heading North from Melbourne around St Arnaud you’ll quickly find yourself in semi-outback with dusty roads and cattle farms. Victoria is also home to one of Australia’s finest wine producing regions – The Yarra Valley – so let someone else do the driving and book a tasting tour.
Millington Travel top 10 things to see & do in Melbourne and Victoria
- Great Ocean Road – One of the world’s most scenic coastal drives! See rainforest, the 12 Apostles and the famous Shipwreck coast.
- Port Phillip Bay & Sorrento – Explore the dramatic sights of underwater Victoria by diving or snorkelling at Port Phillip Bay & Sorrento.
- Shopping – Don’t miss the superb boutique shopping in the Block. Built in the 1890s, it was designed to resemble a fashionable shopping arcade in Milan.
- Melbourne’s Formula 1 Grand Prix – Definitely a date for the diary!
- Gippsland Lakes – An expansive network of inland waterways. A lovely place to go for gentle walking trails and crossing the slim arm of dunes at Ninety Mile Beach.
- Ballarat – Take a day trip here and head to Sovereign Hill for a splendid recreation of frontier life, and try your hand at panning for gold!
- Melbourne Cricket Ground – A visit to Australia wouldn’t be complete without watching a local Aussie Rules football match!
- Yarra Valley – For you, wine lovers, take a visit to Domaine Chandon Vineyard and treat yourself to a glass of sparkling Moet!
- Theatres – A trip to the theatre in Melbourne is a must. In addition to big-name shows, head down to the Arts Centre and the Malthouse Theatre where you can see local experimental productions!
- Phillip Island Penguin Parade – For nature lovers, see the penguins at Phillip Island in the wild at dusk and watch them waddle as they make their way back to their burrows.
When to go?
Although Melbourne has four distinct seasons it is known as the city of four seasons in one day, ranging from warm hot summers to cold winters you may even find snow in the mountains. We’d probably go for February-March, and October-November as the best times to visit, so avoiding the summer’s intense heat, but you can really visit anytime.
