The Melbourne Tour Guide

Raining? Hailing? 42 degrees Celsius? This list of FREE exhibitions around Melbourne is perfect for a day of unpredictable weather! All accessible on our free trams, these galleries and museums are the greatest way to learn about Melbourne’s (and the world’s) past, present and even future.  NGV (International and Ian Potter Centre) FREE The National Gallery of Victoria is Australia’s oldest and most frequented art gallery. Opened in 1861 at the State Library of Victoria, the NGV has grown significantly throughout it’s 157 year history, spanning across two locations featuring international and Australian artworks. The international gallery has resided on St. Kilda road since 1968 and is home to spectacular pieces by Artists such as Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet and David Shigley. NGV international covers everything from ancient civilisations to modern design and contemporary pieces. NGV Australia, at the Ian Potter Centre, was opened in 2002 in Federation Square and is home ...

Melbourne is home to some of the greatest eclectic second hand shops in the southern hemisphere and many of them can be found right in the heart of our CBD. There’s no need to venture into Fitzroy to acquire quality pre-loved pieces, as many of our cities best thrift stores can be found within walking distance of each other! Whether you’re a local looking for new places to shop or a traveller searching for a uniquely Melbourne souvenir, this list will be your guide to a successful and affordable shopping trip.   1. Out The Closet (OTC)   238B Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000 https://otcvintageretroclothing.com.au Out The Closet (OTC) is the perfect place to start your vintage crawl through Melbourne, as it’s located across the road from Flinders Street Station. Once you descend into the underground boutique you’ll be walking in the footsteps of famous musicians such as Liam Gallagher, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Dan Auerbach who have all visited the store thro...

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Phillip Island is an island (obviously) a couple of hours from Melbourne accessible via a bridge from San Remo. Whilst being most famous for its penguin population there is a lot to see on Phillip Island, and it is a great place to hang out relax for a while. Driving to Phillip Island takes about two hours from Melbourne, though be wary that you can get caught in peak hour traffic conditions if driving in that direction after about 3.30pm on weekdays. You can also access Phillip Island without a car if you're willing to have a bit of an adventure on  public transport ! From the city get on any train going towards "Frankston", and remain on it until it arrives to Frankston (50 minutes - 1 hour).  Once there you will need to change onto a 'Stony Point' train until you reach Stony Point, a beautiful little train station at the end of the line just next to the beach. This little section (1 hour) is on a diesel train that looks much different from the rest of...

The Great Ocean Road is one of the absolute highlights of being in Victoria and is easily accessible from Melbourne. The best way to do this is with your own vehicle, though it can be done as part of a tour group, or if you are trying to save money via public transport. The Great Ocean Road starts at Torquay and follows the coast all the way to Portland and was built by returned Australian soldiers, linking towns along the coast that had relied on inland routes to be accessible. As far as tour companies are concerned, go down to the Melbourne Visitor's Centre at Federation Square (the big glass building on the corner) and they will have all the information you need. If you choose to drive you have full freedom on what you can see, and this makes it worth it. There are many car hire companies that operate out of the Melbourne CBD, though if you choose to do so you can get the V-Line train from Southern Cross Station to Geelong and hire a car there. It will likely be cheaper, a...

Melbourne has recently been recognised as being the city with the most live music venues per capita in world! So there is always something to check out. In this section I'll talk about some of my favourites! Howler : Howler is in Brunswick and has some of the best acoustics of any venue in Melbourne! There's always great gigs going on there. Check out the schedule here . Corner Hotel : One of the larger venues here in Melbourne. The 'Corner' as it is affectionately known plays host to bands generally touring nationally who are quite popular in the Australian music scene. Here you're more likely to see some of the most well known acts in the country! Check out their schedule here . Northcote Social Club : On High Street in Northcote, the NSC generally hosts up and coming bands who are generating a bit of 'buzz' as we might say. Here you'll see the next big thing, the people who are likely to be on the radio and playing the big festival spots in th...

Getting between Melbourne Airport and Melbourne City Unlike most major cities, Melbourne does not have an airport rail link. Damn. There are still a variety of ways to get to the major airport, Tullamarine Airport, though they all involve going by road. Leave yourself plenty of time, especially around busy peak hour periods. Skybus: This service operates every couple of minutes from Southern Cross Station and is the most reliable method of getting there. Tickets cost about $20 each way! Taxi: Very expensive Uber: Somewhat expensive Taxify: Cheaper than Uber and the driver gets a higher percentage of the fare than with Uber. Also: Maybe you've used a bit of public transport for the day and have already hit your $8.60 MYKI limit, meaning you will pay no more for using the Metro system. Maybe consider getting a train on the Cragieburn Line to Moonee Ponds and getting a Taxify from there! You will be sure to save some money rather than going from the city itself. Remember, ...

Melbourne Street Art : This post is always being updated! Keep checking back for more. Melbourne is increasingly getting a reputation as having some of the best street art in the world! Here I want to tell you some of the best places to check some of it out, as well as introduce you to a few of the best artists! Hosier Lane : Hosier Lane is arguably one of the most famous places in all of Melbourne. Located between Flinders Street and Flinders Lane, just a two minute walk from Flinders Street Railway Station it is very easy to get to. There is a bit of an unwritten rule that artists will not paint over each other unless they think they can do a better job, so you tend to see a really high quality of artwork here. My particular favourite is the piece by Matt Adnate of a young Indigenous boy looking out over the city, up very high on one of the buildings. ACDC Lane/Duckboard Place : Another very high quality street art laneway combo. ACDC Lane and Duckboard Place connect up so it...

Public Transport in Melbourne: This post is constantly being reviewed, updated and upgraded! There are three main types of public transport in Melbourne. Trains : Whilst there are also regional trains, this section is referring specifically to the Metro trains operating within the Melbourne metropolitan area.  Trams : Melbourne has over 500km of tram tracks! This is the largest urban tram network in the world! Buses :  For each of these forms of transport, you are required to have the same public transport ticket - the MYKI Card. These can be purchased for $6.50 at any train station or 7/11, though you will also need to put prepaid credit onto them. The daily maximum fare is $8.50, even if you are getting 100 different methods of public transport. If you are considering doing a lot of moving around on public transport, consider doing as much as possible in one day to save money.  Free Tram Zone : Within the Melbourne CBD (Central Business District) ...

Hi everybody! Enjoy the rest of your stay here in Melbourne, hopefully this list helps you out as you go. This blog is in progress however I figured I would keep publishing so that you can use the information you have read so far! Keep checking back for more. How to spend your days in Melbourne For information on public transport in Melbourne, click here : For all the food and drink options that I love check out this list here : You can never trust the weather in Melbourne. One minute you will be in the freezing rain and the next you're sweating away in the heat. To accommodate your wardrobe on the cheap, check out this post for some great second hand stores. You're going to be doing a fair bit of walking around so make sure you've got some comfortable waterproof shoes. Useful Apps: 1. The Happiest Hour: Shows you all the special deals happening at any time across Melbourne's massive bar scene. 2. EatClub: Restaurants will offer you massive discounts if ...