I am heading to Melbourne next week.
I'll be there Thursday night and leaving Sunday 5.30pm.
Figure it won't hurt to get some local knowledge on things to do, places to go, and food to eat.
There will be 2 adults, no kids, no car, staying in Southbank.
Meat & Wine Co is not a bad steakhouse to visit :)
Thanks for the input. I didn't have a choice of weekends as I am working in Melb on Thurs 19, so we decided to make a weekend of it. I figure if work is paying for flights and accomodation, I may as well take the opportunity! I'll keep the steakhouse in mind. I live with a reformed vegetarian, and we do both enjoy a good steak ;)
On places to eat:
there's plenty of restaurants at Crown but no real stand outs I would recommend to an interstate visitor (though I've yet to try Dinner by Heston in Melbourne)
The Melba Restaurant in the Langham Hotel has a large range & quality lunch/dinner buffet but it doesn't come cheap, it's worth a mention if you can charge the meal through work
I do recommend visiting Tutto Bene in the Southgate Complex, it has without question the best risotto you'll ever find in Melbourne. Some risottos on the menu are better than others, the Funghi Misti is worth coming back for every time
On transport, Melbourne has a Free Tram Zone where you can ride trams within the CBD without the need of a ticket.
On activities:
the National Gallery of Victoria is in walking distance from Southbank
outside the Arts Centre is a modest-sized Sunday market
The Botanical Gardens are across from the Sunday market if the weather's good and you're inclined to go for a walk
At night outside Crown they have a Gas Brigade display on the hour, worth watching if you're in the area but I wouldn't go out of the way for it
Thanks for your comprehensive response. Being true ozbargainers we have an airbnb with a kitchen. Our plan is to use this facility for brekky and possibly to make lunches for the days outing, so I will map your suggestions out to see how far they are to walk for dinner. We will also keep an eye out for some scoopon and groupon vouchers. I know in Sydney if you go anywhere touristy you pay through the nose for food. The problem with charging the meal through work is that when you are self employed you still pay for it, but before tax ;)
My recent visit to Melba was quite a let-down. However if you are going, be sure to use the voucher from the Entertainment book? ( Assuming you somehow could get your hands on the Melbourne version?)
We are considering getting the e-version of the book - depends on what our running sheet looks like though. We will do some planning this weekend. Thanks for the tip.
do you like curries?
The problem with charging the meal through work is that when you are self employed you still pay for it, but before tax ;)
Ah, I was thinking of corporate travel and a daily meal allowance :) Southbank isn't the cheapest place to go out a meal but there's plenty more options in the CBD which is within walking distance. If you're keen on a great risotto the Tutto Bene recommendation still stands, I visit once a year but with a voucher from the Melbourne Entertainment Book.
For groceries, there's a few IGAs in the Southbank area and a smaller Coles and two Woolies across the Yarra in the CBD. There's also Queen Vic market, a free 10min tram ride away if you prefer market produce.
Melbourne Zoo or Werribee Open Zoo?
Go and watch Collingwood get beaten again. Seeing the look on Eddie McGuire's face is a bargain for the entry price you pay
Zoo is a possibility, I think I last visited Melbourne Zoo in the late 90s. Always open to a good curry :) Thanks for the suggestions.
curry vault - bank pl - expensive, classy, very tasty
classic curry - 597 elizabeth st, very studenty, cheap, absolutely delicious
Hosier and Rutledge Lane, opposite Federation Square for street art
Melbourne Emporium
Shot Tower at Melbourne central and be there for the clock chiming on the hour
State library Victoria
City circle tram
Footy
Botanical Gardens
Coffee - use Beanhunter website to see what's popular and why
Brunetti's in Lygon Street for coffee, cakes, and good looking Italian waiters
Ackland Street St Kilda on Sunday, also to go to Luna Park and Esplanade market
Melbourne museum
Cheers, hope you enjoy our city…. Remember to bring warm clothes
Awesome - Thanks all for your tips and ideas. Now I need to plot all these ideas on a map, and play orienteering for the weekend.
DrJoe27: I have no interest in good looking italian waiters as I will be travelling with my good looking Italian girlfriend ;)
That's not saying we won't go to Brunettis for coffee and cake though :)
She will definitely love Brunetti's !
Yes good idea choose your top 10 list then check the weather, use city circle tram to get around and a Boy Scout map
I do like the old fashioned boy scout map, but also a fan of technology.
Might use: https://www.mapcustomizer.com
and print a hard copy on a colour printer :)
Visit the Sports Museum at the MCG combined with a tour that takes you to all the backstage places. The Museum is fantastic, with footy, netball and all Olympics displays too. Well worth the entry fee.
Thanks - I'll add it to the map :)
I too am visiting Melbourne next weekend and wanted to get to know some "hidden hot spots" and "small/underground bars" - all suggestions are welcomed :)
Law week has lots of free stuff.
Tour of Supreme Court dungeons is interesting
http://www.everyday-law.org.au/law-week/whats-on-in-law-week…
Go to Hardware Societe for brekky or brunch
Gazi restaurant for dinner (Greek, owned by George C from Masterchef)
Hosier Lane for the graffiti 'art'
Queen Victoria Markets
Eureka
Just walking around the river is so chilled and nice
(i'm from Sydney but these are some of the things I've done on my trip to Melb)
Thanks!
Thanks - I was there for work for 1 night last year (got there late in the evening) and I enjoyed my takeaway coffee by the river.
I'm late to this thread, only saw it today. If you haven't decided what to do on Sunday yet, there are several events/festivals that you can attend.
Are you and your girlfriend the Adventurous/outdoorsy types. If you are, some of these activities/experiences might interest you but you probably don't have time to experience them unless you make a booking today. They can be added to your Bucket list for your next visit.
1.Werribee Open Range Zoo Off Road Safari 2.Eureka Skydeck 88 And The Edge Experience
3.Helicopter Scenic Flight for 2, 16 Minutes - Phillip Island 4.Helicopter Scenic Flight for 2, 17 minutes - Barwon Heads
5.Cape Woolamai Cruise- Phillip Island 6.Wilsons Prom Day Cruise- Wilsons Promontory National Park
7.Great Ocean Road Classic 1 Day Tour 8.Sea Kayaking, Dolphin Sanctuary and Point Nepean- Mornington Peninsula
9.Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium Entry For 2 10.Farmers Lunch, Tapas and Wine for 2- Mornington Peninsula
11.Yacht Cruise and Dine, Melbourne 12.Horse Riding, 2 Hour Beach Ride & Hot Springs Spa Experience- Mornington Peninsula
13.Sailing, 1 Hour Tall Ship Cruise Aboard Enterprize- Williamstown 14.White Water Kayaking, Half Day- Yarra River
15.Horse Riding, 2 Hour Beach Ride & Dine Experience- Mornington Peninsula 16.Ninety minutes Segway Tour And Winery Lunch- Yarra Valley
There's something I wanted to add, you don't have to necessarily buy those experiences from Adrenalin because there are other companies/websites. I compared several experiences on Adrenalin with those websites. The prices appear to be similar but there are some which are different. I posted the Adrenalin links because it's the only website I've ordered from. The common/typical/regular suggestions for visitors to Melbourne were already posted, not implying they were bad or anything. I wanted to suggest different activities that are more outdoorsy/exciting/adventurous and to give you an idea of what other things you can do while you're in Melbourne. If I saw your thread sooner, I would've posted the same comment with those links and maybe you would've had time to try those experiences. Earlier this morning, I was thinking today probably isn't the best type of weather to experience some of those activities because it was cold. But it's feeling slightly warmer now and it looks like the weather for your last day in Melbourne should be good. Unless the weather changes dramatically, Melbourne weather can be unpredictable at times. The forecast is mostly sunny at 20°C with a slight chance of rain in the evening.
Hi All, Just returned, thanks for your comments and ideas.
Weather was awesome and a good time was had by all.
We ended up going to Meat & Wine Co on Thursday night, but the queue was quite long so we ended up eating in the Casino.
Friday saw us visit Eureka Tower, QV markets, and we caught the free tram home.
Lunch was fresh DIY at the markets.
We went to Speak Easy HQ on Friday night to watch some burlesque.
Saturday we we walked up to the Old Gaol, Lygon St, Victoria Markets (again), Federation Square and a show in the evening at Paris Cat.
We also visited the National Gallery to see Whistlers Mother, and walked through some of the foodie alleys - just for a look :)
Sunday
St Kilda markets
Art Gallery markets
30 min cruise of the yarra to see the sights from a different perspective.
From the title I thought you were talking about the upcoming Queens Birthday long weekend. My answer for that weekend would have been OzComicCon which will be on a short walk from Southbank.
If you're in Southbank, Eureka Skydeck would also be in walking distance. The view of Melbourne is amazing.