Planning a trip to Melbourne with a few friends during Easter holidays…never been so don't know the first thing about what to do.
Can anyone recommend any decent/ cheap accomodation over there?
Don't mind if it's slightly in the burbs…we'll have a car.
Also, what should I check out? I'll be there for 5 days / 4nights…love food, movies, cycling.
Cheers
The Melbourne Comedy Festival is on then: http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2012/season/ Unlike the Sydney one, I hear that you can usually make nights of just comedy - you usually can see a few in a night and you can just walk from one venue to the next.
I am going at the end of this month and I can't wait!
I'm not sure how much comedy one would want to see in a night. Many venues stack comedians after each other. For example, The Exford (the bar people go to after they are drunk) has free comdedy after hours. The comedy festival is always hit or miss. Most the comics are unknowns so there is a chance they could be awesome or terrible. I saw Daniel Kitson in his first or second year before he came big. That was great. The majority of unknowns have been so-so. I always go for the international acts as you figure if they got booked from overseas, then they are probably halfway decent. Australians can basically just rock up on a tram and have a comedy show.
If you are on a budget, skip the Eureka Tower/Rialto, and instead go up to the 32nd (wherever the bar/restaurant is) of the Sofitel hotel. Head to the bathrooms for a great view facing southwards.
Re: The bikes. The helmets from 7/11 are $5 and you get $3 if you return them. Problem is they are decent helmets and people just buy them for their own personal use. This means it's hard to find helmets in your size. See the post here. I think they put giant stickers on them to prevent personal use.
There is the free city circle tram and the free bus that should cover most of the tourist spots. See wiki
Another cheap food option:
Shanghai Dumplings in Chinatown. No bookings, share tables with others, but fairly decent dumplings for cheap.
You didn't mention footy but a visit to Melbourne, IMO, is not complete without seeing a match. I often get great tickets on eBay for less than cost.
If you have a car, then it's worth doing 12 Apostles, Mt. Dandenong/Puffing Billy, Yarra Valley wine tour, Sovereign Hill.
awesome ideas guys…really appreciate it!
any suggestions for good/cheap accomodation? We're not fussy…so if YHA is the best/cheapest option then we'll just do that!
If you are going with a few friends, try airbnb. Some good deals there. Hotels in Melbourne/Australia are overpriced.
thanks for all your tips neil, extremely helpful!
Food:
Bikes:
$8 for weekly subscription from Melbourne Bike Share
http://www.melbournebikeshare.com.au/pricing
You will need your own helmet though, so could be an idea to bring your own from home