Things to do in Melbourne
Gaze at Ned Kelly's death mask at the Old Melbourne Gaol and the city's skyline from the Eureka Skydeck 88. The National Gallery of Victoria at Federation Square in the city houses Australian art. Trams go to the Royal Botanic Gardens, and to local sports fans' favourite, the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Relax by the Yarra River at Abbotsford Convent. Museums are mostly free and open 10am-5pm.
Museums and Galleries
Expand all1. Melbourne Museum - Aborigine culture
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Melbourne Museum focuses on Victoria's natural environment and cultural history. Eight galleries of permanent and temporary exhibitions include a living rainforest and Aboriginal cultural centre. Pride of place goes to racehorse Phar Lap and Evolution Gallery's dinosaur and whale skeletons. Likened to a modern airport, this new building will take you both back in time and give you a glimpse into the future.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
A$6; concessions and children free; additional charge for special exhibitions
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-5pm
Address
11, Nicholson St, Carlton, Melbourne 3054
Telephone
+ 61 (0) 3 8341 7777
Transport
Parliament Train Station or Tram: 86 or 96 to the museum and Royal Exhibition Building, or free City Circle Tram to Carlton Gardens.
Website
2. National Gallery of Victoria - Outstanding art collection
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Australia's finest international art collection is showcased in Federation Square's bright and spacious National Gallery of Victoria. View artists from Rembrandt to Warhol plus Australian classics by Tom Roberts and Sidney Nolan. Admire the waterwall and Great Hall's stained-glass ceiling.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free; special exhibitions charge
Opening Hours
Wed-Mon 10am-5pm
Address
180, St Kilda Road, Melbourne 3000
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 8620 2222
3. Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia - History of Australian art
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Australia's most comprehensive display of native art is housed in Federation Square's Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. The collection traces the history of Australian art from the Heidelberg School to today and features galleries devoted to indigenous artworks.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free; special exhibitions A$10-A$15
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-5pm
Address
Federation Square, Corner Russell and Flinders Streets, Melbourne 3000
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 8620 2222
4. Australian Centre for Contemporary Art - Modern art
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Melbourne's leading Australian Centre for Contemporary Art surprises and impresses with its programme of commissioned artworks by local and international artists. The rust-red modernist exterior is as striking as the visual art inside this gallery in Southbank's arts precinct.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Tue-Fri 10am-5pm; Sat & Sun 11am-6pm
Address
111, Sturt Street, Southbank, Melbourne 3006
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 9697 9999
Attractions
Expand all5. Melbourne Aquarium - Walk-through fishbowl
Show more Home to Australia's biggest walk-through fishbowl, the educational and entertaining Melbourne Aquarium in Flinders Street introduces visitors to ocean, billabong and mangrove inhabitants. Sharks and stingrays swim with creatures like cuttlefish, seadragons, luminous sea jellies, long-neck turtles and hermit crabs.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
A$31.50; concessions A$19.50; children A$18
Opening Hours
Daily 9.30am-6pm (until 9pm 1-26 Jan)
Address
Corner Flinders Street and King Street, Melbourne 3000
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 9923 5999
6. Federation Square - Melbourne's meeting piazza
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Melbourne waited 165 years for a city square and this undulating cobbled piazza was worth the wait. A popular venue for events and celebrations, Federation Square is a bold landmark and arts precinct, featuring geometrical patterning in sandstone and glass.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily all day
Address
Corner Swanston and Flinders Streets, Melbourne 3000
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 9655 1900
7. Eureka Skydeck 88 - Panoramic city views
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Nothing can prepare you for the awe-inspiring city views from the Southern Hemisphere's highest viewing platform, the Skydeck at 88 Eureka Tower on Melbourne's Southbank. Don't miss the 'Edge Experience' - a glass cube that slides out from the building.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
A$16.50; concessions A$11; 4-16s A$9. The Edge Experience costs an additional A$12; concessions A$10; 4-16s A$8
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-10pm (last entry 9.30pm)
Address
7 Riverside Quay, Southbank, Melbourne 3006
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 9693 8888
Transport
By Tram and Train: to Flinder's Street Station or Federation Square
Website
8. State Library of Victoria - Domed reading room
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The city centre's imposing State Library of Victoria opened in 1856 and now has 19 public spaces including restored heritage reading rooms, galleries and exhibition areas. For relaxed browsing, there's the impressively-domed La Trobe Reading Room and Newspaper Reading Room.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-6pm (until 9pm Mon-Thu)
Address
328, Swanston Street, Melbourne 3000
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 8664 7000
9. Old Melbourne Gaol - 19th-century prison
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Old Melbourne Gaol in the city centre operated from 1842 to 1929. The 136 people hanged here included legendary bushranger Ned Kelly in 1880, whose death mask is on display. Entrance includes admission to the city watch house and magistrates' court.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
A$20; concessions A$16; children A$11
Opening Hours
Daily 9.30am-5pm
Address
Russell Street, Melbourne 3000
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 8663 7228
10. Royal Botanic Gardens - Victorian-era gardens
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South Yarra's Royal Botanic Gardens are a textbook example of 19th-century picturesque landscaping, with vistas at every turn. The exotic mix of temperate and tropical plants, meandering pathways and ornamental lakes provides a haven for native wildlife and city dwellers.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 7.30am-sunsetTropical Display: daily 10am-4pm
Address
Birdwood Ave, South Yarra, Melbourne 3141
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 9252 2300
11. Como Historic House & Garden - Colonial mansion
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Como Historic House & Garden was the home of an elite colonial family for almost a century. Protected by the National Trust, the South Yarra mansion is noted for its iron-lacework verandas, period furnishings and landscaped grounds. There are guided tours only.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
A$12; concessions A$9; children A$6.50
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-4pm
Address
Corner Williams Road & Lechlade Avenue, South Yarra, Melbourne 3141
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 9827 2500
Special things to do
Expand all12. Capital City Trail - Cycle the city
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Cycling through the city on the Capital City Trail is a great way to see the sights. Hire a bike at Docklands and make your way to Southbank, the MCG or zoo. Follow signs bearing the Capital City Trail logo.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free (cycle day hire A$35; family A$90)
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-5pm
Address
Vault 14, Federation Wharf, Riverside @ Federation Square, Melbourne 3000
Telephone
+61 (0) 417 339 203
13. Melbourne Cricket Ground - Football and cricket venue
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Melburnians take their football and cricket seriously, and this Richmond sporting venue is hallowed ground. The National Sports Museum is here, and tours on non-event days include coaches' boxes, players' changing rooms and a walk on Melbourne cricket ground itself.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Tours A$15; concessions A$11
Opening Hours
Tours daily 10am-3pm
Address
Brunton Avenue, Richmond, Melbourne 3121
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 9657 8888
14. Hot-air Balloon Flight - Dawn ballooning over Melbourne
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Melbourne comes to life on a hot-air balloon flight at dawn. You'll get a new perspective on landmarks like Federation Square and Southbank, and see how far the suburbs sprawl. Trips include a gourmet champagne breakfast with your pilot.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
A$330
Opening Hours
Daily an hour before dawn
Address
Birdwood Avenue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne 3004
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 9427 0088
15. Abbotsford Convent - Riverside arts precinct
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The former Abbotsford Convent of the Good Shepherd has been transformed into a vibrant arts precinct overlooking the Yarra. Bordered by Collingwood Children's Farm, the precinct includes heritage gardens and medieval-style buildings. Tours, markets and on-site cafés complete the experience.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 7.30am-10pm
Address
1, St Heliers Street, Abbotsford, Melbourne 3067
Telephone
+61 (0) 3 9415 3600
