Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - One day in Melbourne

Although there are many threads about what to do during a brief visit to Sydney, I didn't stumble across any that offered advice for an abbreviated trip to Melbourne. So, I'm curious, what should I do and see on my brief visit next weekend?

I'll be arriving on Saturday at 10:15 a.m. and departing Sunday at 12:05 p.m. I've already Pricelined the Marriott on Lonsdale Street. My plan is to take the Skybus from and to the airport. I was thinking about making use of the free Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle to get a lay of the land. Other than that, I have no plans and no idea what I should do and see.

Any recommendations for can't miss sights or activities?

How should I structure my visit so that I make the most of my limited time?

Any good value restaurant I should visit for my only dinner in Melbourne?

Not a good time to arrive if you're not a petrol head, it's grand prix, with all the noise and "excitement". BUT, your idea of that tram bussy thing that wanders around is good. Hop off at the Victorian Markets, head for the deli/small goods area and you can sample some fine foods and coffee. The CBD is open all day, so you can stroll through the arcades of Melbourne on your way over to the Southland precinct where lunch will be provided by any of a thousand restaurants, all with their menus outside, and young friendly twenty somethings will fall for your accent inside. If you follow any code of sport (tiresome, yawn), Melbourne is sure to be hosting the world championship of it, so google Melbourne and your preferred choice. Now if you enjoy wine, arts, a little culture maybe, a LH turn at Southbank lobs you in the middle of it. Conversely speaking if you do a RH turn, you enter the Casino. Like Italian pasta?, well tonight head for Lygon Street in Carlton, 3/4 blocks of eateries, theatres and shops. Chinese, we have the largest Chinatown, so I hear, but regardless, the food is awesome, that's in the City, walking distance from the hotel (as is Lygon) . Don't know if you have ever seen one of those super big screen Imax, close by the hotel, next door to the Museum which is different, is one, and from someone who wouldn't be seen dead entertaining such a waste of time, This is brilliant, so I enjoyed it!! even surprised myself. if you fancy yourself chatting to the locals, I suggest Lunch at the Botanical Hotel. Smart gear, smarter people. If all else fails head for one of the small theatres which show art movies, Kino under the Sofitel, or in the Carlton shopping complex, where there is a Borders too and across the road Readings. You will enjoy Melbourne, there's so much to see and do, but we do great eating and drinking, regards bkkrop

Are you arriving Saturday 28 March ?
Skybus will take you from the Spencer St depot to the Marriott on the same ticket. Ask them at Spencer St.

Take the free City Circle tram (http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/route/view/1112) (old 1930's style maroon colour) that runs around the centre of the city (CBD) to get a quick appreciation of the city. This not the same as free Tourist bus. Turn right out the door of the Marriott and walk 25m , turn left and walk up the slight hill until you come to tram tracks (2 blocks)

As BKKROP's post you will fill the afternoon & morning easily.

I'm thinking about checking out an AFL match. It looks like St. Kilda is playing Sydney at the Telstra Dome (Etihad Stadium) on Saturday night. It also looks like this is the opening round of the season. Will I have any difficulty walking up and getting tickets at the stadium or do I risk the match being sold out if I don't buy in advance?

Certainly the Docklands stadium was built to ensure pre-booking is generally necessary.

The sole ticketing agent for that stadium is here: www.ticketmaster.com.au

For direct booking for that football game, use this link:
http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/event/25004230C7731FE7?artistid=1055617&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=711http://kaztfs01/default.aspx

Note the appears to only be General admission tickets left for this game.

(It appears you must use IE for this website.)

I stayed at that Marriott - easy walking distance to everything. Right next to Chinatown if you dig it.

For a quick trip I would recommend hitting up the farmers market. You could easily get lost and spend all day but it's worth it just to be a part of the madness and to pick up a few cheap souvenirs from local artists, etc.

If you plan to splurge on a nice dinner I would highly recommend Tjanabi - it's in Federation Square but don't let that deter you as being too touristy. It's a super nice place with all the "australian" food you can eat - emu, kangaroo, wallaby, crocodile, bay bugs, etc.

I recommend roo and emu as they were my two favorite proteins I found while there. A bit pricy - but not really when you look at the US/AU conversion rate. When we went we had an excellent wine from Summerhill Wines in AU - and the very vitner joined us for dinner!

I'm arriving in Melbourne on Wednesday, 4/22, 9:40 AM, and departing next day, 4/23, 11:20 AM. My original thought is to stay at the Hilton Airport using HH points, although I, also, have Marriott points.

My reason for staying the Hilton Airport is for the ease of getting to the airport on the morning of departure. I plan on taking public transport (Skybus, I presume) into the city center and spending the day and early evening (dinner) there before heading back to the Hilton. From what I've read on travel sites, the Hilton isn't great, but I figure it should be O.K. for one night.

Any comments on the hotel issue before I launch my other questions?

I'm arriving in Melbourne on Wednesday, 4/22, 9:40 AM, and departing next day, 4/23, 11:20 AM. My original thought is to stay at the Hilton Airport using HH points, although I, also, have Marriott points.

My reason for staying the Hilton Airport is for the ease of getting to the airport on the morning of departure. I plan on taking public transport (Skybus, I presume) into the city center and spending the day and early evening (dinner) there before heading back to the Hilton. From what I've read on travel sites, the Hilton isn't great, but I figure it should be O.K. for one night.

Any comments on the hotel issue before I launch my other questions?

If you wanted to stay in the city rather than at the airport, Skybus run 24/7 so a morning departure is not a problem. :)

I like some of the suggestions from the previous posts for dining, however, I'll only be in Melbourne for a lunch and a dinner. Being from New Orleans, I like the spectrum from hole-in-the-wall places to upscale restaurants. I think I'd rather not do upscale since I'll have jet lag and will save that for when I'm not doing a MR. Also, I don't want to do the "exotic meats" as I get a lot of that in N.O. - alligator, snapping turtle, etc. and I've had some of those listed above already.

So, for lunch I guess I should try the farmers market or Southland area, do some sightseeing and then for dinner, maybe Chinatown. Any specific restaurant recommendations?

I like some of the suggestions from the previous posts for dining, however, I'll only be in Melbourne for a lunch and a dinner. Being from New Orleans, I like the spectrum from hole-in-the-wall places to upscale restaurants. I think I'd rather not do upscale since I'll have jet lag and will save that for when I'm not doing a MR. Also, I don't want to do the "exotic meats" as I get a lot of that in N.O. - alligator, snapping turtle, etc. and I've had some of those listed above already.

So, for lunch I guess I should try the farmers market or Southland area, do some sightseeing and then for dinner, maybe Chinatown. Any specific restaurant recommendations?

For a dinner with a difference, could try the Tramcar Restaurant that does a circuit of the city.
http://www.tramrestaurant.com.au

Just a point of clarification re Southbank, Southland etc.

Southgate is a shopping and restaurant complex on the South Bank of the Yarra, adjacent to the Casino.

Southland is a shopping centre some 20km south of Melbourne City.

You don't need or want to go to Southland.

I would agree with the sights most of the other posters have suggested.
The city is famous for its laneways with shops cafes and bars, walking around will allow you to get the feel of these, and the general architecture.
The National Gallery (Art Gallery) has two branches. In Flinders Street is the Australian collection, and in St Kilda Road the International collection. Either are worth visiting.

...then for dinner, maybe Chinatown. Any specific restaurant recommendations?Some of the finest chinese food in the world happens to be in Melbourne, for an unexpected reason. Years ago a chinese immigrant who had settled in Australia made a diligent attempt to track down and bring to Melbourne the former chefs of the Chinese Imperial court -- who were now farm laborers, thanks to Mao's cultural revolution. Several dozen made it out, and many are now in restaurants in Melbourne. Probably half of the old chinese "haute cuisine" cooking talent is in Melbourne (more than in any city in China, or even Hong Kong, rather ironically). The quality and variety of the ingredients available is also amenable to great cantonese cooking.

You can go to the obvious -- Flower Drum. The most famous chinese restaurant in Australia, and maybe the best in the world (though not as good as it used to be!). Or you can pay considerably less for as good/better a meal at Li Li's restaurant (71 Stanley Street). Enjoy.

Rather than start a new thread, I figured this was as good as any other place for my questions.

Here's the setup: I'm doing a trip down to MEL next week from BOS to rack up the EQM counter. The bad news is that I'm in desperate need to put in more time on my thesis for which the due date is rapidly approaching.

I was wondering if anyone could suggest an area of the city that is rife with cafes where one can linger about and work through the day? Internet access isn't necessary and I'm more than willing to pay for my share of caffeine/sustenance to avoid pissing off the proprietor. Suggestions? I've heard that St. Kilda is nice but I'm not sure if it aligns with these goals.

Oh, and just FYI I will be doing *some* sightseeing on this trip...it just can't be the focus this time around.

Although there are many threads about what to do during a brief visit to Sydney, I didn't stumble across any that offered advice for an abbreviated trip to Melbourne. So, I'm curious, what should I do and see on my brief visit next weekend?

I'll be arriving on Saturday at 10:15 a.m. and departing Sunday at 12:05 p.m. I've already Pricelined the Marriott on Lonsdale Street. My plan is to take the Skybus from and to the airport. I was thinking about making use of the free Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle to get a lay of the land. Other than that, I have no plans and no idea what I should do and see.

Any recommendations for can't miss sights or activities?

How should I structure my visit so that I make the most of my limited time?

Any good value restaurant I should visit for my only dinner in Melbourne?


Sightseeing options to consider:
Eureka SkyDeck
Melburne 360 Rialto Melbourne Observation Deck
Cruise down the Yarra River
Visit Queen Victoria Market
Federation Square
Old Melbourne Gaol
Royal Botanic Gardens
Captain Cooks Cottage
Melbourne Aquarium
Crown Entertainment Complex
Colonial Tram Car Restaurant for dinner (this was unique, fun, food good)
Rent a car and drive to Phillip Island for the evening Penguin Parade
Visit St. Kilda area

I was wondering if anyone could suggest an area of the city that is rife with cafes ....Umm, I think you just described Melbourne .... :)

It's probably hard to walk very far without having multiple choices. Try this coffee (http://www.visitmelbourne.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.000B0AFC-6AA9-1A67-88CD80C476A90318/) page for some suggestions. If you're staying in the CBD, as you wander the streets and laneways, you'll find your choices are endless.

Then there's this video best 3 (http://www.lonelyplanet.tv/Clip.aspx?key=59AAABBA5D7554A0). Not sure eveybody would agree with his choices but then there are so many ...

Another list (http://www.yourrestaurants.com.au/guide/index.cfm?source=dashboard&cuisine=45&action=browse&region=12&p=1)

Rather than start a new thread, I figured this was as good as any other place for my questions.

Here's the setup: I'm doing a trip down to MEL next week from BOS to rack up the EQM counter. The bad news is that I'm in desperate need to put in more time on my thesis for which the due date is rapidly approaching.

I was wondering if anyone could suggest an area of the city that is rife with cafes where one can linger about and work through the day? Internet access isn't necessary and I'm more than willing to pay for my share of caffeine/sustenance to avoid pissing off the proprietor. Suggestions? I've heard that St. Kilda is nice but I'm not sure if it aligns with these goals.

Oh, and just FYI I will be doing *some* sightseeing on this trip...it just can't be the focus this time around.

Every now and then I have had a similar problem not having an office in Melbourne, and I have solved it by meeting in a hotel lobby. No problem provided you have your coffee, mineral water, whatever, WiFi there if you need it, and much more room to spread out with papers. I haven't been to the renovated Hyatt yet, but I have used the old Hyatt and the Westin.

The following is an edited PM to Kenish with some suggestions for Melbourne for those with limited time. It may be of some help.

Some suggestions.

Your time in Melbourne is relatively limited, so the following suggestions are designed to give you the maximum chance to get a feel for the City of Melbourne, but to also give you the maximum flexibility to follow your own interests.

There are a series of brochures which outline walking tours through out the city. If you are anything like me, I prefer to walk if I want to get a feel for a city, and these various brochures give a very good coverage of the city.

The following is the home page for the site, which gives a good overview of various things to do and see in Melbourne

http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/Pages/Home.aspx

A list of suggestions for places to see can be found at

http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/PlacesToGo/Pages/placestogo.aspx

The brochures can be found at

http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/Gettingaroundthecity/Maps/Pages/MapsandBrochures.aspx

Somewhere on the web, there are podcasts to accompany the brochures, which can be downloaded prior to your visit and listened to on your iPod while you are walking, but I seem to have lost the link.

There are many historic buildings in Melbourne, and their backgrounds are described in these podcasts.

The Melbourne Tourist Shuttle Bus, which is free, circles the city, and with your limited time is worth while using. It has a number of stops, and you can get on and off at each of these stops to explore places of interest.

The link to the brochure is here

http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/Documents/General/MCTouristShuttle190109.pdf

I will leave you to cross reference with the brochures to make up your own itinerary.

For those curious about Australian Rules Football, the shuttle passes Melbourne Grammar which is in Domain Road near the Shrine and the Botanical Gardens. Although there is some debate about it, the first Australian Rules football match was played between Melbourne Grammar, and another school Scotch College (see extract from Wikipedia below)

Cordner-Eggleston Cup

Statue at the Melbourne Cricket Ground of Tom Wills umpiring the first recorded match of Australian rules football between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar

The Cordner-Eggleston Cup is competed for each year by the first football teams of Melbourne Grammar School and the Scotch College. It commemorates the first recorded game of Australian Rules Football, which was played between the two schools on 7 August 1858, and is today commemorated by a statue depicting the game outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The first game ran for three days, over three consecutive Saturday's, and each team selected an umpire: Melbourne Grammar chose Tom Wills, one of the inventors of the code of Australian Football; Scotch chose Dr John Macadam. By the completion of the third day, the match had resulted in a one-all draw.[14]

In recent years historians have found evidence of earlier matches, and subsequently the origin of the game remains one of the most contested areas of Australian history. Both Melbourne Grammar and Scotch have acknowledged the ongoing research of historians, with Tim Shearer of the Old Scotch Collegians Association, and a former AFL umpire, explaining to The Age that the College is "careful to say we don't dogmatically claim this was the first game of Australian football and that there are differing views which we respect. But we do like to say that this is the first recorded game by two teams who still exist today."[14]

To celebrate the schools' 150-year-old rivalry, the Cordner-Eggleston Cup 2008 was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground; the match was won by Melbourne Grammar.

Melbourne is quite unique in having a major cultural centre, sporting complex and extensive gardens (see stops 1, 2, 3 and 13 on the shuttle bus map) all within walking distance of the CBD. It is regularly classified together with Vancouver as being either number one or number two of the most liveable cities in the world. I am a great fan of Vancouver, but I might be biased about my home town!

... The bad news is that I'm in desperate need to put in more time on my thesis for which the due date is rapidly approaching.

I was wondering if anyone could suggest an area of the city that is rife with cafes where one can linger about and work through the day? ...As mentioned Melbourne has 6 cafes on every street corner (or so it seems) and most are happy to have you linger. But many have very small tables! And the in ones get very crowded, with the see and be seen crowd. A quiet one that has good coffee and is convenient is Gloria Jeans on Flinders by Elizabeth, just across from the tower at Flinders Station. I've used it for its free and fast internet access. The suggestion of the Westin is also good, but their security might make you feel uncomfortable (many high-profile guests at that hotel, so they keep tight control over what is happening in the lobby; if you look like the lookout man for a terrorist group, they'll notice).