World Travel Insider

Melbourne, which is pronounced Melbin, is the second largest city in Australia and has a lot to offer.  I just got back from a nice 3 day visit in Melbourne and absolutely loved the city.  My best friend Lexy, who was visiting from New York City, and I went to visit my friend Rhodri and see what the city was all about.  Melbourne has a lot of character and reminds me a lot of an older European city, rather than one that was developed not even 200 years ago.  The combination of the tram cars and classic architecture gives it a much more charming feel rather than a big city.  Melbourne is famous for their amazing food, fashion, arts, sports, and of course their weather.

Lexy and I by the Yarra River - Pre Storm

Getting There & Getting around

There are two airports in Melbourne; Tellamarine is the main one and closer to the city, while Avalon is about an hour outside of the city.  There are multiple carriers that fly within Australia to Melbourne including Virgin Blue, JetStar and Tiger, and if booked in advanced you should be able to get a reasonable fare around $100 Aus.  To get into the city from Tellamarine we took the SkyBus which was $16 for a one way or $26 for a return ticket.  The bus drops you in the heart of the city at Southern Cross Station in about 20 minutes.

As far as getting around the city, Melbourne’s public transportation is easy to navigate and minimal drama, unlike Sydney.  There is a combination of trams, trains and buses that get you where you need to go in a timely fashion.  There is also a free tram that runs in a circle around the CBD every 12 minutes and is very helpful.

The free tram that takes you around the city

Nightlife

The nightlife in Melbourne is amazing and I absolutely loved the scene.  There are two main areas to go out in Melbourne with tons of bars, clubs and pubs to choose from.  The CBD, central business district aka the city, or Chapel Street.   My favorite place was Spice Market, which is actually the first place in this country in which I’ve seen “Bottle Service” offered, but it had a great crowd and music.  I also enjoyed The Long Room, which is also in the city and features a massively long bar that was great for easy access.  On Chapel St I loved Electric Ladyland and the fact that it had lots of seating and a great laid back vibe.  Also a great rooftop bar is it the Palmz at the Carlton Hotel, just be sure and check the weather!

Lexy and I loving Spice Market

Electric Ladyland on Chapel Street

Weather

They say that you can truly experience all four seasons in one day in Melbourne and we experienced this full on.  What started as a gorgeous morning, not a cloud in the sky, turned into one of the most intense storms I’ve ever experienced.  About an hour into our lovely sightseeing day the clouds started to roll in along with some strong winds.  This was our cue to literally run for cover.  Within moments of arriving at the Crown Casino a full on rain and hail storm, with golf sized hail, was in full affect.  Watch this video to see how intense it really was.  We were stuck in the casino for a few hours to let the storm pass and we killed the time with a bottle of wine.  The journey home was quite an experience as well due to the flooded streets, closed transport, and leaves and debris everywhere.  The other days we were in town were also very inconsistent with their weather, starting out sunny and then turning to clouds and a lot of rain.

The hail accumulating outside the casino!

Food

Melbourne has the most cafes/restaurants per square meter in the world.  While visiting we definitely experienced some of the delicious food the city has to offer.  Ranging from a great all you can eat dumping restaurant, Camy Shanghai Dumpling & Noodle, to the cute cafes on Centre Place, we were not disappointed with the cuisine.  Centre Place is a charming street in the middle of the city that is closed to traffic during the day and is lined with dozens of charming cafes and shops.  Also be sure not to miss Stalactites, which is open 24/7, to experience some amazing Greek food and where I had the best slovaki gyro of my life.  The quality doesn’t come as a shock to me considering Melbourne is the city with the second largest Greek population in the world.

Lexy and I enjoying an amazing breakfast at one of the cafes on Centre Street

Centre Place!

What to Do

Regardless of the time of the year Melbourne seems to always have something going on.  The city hosts dozens of festivals which range from fashion to food to film.  Also Melbourne is home to many sporting events such as the Australia Open, The Formula 1 Grand Prix, and the Australian Masters.  Melbourne is the home of Aussie Rules Football and they are serious about this sport with numerous local teams.  The city also has teams representing rugby league, rugby union, soccer and cricket.  If sports aren’t your thing check out some of the amazing shopping in the fashion mecca.  Also there are 5 wine regions within an hour and a half drive of the city that are definitely worth having a look…or a taste!  Lastly as you wander around the streets keep your eyes open for some of the best graffiti I’ve ever seen.

Some amazing graffiti on a random street in Melbourne

I hope this article proved to be helpful to those of you that are planning a trip to Melbourne sometime soon or I possibly interested you in venturing down to Victoria to check out this amazing city.  The architecture, culture, cuisine, nightlife and friendly locals make this a city I will definitely be back to in the near future.  And to those of you that live in Melbourne and think that it’s the best….I’ll stick to Sydney!   Check out my Flickr account for tons more pics!