Published 26 June 2013, by Jess
Melbourne is the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria and the second most populated city in Australia with approximately more than four (4) million people.
Melbourne is a mix of hipster meets grungy street artist with various funky cafes, bars and shopping. This is particularly evident in suburbs like St Kilda. If you’re a lover of multiculturalism and the arts, then Melbourne is the place for you.
This city has a lot to offer, having been there five (5) times already, each time seems to be a new experience, with restaurants and bars ever-changing.
When leaving your hotel room, I suggest you be ready for the craziness that is Melbourne weather. Melbourne is well known for its ‘4 seasons in 1 day’ weather, so take a jacket, an umbrella and sunglasses, prepare yourself for anything.
Places of Interest
St Kilda
I think St Kilda would have to be my favourite part of Melbourne. It offers travellers a mix of everything that is Melbourne – from the beach, to the shopping, to the bars and restaurants. St Kilda has it all!
Acland Street is a must for any traveller to St Kilda. Lining one side of the street is cake shop after cake shop, if you can resist what’s on offer then you have more will power than I do.
Be aware that cakes on Acland Street are not cheap. Portions are big however I wouldn’t agree that the price tag is warranted. I paid $6.50 AUD for a Peppermint Chocolate slice.
Shopping
On the opposite side of Acland Street is the shopping. The stores are very ‘one of a kind’ orientated, offering some pieces that I hadn’t seen anywhere else in Melbourne shops….and I shopped a lot! There was a great mixture of prices, from fantastic sale items to the completely ridiculous.
The Beach
The beach area is a great place to enjoy a beautiful Melbourne summers day. You will find a few restaurants and cafes with some great views of the beach.
St Kilda Beach
Luna Park
A very old amusement park and somewhat the centrepiece of St Kilda as it is the first thing you see. All five times I’ve been to Melbourne, LunaPark was closed each time I ventured to St Kilda.
Locals Recommendations
While I haven’t been to any of these places, I was told by a local that these are great spots to check out while in the St Kilda area;
Bars – Vineyard, The Branch and Veludo
Food – Radio Mexico and Za’Ba
Shopping Recommendations In Melbourne
Bourke Street Mall – Myer, David Jones. Myer puts on an amazing Christmas Window in December.
Chadstone – Large, multi-storey shopping centre/mall
Direct Factory Outlets (DFO) South Wharf – Between the CBD and Docklands, fantastic cheap shopping, highly recommended.
Discount Outlets Spencer Street Station – Discounted, last season items. You can find a few bargains if you really look hard.
Melbourne Central – multi-storey shopping centre/mall
Bridge Road – Located in Richmond, popular for DFO’s and up and coming local designers.
Chapel Street – Known for its Exclusive upmarket fashion designers, the shopping tends to have a hefty price tag here.
Food and Bars
Mamak – An incredible Indonesian restaurant on Lonsdale Street. Incredible not just for the quality food, but for the price. Between 4 people, we ordered 4 dishes + rice, 2 desserts and a drink each and only paid $25 a head.
The Hardware Societe – Located on Hardware Lane. Do yourself a favour and have breakfast here, you won’t regret it. The interior design is very industrial, the seating varies from private tables to communal benches and the food is fantastic. The best scrambled eggs of my life!
The Merrywell – The Merrywell can be found in the Crowne Casino and offers an upmarket pub style alternative. The food is great, I hear the Angus Burger comes highly recommended but my recommendation is the Pulled Pork Quesadilla’s.
Drinks at The Merrywell while waiting for food.
Tequila & Tapa’s Bar – Found on Hardware Lane, the ambience created has resulted in a very cute and cosy bar. The bar is small in size though, so finding a free table can sometimes be an issue.
Lygon Street – Located in Carlton, Lygon Street is an extremely popular among tourists for its Italian influence. Personally, I think the hype is a little over-rated. Italian men stand outside their restaurants and if you stop and look at the menu, you’ve as good as sat at one of their tables, there is no getting away.
The Crown Casino – A great mix of bars and restaurants for everyone, plus the casino if you are a gambler. Highly recommend checking out the Crowne.
Rooftop Bar/Cookie – Located on Swanston Street, the Rooftop Bar had a really great vibe to it. I think this would be an excellent place to hang out in the summer months. During winter, it was a little on the cold side, it also didn’t help that half of the outdoor heaters were off for some unknown reason. Cookie was more a restaurant style bar, tables all set up like a restaurant and didn’t really invite mingling amongst others which is what I think a bar should offer. Good cocktails though.
Drinks at Rooftop Bar.
Corner Hotel – Close proximity to the MCG and found on Swan Street. Great idea to check this place out before seeing a football game. The rooftop is big and it’s a great atmosphere before the game.
Passport 2 the World 