Melbourne - What to see?

[alano]

We are stopping in Melbourne on our cruise from Sydney to Auckland and really don't fancy any of the organised trips Princess are putting on. Can anyone offer some suggestions on a ' go it alone' day out in Melbourne.

[Jane110]

Melbourne is one of the easiest cities in the world to get around on your own. The cable cars cover all parts of the city, taxi's are easily available and walking is a real pleasure.

 

The Victorian Arts Museum is one of the best art museums in Australia. Walk around the city and see the old station, walk across the bridge, see the St. Kilda's beach area. There are lots of shopiing arcades as well as a wonderful open air market. Look through a Frommers and see what they suggest for their "if you only have one day" itineraries. They do this for every city and I've always found it helpful.

 

If your cruise ship is offering an evening excursion to Phillips Island to see the Fairy Penguins, I highly recommend doing that. It's a "don't miss" in my opinion, but it's too far to drive on your own if you only have a day. That one is best as poart of an organized tour.

 

Australia has the most exciting cuisine in the world today and Melbourne has some of it's finest. My favorite places are Momo's, Izard at Adelphi and The Richmond Street Larder. Having a Mod-Oz (modern australian) meal during your visit is a "must do" in my opinion.

 

Jane

[stebul]

Jane, you just confirmed exactly what I already thought would be the best option! Are the botanical gardens worth a stop? How do they compare with the gardens in Sydney?

 

stebul

[cands]

Hi, the gardens are different to Sydney's. Melbourne has a more temperate climate (Sydney is almost sub-tropical).

The gardens are a wonderful green oasis almost in the centre of the city.

 

Cruise ships dock at Station Pier, Port Melbourne. The tram to the city is a short walk away, right at the end of the dock. A full day pass for the tram/train network of the city and inner suburbs is about AUD$6.

[Jane110]

Hi, the gardens are different to Sydney's. Melbourne has a more temperate climate (Sydney is almost sub-tropical).

The gardens are a wonderful green oasis almost in the centre of the city.

 

Cruise ships dock at Station Pier, Port Melbourne. The tram to the city is a short walk away, right at the end of the dock. A full day pass for the tram/train network of the city and inner suburbs is about AUD$6.

 

Stebel,

 

I agree with Cands.

 

BTW, be aware that when Aussies use the term "suburbs" it really mean's "neighborhoods" in american english.

 

As a New Yorker and a city lover, I never want to visit the suburbs of any city as I prefer being in the thick of it ......or out in the country entirely. So on my first visit to Oz, when people talked about going to a suburb, I wasn't interested, until I learned that they simply were referring to a different area of town.

 

Jane

[KiwiIan]

We are stopping in Melbourne on our cruise from Sydney to Auckland and really don't fancy any of the organised trips Princess are putting on. Can anyone offer some suggestions on a ' go it alone' day out in Melbourne.

Hi Alan

 

If you are looking for some ideas on things to do independently of the ship tours you may like to look at the official web site for the State of Victortia, where Melbourne is situated. This site has a lot of information and you can also look under the "TOURS" section [halfway down the left side menus] for Independant Tours for Melbourne. Hope this helps. Note that if you are looking for this sort of info then all ports of call in both NZ and Aus have an official web site run by the local tourism office, if you need any help finding these let us know as we have lists here for the NZ ports but you should be able to track these down on google. Hope this helps. Here is the link to the web site http://www.visitvictoria.com/

[cands]

Stebel,

 

I agree with Cands.

 

BTW, be aware that when Aussies use the term "suburbs" it really mean's "neighborhoods" in american english.

 

As a New Yorker and a city lover, I never want to visit the suburbs of any city as I prefer being in the thick of it ......or out in the country entirely. So on my first visit to Oz, when people talked about going to a suburb, I wasn't interested, until I learned that they simply were referring to a different area of town.

 

Jane

 

 

Interesting Jane. You learn something new every day.:)

 

Now, the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne website has a wealth of information, including links to public transport sites. www.rbg.vic.gov.au

 

Steve.

[stebul]

For reference, here is a URL to the Melbourne tram system:

 

http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/index.php

 

Jane, I am a city person too. I did a four hour power walk through New York City one evening last May, from Penn Station up through Central Park, back down almost to Grenwich Village, then back to Penn Station!

 

Steve

[matilda]

Something to be aware about. When you leave the ship and walk to the light rail (tramcar) to go to the city, stop first at the supermarket/cafe right next to the tram stop. I imagine they sell the day passes for the trams (and buses and trains), but if not you will need some coins if buying your ticket on the tram itself. The ticket machine on the tram won't take notes.

The Rialto building on the corner of Collins and King Sts has an observation deck where you can get a bird's eye view of Melbourne. You might like to do that. Have a great day in Melbourne!

From Matilda (still waltzing!)

[maxx]

Melbourne has a great tram system, it's easy to get around.

Watch the weather, it's unpredictable, 4 seasons in one day.

Good shopping.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Something to be aware about. When you leave the ship and walk to the light rail (tramcar) to go to the city, stop first at the supermarket/cafe right next to the tram stop. I imagine they sell the day passes for the trams (and buses and trains), but if not you will need some coins if buying your ticket on the tram itself. The ticket machine on the tram won't take notes.

The Rialto building on the corner of Collins and King Sts has an observation deck where you can get a bird's eye view of Melbourne. You might like to do that. Have a great day in Melbourne!

From Matilda (still waltzing!)

 

I agree with Matilda.

 

Melbourne is easy to get around by tram. The supermarket at the end of the pier is a great place to buy your all day ticket.Sometimes they have staff lined up at the tram when a Cruise Ship is in,and you can buy it from them,but you would need to check on the day as they don't always do this.

 

There is also a free City Circle tram once you are in the city.

 

Tip ....allow plenty of time to get back to the ship for sailaway.

 

Once ,we caught the tram back and it broke down and had to walk along the tracks to get back,and on another occassion we were running late,so caught a taxi,but got stuck in the afternoon rush hour traffic and had to get out of the taxi and run several blocks to the pier,only to find that all the ships tour coaches were also stuck in the traffic and sailaway was delayed until they arrived.

[Jane110]

 

Jane, I am a city person too. I did a four hour power walk through New York City one evening last May, from Penn Station up through Central Park, back down almost to Grenwich Village, then back to Penn Station!

 

Steve

 

Steve,

 

Now try doing it in high heels! :D

 

Just teasing ya'. That's a great walk.

 

This Sunday is the annual 5 mile "Walk for the Cure" Breast cancer walk in Central Park. I do it every year with 3 friends.

 

Jane

[Aussie Gal]

Melbourne has so much to offer the tourist. We also have the "Old Melbourne Jail" where Ned Kelly was hanged. This also right in the centre of the city. I know that quite a few visitors like to go to our Victoria Market and others may like to go to our Fitzroy Gardens where there is Captain Cook's Cottage. We also have Governor Latrobe's Cottage not far from the Botanical Gardens.

We also have the "lanes" where there are great shops and eateries.

 

We have two wonderful Art Galleries. The first is the Australian Gallery which is in Federation Square and has the largest collection of paintings by Australian artists and then there is our National Gallery which again has the largest collection of paintings in Australia.

 

We are also known as the clothing capital of Australia and we have many wonderful shops. Besides fashion shops being in the centre of the city we have Chapel Street, South Yarra and Bridge Road, Richmond. These are both easy tram rides from the city.

 

My suggestion would be to buy an all day ticket at the Supermarket near where the ship docks and ride one of the trams. Number 8 which departs in Swanston Street - this is in the centre of the city - goes through some of our most beautiful suburbs (South Yarra and Toorak) and also past the Botanical Gardens. I would go for a tram ride and just see how we live in this city.

 

Have fun. I agree with can have 4 seasons in a day but over the past few summers we have had very warm weather.

 

Jennie