Koorie Heritage Trust

Melbourne

　　Devoted to southeastern Aboriginal culture, this centre houses interesting artefacts and oral history. There's a shop and gallery downstairs; upstairs, carefully preserved significant objects can be viewed in display cases and drawers. It also runs hour-long tours along the Yarra (subject to weather conditions) led by Koorie guides that evoke...

Chinese Museum

Melbourne

　　The fascinating and often fraught history of Chinese people in Australia is showcased in this wonderful little museum in the heart of Chinatown. Start on level 3, which features displays and artefacts relating to the gold-rush era and the xenophobic White Australia policy. Work your way down to the basement,...

Melbourne Town Hall

Melbourne

　　Since opening in 1870, this grand neoclassical civic building has welcomed everyone from Queen Elizabeth II, who took tea here in 1954, to the Beatles, who waved to thousands of screaming fans from the balcony in 1964. Take the free one-hour tour to see the Grand Organ (built in 1929...

State Library of Victoria

Melbourne

　　This grand neoclassical building has been at the forefront of Melbourne's literary scene since 1856. When its central La Trobe Reading Room was completed in 1913, the six-storey-high, reinforced-concrete octagonal dome was the world's largest; its natural light illuminates ornate plasterwork and studious Melburnians. The library’s original reading room, the...

Australian Centre for the Moving Image

Melbourne

　　Managing to educate, enthral and entertain in equal parts, ACMI is a visual feast that pays homage to Australian cinema and TV, offering insight into the modern-day Aussie psyche. A $40 million renewal project in 2020 freshened things up, with newly designed exhibitions, a cafe, shop and sitting areas, making...

Ceres

Melbourne

　　The best Ceres (pronounced ‘series’) experience is on Saturday mornings, when locals shop for organic produce and browse the flea market (9am to 2pm September to May, 10am to 3pm June to August) at this community environmental centre, established in 1982 and built on a former rubbish tip. You can...

Market Lane Coffee

Melbourne

　　The first Market Lane speciality coffee shop and roastery hides at the back of Prahran Market. The beans here are strictly seasonal, producing cups of coffee that are beautifully nuanced and best paired with a scrumptious pastry. There's only whole, organic milk or nothing here. On weekends the cafe serves...

Seven Seeds

Melbourne

　　This inconspicuous warehouse cafe a little north of Queen Victoria Market has plenty of room to store your bike and sip a splendid coffee with something from the all-day menu. On Wednesdays at 8am you can join a cupping session ($5). It also owns Traveller and Brother Baba Budan in...

Australian Sports Museum

Melbourne

　　Hidden away in the bowels of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, this sports museum features exhibits focusing on Australia’s favourite sports and historic sporting moments. Kids will love the interactive section where they can test their footy, cricket or netball skills. There are Olympic medal and torch displays, sporting short films...

Wide Open Road

Melbourne

　　Wide Open in name translates to wide open in space at this converted-warehouse cafe-roastery, just off hectic Sydney Rd. There's plenty of elbow room at the communal tables, where you can tuck into dishes like eggs Benedict with truffle hollandaise or a seared salmon 'nourish bowl' while sipping house-blend espresso...

Flagstaff Gardens

Melbourne

　　Originally known as Burial Hill, these gardens were the site of Melbourne's first cemetery, where eight of the city’s early settlers were buried. If that doesn't deter you, grab a picnic from the Queen Victoria Market and pull up a patch of grass beside workers on their lunch break. There...

Melbourne Museum

Melbourne

　　This museum provides a grand sweep of Victoria’s natural and cultural histories, incorporating dinosaur skeletons, a 600-species-strong taxidermy hall, a 3D volcano and an open-air forest atrium of Victorian flora. There's a children's gallery, and the excellent Bunjilaka on the ground floor presents Indigenous Australian history told through objects and...

St Ali

Melbourne

　　The coffee is guaranteed to be good at this hideaway warehouse-conversion cafe. If you can't decide between house blend, speciality, black or white, there's a six-coffee tasting flight ($20). The food menu covers all bases with creativity, from secret-recipe corn fritters with poached eggs, halloumi and sweetcorn salsa to pancakes...

Scienceworks

Melbourne

　　Incorporating an old brick sewage-pumping station that resembles a French chateau, this engrossing museum keeps inquisitive grey matter occupied with interactive displays. Figure out the mysteries of the universe (or your own anatomy) by poking buttons, pulling levers, lifting flaps and learning all sorts of weird facts. The planetarium splashes...

Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia

Melbourne

　　The National Gallery of Victoria's impressive Fed Sq offshoot was set up to showcase its extraordinary collection of Australian works. Set over three levels, it's a mix of permanent (free) and temporary (ticketed) exhibitions, comprising paintings, decorative arts, photography, prints, sculpture and fashion. Free 50-minute tours are conducted daily at...

Royal Exhibition Building

Melbourne

　　Built for the 1880 International Exhibition, this Victorian edifice in Carlton Gardens symbolises the glory days of 19th-century Melbourne's economic supremacy. It was the first Australian building to fly the country's flag, house an aquarium, hold parliament (in 1901) and receive Unesco World Heritage status (in 2004). Tours of the...

Federation Square

Melbourne

　　One of the city's newest public spaces and an urban focal point, Federation Sq is a place to meet, celebrate, protest, watch major sporting events or simply hang out on deckchairs. Occupying a prominent city block, 'Fed Square’ is far from square: its undulating and patterned forecourt is paved with...

Melbourne Zoo

Melbourne

　　Established in 1862, this compact zoo remains one of the city’s most popular attractions and continues to innovate, having become the world's first carbon-neutral zoo. Set in prettily landscaped gardens, the enclosures aim to simulate the animals’ natural habitats and give them the option to hide if they want to...

NGV International

Melbourne

　　Housed in a vast, brutally beautiful, bunker-like building, the international branch of the NGV has an expansive collection, from ancient artefacts to the cutting edge. Regular blockbuster exhibitions (prices vary) draw crowds, and there are free 50-minute highlight tours on the hour from 11am to 2pm daily. It's a rite...

St Kilda Foreshore

Melbourne

　　With a palm-fringed promenade, sandy beach and eclectic architecture, St Kilda’s seaside appeal lands somewhere between Brighton in England and Venice Beach, California. 　　St Kilda Pier is a local spot for fishing, or a romantic stroll (or roller-skate!). The kiosk at the end of St Kilda Pier offers a knockout...

Queen Victoria Market

Melbourne

　　With more than 600 traders, 'Vic Market' is a large open-air market brimming with food, shopping and cultural experiences. Early mornings are best for fresh produce, taste-testing or dodging the booming cries of stall holders. Lunch hour sees shoppers queuing for street food and flower stalls, serenaded by a rotating...

Melbourne Cricket Ground

Melbourne

　　With a capacity of 100,000 people, the G is one of the world’s great sporting venues, hosting cricket in summer and AFL (Australian Football League, Aussie rules or footy) in winter – for many Australians it's hallowed ground. 　　HistoryThough the MCG has undergone numerous renovations and expansions during its lifetime,...

Shrine of Remembrance

Melbourne

　　One of Melbourne's icons, the Shrine of Remembrance is a commanding memorial to Victorians who have served in war and peacekeeping, especially those killed in WWI.  　　The shrine draws thousands to its annual Anzac Day dawn service (on 25 April), while the Remembrance Day service at 11am on 11 November...

Hosier Lane

Melbourne

　　Melbourne's most-celebrated laneway for street art, Hosier Lane's cobbled length draws camera-wielding crowds to its colorful canvas of graffiti, stencils and art installations. The changing subject matter runs from political to countercultural, spiced with irreverent humour.  　　The street art continues along Rutledge Lane, which horseshoes back around to Hosier Lane. As the...

Royal Botanic Gardens

Melbourne

　　Considered one of the finest examples of Victorian-era landscaping in the world, Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens draw over two million visitors a year. Here you'll find plants from around the globe as well as a strong show of unique Australian flora. 　　Mini ecosystems, a herb garden and an indigenous rainforest...