Overview

Central Melbourne has the following main areas:

City Centre / Central Business District (CBD)

• Melbourne’s business and financial centre.
• Encompasses the central city grid, plus the area between Victoria and Latrobe streets.
• Home to retail, financial, legal, administrative, recreational, tourist and entertainment facilities and operates 24 hours a day, serving a wide variety of residents, workers and visitors.

 

 Southbank

• Melbourne’s cultural heart and home to the Victorian Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Australian Ballet, Melbourne Symphony, the Victorian College of the Arts and Playbox Theatre Company (now the Malthouse Theatre).
• It's also home to the glitzy Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex.
• Southbank has a number of fine dining establishments and cafes.

 

St Kilda

• You can experience vibrant beach life along the famous St. Kilda’s Beach.
• Be a part of the happening bar and restaurant scene along Fitzroy Street.
• Visit the historic amusement park – Luna Park.

 

South Melbourne

• South of the CBD and north of the Albert Park Lake which hosts the Australian Grand Prix.

 

Stonnington

• It includes the main centres of South Yarra, Prahran and Toorak.
• Very popular for its high-end shopping and exquisite dining, especially along Toorak Road in South Yarra, and Chapel Street in Prahran.
• Famous attractions in this district include the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens, the Prahran Market and the Shrine of Remembrance.

 

Inner North

• Major locality is Carlton, also known as the University district, which houses the renowned University of Melbourne in Parkville
• Other major landmarks are the Melbourne Zoo, the Royal Exhibition Building and surrounding Carlton Gardens (a UNESCO World Heritage site)

General info

• Melbourne provides multiple public transport options:
  • Travel within the city and inner suburbs is mostly through trams.
  • Train and tram services run between 5:00 am and midnight, Monday to Thursday, with extended hours to around 1:00 am on Friday and Saturday nights.
  • On Sunday, trains and trams run from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm. Many of Melbourne’s bus routes run from 6:00 am – 9:00 pm Mon – Fri, 8:00 am – 9:00 pm Saturday and 9:00 am – 9:00 pm Sunday.

• myki is Melbourne's ticket to travel on the city's trains, trams and buses. It's a plastic smartcard with stored value which can be topped up and re-used.
  
  • Can be purchased premium train stations, retail outlets displaying the myki sign (including 7-Elevens).
  • Fares for travelling on Melbourne’s trains, trams and buses are separated into two zones: Zone 1 for the CBD and inner suburbs, and Zone 2 for the middle and outer suburbs.
  • "touch on" and "touch off" at an electronic machine on board the tram or bus, or as you enter the train station.
  • As you touch on and touch off your myki, the system automatically calculates the lowest fare for your trip.

Tram

• The City Circle Tram is the best way to get around the center of Melbourne - and it's free.
  • The burgundy-and-cream trams travel a circular route between all the major central attractions, and past shopping malls and arcades.
  • The trams run, in both directions, every 12 minutes between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm (and until 9:00 pm Thurs-Sat), except on Good Friday and December 25.
  • The trams run along all the major thoroughfares including Flinders and Spencer streets. Burgundy signs mark City Circle Tram stops.

Bus

• Melbourne Visitor Shuttle
  • Free shuttle bus to key destinations around the city.
  • Runs between 9.30 am and 4.30 pm daily.

 

• Nightrider
  • Travel from the city to the suburbs after midnight on weekends.
  • Buses run every 30 minutes from Melbourne city to the outer suburbs, between 1.30 am and 4.30 am Saturdays, and 1.30 am to 5.30 am Sundays.
  • Normal myki fares apply.

 

• Victoria's V/Line Service
  • Provides access to regional towns and scenic attractions across the state.

Taxi

• Taxis are numerous and easy to spot in Melbourne as they are all painted yellow.
• Cabs often wait in designated ranks that are clearly signposted at central locations like major hotels in the CBD, or busy spots such as Flinders Street Station. You can also hail a taxi in the street, if the rooftop light is illuminated, it means the taxi is available for hire.
• Taxi meters are clearly visible, so you can keep check of your fare as you go.
  • Late night taxi trips must be paid for in advance. Between 10:00 pm and 5:00 am in Victoria, the driver will ask you for an up-front deposit, based on a table of point-to-point estimates.
  • Melbourne cabs attract additional charges like a late night surcharge from midnight to 5:00 am, a fee for phone bookings, a fee for using the Citylink freeway and even a fee for taxis waiting at the airport rank.
  • You can check taxi fares in Melbourne on the Taxi Services Commission website.

5 days in Melbourne (Source: Eventraveler)

 

Day 1

• Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
  
• Rod Laver Arena
  
• Melbourne City Circle
  
• Yarra River Cruise
  

 

Day 2

• Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles
  

 

Day 3

• Royal Botanic Gardens
  
• Shrine of Remembrance
  
• St. Kilda
  
• Brighton Beach
  

 

Day 4

• Phillip Island
  

 

Day 5

• Docklands
  
• SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium
  
• Eureka Sky Deck
• Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex
  

• Australia uses the GSM 900 and 1800 frequency bands. For 3G, carriers use the 2100 band. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone provide 4G services in the country now.
• The public phones are color coded:
  • Red: Local calls
  • Green, Gold, Blue: International calls
• Prepaid SIM cards are readily available, both at the airport as well as at convenience stores.
• Budget service providers include:
  • Lyca
  • Lebara
• Larger, more premium providers include:
  • Telstra
  • Vodafone
  • Optus

Local

• Kangaroo meat while widely available is not commonly eaten.
• Items such as emu and kangaroo meat are most likely to be found only at the high-end fine dining restaurants as a specialty item.
• Popular items:
  • Damper - traditional Australian soda bread.
  • The Pavlova - meringue dessert with a crisp crust and soft, light inside.

Gourmet

• Attica
  
  • Cuisine: Contemporary
  • Voted #21 in the world on S. Pellegrino's World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2013 

 

• Vue de monde
  
  • Cuisine: Modern French/Contemporary
  • Voted Restaurant and Catering Australia's Restaurant of the Year and Best Fine Dining award, Gourmet Traveller's Restaurant of the Year 2007

 

• Cutler & Co
  
  • Cuisine: Modern Australian/Contemporary
  • Voted the best restaurant in Australia in 2011 by Gourmet Traveller

Vegetarian

• Nando’s
  
  • Veg Pitas and Burgers

 

• Hungry Jack’s
  
  • Vegetarian burger
  • Convenience factor – late hours and multiple locations

 

• Lord of the Fries
  

 

• Om Vegetarian
  

 

• Hare Krishna Temple
  

Drink

Billy Tea – traditional bush tea

Wine:

• Yarra Valley
• Pinot noir, chardonnay and sparkling wines, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, shiraz and Riesling
• Mornington Peninsula
• Pinot noir and chardonnay

Beer:

• Fosters
• Victoria Bitter
• Carlton Draught

Tipping in Australia is not customary. However, if you feel that the service was exceptional, feel free to tip as much as you like. 

• Hotels: You generally do not tip at hotels. However at expensive hotels tipping your Bellman or porter with AUD 1.00 – 2.00 per bag is acceptable. The maid and concierge do not expect tips.
• Restaurants: Tipping your waiter is not expected. However, you may still tip your waiter up to 10% of the bill if you receive exceptional service, or if you are in a very expensive restaurant.
• Spas: Tipping is not expected but you can do so if your service was excellent.
• Tour Guide: They do not expect to be tipped but you can always do so as a form of appreciation.
• Taxi: Drivers will not expect a tip for their services, although it is common courtesy to let the taxi driver “keep the change”.