2 weeks in Melbourne

[mullen13]

I'm leaving on the 29th Dec to go to Melbourne until the 15th Jan. I've been informed (and researched) that since I am travelling with China Southern to Guangzhou and staying for 11 hours I am entitled to a free hotel and transport to and from it? Hasn't been confirmed anywhere though. Appreciate if anybody has done this before.

 

Also I have only saved up ?400 and receiving another ?600 next week giving me a budget of ?1000 for 2 weeks... I am staying with a friend the whole time but would be nice to take a little trip to Sydney and go to nice places to eat and drink. What is an ideal budget for 2 weeks in Melbourne? Considering borrowing or raiding savings to make the money up to ?1500 - 2000 at least if needed.

 

Any tips on beaches/bars things to do? Is the weather likely to be around mid 20s?

 

Cheers for any help.

[Jambo dans les Pyrenees]

Two weeks will fly by.  Mel to Syd is easy to fly (it's one of the busiest air routes in the world) although book ahead to get a good deal (skyscanner.co.uk will show you all options) as it is peak travel time with school holidays in Jan following the Christmas break.  You could check off the main - and not so main - tourist things in Sydney over 2-3 days but Sydney can be quite expensive.

 

Melbourne is a fantastic city.  Weather is notoriously unpredictable, it should be hot at least mid 20's in Jan and be aware that in the height of summer it can get a lot warmer than that.

 

Here are my favourite things to do in Melbourne

 

1.  Eat.  Some of the best restaurants I have eaten at, particularly those influenced by immigrant communities - big Italian, Greek and Lebanese expat communities there, with their wonderful food.  Some nice old pubs too, perfect if you need a cool down on a hot day.

2.  Go to the MCG and try to get tickets if there is a match on.  Australia traditionally have a test cricket match starting on Boxing Day there.

3.  Trip down the Ocean Road (west of the city).  I can't remember how far down the road you have to go to see the 12 apostles but only an hour or so away is the nice little town of Queenscliffe; a Victorian seaside resort.

4.  Go down to the bay.  The St Kilda district is great, very hip (some great bars and restaurants on Ackland Street), near Luna Park.  I havent been but some people say heading south east on the Bellarine peninsula is good too.

5.  Out to the Yarra Valley to visit the vineyards and do wine tours/tastings.  Moet and Chandon have a great place out in the valley.

6.  Loads of cultural things to do in the city, I went to see Opera for the first time in my life there (Opera Australia is highly regarded worldwide) and surprised myself as to how much I enjoyed the whole experience.  Even just walking about looking at some of the architecture such as Flinders Street Station is a nice afternoon.

 

You might be lucky to be there when the Australian GP is on, not sure of the dates but it used to be Jan/Feb I think.  I think the Australian Open tennis (also hosted in Melbourne) has also moved from previously being held in Jan too?

 

Re budget, I know this will sound not very helpful but it really depends on what you do, how often and to what degree.  If you wanted to eat out at a great place every night in Melbourne with a nice drop of wine, you could easy spend ?70-100 a day just doing that.  If it was me, staying with a friend, I'd be quite happy budgeting on ?1000 for 2 weeks possibly a bit less.

 

Have a great time.

[hughesie27]

You could stretch ?1000 (about $1500/$1600 at today rate probably?) quite easily over 2 weeks I reckon. You might not be able to go out on the piss every night with the average pint being about ?7 but there are plenty happy hour deals to be had. I've been living here for the last 3 months and Ben in Oz for over a year so I'll post up a bigger reply shortly for you.

 

It's probably the best city I've ever been to though!

 

What area does your mate live in?

[hughesie27]

Got a bit spare time on the train to work so here goes...

 

As I said it's a great city. There is always something going on and it's probably one of the biggest sporting cities in the world. As has been mentioned the cricket starts next month which means nothing to me however the MCG is a must visit. Probably be a big crowd inside too.

You will just miss the start of the Australian Open unfortunately and the Grant Prix isn't until the end of March.

You could however get to see some "soccer". Both Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City play each week and it's a good day out. As City season ticket holder I'd suggest trying to catch one of their games. Paddy Kisnorbo was their captain up until last year and before the Man City franchise deal they were known as Melbourne Heart. Regularly sing When the Hearts go marching in still too.

 

Outside of sport there are a few main touristy things available. Generally though just walking around the city through the many alleyways is a good way to get a feel for the place.

 

The Eureka tower. Apparently the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. Doesn't seem amazingly tall to me and it's quite an odd building but will get you a decent view of the city.

The Melbourne Star. Think London Eye. It's a decent Big Wheel with commentary and it gives you a really impressive view of the city and all its skyscrapers. A good tip would be to go during the day as when you come off you can pay a few $s when you exit and come back at night time.

 

There's a Sea Life in the city centre which I've never been to. Usually find them quite boring. However there is also a Zoo which would be a good opportunity for you to see the usual animals you would expect from Australia.

 

If possibly I'd reccomend renting a car with your mate and going down the Great Ocean Road. The 1 thing Melbourne lacks is a decent beach in the City. St Kilda is a cool place but the beach isnt really up to scratch compared to what the rest of Australia has to offer. If you left early you could see it all in a day and be back in Melbourne for 9-10pm probably. Most folk usually do it over a couple of days though, 3 days if you want to go to the Grampian Mountain range as well which is a pretty cool place. Definitely go see the 12 Apostles though.

 

On your budget flying to Sydney might be the hardest part of your plan. Return flights will probably range between $200-300, plus accomodation. Again if you can then do it. It's a long way to come without seeing one if the main attractions of the country. 2 or 3 days would be enough for you to see the main parts. If you go then I'd reccomend taking a walk across the Harbour Bridge late evening/early night.

 

Back to Melbourne, if you like coffee then you will love the place. All the alleyways have 100 of small cafes which do decent cheap Food and really cheap coffee. Starbucks had to close a lot of their shops because they couldn't compete with the small independent baristas. You'll also see a lot of the graffiti that covers the place this way too. It's encouraged in a lot of areas and is constantly changing with new stuff appearing every week. Google Hozier Lane for an idea.

 

Federation Square is the main touristy Hub. There's a few free museums and is generally a nice place to sit on a hot sunny day with a beer.

 

Travelling around the city sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is. You need to buy a Myki Card to travel on the trams in the city. You can buy them for $6 from any 7-Eleven shop and you'll want to put about $20 on it to start with. To use it you just scan it on the portals on the tram when you get on. Get caught by a conductor with no card and it's a $70 fine on the spot. $270 if you don't pay there and then.

Each day your first trip will charge you $3.90 and will allow you to travel on any other tram for free for 2 hours. After than 2 hours it will charge you another $3.90. You then get all of you other trams free for the rest of the day. So $7.80 max a day.

Unless you get on a train you never need to "touch off" when leaving a tram. Despite what a lot of signs and announcements say.

There is a free tram area in the city centre that circles the city which is good to get on the get your bearings and if you get on the City Circle tram it gives you free commentary too.

Typically a meal in a pub will cost about $15-$20 for your burger and pint stuff. As has been mentioned though a 3 course meal with a drink or 2 will easily be upwards of $50-$60. Tipping isn't as big a thing over here as it is elsewhere. It's obviously polite to leave whatever you like but don't feel compelled to.

 

China town does a lot of really cheap meals.

 

The fish you get from a chippy is likely to be shark.

 

It was 40 degrees in Melbourne on Xmas day last year so be prepared for some serious heat. Equally it could also be around 20 degrees and raining too.

 

Lastly try and get as much sleep on the way over as possible and adjust you sleep pattern to Aus time. It took me a week to get over the jet lag. I don't know how you plan on getting to the city from the Airport but the Skybus service is what I usually use. $19 from the front door of the airport straight into Southern Cross station. About a 40 minute journey.

 

Enjoy your time! Anything else just ask.

[AlphonseCapone]

I'm going for 3 weeks at end of March so this thread is ideal!

 

Hiring a camper van for 9 days and going up the coast then flying back from Hamilton Island.

 

Anyone flew with Qatar Airways and know if you can charge a laptop on the flight?

[mullen13]

Some absolutely great advice on here, thanks a lot. Seems like there is plenty to do and I should probably just try and gather as much money as possible for it. My friend lives at the Harbour esplanade in the docklands? so I think right in the mix so hopefully I can walk to places and save money that way.

[hughesie27]

Some absolutely great advice on here, thanks a lot. Seems like there is plenty to do and I should probably just try and gather as much money as possible for it. My friend lives at the Harbour esplanade in the docklands? so I think right in the mix so hopefully I can walk to places and save money that way.

Yep. Very central. The free tram will drive right beside your mates. That's also where the Big Wheel is.

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

Re beaches. There's lots of good beaches on the Mornington Peninsula. The only problem is that they get hideously busy in the summer months as Melburnians retreat to their beach houses.

 

Book the sporting venue tour - you not only get a tour of the MCG but also Albert Park (Grand Prix), Melbourne Park (tennis) and Flemington (Melbourne Cup horse race).

 

Above all, however, do stuff! Melbourne is a 'doing' city as opposed to a seeing city as there are no world famous landmarks (apart from the G) like the Sydney Harbour Bridge or Sydney Opera House. This city has a fascinating history, built as it was on the proceeds of the Goldfields, so go to the Immigration Museum on Flinders Street as there is always some sort of fascinating exhibit there to give you perspective.

 

Pro tip: Avoid Docklands. I used to work there and nothing of interest happens west of Spencer Street.

 

Oh, and if you want a giggle, do the Neighbours tour. I used to live a couple of streets away from the real Ramsay Street and seeing the tour bus rock up with people looking at a cul-de-sac is quite funny.