Things to Do in Melbourne

Melbourne is a city with an eclectic charm and lively culture, making it one of the top places to go for any traveler or resident seeking diverse experiences. With countless things to do in Melbourne, this city caters to every taste – whether you are a lover of arts and culture, a nature enthusiast, a sports fanatic, or a foodie. 

Quaint laneways filled with amazing street art; vibrant markets that capture the essence of local life; lush gardens offering respite from urban pace – these are just some of the things that give Melbourne its unique character.

While planning your trip, you’ll find that exploring what there is to do in Melbourne can be compared with unwrapping a living mosaic of experiences. Each neighborhood (like Fitzroy’s arty streets or St Kilda’s scenic waterfronts) has its own flavor and attractions. 

Food, art and outdoor activities woven into the fabric of this city make it a dynamic place to visit all year round. Whether you’re here for sipping some world’s best coffee or catching thrilling matches at MCG – Melbourne will provide a diverse and unforgettable backdrop against which your travel story may unfold.

Delve into Melbourne’s Vibrant Arts and Culture

Princess Theatre

Being among the oldest landmarks in the city, Melbourne’s Grand Princess Theatre has its fair share of superstitious ghost stories. Every opening night, a seat remains vacant in the dress circle for Frederick Baker, a renowned Gilbert & Sullivan opera singer who died there.

He had been performing Mephistopheles in Faust on March 3, 1888 when “Federici” as he was known had a heart attack while descending through the trap door into “Hell.” Creepy coincidence, huh? However, when the rest of the cast came off stage they were stunned to learn that Federici was dead: They had just been standing beside him as they took their final curtain calls.

Since then however, many staff and cast members have claimed to see his well-dressed ghost. A bistro at the Princess Theatre is named after him. It is filled with memorabilia and photographs depicting past events at the theater such as restorations from the last century and famous acts who have performed there; it also contains an enormous wire portrait of Federici made from stainless steel wires whose eyes seem to be following you across the room.

Captain Cook’s Cottage

The historians are not quite sure if Captain Cook actually grew up here in Yorkshire but this cottage of his parents’ which dates back to the 18th century sure is cute with its colorful garden full of flowers and vegetables together with an old postbox where you can send a postcard that will be stamped as sent from this place alone.

The house was bought by Dixon brothers who initially imposed restrictions upon any buyer of Cooks’ Cottage not to move it out of England although this restriction was later scrapped during auctioning.It’s equally worth visiting due to ivy plants that were propagated from original cuttings and friendly guides found inside. 

Pictures, maps, videos and other stuff come out into Cook’s adventures in a mini-museum at the backside building, while 18th-century style is represented by antiques, furniture and small rooms’ interiors. The year “1755” is cut into the brick above the doorway indicating when this house was built.

The Dolphin Fountain

Fitzroy Gardens is a home to several amusing gestures and attractions across 64 acres but none receives mixed reviews than The Dolphin Fountain. Located in the core of Fitzroy Gardens, at the threshold of Melbourne CBD, this magnificent statue consists of a heap of naturally eroded granite rocks that have been piled on top of each other with different marine creatures as topping. There are dolphins, octopi, crabs, sea gulls, sea turtles and many more aquatic mammals covered all over the stones.

The fountain was made by local artist June Arnold in 1982. A total of $30,000 had been contributed by two wealthy individuals from Melbourne to help it be completed. The fountain has a small plaque that has their names on it; hence paying tribute to their financial assistance to the locals.

Unique Attractions in Melbourne

Ballroom at Flinders Street Station

The busiest railway center in Australia, Flinders street station is home to an old decaying beautiful ballroom; a relic of romance from the age of train travel.

It has been rare for the ballroom, on the third floor that closed off from the public since 1985, to ever allow visitors. And so viewing it over recent years has meant that as part of Open House Melbourne (an annual festival of design and urban preservation), some lucky attendees were given special access passes hidden inside their event programs via a secret “Golden Ticket.”

Melbourne Storm Tunnels

As a separate construction from sewer works the storm drain tunnels below Melbourne are over 900 miles of concrete and brick tubes, chambers and waterfalls slowly being explored by committed teams of urban explorers.

A leading group of urban explorers was first introduced to the vast twisting system in 1987 when they marked out the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) drain as theirs. These have been mapped out more and more by this group through time despite flash floods, claustrophobia or whatever huge Australian bug-like animal is living there. 

The ANZAC drain with its big chamber acts as an unofficial headquarters but several other drains have been discovered and named mythically e.g. The Maze, The God and The Tenth Drain.

Melbourne GlowGolf Docklands

Billed as Australia’s most unique miniature golf course, GlowGolf at Docklands is an 18-hole game played under black lights. Because it is indoors and climate controlled it is a place for families all year round. Special colored paint fills giant murals and props making sure that black lights can reveal details that would otherwise be invisible.

The spinners on wooden posts at each hole require you to do silly things depending on where you land when you take your turn. Some spinners would make you put the handle end of your club for example.

Docklands has a lot more to offer once you are through with mini golf. This includes; more than 30 restaurants, two pubs, kiddie park and ice house.

Connect with Nature and Outdoors

Speakers’ Corner

Most people would probably be puzzled by those rock-filled mounds located in the corner of a city park near Melbourne city’s Yarra River, if they noticed them at all. The Speaker’s Corner is situated amidst the oak shades of Yarra River Park and constituted one of Melbourne society’s most important meeting points for debate, especially during periods of riots like World War I, the Great Depression and 1940s; leftist politics were becoming repressed.

Originally, it was an area full of trees measuring one hectare. Crowds used to gather on Sundays at the western end of then Flinders Park. One speaker could stand on top of any of nine granite mountains faced with bluestone. They were called “stumps” because shearers standing on tree stumps used these platforms in bush meetings.

Bin Chicken Island

Nowadays, white ibis have been included in Macquarie Dictionary or Threskiornis molucca. People both love and hate them from the dictionary to an island inside a small Melbourne suburb park. Ibis are also referred to as “tip turkeys,” “sandwich snatchers,” or “picnic pirates” in Australian English vernacular. However, their most popular name is bin chickens due to their habitually raiding garbage bins for food.

Bin Chicken have made their way into the Macquarie Dictionary otherwise known by the scientific name Threskiornis molucca, or the common name white ibis. From the dictionary to a small island in a Melbourne suburban park, people both love and loathe them. Ibis have entered the Australian English lexicon as such words as “tip turkeys,” “sandwich snatchers,” and “picnic pirates.” But more generally referred to as ‘bin chickens’, since they rummage through rubbish bins looking for sustenance.

Great Spots for Dining and Drinking in Melbourne

Mabu Mabu Big Esso

Indigenous food is hard to find on mainland Australia, although it is increasingly being seen across the country. Torres Strait Islands comprise of nearly 300 islands located along the northeastern coast of Australia and have been home to Torres Strait Islanders for almost 70,000 years; a history that Chef Nornie Bero wants to encapsulate in her plates.

Nornie belongs to Mer Island’s Komet tribe and in 2016 she started distributing delicacies from his island at a market stall in Melbourne, before opening a small restaurant in Yarraville called Mabu Mabu. The latest and biggest one is the recently launched large scale diner known as Mabu Mabu Big Esso.

She includes dishes made from Australian endemic ingredients that remind her of her childhood. So wattleseed pavlova, emu filet with saltbush chimichurri or breadfruit seasoned with bush tomato are options you can get at the Mabu Mabu restaurant. 

Bero believes this is also Australia’s first indigenous bar which will offer drinks prepared using local materials and suppliers such as Green Ant-tini (green ant gin) or a Davidson’s plum gimlet. Additionally, there is an onsite shop selling native-made goods. All these fit into Bero’s mission of making local traditional foods accessible to all.

Conclusion

Melbourne is more than just a city; it’s a vibrant community bursting with a rich array of experiences to explore. From its thriving arts scene and dynamic culinary culture to tranquil nature getaways and thrilling sports, Melbourne offers activities for every preference. 

This city invites you to explore, taste, and immerse yourself in a unique lifestyle that continually inspires both short-term visitors and those settling down, often seeking assistance from a local removalist to make their move smooth. Whether you’re here for a quick visit or planning to stay longer, Melbourne is bound to captivate and stimulate you at every turn.