A vibrant city, beautiful coastlines and natural wilderness areas.

The state of Victoria and its capital Melbourne has plenty to offer both first time and repeat visitors to Australia. Melbourne is a cosmopolitan city, with some of the best restaurants, shopping and nightlife in the country.

Venture within a few hours of the city and you can go in search of kangaroos and koalas, relax beachside, explore dramatic coastal cliffs along the Great Ocean Road, trek through wilderness areas, explore historical towns made famous in the gold rush and sip on a fine vintage at a wine estate.

Read more

Hidden Secrets Lanes & Arcades Tour

Get under the skin of Melbourne’s vibrant personality on this walking tour through beautiful back streets. Discover artisan and specialty retailers, and see quirky cafes, independent designers, street art, architecture and learn of historic tales in these walkways. Soak in the city via all your senses and engage with passionate creatives.

• Duration: 3 hours
• Start time: 2pm
• Departs Monday to Saturday
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Good to know
The meeting point for this tour outside the Time Out Café in Federation Square.

Read more

Get to know Melbourne & Victoria and those important practicalities when planning your perfect holiday.

Capital
TIME DIFFERENCE

GMT +9 hours

CURRENCY

Australian Dollar

FLYING TIME TO DESTINATION

Melbourne: 21 hours (not including stopover time)

RELIGION

Majority Christian

LANGUAGE

Australia has no official language but the majority of people speak English as their first language. Approximately 250 indigenous Australia languages are spoken.

Where is Melbourne & Victoria?
Victoria and its state capital Melbourne are located in the southeast of Australia bordering New South Wales and South Australia.

Read more

Multicultural Melbourne
Whether you are into art, food, sport, shopping or culture, Melbourne is a city that ticks every box. Historical buildings lie next to ultra-modern skyscrapers and tree-lined boulevards are criss-crossed by an efficient tram service. Adjacent to the Yarra River, the Southbank is where you will find many of the top restaurants, hotels and galleries. Melbourne is a melting pot of cultures and, as a result, the food scene here is vast, with practically every cuisine, and innovative fusions, on offer. After dark there is plenty to keep you occupied with theatre shows, comedy clubs, trendy bars and a large nightclub scene.

Read more

City beach
With its close proximity to the city, it’s worth hopping on a tram for the 30-minute journey to St Kilda, Melbourne’s seaside suburb. It’s a cool place to hang out, where you can grab a coffee and watch the joggers, walkers and roller bladers pass by. Stroll along the golden sands or to the end of the pier to watch the wind and kite surfers perfect their skills.

Read more

Natural wonders
Away from the city, Victoria is bursting with natural attractions. Embrace the great outdoors with a hike through Wilson Promontory National Park, where you may see kangaroos and emus in the wild. Impressive as they are, the Grampians is more than just about walking trails, waterfalls and wildlife. Delve deeper and you will see ancient Aboriginal rock art sites. On the Mornington Peninsula, you can climb up Arthurs Seat or take a gondola ride for sweeping views of the bay. On Phillip Island, Koalas can often be seen hugging a eucalyptus tree on the road to Summerland Beach where every night hundreds of little penguins emerge from the ocean to return to their burrows for the night.

Read more

Great Ocean Road
It’s no wonder the Great Ocean Road has been described as one of the best road trips in the world. The road hugs the coastline with golden sands and crashing waves below. One of the most photographed areas is the Twelve Apostles. These limestone sea stacks have been formed by the force of the ocean, so much so, only half remain. Most guests incorporate this iconic road as they journey between Melbourne and Adelaide, staying in boutique properties in quaint fishing villages along the way.

Read more

Food and drink
Melbourne’s multicultural population is a delight for foodies, with Vietnamese, Lebanese, Italian, Chinese, Indian and Greek restaurants just some of the flavours on offer. Further afield, and a popular excursion from Melbourne, Victoria’s famous Yarra Valley is home to boutique and world-renowned wine cellars. Here, you can visit many of the vineyards and enjoy a gourmet lunch with suitable wine pairings. Explore Victoria’s coastline for fresh seafood menus or travel inland where you will find an abundance of micro-breweries, gin distilleries, cideries, cheese producers and artisanal chocolate makers.

Read more

Art and culture
Melbourne is packed with art galleries, museums and theatres. See the modern works on display at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), visit the Birrarung Gallery displaying Aboriginal art or book a show at the East End Theatre District. Victoria’s history can be seen with a tour of one of Melbourne’s many speciality museums covering immigration, culture, music and sport. There’s even a museum in at the Old Melbourne Gaol where you can see the cell where notorious Ned Kelly spent some time.

Read more

Getting around
Getting around Melbourne and its suburbs is relatively straight forward with an excellent bus, train and tram system. If you travel within the centre of Melbourne, the trams are free and well worth using. After a few days in the city, most visitors hire a car or motorhome to explore Victoria’s national parks, gold mining towns and iconic coastal drives including the Great Ocean Road and the Melbourne to Sydney Touring Route.

Read more

Melbourne & Victoria Weather

Sep - Apr

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December