Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria and the second most populous city of Australia. It is known for its diverse culture, fine restaurants, café and nightlife. The city centre of Melbourne is situated on the estuary of the Yarra River towards the north and the rest of it is around the port Philip Bay. With its parks, gardens, historical monuments, shopping and cultural ambiance, Melbourne is one perfect holiday destinations for those who are coming to Australia for a vacation where a superb selection of accommodation in Melbourne are on offer for you to consider.
Before you start your sightseeing tour in the city you must pick maps and vouchers from the Melbourne visitor’s booth. Melbourne city offers free hop-on hop-off services and also free tram services to commute within the city. You may also look for the volunteer tourist guides dressed in red for any queries, guidance and directions for the places you have to visit.
Let us go through the top 10 destinations which can be visited in Melbourne.
1. Shrine of Remembrance - This is situated in Kings Domain on St. Kilda Road. This was built as a memorial to the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I. Now it is memorial to all the Australians who have served in war. In 2002-03 a Visitor Centre was built in the foundation of the shrine. You can find visitors gallery space, audio visual centre, retail shop and Hall of column, gallery of medals, entry courtyard and remembrance garden here.
2. Royal Exhibition Building- It is a world heritage site which is situated at 9- Nicholson Street in the Carlton Garden. This was built in 1800 to host Melbourne International Exhibition. This monument also hosted the opening of the first Parliament Of Australia on 9 May.
3. Parliament House- It is located in Melbourne at Spring Street in East Melbourne Parliament. This has been seat of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia, since 1855 and has a spectacular building dripping in gold paint inside.
4. The Royal Botanical Garden- You can go around admiring the beauty of this park on a free guided walk. This garden is situated just adjacent to the Shrine of Remembrance, covering an area of 36 hectares. You can also discover more than 50 thousand plants, while children enjoy good rides in the Children’s garden.
5. Melbourne Cricket Ground- A famous tourist attraction in Melbourne, this cricket ground is huge with seating capacity of 100,000 spectators. It is the eight largest cricket ground in the world.
6. Sovereign Hill, Ballarat- A city of gold, Ballarat is situated in west of Melbourne. Ballarat is the largest gold supplier of Australia. You can have a perfect trip to past as the whole city has a theme of 19th century. You can learn many things here, like following school lessons of that era, see steam engines, panning of gold in the river bowling of ancient times. There is a choice of Ballarat holiday accommodation if you wish to stay around Ballarat.
7. Bourke City Walk- It becomes obligatory for the tourists to be here as it is situated in the city (Central Business District). You’ll find various sovereign shops, centers and also some departmental stores for your shopping. You can also enjoy the street musicians playing entertaining music.
8. Federation Square - Also known as Fed Square, this is a public space and was opened in 2002. It has now become a hub to host many live entertainment Melbourne events and shows.
9. St. Kilda Beach- This is situated just 6 miles from the downtown Melbourne and a world famous beach. It is a beautiful beach with grassy gardens and palm trees around it. So if you have soaked up enough of sun, then you may sit on these grassy gardens under palm trees. Those of you wish to stay in St. Kilda has a choice St Kilda holiday rentals to book.
10. Penguin Parade- It is perfect for the animal lovers. Try coming early to the beach of Philip Island and you will get to see penguins at the closest distance, marching and passing through your feet.
This is not the end; don’t miss on other attractions like shopping in the Queen Victoria market, amazing food restaurants, aquariums, zoos, museums and famous Healesville Sanctuary. So once you are here manage your time to make most of Melbourne as there is so much to see that a day would just fly like an hour.
