Melbourne

Are the penguins the only reason you want to go to Phillip Island? If so, you might want to look at going down to St Kilda instead. Phillip Island is roughly 2 hours from Melbourne - St Kilda is not far from the Cbd. http://stkildapenguins.com.au/skp/?page_id=93

 

For other Aussie wildlife - if you’re already considering a Yarra Valley wine tour, you might look at whether you can combine it with a trip to Healesville Sanctuary (if you’ve not come across it - it’s a zoo, but with Australian wildlife only). Depending on time of day, you’re also likely to see plenty of wild roos on the way out (I live that direction, not as far out, and have to stop for them - and wombats, echidnas, deer...definitely not native, total pests, but impressive nonetheless) on almost a daily basis.

beat me to it about St Kilda Pier worth a visit even just for the view of the pier and a walk maybe to even Port Melbourne where the Cruise ships and the Tassie ships dock

I am looking for a couple excursions while here; we want to see the penguins and on another day possibly wine tasting in the Yarra River Valley. Is a whole day necessary for Philips Island when all we want to do is see the penguins? Well maybe some kangaroos too :) Suggestions? :D

If you are looking for wildlife, there is also The Nobbies on Phillip Island, which is the home of a seal colony. It's really quite interesting and well worth a visit. It's not far from the Penguin Parade.

If you want to guarantee seeing native wildlife, I would definitely recommend a trip to either Healesville or the Melbourne Zoo. I've lived in rural Australia for 7 years and can count on one hand the number of times I've seen live kangaroos in the wild. I still have never seen a live koala in the wild. I've only seen echidnas twice and wallabies once. I tell everyone who comes to visit to go to a zoo for guaranteed sightings.

Thanks for the information!

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There are some wonderful wineries on the Mornington Penninsula which would be much more convenient when combined with a Phillip Island visit.

I’m not familiar with that area; I’ll look at it. Thanks!

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beat me to it about St Kilda Pier worth a visit even just for the view of the pier and a walk maybe to even Port Melbourne where the Cruise ships and the Tassie ships dock

Is it easy to get to st Kilda from the cbd?

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You can catch a Melbourne icon, a Melbourne tram, from the city to St Kilda. I think it is less than 30 minutes but a local could tell you more accurately.

You can catch a Melbourne icon, a Melbourne tram, from the city to St Kilda. I think it is less than 30 minutes but a local could tell you more accurately.

Thanks!!

You can catch a Melbourne icon, a Melbourne tram, from the city to St Kilda. I think it is less than 30 minutes but a local could tell you more accurately.

Yep, about 30 mins. Just be aware that you need a Myki card - which needs to be bought in advance from either a railway station. Some large tram stops also have them I believe, but couldn’t tell you which offhand.

If you’re there on a Sunday, there’s also a nice market along the esplanade.

Yep, about 30 mins. Just be aware that you need a Myki card - which needs to be bought in advance from either a railway station. Some large tram stops also have them I believe, but couldn’t tell you which offhand.

 

If you’re there on a Sunday, there’s also a nice market along the esplanade.

I believe you can get MyKi cards at most 7-11's as well.

DH and I are addicted to the show Offspring and the Fitzroy area. So much so, that I'm attempting to plan a land vacation to Melbourne, and any other areas we can cover in a two week period. We are more "do what the locals do" sort of travelers and in general try to avoid major tourist attractions. AirBnB's, local bars, restaurants, cafes, hands on experiences make for the best adventures. I have found the folks on Cruise Critic enthusiastic about sharing info about their area. I've planned over 35 cruises and many drive trips throughout the USA, but have never attempted anything so grand or involved as this trip. Any suggestions, advice, etc would be most appreciated... and if anyone would like to be our volunteer travel guide - all the better!!

DH and I are addicted to the show Offspring and the Fitzroy area. So much so, that I'm attempting to plan a land vacation to Melbourne, and any other areas we can cover in a two week period. We are more "do what the locals do" sort of travelers and in general try to avoid major tourist attractions. AirBnB's, local bars, restaurants, cafes, hands on experiences make for the best adventures. I have found the folks on Cruise Critic enthusiastic about sharing info about their area. I've planned over 35 cruises and many drive trips throughout the USA, but have never attempted anything so grand or involved as this trip. Any suggestions, advice, etc would be most appreciated... and if anyone would like to be our volunteer travel guide - all the better!!

I'm sure you will enjoy your visit to Melbourne. What time of the year would you be looking at? We have hot summers and our winters are perhaps similar to San Francisco. Melbourne has fairly good public transport, although there is a great amount of work being done on it, particularly the trains so there can be delays. Fitzroy is an easy walk from the CBD or catch a tram.

There are many fantastic bars and restaurants and Melbourne is known for its coffee culture with fabulous cafes, particularly in its many lanes in the CBD. Victoria Market is an interesting place to visit as well. St Kilda is interesting to visit, also by tram. Some great cafe, restaurants and bars there.

If you are interested in sport, the Melbourne Cricket Ground and nearby Melbourne Park tennis complex are worth while to visit.

Leigh

I'm sure you will enjoy your visit to Melbourne. What time of the year would you be looking at? We have hot summers and our winters are perhaps similar to San Francisco. Melbourne has fairly good public transport, although there is a great amount of work being done on it, particularly the trains so there can be delays. Fitzroy is an easy walk from the CBD or catch a tram.

 

There are many fantastic bars and restaurants and Melbourne is known for its coffee culture with fabulous cafes, particularly in its many lanes in the CBD. Victoria Market is an interesting place to visit as well. St Kilda is interesting to visit, also by tram. Some great cafe, restaurants and bars there.

 

If you are interested in sport, the Melbourne Cricket Ground and nearby Melbourne Park tennis complex are worth while to visit.

 

Leigh

Hi Leigh,

Thank you so much for sharing such great information!

I'm thinking about the end of April/beginning of May, but really open to any time outside of peak season. Since we live in the South (Arkansas is next to Texas), warm weather really isn't a big draw. I know that sounds kind of crazy since we've cruised the Caribbean so often, but the ship is always our destination and meeting new friends is the hit of each cruise.

I'm a retired Pediatric RN, and during the late 80's- mid 90's my hospital hired many wonderful nurses from Australia and New Zealand. One lived in Perth, and the other was actually coming to us after a stint as a community nurse in Alice Springs. I wish I had been able to keep in touch with them when they went back home, but it was long before social media made it easier to stay connected. Anyway, I loved hearing their stories of "back home" and have had this dream to visit ever since.

We'd love to watch cricket game, so will add that to my list. And the Melbourne Museum is a must for me.

Neither of us are big beach folks and hiking isn't high on our list either. ;p

Using Melbourne as our base home, are there any day trips I should look at planning? Interesting small towns? What about driving? Do you suggest we rent a car, or take public transportation? I'm not sure I could convince my husband that renting a car would be a good idea since we are used to driving on the opposite side.

Should I put a plane trip to Sydney in our budget? Or Brisbane?

So many questions that are swimming in my head, and not all of them are forming in complete sentences! At our age (a young 63 and 71) this will probably be our one and only trip Down Under!

Lee Ann

Cricket is only played in Australia in the local summer. You will not be able to see a cricket game if you come in April/May.

I moved from New Orleans to Melbourne several years ago. I love the city in the fall/winter, but I hate hot weather. May-August is my preferred time to be exploring the city, though it can be rainy and that damp, biting cold of southern US winters. (My mother's family is from Little Rock so I know the winters there are not all that different to New Orleans.)

Day trips from Melbourne can take you to Ballarat, the center of the gold rush in Victoria and home to Lake Wendouree and a lovely botanical garden. Or you can head to the Dandenong Ranges and Healesville Sanctuary, a native wildlife zoo. In fact, if you want to see native wildlife, I definitely recommend a zoo over just hoping. I have lived here since 2011 and still haven't seen a live koala in the wild. Most of the wildlife I see is, sadly, roadkill. And if you stay in the urban areas, you are almost guaranteed to see only birds, mostly pigeons, ibis and seagulls. You can also take a day trip to Phillip Island to see the Nobbies (home to a seal colony) and the Penguin Parade, where the fairy penguins come home to nest overnight, though the Penguin Parade is an evening/night event as the penguins come home around sundown.

In Melbourne, I tell visitors to tour Parliament House because its interesting and because the tour does a great job of explaining the Westminster system, which is very different to the US system of government. There is also walking tour of Melbourne, which you can do as guided tour or a self-guided tour with a booklet available at the tourist info center. It's a lovely walk and takes you past a number of pubs/coffee shops if you need a break. The National Gallery of Victoria is well worth a visit, especially for the water wall and the stained-glass ceiling.

I tell people to skip Sydney, as in my opinion it is just another big city with a harbor. I would always recommend going to Adelaide over Sydney, but that's my opinion. Adelaide is close enough to the Barossa Valley for a guided day tour of the wineries, which is definitely worth it even if you don't really drink wine.

Hi Lee Ann,

As Ellieanne said, the cricket season is during our summer but Australian football (AFL) is also played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from the end of March through until the end of September. You could go and watch an AFL game either there or at the Docklands Stadium (known as Etihad Stadium until September when it will be known as Marvel Stadium due to a Disney sponsorship deal) on the other side of the CBD.

Melbourne Zoo is worth a visit, or perhaps a visit to the Healesville Sanctuary to see our native animals. There are plenty of towns within easy driving of Melbourne, some such as Ballarat and Bendigo you can travel to by train with of plenty of return services each day.You might like to go on the Puffing Billy (a steam train) in the Dandenong Ranges from Belgrave. It is a fun trip and you will see plenty of the Australian bush. You can easily reach Belgrave by the suburban train network. If travelling on public transport - trains, trams and buses in Melbourne, you will need a Myki card which are easily purchased.See this link -

https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki/buy-a-myki/

The trams in the CBD are free but you do need to touch your Myki on and off.

Leigh

The last few times we have cruised into Melbourne they have had a stand in the terminal selling Myki cards.

First time we cruised in they were giving them out for free.

Cricket is only played in Australia in the local summer. You will not be able to see a cricket game if you come in April/May.

 

I moved from New Orleans to Melbourne several years ago. I love the city in the fall/winter, but I hate hot weather. May-August is my preferred time to be exploring the city, though it can be rainy and that damp, biting cold of southern US winters. (My mother's family is from Little Rock so I know the winters there are not all that different to New Orleans.)

 

Day trips from Melbourne can take you to Ballarat, the center of the gold rush in Victoria and home to Lake Wendouree and a lovely botanical garden. Or you can head to the Dandenong Ranges and Healesville Sanctuary, a native wildlife zoo. In fact, if you want to see native wildlife, I definitely recommend a zoo over just hoping. I have lived here since 2011 and still haven't seen a live koala in the wild. Most of the wildlife I see is, sadly, roadkill. And if you stay in the urban areas, you are almost guaranteed to see only birds, mostly pigeons, ibis and seagulls. You can also take a day trip to Phillip Island to see the Nobbies (home to a seal colony) and the Penguin Parade, where the fairy penguins come home to nest overnight, though the Penguin Parade is an evening/night event as the penguins come home around sundown.

 

In Melbourne, I tell visitors to tour Parliament House because its interesting and because the tour does a great job of explaining the Westminster system, which is very different to the US system of government. There is also walking tour of Melbourne, which you can do as guided tour or a self-guided tour with a booklet available at the tourist info center. It's a lovely walk and takes you past a number of pubs/coffee shops if you need a break. The National Gallery of Victoria is well worth a visit, especially for the water wall and the stained-glass ceiling.

 

I tell people to skip Sydney, as in my opinion it is just another big city with a harbor. I would always recommend going to Adelaide over Sydney, but that's my opinion. Adelaide is close enough to the Barossa Valley for a guided day tour of the wineries, which is definitely worth it even if you don't really drink wine.

Hi Ellieanne!

Thanks so much for your suggestions and ideas for adventures.

We are certainly open to traveling through August. Having spent quite a bit of time in Alaska, wet and damp don't scare us;p and really prefer it over the heat.

It sounds like seeing wildlife in Australia is about the same as it is for Alaska. If you really want to be sure and see moose, musk ox and bears - head either to the Anchorage Zoo or the Wildlife Conservation Center right outside in Portage, AK. Or the SeaLife Center in Seward. We did a couple of behind the scenes tours there and they were amazing - hand feeding aquatic birds and octopi.

I'm glad to hear your recommendation to skip Sydney. Big cities ARE pretty much like each other. Folks laugh at us when we return home from trips and they ask about trips and we tell them we didn't see the big attractions.

Since driving would be so different for us, public transportation is probably the best option for us - and that will even have it's challenges since Little Rock isn't a big public transport city.

Although not very familiar with Australian football just being at a game would be exciting. I only know about it from what I've read or the bits I've seen on TV.

Such a small world - knowing you have family in LR! It'd be wild if I knew any of them! Even without having visited Melbourne, I've told folks if I were in my 30's, I'd be moving there. I'd love to hear your story!

Between you and Leigh (possum52) I'm getting a feel for our trip. Keep those suggestions coming :D

Lee

Hi Lee Ann,

 

As Ellieanne said, the cricket season is during our summer but Australian football (AFL) is also played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from the end of March through until the end of September. You could go and watch an AFL game either there or at the Docklands Stadium (known as Etihad Stadium until September when it will be known as Marvel Stadium due to a Disney sponsorship deal) on the other side of the CBD.

 

Melbourne Zoo is worth a visit, or perhaps a visit to the Healesville Sanctuary to see our native animals. There are plenty of towns within easy driving of Melbourne, some such as Ballarat and Bendigo you can travel to by train with of plenty of return services each day.You might like to go on the Puffing Billy (a steam train) in the Dandenong Ranges from Belgrave. It is a fun trip and you will see plenty of the Australian bush. You can easily reach Belgrave by the suburban train network. If travelling on public transport - trains, trams and buses in Melbourne, you will need a Myki card which are easily purchased.See this link -

https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki/buy-a-myki/

 

The trams in the CBD are free but you do need to touch your Myki on and off.

 

Leigh

What a great suggestion about the train! That will definitely be on the list, along with the Myki link!

Lee Ann

This page has plenty of suggestions for creating a DIY Offspring themed tour

http://www.theworldswaiting.com/2014/05/offspring-tour-of-fitzroy-melbourne.html

There use to be a couple of proper guided tours but as its a few years since the series ended - the tours don't operate anymore.

This was one of the companies that ran one - they do other tours and also private tours so you could contact them about whether they would do an Offspring one for you

https://www.walkmelbourne.com.au/dumpling-discovery-walk/

 

If you want to guarantee seeing native wildlife, I would definitely recommend a trip to either Healesville or the Melbourne Zoo. I've lived in rural Australia for 7 years and can count on one hand the number of times I've seen live kangaroos in the wild. I still have never seen a live koala in the wild. I've only seen echidnas twice and wallabies once. I tell everyone who comes to visit to go to a zoo for guaranteed sightings.

You need to explore more!!!

There are roo's in the car parks of Tullamarine airport and countless mobs along GOR and all round Hanging Rock area, gazillions of koalas along GOR and tonnes on the walking trails in the You Yangs (also black eared wallabies). Big echidna population at Hanging Rock and Mount Macedon. Any time of day stroll along the Yarra in the CBD finds you 3 to 4 different types of snakes, along with lizards, blue tongues etc. Tower Hill near Warrnambool had huge population of emus, roos, koalas, wallabies, eagles and hawks.

This is only a quick Vic and Melb sample off the top of my head where I have taken friends from overseas and always been guaranteed ample sightings.

This page has plenty of suggestions for creating a DIY Offspring themed tour

http://www.theworldswaiting.com/2014/05/offspring-tour-of-fitzroy-melbourne.html

 

There use to be a couple of proper guided tours but as its a few years since the series ended - the tours don't operate anymore.

This was one of the companies that ran one - they do other tours and also private tours so you could contact them about whether they would do an Offspring one for you

https://www.walkmelbourne.com.au/dumpling-discovery-walk/

Love both of these links! Thank you! I'm really crossing my fingers that the show comes back and they are just taking a hiatus like that did between seasons 5 and 7. I actually found it while I was searching for more shows that featured Jay Ryan after I binge watched Beauty and the Beast. I've made it through Go Girls and Sea Patrol :D. I started watching Australian TV after seeing East of Everything. After tiring of American TV, I find a lot of your shows much more entertaining.

What do you think of / know of Melbourne's AirBnB offerings? Can't decide between those, a hotel or a B&B.

You need to explore more!!!

 

There are roo's in the car parks of Tullamarine airport and countless mobs along GOR and all round Hanging Rock area, gazillions of koalas along GOR and tonnes on the walking trails in the You Yangs (also black eared wallabies). Big echidna population at Hanging Rock and Mount Macedon. Any time of day stroll along the Yarra in the CBD finds you 3 to 4 different types of snakes, along with lizards, blue tongues etc. Tower Hill near Warrnambool had huge population of emus, roos, koalas, wallabies, eagles and hawks.

This is only a quick Vic and Melb sample off the top of my head where I have taken friends from overseas and always been guaranteed ample sightings.

Sounds like Alaska's moose! You can see more of them in the shopping area's parking lots or walking down residential streets than you can out in the wild.

More and more I'm thinking we might need to rent a car for a least a day or two....

You need to explore more!!!

I have had echidna waddling in my front yard. I see rabbits all the time at dusk, and one morning walk, I shared a good bit of a tour around a cul-de-sac with a huge male kangaroo hopping along next to me. Best. Morning. Walk. EVER!

But my experience is wildlife sightings are rare -- I don't count the huntsmen and snails that fight with me for possession of my mailbox as wildlife sightings.

I find that for guaranteed native wildlife sightings, the best thing is to visit a zoo. It's my experience and my advice, yours may vary.

Sounds like Alaska's moose! You can see more of them in the shopping area's parking lots or walking down residential streets than you can out in the wild.

 

More and more I'm thinking we might need to rent a car for a least a day or two....

You Yangs and Hanging Rock/Mount Macedon are definitely worth day drives.

And for nice historical towns - Ballarat, Bendigo and Castlemaine are worth a drive. Aussie zombie thriller series Glitch was filmed in Castlemaine and the Doctor Blake Mysteries filmed in Ballarat.

Are the penguins the only reason you want to go to Phillip Island? If so, you might want to look at going down to St Kilda instead. Phillip Island is roughly 2 hours from Melbourne - St Kilda is not far from the Cbd. http://stkildapenguins.com.au/skp/?page_id=93

 

I think we've decided to head to St. Kilda instead of Phillip Island, thanks for the tip! It looks very easy to get to from where we're staying. Suggestions for dinner and drinks?

I think we've decided to head to St. Kilda instead of Phillip Island, thanks for the tip! It looks very easy to get to from where we're staying. Suggestions for dinner and drinks?

http://www.topolinos.com.au/ been here for a meal or two before its lovely as ,

on the note of the penguins, if you walk the st kilda pier during the day you sometimes see the penguins during the day as well swimming usually