4774Papa Posted May 22, 2017 #1 Share Posted May 22, 2017 We will be in Melbourne for several days prior to moving to Sydney for our cruise. I have found some tours that look good. I would appreciate any comments pro or con. Also, we will have some other time to wander, any suggestions? 1) Yarra Valley and Puffing Billy Steam Train---Embark on a full-day adventure through the forests, mountains and vineyards of Victoria. Enjoy tea and birdwatching in the Dandenong Ranges, and cruise through a verdant landscape aboard the historic Puffing Billy steam train. Discover the vineyards of the Yarra Valley as you sample premium regional wines at cellar door tastings. Upgrade to include a gourmet lunch with wine pairings. Highlights Full-day tour to the Dandenong Ranges, Puffing Billy Steam Train, and Yarra Valley, from Melbourne Have morning tea in the picturesque Dandenongs and hand-feed native birds Ride Australia's oldest steam train, the Puffing Billy Steam Train, through the rainforest in the Dandenongs Taste a variety of wines at three wineries with views overlooking Yarra Valley Savor a 2-course lunch at Rochford Winery accompanied by premium wine (if option selected) Learn about the regions you visit with commentary from a guide 2) https://www.viator.com/tours/Melbourne/Best-of-Melbourne-City-Tour-with-Colonial-Tramcar-Restaurant-Dinner/d384-3998_352 3) https://www.viator.com/tours/Melbourne/2-day-Great-Ocean-Road-and-Phillip-Island/d384-6770P4 4) one of these: https://www.viator.com/tours/Melbourne/Melbourne-Lanes-and-Arcades-Walking-Tour/d384-3671ARCADES https://www.viator.com/tours/Melbourne/Central-Melbourne-Walking-Tour/d384-5387WALK/important-info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted May 24, 2017 #2 Share Posted May 24, 2017 They all sound good. I did a Puffing Billy / Yarra Valley trip many, many years ago and it was a good day out. The Great Ocean Rd / Phillip Island trip sounds exhausting, they're covering a lot of kilometres in those two days. The second day will be very long as you probably won't get back to Melbourne until very late. The penguins don't come ashore until it's dark. It would be worth doing though. Stunning scenery and the penguins are amazing and adorable. Melbourne arcades and laneways are fascinating. We did a coffee tour some years ago which also covered some of the laneways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4774Papa Posted May 24, 2017 Author #3 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Any restaurants in Melbourne that you recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wishfulone Posted May 24, 2017 #4 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Any restaurants in Melbourne that you recommend? If you like Italian food head to Lygon Street. It's full of fabulous cafes and restaurants and is a destination in itself. Dandenongs/Puffing Billy is a great day trip. As already said the 2 day trip is long but it covers some spectacular scenery and the fairy penguin parade as well. You could do Phillip Island and the Great Ocean Road as separate day trips returning to your Melbourne hotel each night. That way you can space them over a few days and maybe not get so exhausted. Might coast a bit more though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT2407 Posted May 24, 2017 #5 Share Posted May 24, 2017 I love wandering through the lanes and Arcadesof Melb, never know what you'll find next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted May 24, 2017 #6 Share Posted May 24, 2017 (edited) Any restaurants in Melbourne that you recommend? If you like modern Japanese food Mr Miyagi is awesome. Our eldest granddaughter took us there a couple of years ago. OMG! The salmon nori taco was to die for! https://mrmiyagi.com.au/. It's quite close to the Windsor train station - turn left after exiting the station. There is a great food court in the Emporium Melbourne shopping centre. The Tank fish & chip outlet is excellent. There is also a Din Tai Fung there, on an upper level, which is part of the famous Taiwanese dumpling chain. On a warm summer night we like the Beachcomber Cafe on the beachfront at St Kilda - you can get there easily by tram. If you like espresso coffee, you might like to visit one of Melbourne's oldest coffee shops, Pelligrini's on Bourke St. It's a couple of blocks up the hill from Swanston St. It's worth a visit - it's a Melbourne icon. Edited May 24, 2017 by OzKiwiJJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spree75 Posted May 24, 2017 #7 Share Posted May 24, 2017 See if you can find a tour that includes looking at the street art (graffiti). Maybe you can have that added onto the laneways and arcades since it's all in the same area. This was one of the more unusual and interesting things we did in Melbourne. The street art is almost all high quality and isn't the usual "tags" you see in other cities. In Melbourne most of it is actually murals and other art pieces. I noticed that the half day Central Melbourne Walking Tour included the street art in the description. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamhappy Posted October 15, 2017 #8 Share Posted October 15, 2017 My friends and I are sailing on the Celebrity Solstice and will be in Melbourne on Nov. 1st . The Puffing Billy/Yarra Valley and Healsville tour from Viator is sold out. Does anyone have a tour to these areas scheduled and can take 4 more people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
possum52 Posted October 16, 2017 #9 Share Posted October 16, 2017 My friends and I are sailing on the Celebrity Solstice and will be in Melbourne on Nov. 1st . The Puffing Billy/Yarra Valley and Healsville tour from Viator is sold out. Does anyone have a tour to these areas scheduled and can take 4 more people? Try this link, it may be available - http://daytourmelbourne.com.au/1-day-puffing-billy-yarra-valley-wine-tour/?gclid=CLDgi7vC9NYCFY0IKgodbbMNGw Leigh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MimiDo Posted October 29, 2017 #10 Share Posted October 29, 2017 We did both the Puffing Billy/Yarra Valley tour, and the 2 Day Great Ocean Road tour, 2 years ago. The Puffing Billy tour was just okay. The train ride is pretty short (20 min?) and not picturesque. The lunch at the winery was nothing special, and the animal preserve was disappointing only because a lot of the animals were sleeping. We liked the Ocean Road trip -- the scenery is fabulous. The town where you spend the night is pretty small with limited food options, but we liked walking on the beach. The only problem was the bus on the second day was more than 1 1/2 hours late past the time they told us to be waiting for pickup, and there was not a place to sit down or even stand in the shade. But just when we had almost given up hope, the bus arrived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onyx007 Posted October 30, 2017 #11 Share Posted October 30, 2017 Some year ago I came from Adelaide on the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne (it took three days), maybe if it's available just do a Great Ocean Road-Tour without Philipp Island (but maybe with a sidetrip to the Grampians Mountains) There is a free circle line tram ride in Melbourne (of course without the food). And I'll return in about three weeks for a very short time, and I'll will probably do a tour which combines the Puffing Billy-Ride and Philip Island by Gray Tours. Another fun tour would be visiting Ballart to experience the high time of Gold Digging... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisingrammie Posted October 31, 2017 #12 Share Posted October 31, 2017 My favorite activity near Melbourne was visiting Phillip Island to see the fairy penguins. We had time to do some things in the city in the morning, then took an afternoon tour and got there just in time to see the penguins come rolling and tumbling in. What an amazing experience. For me, that''s a must-do from M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherylc Posted November 2, 2017 #13 Share Posted November 2, 2017 My sister did a similar cruise and she said Phillips Island penguins was an absolute highlight. For that reason we are actually getting off our cruise in Melbourne (instead of Sydney) so that we can get to experience this. We will take the second day in Melbourne to see the Great Ocean Road, then fly to Sydney for a couple days before we head home. I was really disappointed when I found our ship didn't stay in Melbourne long enough to see the penguins, but am looking forward to it so much more with our itinerary change (did have to pay Celebrity $65 for the honor of leaving early!) Hotel in Melbourne and air to Sydney was surprisingly inexpensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerfectlyPerth Posted November 3, 2017 #14 Share Posted November 3, 2017 Some year ago I came from Adelaide on the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne (it took three days), maybe if it's available just do a Great Ocean Road-Tour without Philipp Island (but maybe with a sidetrip to the Grampians Mountains) There is a free circle line tram ride in Melbourne (of course without the food). ... If it's been a few years since you were here you may not be aware that all trams in the CBD incl Docklands are free now. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisin'teach Posted November 29, 2017 #15 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Go to the Melbourne tourist information website. When we were in Mel. they offered a free walking tour led by docents. Our guide took a group of 4 around the downtown area and shared lots of info. about the area. It took about 2 hours. Enjoyable time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buchhalm Posted December 1, 2017 #16 Share Posted December 1, 2017 (Long) day tour to the great ocean road is very much recommended. Spectacular scenery and usually you get plenty of time to look around the various stops. Many tours have as an optional extra the opportunity of a helicopter flight at the 12 apostles whuch are sually the highlight of the ocean road tour. Helicopter flights are quite reasonably priced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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