Melbourne for oldies??

[Korimako]

There's a possibility, that before or after a cruise in February, I might be able to meet up for a week or so in Melbourne with an old friend. Neither of us know anything about Melbourne or its surrounding areas, it's just that it's more or less a halfway point between our respective bases at that time.

We're female, both pushing 80 (from both directions!!), so not interested in the bars, clubs and nightlife scene. We thought of maybe renting something for a week so we can potter about at our own pace, but would still like to have access to decent eateries and go on trips to places of interest. Probably won't rent a car and neither of us can ride a bike.

Would the Mornington Peninsula or St Kilda suit us? I don't want to be in the heart of the city and would prefer a more open aspect with greenery or seaside views.

I'm hoping some of the regulars on here will have some useful inside knowledge!

TIA

 

[Cbtours]

5 minutes ago, Korimako said:

There's a possibility, that before or after a cruise in February, I might be able to meet up for a week or so in Melbourne with an old friend. Neither of us know anything about Melbourne or its surrounding areas, it's just that it's more or less a halfway point between our respective bases at that time.

We're female, both pushing 80 (from both directions!!), so not interested in the bars, clubs and nightlife scene. We thought of maybe renting something for a week so we can potter about at our own pace, but would still like to have access to decent eateries and go on trips to places of interest. Probably won't rent a car and neither of us can ride a bike.

Would the Mornington Peninsula or St Kilda suit us? I don't want to be in the heart of the city and would prefer a more open aspect with greenery or seaside views.

I'm hoping some of the regulars on here will have some useful inside knowledge!

TIA

 

Mornington Peninsula is beautiful. So are the Dandenong ranges. Fortunately, there are plenty of lovely places surrounding Melbourne CBD that you can do a few of them. Otherwise, if you prefer to stay in one spot then the Mornington peninsula will definitely fill your week.

[OzKiwiJJ]

You would probably need a car to go to the Mornington Peninsula. 

 

St Kilda would be good. There are a few apartment hotels in the area but the only one I've stayed at is at the top of a hill. Plenty of good restaurants and cafes including one right on the beach that, although busy, is lovely for lunch or dinner. It's easy to get into the city or to other parts of Melbourne on the trams.

 

 

[MMDown Under]

You might want to consider the CWA at Toorak, bed and breakfast, where you would meet other older country and interstate ladies.  I used to stay there every January for the Australian Tennis Open.  It is in a beautiful neighbourhood, close to tram and bus public transport.

[cruiser3775]

Melbourne central city is surrounded by beautiful public gardens, but without a car, I would stay reasonably close to the city. You don't have to stay right in the CBD. Have a look at options in near city suburbs which are generally green and leafy. The Royal Botanical Gardens are well worth a visit. You can then use our excellent tram system to get around.

For the suburbs, use booking.com and look for places in South Yarra, East Melbourne, St Kilda, Carlton, Parkville. If you would like to be near the cruise terminal, Port Melbourne has a good beach, some nice walks and good places to eat. 

Mornington Peninsula is a long way from the city and too difficult using public transport, but you could take a day trip there on a small group tour. Other day tours I would recommend are to the Dandenong Ranges and to Phillip Island.

Weather in February can be hot, and it usually doesn't rain much. But Melbourne weather is renowned for being very changeable, so plan for that.

Here's an interesting website that might give you some ideas, ignoring the ones that don't fit your interests and abilities:

https://misformelbourne.com/best-things-to-do-in-melbourne-australia/

[Korimako]

Forgot to mention - one of us is a paranoid arachnophobe. How likely is that to be an issue in that area at that time??

[cruiser3775]

Melbourne is a city of 5 million people. Spiders are not a significant problem in the built up area.

[Ozwoody]

Melbourne; where to begin??
There is a wealth of things to do there; The museum is amazing, much better than the average; The state library is breath taking just to visit; but whatever you do, definitely make it to the Victoria Market, Saturday is the best but also the busiest. Wednesdays they have a night market. The continental section is outstanding, the chesses, meats, and pickled goods will make you drool.

 

Have a good look at doing the Melbourne zoo, it is a very modern type of zoo, a good walking environment, don’t miss out on the butterfly enclosure, if you keep still magnificent butterflies will often land on you.

 

If you like to walk; then the botanical gardens will keep you occupied for most of the day.

On a smaller scale is the Carlton Gardens are pretty good, it also contains “Royal Exhibition Building” and Melbourne Museum.
The Royal Exhibition Building was where Australia’s first parliaments met until Canberra was built.

 

The Mornington Peninsula is indeed a wonderful place to stay visit, but as previously indicated it is a long way around the coast, and may also be still busy that time of the year as it’s a popular holiday destination. Rosebud I would think was the epicentre down there.

 

I would think Port Melbourne to St Kilda areas would be the best locations for staying for seven days, just make sure your close to a tram stop, from there you could use public transport to almost anywhere you wanted to go in Melbourne.

There’s much, much, more to it than people may think.

 

Nar Melbourne's pretty safe from spiders, other than the odd very old dunny seats. They've been known to harbour a red back or two.

 

Ps: If you like live shows, Melbourne's Concert Hale & Theatre and Spire are handy as well.
 

Edited June 1, 2023 by Ozwoody

[yarramar]

Whilst the Mornington Peninsula is beautiful (I live there) I would not recommend staying without a car. If you do make some time for a days visit, Rosebud is NOT the epicentre, the most popular spot is Sorrento and towards Point Nepean National Park and the back beaches. The other side of the MP on Westernport Bay is also beautiful with Flinders, Pt Leo and other lovely spots. Of course there is also Red Hill & Main Ridge, famous for their amazing wines and beautiful wineries. Day tours are popular to visit a few wineries for tastings and lunch as well as a tour of some of the scenic areas and outlooks.

 

For the best place without a car, the suggestions of St Kilda & Port Melbourne are good. Also Middle Park, Albert Park and Elwood which are all along the bay. South Yarra would also be a good option but the suggestion of the CWA in Lansell Rd may put you a bit far from restaurants at night.

 

Melbourne has a great transport system with it's trams so getting into and out of the city is very easy and you will not need to wait long for a tram from any of the above mentioned places. You will need a Myki card for travel on any of the trams, trains or buses but this is fairly cheap and has daily caps. If you stay within the CBD, there is a free tram zone that will get you to most of the attractions.

 

 

 

[Yaya_in_Oz]

When I travel, I can never go past a tower/observation deck without taking a look. So here in Melbourne we have the Eureka Skydeck for great views and if you are a thrillseeker you can go out in the Edge and look down! or go in the theatre for some RV.

If you like to go out on the water you could take the ferry from Southbank to historic Williamstown, have lunch and return on the ferry or train.

For a day trip, the Great Ocean Road tour is great. The Road hugs the coast, passes through forest at one point, then opens up to great coastal views.

 

[cruiser3775]

Some great ideas, but I really wouldn't recommend a day trip to see the Great Ocean Road. It's just too far for a day trip from Melbourne. You spend eight hours just sitting on the bus in return for four hours actually seeing the coastal sights, and you get back very late at night.  It's about 650 kms round trip. The GOR is worth seeing, but you need to take a minimum two day trip with an overnight stay on the coast to do it any kind of justice.

[icat2000]

So much to see in the CBD. They have beautiful walks along the Yarra, parks, botantical gardens, Shrine of Remberance, Art Gallerys etc. Some nice restaurants down Southbank (river side) too.

 

St Kilda would be a good place to stay, but I would stay in CBD and that way you can ultise the free tram network.

 

https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/things-to-do

[yarramar]

3 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:

Some great ideas, but I really wouldn't recommend a day trip to see the Great Ocean Road. It's just too far for a day trip from Melbourne. You spend eight hours just sitting on the bus in return for four hours actually seeing the coastal sights, and you get back very late at night.  It's about 650 kms round trip. The GOR is worth seeing, but you need to take a minimum two day trip with an overnight stay on the coast to do it any kind of justice.

A couple of corrections are in order. 
the distance travelled on a day tour is approximately 500km, not 650km. Someone else does the driving while you relax in the coach seats. 
 

The tours are approximately 14 hours, the last 3 can be spent sleeping on the way home. It is only 1.5 hours until you arrive at  the GOR when the sightseeing begins. Actual time on the coach looking at the magnificent view is only 3 hours, the other 6 hours are off the bus exploring. That gives you 9 hours, not 4 as suggested above. 
 

The reviews of the one day tours are predominantly positive and if you don’t have the luxury of several days and self driving, a tour is a great option. 

[cruiser3775]

The GOR day trip my friends went on was more than 600kms and started at 7am and got back at 11 pm. It involved quite a lot of getting on and off the bus and short walks to sightsee. They later discovered that it missed some of the best sights because there just wasn't time.

In any case, I don't think this is going to appeal to two ladies in their eighties who are looking for a leisurely paced holiday.

[possum52]

58 minutes ago, yarramar said:

A couple of corrections are in order. 
the distance travelled on a day tour is approximately 500km, not 650km. Someone else does the driving while you relax in the coach seats. 
 

The tours are approximately 14 hours, the last 3 can be spent sleeping on the way home. It is only 1.5 hours until you arrive at  the GOR when the sightseeing begins. Actual time on the coach looking at the magnificent view is only 3 hours, the other 6 hours are off the bus exploring. That gives you 9 hours, not 4 as suggested above. 
 

The reviews of the one day tours are predominantly positive and if you don’t have the luxury of several days and self driving, a tour is a great option. 

It is a very long day for two older ladies. I regularly travel to Warrnambool which from my suburb is just over 300 km, a similar distance from Melbourne CBD to Loch Ard Gorge (google maps). There is no way I would be travelling twice that distance in one day now. Out of the 14 hours of the tour, there is only 4 hours spent sight seeing according to the tours I looked at. 

Getting on and off coaches or in and out of vans is very tiring. From where the carpark is at the Twelve Apostles is quite a long walk and steps to actually see the rock formations.

Edited June 2, 2023 by possum52

[Ozwoody]

1 hour ago, possum52 said:

It is a very long day for two older ladies. I regularly travel to Warrnambool which from my suburb is just over 300 km, a similar distance from Melbourne CBD to Loch Ard Gorge (google maps). There is no way I would be travelling twice that distance in one day now. Out of the 14 hours of the tour, there is only 4 hours spent sight seeing according to the tours I looked at. 

Getting on and off coaches or in and out of vans is very tiring. From where the carpark is at the Twelve Apostles is quite a long walk and steps to actually see the rock formations.

Just as an aside, I think there are only about four of the 12 apostles still standing.

[possum52]

1 hour ago, Ozwoody said:

Just as an aside, I think there are only about four of the 12 apostles still standing.

Depending on what you read, there are either six, seven or eight of the apostles still standing. Parks Victoria websites says there are seven stacks. 12 Apostles

[Ozwoody]

1 hour ago, possum52 said:

Depending on what you read, there are either six, seven or eight of the apostles still standing. Parks Victoria websites says there are seven stacks. 12 Apostles

Does that include Gog & Magog or are they separate?

[possum52]

33 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

Does that include Gog & Magog or are they separate?

Gog and Magog are separate.

[Ozwoody]

34 minutes ago, possum52 said:

Gog and Magog are separate.

Thanks Leigh, glad to hear more of them than I had previously heard.

[Yaya_in_Oz]

1 hour ago, possum52 said:

Gog and Magog are separate.

Well I never knew those stacks had names! I thought Gog and Magog were the old boys in the Royal Arcade. I did actually walk out to London Arch before the bridge collapsed some years later!

[possum52]

18 hours ago, Yaya_in_Oz said:

Well I never knew those stacks had names! I thought Gog and Magog were the old boys in the Royal Arcade. I did actually walk out to London Arch before the bridge collapsed some years later!

You are correct, Gog and Magog are in the Royal Arcade, I love to visit and look at them.

 

Growing up in south west Victoria, my family spent a fair bit of time visiting the 12 Apostles, London Arch or as we knew it London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge, Port Campbell and Peterborough. Gog and Magog are separate stacks to the 12 Apostles - Gog and Magog Stacks

 

In local vernacular, Gog and Magog are the names given to the two offshore stacks that may be viewed from both the viewing platform and (tide and sea permitting) from beach level. These are not considered part of the 12 Apostles. The steps were carved into the cliff by local settler Hugh Gibson who worked on traditional access used by the traditional owners the Kirrae Whurrong people of the Eastern Maar nation.

[yarramar]

There never were 12 "apostles". Just nine originally.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Apostles_(Victoria)

I always thought that 2 were lost, leaving 7 and then London Bridge collapsed making the 8th. I may be wrong.

[Ozwoody]

Well Korimako, plenty of input, has it helped you in deciding what you both may like to do?

 

[Korimako]

Yes, thank you for all these suggestions and I apologise for my tardy response. Been out of town and offline for a couple of days.