City of the Month November 2024:Melbourne ‌🇦🇺

[Bhumika]

Hi everyone, 

Melbourne is a multi-cultural city that offers iconic sights and remains a great haven for foodies, coffee lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. The vibrant city offers must- see highlights such as Queen Victoria market, street art at Hosier lane, Royal Botanic gardens, National gallery and so on! Have you ever witnessed local events such as Melbourne cup carnival, night noodle markets or open studio weekends?

We'd love to hear from our local hosts—what makes Melbourne an unforgettable destination for tourists?

You can also find all the previous cities that we have featured 👉here👈

Looking forward to hearing your recommendations!

Regards,

Bhumika

[Polly164]

Melbourne is hard to summarise, but if food and cafe culture is your thing, then I highly recommend walking through the streets of the following areas:

Carlton: iconic home of Italian food and coffee, you can walk from the city, up Lygon Street, to find all the best pasta, pizza, antipasto and Italian specialties. Don't miss the famous cakes at Brunetti's! https://lygonstreet.com.au/ 

Fitzroy: also walkable from the city (up from Parliament House), Fitzroy is historic home of alternative arts, communities, culture and Aboriginal heritage. You can walk any of Brunswick, Gertrude or Smith Streets, for endless food, clothes, bars, music-venues, nightclubs. It is also home to the epic 3CR Community Radio, and the rainbow pride footpath which pays homage to lcoal queer and LGBT communities. For a fascinating and important history of the area, this walk is also excellent: https://walkingmaps.com.au/walk/183 

Brunswick and Coburg: in classic Melbourne style, the road that runs through Brunswick is Sydney Road (the roads are named after the direction they are heading not their location). This is truly a multicultural hub with excellent middle Eastern food and a vibrant music scene. Walk up Sydney Road or the north end of Lygon Street (above Park Street) to visit cafes, bars, second hand clothes stores, and some of the best kebabs in Melbourne. For local news and updates you can see: https://brunswickvoice.com.au/

City laneways: you can walk for hours through these laneways and arcades, where you'll find boutique clothes stores, excellent restaurants, and bars hidden down alleyways. Best walked with a local or following a guide, to really find all the hidden gems. https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/attractions-and-sights/laneways-arcades

If wandering laneways is not your thing, maybe check out some of Melbourne's festivals:

The Comedy Festival (Easter): 26 Mar to 20 Apr: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/ 

St Kilda Music Festival (Valentine's weekend): 15-16 February https://www.stkildafestival.com.au/ 

Midsumma Queer Arts Festival: 19 Jan to 9 Feb: https://www.midsumma.org.au/ 

Spring Fringe Festival: 1-20 October: https://melbournefringe.com.au/

Rising Arts Festival: 30 May to 9 Jun: https://rising.melbourne/about 

The Flower and Garden Show: 26-30 March: https://melbflowershow.com.au/ 

Always Live Music Festival: 22 Nov to 8 Dec: https://www.alwayslive.com.au/ 

If now you need a quiet retreat from the sounds and lights, some of my favourite buildings to explore are:

The NGV (National Gallery of Victoria): the oldest and most visited gallery of Australia: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/ 

The State Library of Victoria: for books, exhibitions and excellent reading spaces: https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/

Melbourne Museum: https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/ 

Finally, for the big and small kids amongst us, located a short train ride out of the city to the bayside location of Newport, is Scienceworks. They have daytime and evening events and an endless collection of games and science experiments for every age: https://museumsvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/ 

Melbourne is such a gorgeous hub of food, culture, community and alternative music, you can spend years here and still be surprised by new findings. 

[Bhumika]

This is so brilliant @Polly164 😍 thanks so much for sharing all the relevant links and a fantastic overview of Melbourne's highlight! 

Looks like there's so much to explore and enjoy, especially during the local festivals 🎉 Which local festival is your favorite, that you never fail to visit?  😉

[Polly164]

Personally, Midsumma Festival or the Comedy Festival (I can't choose between the two).

I am part of the LGBTIQA+ rainbow and so the queer arts festival is like an annual family reunion, except the family is thousands of people. For international guests, this is also held right before Mardi Gras, so you can combine your trip to Melbourne and Sydney for a full line-up of queer events. Midsumma is also more arts and less giant nightclubs, so is better for your quieter queers (although both festivals have both). 

The Comedy Festival is loads of fun, there is comedy for everyone, and there are now loads of LGBTQ comedians now who are out and proud. This is where the now famous Hannah Gadsby started out, and also first performed their show that was to make it onto Netflix. 

[Polly164]

Also, Easter (March) is probably the best time to visit Melbourne. The weather is warm and sunny but not burning hot. And the city comes alive for the Comedy Festival, with shows all through the city, Fitzroy and Carlton, and the restaurants and bars full with festival goers. You don't even have to pre-book. Just rock up to the central bookings area and find what's on that night. 

[Frances3408]

@Bhumika. I've been visiting Melbourne for business and leisure for decades. Known for its food and culture as well as major sporting events, like many global cities it also has some stunning landscapes, you just need to get a little out of the city to best appreciate them. Suitable full day trips include Dandenong Ranges, Yarra Valley, Great Ocean Road, Mornington Peninsula.

Bhumika, when you get around to picking the best Australian city for tourists (Sydney) just let me know 😉

[Polly164]

Melbourne weather! Am I right?! 

What is your advice for when and how to travel? My tips below. 

[Polly164]

Top times of the year to visit:

1. End of February to early April: Sunny, warm, past the super hot weather (we get 40 degree days in January). It really is perfect. 
2. August: It can be a bit hit and miss but if you catch the end of Winter (July) into August and maybe early September, the weather can be sunny, dry and around 20 degrees. It is perfect for walks and you may even get a day at mid-20s. 
3. Late December to January: Be prepared for very hot days and possibly bushfires (mostly outside Melbourne), but in between the 40-degree days, the summer is hot and gorgeous, like the tennis players who fly here for the Australian Open. 

How to manage the Melbourne weather by season:

1. Summer: pay attention to the hot weather and bushfire warnings (always). Always carry sunscreen and a hat. Get out of the city to a coastal town on hot days. The coast is usually 3-5 degrees cooler and you can get to places like Torquay by car or public transport. Get out of bush areas on bushfire warning days (obviously). Escape to places like the NGV or air-conditioned shopping centres on super hot days. Also, watch for the wind shifting from North to South West. This is when the glorious cool change kicks in. 
2. Autumn: the best time of year, but it still pays to carry a jumper or jacket.
3. Winter: be prepared for houses to be very cold! I've had friends from Canada and Scotland say how cold our houses are. Bring PJs. Also, never leave the house without three extra layers, plus a scarf, umbrella and something to block the Antarctic wind. I've lived in Melbourne for 20 years and am still not used to that wind. 
4. Spring: don't be fooled, this is our wettest season. There may be flash floods, sudden downpours, drops in temperature of 15 degrees. Bring wet weather gear and protection from the wind. The flowers are beautiful though and there is that magic patch of weather in August that you might catch. 

[Polly164]

This is our weather bible. In Melbourne we worship it every day: http://www.bom.gov.au/

It is nicknamed "the bom" in Australia. No one calls it the Bureau of Meteorology. 

[Polly164]

For a more accurate reflection of the local seasons too (rather than the imported, colonial ones from Europe), this a description of the local Wurundjeri Seasons (scroll down to seasons): https://deadlystory.com/page/aboriginal-country-map/Aboriginal_Country_Completed/Wurundjeri/Wurundje...