FROM MY TRAVELS
Melbourne
Last updated: October 2026
Melbourne gave me colourful laneways, a very good city view from above and at least one photograph where I looked distracted by food. That sounds about right.
Route overview
Stops are approximate. Dashed lines show the order, not the roads. Optional stops are swaps, not extras.
Select a stop below to locate it. Drag to pan; use the controls or arrow keys to explore.
Before you go
- Tap and go works almost everywhere. Keep a little cash for small stalls and watch for card surcharges.
- Check Transport Victoria’s current myki and contactless guidance for your mode. The central Free Tram Zone does not make every Melbourne tram journey free.
- Uber and taxis are easy in the cities. For national parks, small towns and early pickups, book both directions. Don’t count on finding a car out there.
- English is spoken everywhere. Download the day’s map and save the exact trailhead or meeting point, especially outside town.
- Get a local SIM or an eSIM and check coverage along your route. Having signal in town doesn’t mean you’ll have it in a gorge, on an island or on a mountain road.
- Save your last connection and accommodation address offline. On driving days, sort out fuel, food and the way back before you leave town.
Sorting out the practical bits? See the tools I use when I travel for data, bookings, gear and China payment tips.
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A route for your visit
Adjust the pace to suit you.
Start among the central lanes
Begin around Centre Place and Degraves Street, choosing breakfast where the menu and available space suit you. After eating, walk the short lanes and arcades instead of lining up for another café. Street art changes, so enjoy what’s there now. That old photo might be painted over. For street art, Hosier Lane is a specific nearby option, with the understanding that the work changes.
Compare Melbourne stays on Trip.com around the city stops so returning for a layer before dinner is easy.
Choose the market or stay in the lanes
Check Queen Victoria Market’s opening days first. If you want to browse and eat there, give it 60–90 minutes and include the journey north from the central lanes. Otherwise, stay with the arcades around the centre and have lunch nearby. Either version works; a closed market doesn’t need replacing with another distant food stop. If the market isn’t your thing, the Block Arcade and Royal Arcade offer a more compact central alternative.
Melbourne’s central laneways turn service streets and small passages into places for cafés, shops and changing street art. Look for the details between the main streets. You don’t need to tick off every lane.
The market brings food shopping and the city’s migration stories into the same busy setting. Leave time to pick lunch and watch the market go by.
Queen Victoria Market adds a trip north from the central lanes. Check its trading days and go because you want the market, not because it’s another name to tick off before lunch.
A focused afternoon at the NGV
Head back towards Federation Square and cross to the south side of the river for NGV International if that is the collection or exhibition you want. Allow around two hours and choose a manageable part to see. Check the building named on any exhibition ticket. Leave Southbank for afterwards so the gallery visit finishes in the same area as the evening walk. Choose between NGV International on St Kilda Road and the Australian collection at The Ian Potter Centre in Federation Square according to the art you want to see.
Melbourne’s major galleries give the city walk a substantial cultural stop beyond shopping and cafés. Pick a collection you actually want to see. The rest can wait.
Southbank places the river between the city towers and its arts precinct. The walk is a nice slow finish after the tight laneways.
Late afternoon · Southbank and the skyline
Walk a manageable stretch of Southbank, then choose Melbourne Skydeck if clear conditions and its current ticket offer appeal to you. An observation deck is optional; the river walk already gives the day a satisfying finish.
Melbourne’s city buildings seen through a window. From the gallery area, follow the Yarra along Southbank for a short walk. If Melbourne Skydeck is the plan, check visibility before paying for a view and leave time to stay upstairs for more than one photograph. My old Eureka post belongs to that visit; the current experience and ticket options need checking directly. At ground level, the bridges, river and city lights already give you plenty to look at.
Evening · Dinner in the city
Return towards the centre for dinner around Chinatown or Flinders Lane. Pick one restaurant and leave room for a short evening walk. You don’t need to chase every famous food spot across the suburbs.
For dinner, Chinatown around Little Bourke Street gives you a different food setting from the morning cafés. Flinders Lane is another option if you’ve chosen a particular restaurant. Keep the meal close to your finish and let a short evening walk be the final activity. If you want longer at the gallery or observation deck, don’t book an early dinner on the other side of town.
What to budget
Prices checked September 2026. These are for the named ticket or service. Check your date and what’s included before you pay.
- Public transport daily cap: AUD 4.00–5.70 — Current half-price offer: AUD 4 weekend cap and AUD 5.70 weekday full-fare cap until 1 January 2027. Airport coaches are separate. Price source
Budget AUD 20–40 per person for a simple meal. That’s a rough guide. Drinks and nicer restaurants cost more. Price transfers separately, especially private drivers, boats and airport trips.
A few photo tips
- Photograph laneways in soft morning light before the main lunch rush, keeping business doors and pedestrians clear.
- At Southbank, blue hour balances the river reflections and building lights. Shoot from the riverside path, not the middle of a bridge.
If the weather changes
Make a gallery the main visit and use sheltered arcades between meals; shorten the river section.
The final day and your flight
Morning flight: save this outing for another day and go straight from your overnight base to Melbourne Airport or Avalon, as booked. If you’re staying out of town and the transfer is tight, move closer the night before.
Afternoon flight: Stay near the luggage pickup point for breakfast, then allow for the actual airport’s transfer. Leave time for luggage collection, the complete journey to Melbourne Airport or Avalon, as booked and the airline’s check-in guidance; shorten the outing before reducing that buffer.
Pick the right NGV building
Check the exhibition address when booking; the two NGV locations aren’t interchangeable. The route below uses NGV International on the south side of the river, which leads neatly into a Southbank walk. If rain settles in, spend longer with the exhibition or over a meal. The street art will also have changed since my photo, so look for what’s there now.
Booking checks
Check market opening days, gallery exhibitions and Skydeck visibility before buying tickets. Pack a layer for weather changes. The night market is seasonal, so check it’s on. The daytime market running doesn’t mean the night one is.
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