Melbourne Sights

  1. Bourke Street & Around

    West of Swanston St marks the beginning of the Bourke St Mall. The mall is thick with the sounds of trams clanging, Peruvian bands busking, spruikers and the general hubbub from shoppers. The expansive entrances of the mall's main department stores, Myer and David Jones, consume waves of eager shoppers, regurgitating them some time later with signature shopping bags.

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  2. Chinatown

    Red archways across either end of Little Bourke St's Chinatown are your gateways to clattering woks, glowing neons, exotic aromas and shops with floor-to-ceiling chambers of medicinal herbs and tinctures. Melbourne's Chinatown has been thriving since the 1850s when Chinese prospectors joined the rush to find gold.

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  3. Collins Street

    The top end of Collins St has long been associated with that most romantic of European cities, Paris. Lined with plane trees, grand buildings and Euro-flash boutiques (such as Hermes and Chanel) the 'Paris end' of Collins St twinkles with grace.

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  4. Crown Casino & Entertainment Complex

    The Crown Entertainment Complex could be labelled with many an adjective, but 'subtle' most certainly wouldn't be one of them. The complex sprawls across two city blocks and includes the enormous luxury Crown Towers and Crown Casino, with over 300 tables and 2500 gaming machines open round the clock. Time is apparently irrelevant at the casino, which has no clocks and no natural light.

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  5. Melbourne Exhibition Centre

    This multipurpose venue hosts conventions, trade shows and public events around themes as diverse as brides, horses and gluten-free food. Check the calendar on the Web for upcoming events. The Exhibition Centre is soon to be part of another new city precinct - building of a 5000-seat auditorium started in mid-2006. With such an enormous capacity, things could get very weird around here depending on which convention is in town: imagine 5000 Trekkies or, worse, brides-to-be.

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  7. Princes Park

    Joggers and walkers make early morning pilgrimages to pound the 3.2km gravel path around the perimeter of the park. Home to the Carlton football ground, which is known as Optus Oval, the sprawling park has a number of sporting ovals, a children's playground and barbecues. From here it's a 10-minute tram ride to Melbourne's CBD and a quick walk to the vibrant shopping strip on Sydney Rd.

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