Sights in Melbourne
-
A
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The MCG, affectionately known as ‘the G’, is the temple in which sports-mad Melburnians worship their heroes. The devoted come regularly, filled with hope, to watch their contemporary gladiators triumph or fall. It’s one of the world’s great sporting venues, and is imbued with an indefinable combination of tradition and atmosphere. You scoff? The stadium seats almost 100,000 and at a full-house AFL match or the Boxing Day Test cricket match the atmosphere is electric and the crowd deafening.
Half-hour tours are conducted on nonmatch days. Also housed within ‘the G’ is the National Sports Museum which contains Australia’s largest collection of sporting artefacts an…
reviewed
-
B
Flinders Street Station
Melbourne’s first railway station, Flinders Street was built in 1854. Two railway workers won the design tender. This might explain why the station contained such fabulous facilities for railway workers, now, sadly, in disrepair. In its heyday the building buzzed with a concert hall, a library, a crèche, meeting rooms, even a ballroom. Stretching along the Yarra for a block, the station is a city landmark. You’d be hard pressed to find a Melburnian who hasn’t uttered ‘meet me under the clocks’ at one time. On any weekday, well over 100, 000 people weave through the station’s underpasses, escalators, stairs and platforms. The grand old dame’s underground tendrils conne…
reviewed
-
C
Abbotsford Convent
The convent, which dates back to 1861, is spread over nearly seven hectares of riverside land. The nuns are long gone – no-one is going to ask you if you’ve been to mass lately – and there’s now a rambling collection of creative studios and community offices. The Convent Bakery supplies impromptu picnic provisions, or the reimagined ‘wog bar’ Handsome Steve’s House of Refreshment will mix you up a Campari soda to sip on the balcony while you’re overlooking the ecclesiastic architecture and listening to the footy on the radio. There’s a Slow Food Market every fourth Saturday.
reviewed
-
D
Federation Square
A riotous explosion of steel, glass and abstract geometry, Federation Square is Melbourne’s meeting hub, where thousands of locals and visitors gather in the undulating forecourt each year for regular cultural events, sporting telecasts, t’ai chi classes, twilight jazz, Afrobeats and much more. When they’re not here to celebrate, protest, party or watch sport on the big telly, people fill the bars, restaurants, galleries and public lecture halls.
reviewed
-
E
Ian Potter Centre: National Gallery of Victoria Australia
The Ian Potter Centre: National Gallery of Victoria Australia is devoted to Australian art, featuring works from the colonial to contemporary periods by celebrated artists including Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Joy Hester, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Albert Tucker, Jenny Watson, Bill Henson, Howard Arkley, Tony Clark, John Brack and Gordon Bennett.
reviewed
-
F
Fawkner Park
This huge expanse of green is loved and used by the area’s sport folk and lapdogs alike. Walkways lined with elms, oaks and Moreton Bay fig trees provide structure to the otherwise open fields. Barbecues and charming little pavilions are available for public use.
reviewed
-
G
St Kilda Foreshore
There are palm-fringed promenades, a parkland strand and a long stretch of sand. Still, don’t expect Bondi or Noosa. St Kilda’s seaside appeal is more Brighton, England than Baywatch, despite 20-odd years of glitzy development. And that’s the way Melburnians like it; a certain depth of character and an all-weather charm, with wild days on the bay providing for spectacular cloudscapes and terse little waves, as well as the more predictable sparkling blue of summer.
Two popular St Kilda restaurants are superbly located in historic foreshore buildings: the stylish Donovans, once a bathing pavilion, and the Stokehouse, originally an Edwardian teahouse. The kiosk at the …
reviewed
-
H
Collins Street
The top end of Collins St has long been associated with that most romanticised of European cities, Paris. Lined with plane trees, grand buildings and luxe boutiques (including Bally, Prada and Hermès), the ‘Paris end’ of Collins St has a certain splendour, but is as much a mini 5th Avenue as a grand boulevard. Straddling Russell St are two of Melbourne’s historic churches. Scots’ Church, the first Presbyterian church in Victoria, was built in the decorative Gothic style (1873); opposite is St Michael’s Uniting Church.
At 188 Collins St, the Athenaeum, dating back to 1886, has undergone many a face-lift. The Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, sits atop the façade,…
reviewed
-
I
Flagstaff Gardens
These small gardens with open lawn are popular with workers taking a lunchtime break. There’s a rose garden, children’s playground, barbecues and a lawn-bowling green. First known as Burial Hill, this is where most of the city’s early settlers ended up. The hill once provided one of the best views out to the bay, so a signalling station was set up here; when a ship was sighted arriving from Britain, a flag was raised on the flagstaff to notify the settlers (it was also significant for the Wurundjeri for the same useful vista). The gardens contain many trees that are well over 100 years old. These include Moreton Bay fig trees, and a variety of eucalypts, including spo…
reviewed
-
J
Footscray Community Arts Centre
Borrow a beach mat from the Big Fish Cafe (09:30-16:00) to lounge on while you eat your veggie wrap or slurp your soup beside the Maribyrnong River, then stroll through Gabriel Gallery (09:30-17:00 Mon-Fri, noon-16:00 Sat & Sun), which profiles artworks by people who've recently arrived in Australia.
Both are housed in the historic former piggery of Mr Henderson, Henderson House. The complex includes the adjoining warehouse, which is a physical training area for the Women's Circus. There are also regular music and theatre programmes promoting the centre's charter of facilitating community arts in multiethnic Footscray.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Royal Exhibition Building
Built for the International Exhibition in 1880, and winning Unesco World Heritage status in 2004, this beautiful Victorian edifice symbolises the glory days of the Industrial Revolution, Empire and 19th-century Melbourne’s economic supremacy. Inside it’s equally impressive, with extensive decorative paintwork throughout. Australia’s first parliament was held here in 1901; more than a hundred years later everything from trade fairs to designer sales to dance parties take place. It’s also the home of the biennale Melbourne Art Fair. Tours leave from the Melbourne Museum daily at 2pm.
reviewed
-
L
Albert Park Lake
Elegant black swans give their inimitable bottoms-up salute as you circumnavigate the 5km perimeter of this man-made lake. Jogging, cycling, walking or clamouring over play equipment is the appropriate human equivalent. Lakeside Dr was used as an international motor-racing circuit in the 1950s, and since 1996 the revamped track has been the venue for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix each March. Also on the periphery is the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre, with an Olympic-size pool and child-munching wave machine.
reviewed
-
M
Birrarung Marr
Birrarung Marr, which means ‘River of Mists’ in Wurundjeri, is a park on the banks of the Yarra, providing a scenic route to the MCG via William Bark Bridge and a promenade amble to the Melbourne and Olympic Parks sporting precincts. In its centre, the Federation Bells ring out daily with specially commissioned contemporary compositions. An old railway building in the park, ArtPlay hosts creative weekend and holiday workshops for children aged between five and 12 years – bookings are essential.
reviewed
-
N
Johnston Collection
The collection of sharp-eyed antique dealer William Johnston is on show in this characteristic East Melbourne mansion. Rooms are decorated in an English country-house style, and also highlight specific interior-decorating fashions from last century – almost as fascinating as the pieces themselves. Visits come with a sense of mystique; for privacy reasons, you need to book a tour and be picked up from the nearby Hilton on the Park rather than just rocking up to the door. Tours depart three times daily; phone to reserve a place.
reviewed
-
O
Melbourne Museum
In the middle of Carlton Gardens, Melbourne Museum provides a grand sweep of Victoria’s natural and cultural histories. The emphasis is on education and interaction, and the main attractions include Bunjilaka, the Aboriginal Centre; a living forest gallery; and the Australia gallery, with an exhibit dedicated to that great Aussie icon Phar Lap, and another dedicated to the TV show Neighbours (filmed in Melbourne). The Children’s Gallery is a great way to keep the kids entertained awhile.
reviewed
-
P
Eureka Tower
The new-in-2006 Eureka Tower epitomises Melbourne's push to live in apartments by becoming the world's tallest apartment building. It's enough to make anyone who's read JG Ballard's Highrise wide-eyed and nervous. But, the tower is good news for visitors who can scoot to the 88th-storey observation tower (compared to the Rialto's 55th) for wild views of the city and its surrounds.
reviewed
-
Q
Royal Botanic Gardens
The finest botanic gardens in Australia, and among the best in the world, the beautifully designed Royal Botanic Gardens sprawl beside the Yarra River. Plants from Australia and around the world feature in mini-ecosystems, such as the cacti and succulents area, a herb garden and Australian rainforest. Take a book, a picnic or frisbee; most importantly, take your time.
reviewed
-
R
National Gallery of Victoria International
Behind an iconic waterwall, the National Gallery of Victoria International boasts an international collection that is world renowned and arguably Australia’s finest. Permanent members include Rembrandt, Tiepolo, Bonnard, Monet and Modigliani. Temporary exhibitions are provocative and dynamic, and tours, talks and workshops are regular features.
reviewed
-
S
Parliament House of Victoria
The 1856 Parliament House of Victoria is a striking monolith of a structure preceded by a grand flourish of steps. Free half-hour tours take you through both houses and the library. Fascinating design features and the symbolism underlying much of the ornamentation are illuminated by the knowledgeable guides.
reviewed
-
T
Luna Park
Luna Park, a St Kilda symbol since 1912, is an old-fashioned amusement park that maintains a whiff of carny atmosphere. The old wooden roller coaster and beautifully crafted carousel are highlights, but the famous facade of a laughing Mr Moon has been the object of many a nightmare.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
U
Ceres Community Environment Park
The Ceres Community Environment Park has plenty of room for youngsters to chase chooks while parents can chow down on delicious organic breakfasts and lunchtime baguettes.
reviewed
-
V
Southgate
Southgate was the first shopping and dining complex built along the south bank of the Yarra, replacing billowing chimneystacks and saw-toothed factories. The complex joined its illustrious Southbank neighbours (the Arts Centre, Australian Ballet and Opera Australia) in the early ’90s. Southgate is well connected to the city via an arched footbridge, and riverside promenades run all the way west to the casino complex. You’ll find restaurants and cafés among the three levels of dining rooms that all enjoy a stellar outlook over the river and city. (Quality ranges from some of the city’s best to those simply after the tourist dollar.) Night transforms the skyline, wi…
reviewed
-
W
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.
The GPO (cnr Bourke & Elizabeth Sts) is a cosy collection of select shops housed in a grand neo-Renaissance landmark building. On the other side of the mall, the Royal Arcade, built between 1869 and 1870, is Melbourne's oldest shopping mall; the upper walls retain much of the original 19th-century detail. Fol…
reviewed
-
X
Council House 2
Melbournians weren’t sure what to think about the new council building as it rose from what was a carpark: was this to be yet another grey corporate box? Slowly, all was revealed, and it turned out to be iridescently, award-winningly green. Officially opened in August 2006, CH2’s design is based on ‘biomimicry’, reflecting the complex ecosystem of the planet. The building uses the sun, water and wind in combination with a slew of sustainable technologies. These include a basement water-mining plant, a façade of richly toned wooden louvres that track the sun (powered by photovoltaic cells), and light and dark air-circulation ducts that either absorb heat or draw in fresh a…
reviewed
-
Y
Victorian Arts Centre
The Victorian Arts Centre is made up of two separate buildings: Hamer Hall and the Theatres Building. The interiors of both buildings are stunning. Hamer Hall is a major performance venue and base for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO). The Theatres Building is topped by a distinctive Eiffel-inspired spire (illuminated at night), underneath which are housed the State Theatre, the Playhouse and the George Fairfax Studio. Here you’ll also find the George Adams Gallery and the St Kilda Road Foyer Gallery; both are free and have changing exhibitions. One-hour tours of the centre are offered at noon and 2.30pm from Monday to Saturday, and a special backstage tour for ove…
reviewed
