Melbourne in summer: sport, beaches and lush city gardens
6 min read • Nov 5, 2021
Melbourne is a friendly, vibrant city all year, but summer is the perfect time to visit if you enjoy sunshine, sporting events and lush public gardens.
Travel Stories
Melbourne
- Top neighborhoods to explore in Melbourne
6 min read • Jun 29, 2021
Melbourne is a collection of villages and each neighbourhood has its own distinct character. We guide you to the best suburbs to focus your time...
- The 18 best free things to do in Melbourne
10 min read • Jun 24, 2021
Melbourne is home to a wealth of fantastic attractions for visitors. The best news? Many of them are free to enjoy.
- The top 12 city parks in Melbourne
6 min read • Jun 19, 2021
Whether you’re looking for a grassy patch to picnic or a shady spot to people watch, Melbourne has green spaces of all kinds.
- The best beaches in and around Melbourne
4 min read • Jun 4, 2021
From 19th-century seaside resorts to surf-lashed stretches of golden sand, here’s our pick of the best beaches in and around Melbourne.
- The 7 best road trips from Melbourne
6 min read • Jun 1, 2021
From mountain ranges to former gold mining towns, here's our pick of the best Victoria road trips from Melbourne.
- 5 city walking tours you can take right now on Google Maps
10 min read • May 4, 2020
It’s undeniably one of travel’s greatest pleasures; wandering the streets of a whole new city, soaking up its character and exploring its hidden wonders…
- The best ways to spend Christmas in Australia
5 min read • Oct 24, 2019
Spending Christmas in Australia? Christmas down under means festive markets, summer sun, lazy days beachside and, yes, more shrimp on the barbie.
- 10 music festivals to book right now
8 min read • Sep 18, 2019
We’ve picked out ten of the best music festivals happening across the world between the months of September and March.
- Five harsh lessons I learned about life as an expat
7 min read • Sep 8, 2019
Like so much in life, social media gives the expat experience a deceptive gloss – but the darker side of expat life is usually cropped out of the frame…
- Travelling with your tastebuds: how to eat curiously
7 min read • Jul 19, 2019
Globetrotters are increasingly planning overseas trips around edible itineraries. Sofia Levin is on a mission to encourage people to #EatCuriously both at…
- Quirky rules of the road: how to drive like a local
7 min read • Jul 11, 2019
Between the ‘left-hand, right-hand' debate, mega roundabouts seemingly sent from hell, and frustratingly incomprehensible road signs (what does that…
- Best places in the world to see Formula 1 in action
6 min read • Jul 10, 2019
Featuring the fastest road-course cars and the most cutting-edge technology, the Formula 1 series has been the pinnacle of auto racing for nearly 70 years…
- Accessible Australia: tips and resources for navigating Oz with a disability
6 min read • Jun 21, 2019
One in five (4.2 million) Australians have a disability and accessibility is a hot topic in the Australian travel industry right now. In 2018…
- Here's how to see Australia by train
6 min read • Mar 20, 2019
Australia is such a huge country that it seems logical to cross it by plane. But there is another option, one that becomes a memorable holiday in itself:…
- Beyond Nick Cave: Melbourne's best live music experiences
5 min read • Mar 26, 2018
Melbourne’s classic pubs, historic theatres and basement bars offer more than just beer, Broadway and Bloody Marys – they also crank out some of the city…
- Lights, camera, Australia! Film and TV locations around Australia
6 min read • Mar 20, 2018
With its rugged good looks and effortless quirks, Australia was always destined for the screen. The country's pristine beaches, scorching deserts and…
- How to live like a Local in Melbourne
5 min read • Jun 22, 2017
The more Lonely Planet Local Sofia Levin travels, the more she appreciates how spoiled she is living in multicultural Melbourne. A journalist and food…
- Superfood cities: where to find healthy urban eats
6 min read • May 3, 2017
City tripping can be hungry work – and these days the options are seemingly endless. But what if you'd rather forgo the freakshake and bubble-waffle fads…
- Eight amazing cities for street art
6 min read • Apr 25, 2017
People have been leaving their creative mark on walls for thousands of years – the oldest known cave paintings date from more than 40,000 years ago. Today…
- Beyond Melbourne, Victoria's arty regional centres
6 min read • Apr 11, 2017
In decades past, art was a fairly conservative experience – beyond Australia's cities – but this has changed dramatically in several regions including…
- Australia's best micro-distilleries and craft spirits
5 min read • Nov 15, 2016
Aussies love to have a drink, and with the rise of the country's craft spirits scene, who can blame them? Made in small batches by independently owned…