What to do in Melbourne

[shamoo]

Watch out Melbournians, Shaza's coming to town!!!

me & my sis r heading to Melb in may and want to know whats out there to do.
what are some good places/things to visit?
what are some good places to eat?

i have never been to melb before so i have no idea. not too sure on the name of the place we r staying at, but im pretty sure its near the town center. and we dont have a car so i guess will be walking or busing it around the place.

cheers

[kinesis]

Well, what sort of stuff are you guys interested in doing? I'm sure some of us might be able to take you guys around if you're up for it.

When are you guys gonna be here?

[ofey]

Since you don't have a car, I would be more cautious for you to exactly state where you will be staying in Melbourne Central rather than assume everywhere is accessible.

Tell us your exact location and then I think many people will chime in with suggestions about where to go and how to get there reasonably.

In the city, some things I can think of are the standard:

- Melbourne Aquarium
- Queen VIC Market
- Crown Casinos
- Chinatown
- Lygon Street (Italian Town)
- Bridge Street
- Chapel Street

Also consider the Tutankhamun Exhibit at the Melbourne Museums. King Tut has hardly left Egypt and it's a real eye opener.

If you're game to meet up with the crew here, we can certainly organise a meet in the city area to do that.

More precise suggestions when we hear back from you.

[shamoo]

hey

we r heading over in the 1st week of may tues 2nd to the sunday. the main reason we r going is for the tut exhibition. i will have to ask sarah where we r staying but i know its walking distance to the museum.

as for interest, i love my food, so always on the look out for a good meal and even better a good bakery! im pretty sure we r gona check out the zoo and the art gallery. i wana do a bit of shopping but dont really like shopping much (OMG a chick that dont like shopping!), more dont like the big crowds.

yeah im keen for a catch up with u guys.

[Nick07]

FOOTY!

[ofey]

If you're going to be near the Museum, means you'll be pretty close to Lygon Street. All things Italian there. Great eateries.
On Lygon street you'll find a host of excellent Italian Eateries. As you get closer to the city you'll see much more Thai food as well. There's also a branch of Lamb's which serves some of the best Spit roasted Lamb Souvla's you'll find. Though their Northcote branch is much better.

If you like bakeries, try Brunetti on Faraday Street.

You may also want to find a tram to take you to Bridge Street where you'll find Chimmy's. Chimmy's does a dinner service as well. Their Oven baked bread is to die for.

In the city there are some excellent places to eat as well.

I would suggest you try Mrs Parma's and if you like Asian food, might I suggest HuTong Dumpling Bar. Best Dumplings outside China. Remember to make reservations for HuTong. Unlikely to be able to walk straight in.

If you like Nike and Adidas. There are factory outlets on Smith Street.

IF there's a particular type of food or shopping style you like. Just ask and I'll provide the answers.

[shamoo]

cheers guys

[kinesis]

well, ofey's covered quite a bit. anyhow, if there's anymore specifics you can give, the better we can suggest.

[ijustatecurry]

Don't forget to make a trip out to the Queen Vic Market if time permits. It ticks two boxes at once: shopping AND food. Two other suggestions: See an AFL game at "the G" and check out the shrine of rememberance. Hope you enjoy your time in Melbourne!!

[ofey]

If you're big on Cafe culture, there's a quaint little street in Melbourne city called Degraves Street. It's narrow with cafes lining both sides. Great for an afternoon late lunch.

When I'm depressed, you can find me there reading a book and trying to find myself again.

Also there is Federation Square.
So many posh nob restaurants there but the one thing you want there is Beer. Visit Beer Deluxe for a ridiculous choice of beer.
Diagonally, across Fed Square on Swanston St is a pub institution: Young and Jacksons. Make sure you go there! And say hi to Chloe.

If you like an unpretentious place for the night to drink and meet people or listen to great house music, might I also suggest : The Croft Institute. It's a Chemistry Laboratory themed bar. Yes in the perverse mind of ofey, this is a nice place to have a drink and unwind.

[kinesis]

haha... *looks around the room* why is it that the international guy seems to have a better idea of what's around compared to the local guy? :p

[shamoo]

haha... *looks around the room* why is it that the international guy seems to have a better idea of what's around compared to the local guy? :p

i guess living somewhere you dont usually do the tourist things. ie: my mate is heading to my home town for easter. so she has asked me whats there to do. i knew what i usually do, but duno what ppl who have never been there like to do. i ended up going to the tourist info center and got a heap of stuff for her. the weirdest feeling is going to a tourist place to get info on your own town.

anyway i have left most of our travel plans with my sister to organise, but i will definately check out some of these places u guys have mentioned.
im pretty sure we fly in on tuesday 3 and fly out on sunday 8. so far we only have plans for the saturday, which is when we r gona go c the egypt thingo.

i will get my sis to check out this thread-shes a mamber on here.

[ofey]

2 reasons:
1. Familiarity breeds contempt.
Locals tend to just let things past them as its what they're used to having. When people migrate. Everything is a discovery and the joy of experiencing NEW things is then entrenched in you. When i left Singapore in 2001, I took time to look around. I learnt more about the country of my birth in 2001 then I did for the 20+ years I had before that. In London, I fell in love with the place and I spent alot of time travelling through not just the city centre but the boroughs and perimeter. In New York, I did the same. Now moving to and deciding to settle in Melbourne, the first few weeks here, I just went all out to discover the place much like I did with the previous 3 places I've lived in. I never take for granted the places I've had to live in. Eventually once I'm done with career, kids and life, I hope to move one last time to retire and die. Hopefully Melbourne isn't the end.

Singapore->London, England->New York, USA->Melbourne, Australia-> ??

Tokyo, Japan perhaps or Amsterdam, Netherlands or Honolulu, Hawaii??


2. I don't live life as a routine. For me it's about the experience. If I had a choice of careers, I'd wanna be Michael Palin or Anthony Bourdain or Pria Viswalingam
Travel, discover and eat.
It's about the opening of one's mind and experiencing different things. The discovery of new things and moving along but never comparing. Enjoy each experience as an individual event then move on... .

International?
I've been here 3 years mind you.
21 years in Singapore
6 years in London
1 year in New York

Well kinda International.

[ofey]

i guess living somewhere you dont usually do the tourist things.

I wouldn't define my suggestions as touristy.

Touristy would be very generic areas with no pin point mark:
1. Crown Casinos
2. St Kilda Beachfront
3. Melbourne Aquarium
4. Chinatown

Alot of the places I've suggested, you wouldn't really know unless you're a local and tried the places and foods yourself.

You cannot imagine the suggestions I could give you if had access to a car.

[13EZY]

get on a plane to brisbane?