Last Updated on February 11, 2024 by Home in the World
I feel I should preface this post by saying that it is going to be far from a detailed destination guide to Melbourne, as I have always gone there for a specific purpose. As a big tennis fan, my main motivation was the Australian Open, which I attended every January from 2002 to 2015 (except for 2014). It was basically a pilgrimage for me. Other reasons have included the Davis Cup Final (tennis again), a dance music concert, and a football game.
So the majority of photos I have ever taken in Melbourne are pretty much just of tennis players! Fortunately, my very good friend who lives there (and who is also a big tennis fan) would usually try and take me out to show me something new in or around the city, so I do have a few non-tennis things to share.
With so many world-class venues effectively right downtown (I indeed can’t think of any other city where this is the case), Melbourne is rightly labelled the ‘sporting capital of Australia’. Some would even argue it is one of the planet’s great sporting metropolises – and they wouldn’t be far wrong. From tennis to cricket to rugby to (Australian) football to Formula 1 to horse-racing, as well as having hosted the Olympic Games (1956), Commonwealth Games (2006) and various other world championships, it is a paradise for any sports fan.
Since so many of my Melbourne experiences have revolved around tennis, I will start with that, though I will keep it short, so as not to bore the non-tennis enthusiasts out there. I first attended the Australian Open in January 2002, when the courts at the Melbourne Park complex were still green rebound ace. The facility has undergone many major innovations since then, notably changing the court surface to blue plexicushion about 10 years ago.
While Melbourne is famous for its fickle weather (inspiring the Crowded House song Four Seasons In One Day), most of my memories from visiting in January are of feeling hot, sweaty and sunburnt (that first year in 2002, my face became one giant oozing orange blister and literally peeled right off – and that is no exaggeration!), partly because of the sad lack of shade at the venue.
The outside courts are all terribly exposed and you have reflected heat off the courts too. A few bits of shading have been added in recent years, but, given the ferocity of the Australian sun and the lack of ozone down here, I think that is one area that needs improving at the event.
For the most part, however, it is very well organised and gives you a good chance to see the players up close. It was the first Grand Slam tournament to have a retractable roof on its main court (Rod Laver Arena), which admittedly seems to be used more frequently for intense heat rather than rain. With John Cain Arena (formerly known as Vodafone Arena and Hisense Arena) and the newly renovated Margaret Court Arena, it now boasts multiple courts featuring this roof technology, allowing play to continue rain, hail or shine.
Below is a small selection of other images taken at Melbourne Park, including Garden Square, the foyer of the new Margaret Court Arena, some of the other outside courts, and Rafael Nadal practising. You can click on an individual image to enlarge it.
During the tennis, and indeed during any big sporting event, whether it be taking place in Melbourne or elsewhere in the world (e.g. the FIFA World Cup), matches are often broadcast on the big screen at the city’s unofficial main square, Federation Square (which locals often refer to simply as ‘Fed Square’). I remember it was just being completed the first time I visited Melbourne in 2002, and I was struck by its unique, geometric architecture.
Since then it has developed into a premier complex for arts, culture, dining and public gatherings, and I can say I have definitely enjoyed catching a few matches on the screen with friends over drinks and snacks. For more info on the many things you can see and do there, visit its website here.
The Melbourne Park tennis complex is just 2 tram stops from the city centre, and right next-door is the hallowed turf of the 100,000-seat MCG – the Melbourne Cricket Ground, commonly also known simply as ‘the G’. Home to one of Australia’s oldest sporting clubs (the Melbourne Cricket Club, MCC), it plays host to all major competitive cricket matches in the city, the most prestigious arguably being the Boxing Day Test, held every year on 26 December between Australia and a visiting international team.
During the winter, Melbourne is gripped by football fever, and the MCG is one of two main stadiums used throughout the season. By football, I mean Australian Rules Football, whose primary league is the AFL (Australian Football League). Melbourne is the spiritual home of this sport too. The league in fact used to only be played in Melbourne’s state of Victoria, and was known as the VFL (Victorian Football League, established in the late 1800s), before eventually expanding to gradually include other regions of Australia starting from the 1980s.
As such, Melbourne has no fewer than nine local teams – far more than any other city in Australia – and the Grand Final, held at the end of September every year, is played here regardless of which teams are involved (notable exceptions being 2020 and 2021 when Melbourne was in a pandemic-induced lockdown and the game had to be moved elsewhere in Australia).
While I have never seen any live sport at the MCG, I did do one of their interesting tours, which teach you a lot about Australia’s most iconic sports stadium, and take you down to turf level, as well as through many behind-the-scenes areas. More information is available here. Highly recommended, even if you’re only casually interested in sport.
At the other end of the city centre, in the waterside Docklands precinct, is Marvel Stadium, which is similarly used primarily for Australian football. Its name changes periodically based on naming rights sponsorship. When I attended an AFL game there in 2014, it was known as Etihad Stadium. With a seating capacity of 53,359, it is nearly half the size of the MCG, but it does have a retractable roof, which is pretty unusual for a large football ground.
Another sporting event putting Melbourne on the world map (and I promise this will be my last sports reference) is the Formula One Grand Prix, held every year in March/April to kick off the F1 season. Although I have never made it over for the race (despite several attempts), F1 is my equal favourite sport along with tennis. I have followed it since the mid-’90s.
In January 2015 when I was in town for the Aus Open, there was an F1 promo on the South Bank riverside entertainment precinct, featuring the Red Bull car of Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo (who actually grew up in the same suburb as me in Perth!). He was driving for them at the time. It was cool to be able to see the car up close, and there was even another non-branded F1 car you could sit in to see just how it feels for the guys in the cockpit. I can confirm it is very cramped, and getting in and out is harder than it looks!
But while sport does certainly make up a substantial part of Melbourne’s identity, it is far from all the city has to offer. It is also well known, at least within Australia, for being the nation’s ‘hipster’ capital – hole-in-the-wall laneway bars, quirky street art, effortless grunge, trendy dining.. you get the idea. And one of the inner-city districts where this alternative vibe is most apparent is Fitzroy, just north-east of the city centre. Its main street, Brunswick Street, is lined with offbeat shops and cafés housed in retro shabby-chic buildings, reflecting the fact that this Bohemian area is one of Melbourne’s oldest suburbs.
Fitzroy does certainly have some cool street art, as seen in the photo above, but most of Melbourne’s renowned urban murals can actually be found in the city centre itself – in a couple of laneways running between Flinders Lane and Flinders Street. Among the most famous of these is Hosier Lane, Rutledge Lane that runs off it in a U-shape, and the interestingly named ACDC Lane a few blocks down.
The art on the walls in all three alleyways changes quite frequently, so you never know what you’re going to see there each time you go. One thing you can be sure of, however, is that there will be lots of bold colour and striking motifs that make for highly instagrammable photos!
Below are some more examples of the laneway graffiti art. Click on an image to enlarge.
Melbourne sits on the Yarra River, which cuts straight through the city. Once you’ve finished exploring the graffiti art on the northern side (where the central business district is located), head across one of the many pedestrian or traffic bridges to the South Bank entertainment precinct. This leafy waterside promenade is a magnet for locals and tourists alike, boasting numerous restaurants that range from casual to upscale, and provide stunning views of the river and city skyline.
Its most prominent building is the Crown complex, which, in addition to a sprawling casino, also features arcades of dining and stores, as well as the luxury Crown Towers and Crown Metropol hotels. By day or night, South Bank is always a lively hub of buskers, street artists, joggers, lovers, diners, coffee-sippers, strollers, sunbakers and photographers, and is an essential part of any perambulation around downtown Melbourne.
As you have probably gathered, Melbourne is a very walkable city. With so many amazing sporting, dining and culture venues so heavily concentrated in and around the downtown area, coupled with its photogenic street art, it’s actually highly recommended to go it on foot where possible. It does also have its historic tram network, which I have been eternally grateful for on numerous occasions after a long, hot day at the tennis. For tourists wanting to save their feet and still take in the sights of the city, I would recommend the iconic, free City Circle tram. Or for something a little different, there’s also a bike-share system with a broad network of stations.
No matter how you choose to get around Melbourne, be sure to take in its fascinating mix of architecture. The city is known as Australia’s cultural capital, and this is certainly evident in its many beautiful historic buildings. These are of course also mixed in with edgier modern styles to create an eclectic mix. And an eclectic mix is precisely what this cosmopolitan melting pot of a city is. With its massive Italian and Greek communities, which were predominantly established post-World War II, it is now also home to many other ethnic groups from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and beyond. Lygon Street (which I have not personally visited) is indeed famously referred to as Little Italy.
Below are a few more examples of Melbourne’s varied architecture. Click on an image to enlarge.
I feel I should mention that Melbourne is also a very popular shopping destination – certainly many people from Perth go for ‘shopping weekends’ to Melbourne. As I am not a massive shopper myself, I don’t have much to share in this department. I have of course bought the odd item of clothing while there, but that has never been my main focus, so I can’t offer much in the way of recommendations.
Collins Street is probably the most famous shopping street, and I have also spent some time at the Spencer Outlet Centre on Spencer Street. The 19th-century Queen Victoria Market is the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere, but I have never actually been there myself. For another old-school shopping experience, take a stroll through Royal Arcade in the city centre.
Having said at the start that this post wasn’t going to be too detailed, it turns out I had more material than I realised! But without dragging it on for too much longer, I just wanted to mention a couple of other excursions I have done in and around Melbourne in the past – courtesy of my dear friend Liz who is always happy to drive anywhere, and who, as a local, has a better idea of places to go than I do!
One of the places she took me to was Studley Park, an inner-city park in Melbourne’s east. I had never heard of it, but we spent a very pleasant afternoon there following the meanders of the Yarra River, watching the paddle boats and wildlife, and walking through some of the native bushland. The park also has a number of dining and picnic spots, one of which was hosting a wedding the day we were there.
If you want to get a different perspective of Melbourne, and see the skyline from a peninsula at the mouth of the Yarra, where it empties out into Port Phillip Bay, head to Williamstown. This was Melbourne’s first port settlement, and is today quite a hip district packed with restaurants, shops and parks. We also did a short cruise around the bay to enjoy the view of the skyline – though be prepared to get a bit windblown!
Further afield, the Great Ocean Road is probably the most popular excursion people do when visiting Melbourne. Spanning a total of 243 km (0.6 miles), it takes in some stunning scenery along Australia’s south-east coast, notably The 12 Apostles limestone stacks. Embarrassingly, I have never seen them. On almost every one of my 20-odd visits to Melbourne, I vow to make the effort to head out there, and I inevitably end up getting distracted by the tennis. So it is still on the bucket list!
My friend did drive me a short way along the first part of the road around the seaside town of Torquay, via the port city of Geelong. Torquay is very much a surf town, famed for its Bells Beach, but also boasting some lovely, lush coastal landscapes. Torquay is just over an hour’s drive south-west of Melbourne, and is a nice spot to visit if you want to experience some of Australia’s beachy culture (perhaps over some yummy fish & chips).
As diagonally far away from Torquay as you can get within the greater Melbourne region is the Yarra Valley, about a half-hour drive north-east of the city. Home to rolling green and gold hills and world-class wineries, it is a haven for foodies, and makes a stark contrast from the bustling city centre or seaside surf vibe of the south coast. Even if you don’t have time to stop at a winery, the drive in and around the valley is scenic enough in itself.
So despite my overwhelming focus being on tennis on most of my visits to Melbourne, I hope some of the extra, non-tennis tidbits have still managed to demonstrate the city’s diversity. Even if you’re not a sports fan, the city has lots to offer in the way of culture, dining, architecture, shopping and the great outdoors. It has repeatedly been named one of the world’s most liveable cities, and though it has become busier and more congested in recent times, and perhaps doesn’t have the picturesque water setting of Sydney, it is still one of Australia’s edgiest, artiest, and most vibrant metropolises. A must on any Australian travel itinerary.
Trip facts
When I visited: Many occasions, but the photos in this blog post are from January 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2015, and July 2014
Weather: Melbourne is renowned for its fickle weather, no matter the season. Most of my summertime (January) visits have been hot (between 30°C and 40°C (86°F-104°F)) and dry, though there has been the odd day even then when the daytime maximum has been no more than 13°C (55°F)! And beware when the weather forecast mentions a ‘cool change’, because they really mean it; the mercury can literally plummet in the space of seconds as the southerly winds from Antarctica blow in.
My visit in July (the middle of winter) was cold and bleak (approx. 11°C/50°F), and while you can definitely get nice days then too, I wouldn’t recommend visiting at that time. If you’re not tying your stay in with any specific event, I would say the seasons of autumn (around March) and spring (around November) would be good options. But whenever you come, it’s safest to be prepared for all kinds of weather and temperatures!
Where I stayed: While I did stay with my friend on one occasion, every other time has been at the Holiday Inn Melbourne on Flinders