Australia also termed as ‘Land of the Oz’ and Melbourne is a wonderful destination for tourists to be at any point of time of the year. It is also known as the city of coffee, contrasts, colour and culture and regarded to be among the best all-round cities in the country and the world as a whole. This city also competes frequently for the title ‘Most Livable City in the World’. This urban metropolis has managed to retain that small town feeling, providing emphasis on quality dining, artistic, and lots of historical architecture waiting to be explored.
Top places to visit during the trip
St. Paul’s Cathedral: Constructed in 1868, it is definitely a spectacular instance of ‘Gothic Revival styled architecture’ and a place of worship for Catholic Archdiocese followers. It is a well maintained, huge cathedral, which emits that inspiration feeling and is best described only on visiting in person. It is near to the city’s center shopping districts and other famous landmarks like the Flinder’s Street Station and Federation Square. Providing free entrance to every visitor and believer, it is relaxing, spiritual and also visually impressive. Its interiors are also mesmerizing and the lovely crafted wooden pylons and pews including the stained glass windows adorning the walls are worth taking pictures.
Eureka Skydeck: Similar to other towers constructed in other cities across the globe, Eureka Skydeck 88 of Melbourne is a must visit for every tourist visiting the city for the first time. It does offer amazing scenic panorama of the whole city as well as its surroundings. It is also stated to be the highest viewing platform located in the southern hemisphere, thus making it all the more important. It does offer the tourists with the opportunity to view the picturesque Dandenongs range stretching at a distance along with landmarks like the MCC.
Dandenong Ranges: It is regarded to be Victoria/Melbourne region’s true hidden gem and should be part of the must visit itinerary. The spectacular range features blend of lovely waking tracks, lush Aussie rainforest, and several small towns dotted with quaint shops, etc. From Melbourne, it is just a mere 30 to 40 minute drive by car and is the perfect spot to be with the family. There are several things to do here like the variety of walks which offers the opportunity to get a close view of the huge Mountain Ash forests, picnic grounds, waterfalls, secret historical areas and much more. The iconic steam train ride ‘Puffing Billy’ does offer wonderful experiences and is also termed to be the country’s most popular narrow gauge railway, winding scenically and leisurely through the mountainside. The entire ride from start to finish offers the travellers with an enchanting, mesmerizing viewing experience. They can enjoy the native wildlife like bellbirds, kookaburras and the pristine wilderness etc. . The other highlights of the place include Sassafras – a quaint mountain village, Sherbrooke Forest and the National Park.
Werribee Open-Range Zoo: This zoo is known to offer tourists with a unique and spectacular wildlife experience and emulates the authentic African savannah. It is just thirty-minutes’ drive from the city centre and covers an area of 225 hectares. Realistic displays are created to contain different types of safari animals. Visitors have the option to walk across the zoo. But ‘Safari tour’ is definitely special which takes the tourists on safari styled bus ride to provide a glimpse of the natural habitats of hippos, zebras, antelopes, giraffes, rhinos, and other animals. Children are offered free entry to the zoo. One can get to see the playful monkeys, pride of lions and cheetahs and much more.
Melbourne Zoo: It is considered to be among the top wildlife facilities that Australia can boast about and is spread over a large area, allowing animals to have large space to roam about freely in their natural habitats. This zoo is located only 4km from the city centre and is set in a scenic, comfortable botanic garden setting, offering visitors with relaxed atmosphere. It also offers variety of landscapes ranging from the Asian lush jungles to Victorian-era formality of main drive and the African rainforest regions. This vast zoo does require the visitors to spend a full day to get a glimpse of the entire place. Some of the animals here are the typical Aussie types like the echidnas, koalas, kangaroos as well as others like meerkats, elephants, etc.
City Circle Tram: The tram service operates within the city’s CBD (Central Business District) area and is a convenient way to move between different points and to check out the city’s main highlights. Some of the crucial attractions along the route include the Old Melbourne Gaol, Melbourne Aquarium, Immigration Museum, Federation Square and others. Moreover, the tram in itself can be termed to retain that vintage, old styled look thereby adding further charm and authenticity to the ride and enhancing the overall experience of the traveller. There is provided audio commentary to help tourists to check out key buildings along the route and get to know the history of the place.
National Gallery, Victoria: This gallery is located right in the CBD area and offers good dosage of rich culture of the region. It is also regarded to be the country’s oldest dedicated art gallery, inaugurated in 1861. It is undoubtedly the joy and pride of the city and boasts of holding exhibitions throughout the year and having visually impressive art. The modern, light filled galleries do ensure that every sculpture and artwork piece installed here is illuminated to give out that magical effect. The building is created with stunning stained glass ceiling that adorns its main room at the top, thereby including additional artistry layer and is worth the visit.
The hotels in Melbourne are well designed to cater to the modern requirements of their guests, be it business or casual travellers with families. They do all the facilities that will be necessary to have a comfortable and grand stay and are known to pamper their guests.