Taranjit
You are actually here! In Melbourne, Australia! I couldn’t believe it either when I first landed. I still don’t believe I went to Australia, and it’s been almost two weeks since I came back. It feels like it was dream. But, now that you made the decision to go, no time should be left wasted, right? You can’t decide to make this long journey all the way to the land down under without having a little bit of an idea of what you want to do or see there. Don’t worry if you are lost. For you short trip takers, I have a one-day itinerary laid out in details below, and for those of you taking a longer trip, I have some suggestions of other things you could go out to see or do during your visit towards the end of the post.
Still not quite to the part of planning your every day in Australia, but stuck at the planning for the actual trip? Stay tuned for future posts on planning a trip to Australia (a checklist of what to pack and do before you fly), things you didn’t know about Australia, and the differences between Australia and the U.S.
My family and I had gotten the opportunity to fly all the way out to the land down under all thanks to my cousin, who lives in Melbourne, and was getting married. It was the perfect excuse to stop pushing off a trip that I only dreamed of. The time to make it a reality had come, although it doesn’t feel like it really happened. Still feels like a dream. But that is beside the point. We actually got to go. Now that is a story to tell!
Due to my mom not having any vacation days, we could only make a short trip of 3 days in Australia. You heard that (or more like read that) right. 3 days! That was it. We spent more time flying than we did on land in Australia, but it was still worth it. Since we were going for a wedding, we only had half a day to go out and be a tourist. Several hours to go and sight see before we had to return for the rest of the ceremonies for the wedding. It wouldn’t look very good if we were out exploring, when we had come to attend a wedding. That would not fly with Indians. They will never let you hear the end of it, if they found out.
For those of you only lucky enough to take short trips to new places, here is your one-day sample itinerary to get the most out of your trip. And for those of you who are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go longer, there are more suggestions of other things to see in Melbourne below the one-day itinerary. Happy vacationing!
1. Melbourne Zoo
Short on time, but want to get the experience of seeing Australian animals? Go to the Melbourne Zoo! We started our day (more like half a day) as tourists at the zoo. Since it opens early, and way before almost anything else in the city, it is a great place to start. Not to mention, it is located close to downtown, so you can have more time to see lots of other attractions nearby.
When I first walked into this zoo, it was not the typical zoos I encountered in the states. In the states, animals are more caged up and in tight corridors. But, in the Melbourne zoo, the animals had so much space and they were out in the open for the most part. They were way more free than the animals in the zoos in the U.S. Their space was created to mimic more of the wild, and made it look more natural than them behind cages or glass windows. I guess Australia likes to keep it real. Or as real as possible.
The Melbourne zoo has your usual animals you think of when you go to the zoo. Lions, giraffes, zebras, elephants, monkeys, etc. But, they also have very unique animals, and animals that you think of when you think of Australia. If you are short on time, I would suggest taking a look at the map and planning a route to see the native animals first, and then if you have more time, check out the others.(
Right near the entrance, we were greeted by colorful parrots. And lots of them. They were flying all around us. You heard (or read) that right. They were flying around us, in the open. They were not behind cages. What keeps them from not flying out of the zoo? I wonder.
Being used to being on a time crunch, my sister and I were quick on determining our route through the zoo and headed for the Australian bushland animals first. We were so eager to see the animals that we literally walked right past the koalas and didn’t even notice them. After making the loop around the bushland exhibits, we realized we walked right by the koalas and made a pitstop back in front of the exhibit at the entrance of the bushland animals.
One thing to keep in mind, when you go early, a lot of the animals are sleeping. Most of the Australian animals are night creatures, not day ones. But, at least you can say you saw them, right? If you do have more time, maybe try to go to the zoo when the animals will be awake. After all, it’s one thing to see the native animals, but it is a whole other thing to see them in action.
At first glance, the koalas are hard to see, especially if they are asleep. It looks as if there are just trees in the front of the entrance to the bushland animals but look closely up into the tree. You will see them hugging the branches tightly fast asleep. They were so cute! And once we figured this out, we spotted a few of them. Each on their individual tree.
In the same bushland exhibit, you will have the opportunity to see wombats, emus, kangaroos, Kookaburra, and a Tasmanian devil. The emus and kangaroos are found in the same exhibit. The emus didn’t even acknowledge us as we looked down at them sitting so close to us that we could literally touch them. The small barrier between us and the animals was not very high, about waist length for me, a 5 ft 6 in. woman. So, if the kangaroos really wanted to, they probably could jump right over. But they didn’t look like they would want to jump out. The emus and the kangaroos looked like they had just woken up; the kangaroos were in the back just lounging. They were probably human watching as we were kangaroo watching.
As for the Tasmanian devil, we had two opportunities to see him or her, but never found them. There were two exhibits, and after spending quite a large amount of time searching for the little devil, who is only like 2 feet long, in the first exhibit, we moved on hoping we might catch a glimpse at the second exhibit the zoo had in another section. But those little devils didn’t want to make an appearance, not even for us who had come all the way from the east coast of America to see these little critters.
Other unique animals to check out include: snow leopard, platypus, Brazilian tapir, brown-nosed coati, collared peccary, and African wild dogs.
If you have more time than we did, the Victoria Zoos are comprised of three zoos total: The Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary, and Werribee Open Range Zoo. Check them out too for a more wildlife experience.
2. Eureka Skydeck 88
Every city has some sort of really, really tall building that you can go to the top of and see the entire city. For Melbourne, it is the Eureka Skydeck. Take the very short, but entertaining 20 mph (9 meters per second) elevator ride to the 88th floor. I enjoyed hearing the Australian accent of the voice coming through the speaker as we traveled up.
Every city has some sort of really, really tall building that you can go to the top of and see the entire city. For Melbourne, it is the Eureka Skydeck. Take the very short, but entertaining 20 mph (9 meters per second) elevator ride to the 88th floor. I enjoyed hearing the Australian accent of the voice coming through the speaker as we traveled up.
Parking/Transportation
If you drove your own car, then there are plenty of garages around to park in, or you could park on the street if you are lucky enough to find a spot. I would highly suggest taking a taxi or public transportation to the city because cities in general are hard to find parking in.
Did you know that the city has created their own FREE tram specifically for tourists? That’s right, its free! And tourists can hop on and off it as they please from attraction to attraction. Every other place that I had visited finds ways to make money off of tourists. This is the first I have heard where there is a free mode of transportation designed specifically for tourists. No complaining here!
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased on site, right at the entrance on the first floor, or online. It was only 23 Australian Dollars (that is about 16 US dollars, but the conversion rate might change depending on the economy). And if you want to add the edge experience, its 12 Australian dollars more; however, if purchasing on site, the edge experience tickets would have to be purchased when you go to the 88th floor. They want you to see the experience with your own eyes before you decide to buy a ticket. Again, I thought touristy attractions try to get as much money as possible out of tourists, not suggest them to wait to spend their money until alter. Again, no complaints on my part! I am actually glad we waited to buy the tickets until after we saw what the edge experience was. At first, we were so determined to get the tickets. Wouldn’t you be after hearing it is the only place in the world that has such an experience? But after we saw what the edge experience was with our eyes, we decided against it.
TIP: If you are fortunate enough to have more time than we did, then I would highly recommend getting a city pass (or the iventure, as the call it in Australia) and bundling the attractions you want to see into one pass. It will save you money and the hassle of having to wait in long lines to buy tickets at each attraction. That means more time to actually sight see!
What is the Edge Experience?
You and a group of other interested individuals are put into this glass cube type box. The box slowly moves out of the side of the building until you are completely above the city. The entire cube is made out of clear glass, and you literally see the city below your feet from so high up.
As I mentioned earlier, we were super excited to take part in this unique adventure that was found nowhere else in the world except at the Skydeck. Who wouldn’t want to see the city below your own feet from so high up? My mom. She was too scared to do it, but my siblings and I had decided to do it. We were not scared, and completely ready to get that adrenaline rush for the day. The glass has to be strong enough to hold, right? Or they wouldn’t still be advertising it as an experience to take part in during your visit.
But, one look at the edge experience, and we changed our minds. Not because we got scared, but because it didn’t look as cool as they advertised it to be. The glass wasn’t even clear. It was so foggy that it brought the excitement of the experience way down. It was not worth the money.
We decided to just make our loop around and look out the glass windows to see a 360 view of the city. Right next to the edge experience is a observation deck, a balcony like deck with a fence around the edge (no glass windows) that you can walk out onto and see the city. If you don’t want to mess up your hair, then I suggest not going out to this part. Because you will feel some strong winds, and when you return back inside, your hair will be all over the place. But it was worth it!
What all can you see from above?
While you are up here, take a look at the city, and see where you want to head next. As you loop around the observation space, the floor has signs and arrows describing what you can see from out each window. They even had short facts about each attraction. If you didn’t already know where you wanted to go next, this is a great place to get ideas for the rest of your trip. Personally, I like to plan out a trip before I get there, but if you are more adventurous and a spontaneous person, then you can use the floor signs to help guide you.
Some of the attractions that you can see that are nearby the Sky deck to visit are:
- MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) Stadium
- Australia’s famous and history rich cricket stadium
- Royal Botanical Gardens
- A 74-acre garden that is a great place to take a walk as you check out the nature, and a great place to take in the fresh air while you picnic.
- Flinders Street Station
- Australia’s first and Melbourne’s iconic central railway station who is said to be haunted by a ghost.
- Federation Square
- Check out the many concerts, festivals, and markets that are held here.
- Sea Life Aquarium
- The title says it all. An aquarium for those of your water lovers.
Other Attractions: For those of you with more time, here is a list of other places to visit during your stay.
Healsville Sanctuary
Also part of the Victoria Zoos, which comprises of 3 zoos total (the Healesville Sanctuary, Melbourne Zoo, and Werribee Open Range Zoo).
The Healesville Sanctuary is where you can go to see Australian animals in their natural habitat. And if you want up-close encounters with the native animals, this is the place to go. We had originally planned to visit the sanctuary over the zoo at first, but due to a time crunch, we had to opt for the zoo. And we were super excited to get 10 minutes up close and personal with a Kangaroo. Maybe next time!
If Kangaroos are not your thing, you can also opt for close encounters with koalas, pythons, and echidnas. Or if you are up to it you could swim with a platypus.
TIP: If you are interested in any of the close-up encounters, make sure to reserve your time spot in advance. These things sell out fast! Stay tuned for a future post with more details about other attractions in the Melbourne area.
Werribee Open Range Zoo
As I mentioned above, the Werribee Open Range Zoo is also part of the Victoria Zoos. This is another place you can see the animals in a more natural environment. Take a safari tour to see some African animals, or take part of one of the many encounter experiences the zoo offers.
Phillip’s Island
View the wildlife on the Island. Interested in seeing wild Penguins? Then visit Phillip’s Island to see the Penguin Parade. Take some time to feel the water and spot some wild Koalas.
Great Ocean Road
Hop in a car and spend the day taking a drive down the 151 miles (243 km) Great Ocean Road to experience the world’s most scenic coastal drives. You will need at least a day or two to get the entire experience because you will want to stop and get out every so often to see the natural wonders.
Laneways
Experience the unique laneways of Melbourne Australia where you can see the beautiful street art, restaurant hop, shop, and much more.
Conclusion
Melbourne is known to be the educational hub of the country. Personally, I didn’t find as much touristy things to do around the Melbourne area. During my stay, I learned that Melbourne is for those that love the night life or water related activities. They have lots of different types of restaurants and bars are their big thing. So, if that is your type of scene, check out the area. Personally, I like sightseeing, so next time I go back, if I ever get the chance, I plan to check out Sydney or New Zealand. But, I would still say it is an area you should visit at least once. Experience it all!
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I definitely wish to stay longer than one day in Melbourne 🙂 To go to the other part of the world just for one day is not so smart :)))) don’t you think? :))))
My thoughts exactly! But we were there for a wedding, so only had one day to explore. Next time I guess.
Ah! I always wanted to go to Australia! Melbourne is most definitely on my to do list and even more so now. I’m not sure about the Edge though… I think I might sit and watch the fam from a cafe across the street!
My mom felt the same way! If the edge is not for you, you could go out onto the observation deck and watch others in the cube. Hope you get to go there soon!
Loved your article. I have never been to Melbourne. It’s in my bucket list though. This will help me a lot in planning a day trip there. Very informative.
Wow! Thanks for sharing your photos. When I was in Melbourne, I didn’t go to the zoo. I’ve made a note to do more sightseeing next time!
What did you end up seeing in Melbourne?
I love to see a city from above, its amazing the view and buildings seen from other scale. When I visit Melbourne I will try this Edge experience!
Let me know how it goes!
Oh Australia is on my bucket list!!! Melbourne looks beautiful! I will save this in case I ever get to go!
Natalie
http://www.thegracereal.com