12 replies to this topic

[peaandham]

Hey guys just after finals myself and my girlfriend will be spending about 10 days in Melbourne, I will be the first to say besides the Casino i dont know what else there is to do.

We will be staying at the Victoria Hotel which apparently is in the heart of the CBD.

If anyone could throw some ideas at me it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Luke

[~Spyne~]

Lygon St, Brunswick St, Chapel St for food and drinks at night.

I still love the Zoo and Museum as something relatively cheap to do.

Check out the Triple J gig-guide, princebandroom.com.au, thehifi.com.au/gigs, cornerhotel.com for any gigs you'd like to see.

A trip to Phillip Island, Old Melbourne Gaol Ghost Tour, Puffing Billy trip, Melbourne Cup (or another day at the races), go to the Ice Lounge (bar), day trip to a winery...

[Pulse-R]

You could go visit MEA people and talk crap all day

Or if you're feeling adventurous there's a restaurant boat cruise on the bay.

[Captn_Awesome]

You limited to melbourne only?
Willing to drive 1 - 2 hours?
Lygon street for eatting. Dont get suckered into the first resturaunt that offers a free bottle of wine with dinner - its usually crap wine see wha telse they can get you and walk the strip and see what other resturaunts are offering as incentives but make sure your happy with the menu too!
Crown I think is wank but thats me.
If your a coffee drinker melbourne is the home of espresso and theres nothing I've had australia wide that compares to the better coffee in melbourne. Walk the streets around the CBD and walk down dodgy lanes some of the best bars in melbourne are down some dodgy looking lanes. Loop is one of my favorite art space bars.
China town is pretty good in Melbourne.
Southern Cross railway station if your into architecture. Love it or loathe it, its an impressive structure.
Docklands is worth the stroll. Careful with where you go to eat or drink down there it can hurt the old sky rocket.
Royal botanic gardens for picnic is nice.
Sports fans head to the MCG museum.
Richmond is good for a browse.
Collingwood, Fitzroy across to lygon is probably the more boho corner of melbourne with some great shopping, good bars and some really great food.
Queen Vic market is good for a browse - always good to come here first to stock up before heading to the botanic gardens (or any of the gardens around melbourne for that matter!) for a picnic.
Skydeck but dont do the edge experiance its a waste IMO The outdoor viewing area is pretty spectacular at night.
StKilda, fitzroy street and walk towards the esplanade and head to the espy for free music and one of those venues you just have to go to.
As a tourist theres always the free city circle tram too.
Flinders st station - always a melbourne happy snap point. Fed square is interesting.
Josie Bones or Mrs Parmas for a feed and some great beers.

Further out
Healesville the drive out there is nice and theres heaps to do. If you like driving head across the black spur from healesville to marysville (see the rebuilding after the fires) head up towards lake mountain and then follow the reefton spur - awesome drive.
Drive upto king valley via mansfield is nice head through alexandra to mansfield and cross the ridge into whitfield and then head out to milawa. Thats a good days driving back to melbourne but theres some awesome scenery. You'll be knackered after that drive though. Thats a good 7 hours drive to do the full lap.

Not too far.
Geelong is not a bad place to visit. Personally I've not spent a lot of time out there but theres a bit of history there if that floats your boat. Geelong is an older city than Melbourne.

On your way home:
Grampians is always nice. Plenty of twistys and rocky scenery. Some good wines in this region. Complex but not 'big' like you get in north eastern vic and over in claire valley SA etc.

I'll try think of some more stuff.

Edited by ~Sparkles~, 27 October 2011 - 10:30 AM.

[Lunchbox.inc]

my vote would be to take a trip down the mornington peninsula, you have PLENTY of wineries etc if thats your thing, but personally for me, its all about the beaches, IMO some of the nicer beaches around, there some nice semi twistie roads to enjoy, as well as arthurs seat, a nice medium sized mount/dormant volcano, up there there's plenty of lookouts



and the perfect spot to sit back and watch the sunset...



you can see the original flooding of port phillip bay and stuff, interesting, and there's a lovely resurant right on top, as well as sea winds, a botanical garden right on top with some AMAZING views...

if your feeling it, you can cruise on down to sorrento and check out the awesome surf beaches with awesome rock pools and stuff



or catch the ferry over to queensclif, for lunch and a bit of shopping...



and best of all, its like 5minutes away from ME!!! lol

Edited by I♥Miley.inc, 27 October 2011 - 06:57 PM.

[fuddbutter]

I would stick clear of Lygon st for food, over priced, over hyped and generally average at best!
Smith st Collingwood has lots of great food and drinking places, just a few bums begging for money but they are not to bad.

[Pulse-R]

Brunswick Street - Cafe Nova was good a few years ago, haven't been there in a while though.

The food at the Casino is either way expensive or garbage - depends where you go. Although the place we went last time was not too bad.

There's almost always something on at Jeff's Shed too.

Polly Woodside (old sailing ship) and old melbourne Gaol is there too.

At Kirk said - the small alleys around the city are alive with places to see/eat/drink, such as the Haunted Bookshop, a couple of "underground" record shops, etc.

[ubernoob]

I went down for the F1 earlier this year and I must admit I was quite impressed by the place, but my trip was cars, booze and women that take all your money to get nude so I can't really suggest anything useful if it involves taking a lady friend.

If you could punch one of the annoying knobs that stand at the front of restaruaunts and yell at you I would be very appreciative, do they work on commission?

I swear all of Australia's old crap push bikes end up in Melbourne, very strange.

I did regret not always taking a camera as some of the street art was quite clever.

[Captn_Awesome]

Yeah Fudd is right about lygon street there are a few exceptions but generally lygon street has gone to crap over the past 10+ years
I wouldnt say its over priced. I can get into lygon with Kel both of us eatting a seafood pasta dish for a main and having either an entree or desert plus a herb bread or bruschetta bottle of wine and two BUL beers for under $100 which really isnt too bad.
I would suggest that it can be rushed and it can feel a little like your on a conveyor.
That said Lygon street IS an experiance.
Cheap eats are really good turkish in sydney road (mmm golden terrace...) BYO we've fed four of us easily there with take home packs for well under $100 a few times.
Dumplings in China town is usually cheap but I think spingvale or boxhill generally has better chinese food. (IMO only!)

I love smith street - used to spend a lot of time around that area when I was younger.

M'ton Peninsula isnt bad - but avoid the wineries they are expencive as f*** and their wine is crap house at best. Its full of doctor and lawyer types who are all cashed up and want to have a winery hobby farm. Some of their whites are OK but you'll be lashed average bottles are $35+ at cellar doors. Give me king valley reds or BIG rutherglen shiraz anyday especially when you can pick up LaCantina King Valley for little over $10 a bottle for a very good traditional style wine Even the likes of Stanton & Killeen in rutherglen average bottle is around $20 for non members.
Mornington Brewery in the back streets is by far one of the best craft breweries in the state. Check times though as they are only open a couple of days a week.
Red hill brewery is very good too their ploughmans platter and pork rillette is yum!
Point Nepean is interesting in that its the site of the first 'official' gun shots of both WW1 and WW2

Beach road on a warm day is a nice drive (read perve) but come up with a good excuse for why your driving along there for your missus.

I might be weird but I like driving around some of the industrial & warehousing areas around laverton, sunshine & derrimut occasionally. Melbourne is home to the largest commercial port in australia and these areas show just how big the import/export industry is.

If you get a chance to see a show at the forum do it. I have to admit that I've not been to many theatres in other states (I think brisbane is the only place I've been to a theatre out side of melbourne) but the forum is pretty freakin unique. The forum was built as a theatre in about the mid 1920s but a famous theatre architect (I dont know his name I have read all about it before) and was the biggest theatre in Australia at the time. In the late 70's or early 80s it was bought by a church group and held church services there but slowly fell into a state of ruin. In the mid 90s a private company bought it and renovated it back to its former glory (or close to) and today it serves as one of melbourne more popular live music venues.

There really is a crap load to do in melbourne (as there is in all australian states and territories) and it really depends on what your after. Romantic time, thrill seeker activities, nature, history etc. Once you get into melbourne I'd be hitting up one of the information/tourism bureaus

[hsvmonarogen3]

what does MEA have going on in november?

[~Spyne~]

Nothing much. National Finals this weekend, so no more comps till 2012.
There will be the regular social meet at Point Park, on November 24th.

December will have the MEA-VIC Christmas meet on December 11th down in Torquay.

[Captn_Awesome]

If your coming down Jonesy Im sure we could organise a bunga bunga party

[hsvmonarogen3]

i fly back on the 22nd i think. somehting like that. depending on if i get a new job as to if i delay my flight or not.