Melbourne is a vibrant city, full of action and things to do, a fascinating and fashionable city, or at least aspires to be one. It's also the capital of good food and international cuisine where you can take away all the ravages of mind. It is, in fact, a cosmopolitan city with more than 100 languages spoken and English as a channel.

It's a young city, less than 200 years old, with a mixture of futuristic and Victorian architecture, with a square centered, the Federation Square, which is unusual for a city in the new world. If the center is occupied almost exclusively by skyscrapers and other buildings, only one or two houses meet as soon as they leave the city's central district (CBD).

Geographical overview

Melbourne is located in the south of Victoria. It stretches across one of the largest bays in the world, Port Phillip, on which cold winds from the South Pole and hot winds from the desert are knocked down. The city extends more than 30 km from the center, despite having a population of under 4 million people.

When to go

Four seasons in a day is the perfect description of Melbourne's climate. Winter is mild, with temperatures still above zero and above 10-15 degrees in daytime hours. Summer may be very hot, over 40 degrees, but don't be caught unprepared: In a matter of minutes the temperature can drop by as much as 20 degrees. Autumn and spring may have temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, but if the wind blows from the Arctic, you can drop to 10 degrees. Surprised? But that means "Four seasons in a day."

The best months to visit Melbourne are, of course, the summer months, with February probably the most stable month in high temperatures:

• January: temperatures are fairly stable and around 30 degrees Celsius with tips still 40 or 20 degrees (as we said). New Year is spectacular, the city is closed in celebrations. The main event of the month is the Australian Open in Tennis [1].
• February: It's still summer, the sea is reachable by tram, and St. Kilda is the district where life moves to Melbourne. The main event is the St. Kilda [2] festival that lasts for a week with many free events. CBD is filled with people wandering every night between bars, restaurants, open air cinema and events.
• March: The district in the spotlight is still St. Kilda with the F1 Grand Prix [3] in Albert Park.

In the Event section, you'll find a detail of the events with emphasis on the summer months.

History

The Port Phillip area, where today Melbourne is located, was occupied at least 40,000 years ago by indigenous cultures.

The Port Phillip Bay exploration began in 1800 and a penal colony was established there, but was abandoned some time later. It was only in 1835 that explorer John Batman arrived in the area where the central part of Melbourne now stands and bought land from the Aborigines where the city would be built. The purchase was later canceled. Victoria's state was created in 1851 and Melbourne became its capital.

View of the CBD from Southbank, over the Yarra River

The main districts of Melbourne are:

• Melbourne or CBD Center (Central Business District) - the financial center of Melbourne. Unlike other Australian cities, it is a real center with day and night life, bars, pubs, restaurants, theaters, events during weekends and weekends.
• St. Kilda - the Melbourne bathing center. Just eight kilometers from the center is easily accessible with tram 16 (Federation Square) and 96 (Bourke Street) from the center. A marina, clean beaches and a lot of bars go around St. Kilda.
• Carlton - the Italian neighborhood has always, with the center on Lygon Street and its bars and restaurants. Very touristic and frequented to see and show up.
• Southbank - On the other side of the Yarra River compared to CBD, it's basically an extension. A large number of bars and restaurants, with a very pleasant Sunday market. The headquarters of the Crown casino.
• South Yarra - Chapel Street's fashionable neighborhood. If shopping is your favorite hobby, then you'll have to include this street in your list of things to do and see.
• Fitzroy - The neighborhood of Boemo is actually an ethnic mosaic, as its bars and restaurants show. It is very popular especially at night.
• Melbourne Docklands - Underestimated in some respects. It's only been rebuilt in the last few years and it's right around the corner of CBD. The old river port has given way to this new neighborhood with futuristic buildings and constant demonstrations.
• Elwood - A small neighborhood beyond St. Kilda. This is where the long road that ends in the east of the bay begins. It's probably the first neighborhood that projects you towards the country space. Ormond Street is its main axis with surfing/windsurfing stores as well.

Melbourne Airport with a Qantas Boeing 737 (VH-VXR) in the foreground

There are many ways to get to Melbourne, from within Australia. If Melbourne is the first stop in Australia, only the plane can be used as a means of transportation. There are no ship-by-ship passenger connections between Melbourne, and Australia in general, and other neighboring countries.

By plane

The main airline is Qantas, a national carrier. Unfortunately, it's also the most expensive. The second company is probably Virgin Australia with flights to smaller centers from Melbourne. The cheapest, especially if you book well in advance are Jetstar and Tiger Airways. Tiger is not a rare ticket below $50 per capita, and it also flies to Sydney and Brisbane. The other airlines can choose from these cities.

The airport is about 20 km from Melbourne and is easily accessible via SkyBus buses. Outside the airport, you can easily locate the bus and the bus that's a bright red. The round-trip ticket costs $26 and only $16. You don't need to book them in advance. Races are frequent at night.

By car

The car is a good means of traveling to Australia, once you get used to distance. There are many ways to get to Melbourne. A good Australian navigation site is Whereis. There are three main avenues. From New South Wales via Coast, east of Melbourne. From the Australian Alps, which draw the line between Victoria and New South Wales. South Australia by coast, west of Melbourne. It's the most beautiful way, called Great Ocean Road or the Great Ocean Road, which extends over 700 kilometers from Adelaide.

By ship

There is a daily service from Tasmania, Spirit of Tasmania. The journey lasts about 12 hours and you can take your car or bike on board. Cabins and restaurants are available for overnight passage.

By train

The distances are immense and every train journey from any other state will be very long. The company Rail Australia offers trains from every major city in Australia to Melbourne. Trains connecting the center with suburbs are operated by the Connex and V\Line companies.

The main station is Flinder Street Station.

Secondary station is Southern Cross Station.

By bus

Despite the huge distances, the bus is a great way to explore the surrounding areas of Melbourne.

• V\Line is the most popular company, which runs trains as well as buses.
• FireFly and Greyhound are two smaller companies.

The main station is next to Southern Cross Station

Tram of the company "Yarra Trams" at the "Bourke Street Mall" stop

Public transport

Public transport is excellent and coverage is practically total. Trains/meter, trams and buses are available. Trams in particular are the pride of this town. The transport is managed by Metlink [4] and the routes can also be calculated on its site. The Transport Map can be very useful. There's also a trams, which goes around CBD and a bus, which goes through the main points of interest, both free.

The Melbourne area is divided into two zones. Normally Zone 1 is enough to see all the major attractions of Melbourne. Since January 15, 2013, the prepaid card called Myki is the only way to pay on the Metlink means, tourists must also get one of these cards, available in the main stations, in all 7/11 or other small shops.

By bicycle

The best way to move is surely bicycle. There are various shops and centers that rent bicycles. Among the most advantageous are Rent@FedSquare [5] in the center and in front of St Kilda port, a truck carrying a rental car is arriving in good weather.

Royal Botanic Gardens

Melbourne is quite different from other Australian metropolises. The center, called "CBD", is full of life every day of the week, whether weekends or holidays, day as well as night: bars, restaurants, shops, all you need is here. The center provides a good basis for finding out about the other parts of Melbourne. One of the favorite walks is in Mural Vicoli that made the city worldwide known, or along the Yarra River on the outskirts of the CBD. If the day is warm, you can walk through the avenues of the Royal Botanical Garden [6]. Most of them are also available for free. If the thermometer rises even more, then St. Kilda is the right place to go. The area has wonderful beaches where it drank a beer in the sun. If the day is rainy, then lose yourself among the countless museums and beautiful libraries in Melbourne.

In 1 day

Lake in Botanical Garden

• Wake up at 7am for a walk in the Royal Botanic Gardens at the gates of the center, across the river Yarra. The park opens at 7.30am (free entrance), and early morning is the best time of day, with animals waking up and still not disturbed by human presence.
• After the walk, it takes a nice breakfast, with eggs and bacon, as well as the usual milk. Get out of the park on the Domain Road side, you'll find the bars you're looking for with tables both indoors and outdoors.
• From Domain Road, you can take the trams 8 (the daily ticket can be bought at the post office near the bar) and return downtown. Next stop Federation Square, the city's central square. Visit the Information Center where information is available for the city, Victoria and Australia
• Walk towards the lobby of Federation Square and visit the Ian Potter Center (NGV). In addition to a permanent exhibition of Australian art, there are other periods of particular interest. Entry is normally free or calls a small contribution based on time exposures.

Inside the Melbourne Bookstore on Swanston Street, lose yourself in the books and big rooms

• It's lunch time, get out of the Ian Potter Center and you'll be on Flinders Street right in front of Russell Street, get it up to Bourke street and turn right. You'll find some typical Italian restaurants like Pilgrini (an institution), Grossi Florentino or continuing along Bourke Street, you'll find Red Pepper and Green Pepper, two cheap Indian restaurants. For more information about restaurants, go to the food section
• After lunch, Fitzroy Garden walks around the neighborhood, nobody takes it away, and you can also visit Cook's Cottage, built in 1755 in England by the Cook family, famous navigator and explorer, and transported here to Melbourne in 1934, brick by brick. The entrance takes a few dollars.
• It's 5:00 and you feel tired? It's tea time, take a break at the famous Windsor Hotel in Spring Street. The building, built in 1883, is on the National Trust's list, and the interior is spectacular, and is very reminiscent of the late 800s of English architecture.
• You deserved a break in your quarters before starting the evening.
• For dinner, the choice for you, if you want Italian flavors, then it's Wine Lane , affordable prices and a vast selection of sausages and cheeses imported from Italy, or Cookie, informal, cool and of exceptional quality in both food and wine and beer. For more information about restaurants, go to the food section
• If you've chosen Cookie, move to the bar area, then to the upper floor, and then to the Roof Top, to the top floor of the same building. The view is priceless, and if it's a hot day, the air will help you drink more than you have to. Otherwise, go back to Federation Square for the Transport Bar, the only bar in the center of the square, and you can't lose yourself.

In 3 days

Eureka Tower: from St. Kilda to the sunset

• If the previous night was long take it easy in the morning and go to the Skydeck (10am-sunset) at the Eureka Tower in Southbank, Melbourne's tallest building. From here, you can see all of Malbourne all the way over distances of 20 to 30 kilometers per day.
• For breakfast, or brunch, at this point of the day, you will have a myriad of possibilities in Southbank.
• Pass the bridge over the river to the Aquarium, you can safely spend two to three hours between sharks and turtles, as well as countless tropical fish.
• Are you tired? You probably need a milk, four steps to get to Collins Street 477 from Negroni.
• Time has come for reading, so go to the Melbourne State Library, where you can find books of all kinds and languages, as well as newspapers and newspapers, even in Italian. Permanent exposures are also of interest.
• You deserved a break in your quarters before starting the evening.
• For dinner and drinks, go to the Melbourne Docklands.
• The last day of your visit to Melbourne has come. Breakfast at Queen Victoria Market where you'll be amazed by the thousands and more stalls and products. It's so easy to miss the whole day in this market!!
• Did you steal an apple? Then you'll have to go to Old Melbourne Gaol (20, 9:00-17:00) on Russell Street, where you'll be waiting for the police station, the court and finally the jail. A different and fun experience.
• The day is too beautiful for museums, bookstores or prisons, so with the 96 trams from Bourke Street you go to St. Kilda for the beach and the sun, as well as the marina
• The last night must still be different. You are waiting for the Casino of Melbourne, the Crown Casino, on the banks of the river in Southbank. First have dinner and then play. If the sequence were the opposite, you might as well be out of food. Restaurants inside the mess are all pockets.

In 4 days and more

Accompany the visit to the city with daily trips beyond Melbourne. In the section below, we suggest day trips to:

• Phillip Island [7] to see the penguin parade.
• Yarra Valley (Yarra Valley) for an intense wine tasting day
• Mornington Peninsula [8], for the countless beaches
• Werribee for the zoo

or two days at: Great Ocean Road[9], one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the world

This will be followed by a first section with the special events of the summer and then a list of canon events of the year, with emphasis on the first months of the year.

• Main events of the summer
  • Southern Star Observation. A wheel that turns at 120 meters is the highest rolling observation point in the southern hemisphere. 
  • Rivers Restaurant Dinner Cruises. He organizes dinner on the river every Saturday and a few Fridays. Reservation is essential. 

• January

  • Australian Open, Tennis. With $35-55, you can enjoy the entire day in the tennis courts with the best tennis players in the world. The main encounters, two women and two men, require a higher investment. Entry to the village is included. Eating and drinking available in the village. 
  • Midsumma. It is the main festival promoting gay/lesbian culture, which runs from January to February. 
  • Australian Day.   January 26th. Demonstrations are not spared over the weekend. Check at the Information Center in Federation Square. 

• February

  • St. Kilda Festival.   Half of February. With live music and parties. 
  • St. Kilda Night Market (opposite Luna Park).   Every Thursday of the month starting at 7:00. A few nights in December and January. Banknotes of all kinds, tastes from all continents, live music, a nice relaxed evening. 
  • Victoria Night Market.   Every Wednesday of the month. To enjoy the stall in the stall, and then relax with a Thai massage. Live music and demonstrations. 
  • Sydney Mayer Free Concert.   Nights in January and February. 
  • Melbourne Summer Cycle. It's a unique opportunity to enjoy Melbourne and its corners on this 40km-long tour. In addition, all registration costs are donated to the MS treatment association. 
  • Grape Grazing. Born in 1987, this festival, organized in the Yarra Valley, is the opportunity that's been sought to take you out of Melbourne on a daily trip to little Australian Tuscany. concerts, tasting of wine and food, lunches and dinners at the candle light are organized in the valley, taking the opportunity of St Valentine's Day. 

• March

  • Australian Grand Prix. For the motorcycle enthusiasts, the appointment is unavoidable. 
  • Moomba Waterfest.   Beginning of March. An ethnic festival with parades in traditional costumes from all over the world, perfect for children. 
  • Food and wine festival.   $25 per glass and as much evidence as possible. 16 days to enjoy everything. Restaurants open with thematic evenings, the ferries on the river organize breakfast and Yum Cha (Chinese tapas) and along the river, over the weekend, an almost unlimited number of wine companies organize themselves for wine tasting. 

• April

  • Rip Curl Pro. The oldest surf competition in Australia. It's organized in the famous Bells Beach, about 10 kilometers from Torquay, at the gates of Geelong. The final scene of Point Break (a famous surfing movie) was also shot here. A Mecca for the fans. 
  • Melbourne International Comedy Festival.   Normally organized in mid-April. With autumn comes the desire to laugh too. 

• July

  • Melbourne International Film Festival. The number of films on display is huge and in many languages with English subtitles. 

Melbourne CUP, jockeys presentation

• September

  • Final AFL.   End of September. Australian football finish. Perhaps the main event for residents. 
  • Italian Film Festival.   End of September. For those who lack films in Italian. An interesting opportunity to meet many immigrants. 

• October

  • MotoGP. For motorcycle enthusiasts. The event is taking place in Phillip Island, about an hour from Melbourne. Bus is organized for the three-day race and rehearsal. You can go either by land, by the bridge, or by sea, by ferry. 

• November

  • Around the bay in a day.   In mid-October. Only if you feel really prepared can you rent a bike and take the tour of the bay with your departure and arrival in Melbourne. 
  • Melbourne Cup Carnival. The biggest horse race in the southern hemisphere, a unique experience. The first Tuesday of November. Even though it's only Victoria's party, the whole of Australia stops for this race. 

There's no shortage of entertainment in Melbourne, whether you're young people looking for bars and discos, parents with children, or just people looking for tranquility. Here are some suggestions:

• Luna Park. The unlimited ticket is the perfect option to enjoy the whole day with children. The Moon Park is in St. Kilda, if you have the hotel at CBD, take the tram 16 or 96 that takes you to the front of the hall. 
• Balloon.   Around $300 per person. It's another option to see Melbourne from above. The flights are normally scheduled in the early morning. The main players are Balloon Sunrise and Balloon over Melbourne. 
• Kite Surfing (St. Kilda). He'll give you a few hours of adrenaline. Tailored courses are organized every day. Another operator is Kite Republic. 
• Barbeque. It's the typical Australian experience. Along the beaches and parks there are several electric barbeque. Typically they're free, just press the Start button and in seconds the plate warms up for cooking. 
• Parks. The most beautiful are the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Fitzroy Garden, the Fawkner Park in South Yarra and Albert Park, where the Formula One race is also organized. You can visit the boxes, which are used during the year as a gym. 

Because of the change effect, from eating, to drinking, to shopping, it's all pretty cheap.

The facade of the historic "Prahran market" building

Melbourne Central - one of Melbourne's most popular shopping centers

Below is a list of major markets and shopping streets. Others are listed in the various sections dedicated to the city districts.

• Queen Victoria Market (On the margins of CBD). An institution. To come to Melbourne and not visit him would be a real shame. perfumes, smells, colors, screams, tasting invitations, cosmopolitan presence, variety of food offered, international specialties. Like, visit the culinary and fruit and vegetable world in a single market. In the Chinese market, there's everything that's imported directly from China, but maybe that's the least interesting part. 
• Prahran market (In the middle of Prahran neighborhood on Chapel Street and the edge of South Yarra). It is mainly a fruit and vegetable market with sections for meat and fish. Well known to the people of Melbourne. Don't be surprised if you hear a lot of Greek or Italian speaking. 
• Bourke Street (CBD Central Street). It has been transformed into a pedestrian zone with unlimited shopping opportunities. The best-known shops and warehouses are on Bourke street here, Mayer in the head. 
• Melbourne Central (located on the north side of the CBD. You can get on the subway, on the same shopping center stop, and on the trams from Swanston Street). It's almost an infinite number of shops at very cheap prices, especially after Christmas, when the big discounts come. On the third floor there is also a pub and cinema. 
• Chapel Street. The relatively cheap fashion route that starts in South Yarra to continue until the Windsor neighborhood. You won't find the big signatures here, those are in Collins Street (CBD), but simple, comfortable, sports clothing at almost an honest price. 
• Camberwell Market (Accessible from the CBD with the tram 72 -stop #61- and 75 -stop #40-).   Dom 6:30-12:00. A pleasant surprise at every stall. You can find anything from the gramophone to the camera of the '60s or the early century, from furniture to second-hand clothes. Every meter you'll be amazed, and when you realize that the closing time has come, it will be impossible for you to be able to visit only half of it. You can find treasures. The only big defect? The time; to visit him, you'll have to get up early. Recommended. 

Night rooms

CBD is the neighborhood for the winter. St. Kilda is the neighborhood for the summer. South Yarra and Chapel Street have no seasons. The choice is not lacking. bars and pubs tend to close between 1am and 3am. But there are options until the next morning. See the lists in their districts.

Only the best-known restaurants are listed on this page, regardless of the area. It is suggested that you read the lists in the articles dedicated to the Melbourne districts, such as St. Kilda and CBD. As in all Australia, the main dish (main) is a mixture of the first and second Italians.

Modest prices

Melbourne - CBD zone map with suggested bars and restaurants

• Wine Lane.   The dishes cost on average less than $10. It seems to be the Roman fraschette or the Valtellina's crosses. There's no pasta, but there's a wide selection of sausages, fried foods (orange, listening olives, etc.), cheese (even seasoned in barrel wine), and some truffle-based dishes. If you want to hear Italian flavors, this is your place. 
• Red Pepper and Green Pepper, Bourke Street, 12-14.   You'll eat about $10-12 and you can afford a beer with $3. These are two Indian restaurants mostly attended by students of Indian origin. Great, if not superb, Indian food at incredible prices. The best of cheap Asian restaurants. 
• Asian restaurants, Swanston Street (near Chinatown, junction with Little Bourke).   About $10 for both lunch and dinner. The main route is a series of restaurants in Thailand, Korea, Japan, Malaysia. You have only to choose which national cuisine. 
• Leo's Restaurant, Fitzroy Street (St. Kilda).   $15/20 menu. Every day there's a special menu. You'll be able to drink and eat pricelessly. 

Average prices

• Cookie, Swanston St252 (on the first floor). Maybe the winner in the middle price class. Cooking with Thai tendency and also choice on plate sizes, as well as the type. All this has a large list of wines, albeit not always available, and beers from all over the world. For the late evening, get up at the Roof Top, a top-of-the-floor bar where you have one of Melbourne's best night views. 
• Bokchoy Tang. Fabulous restaurant in Federation Square with modern Chinese cuisine. The banquets are super-recommended, offer such a variety of tastes and tastes that will recreate even the most unavailable ones to Eastern cooking. 
• Pizza and Beer, Fitzroy St60A (If you get on the 96 trams, StKilda Station stop).   $20/25. The best pizza of Melbourne is believed by many Italians. Wood oven. Recommended local beer. 
• +39 . One of the best pizzerias in Melbourne. Pizzeria of the year 2010. Normally open for lunch (almost always full) and evening. 
• Chocolate Buddha (found in Federation Square, you can't lose yourself).   The dishes cost between $15 and $25. There are no chocolate dishes, as it might seem from the first part of the name, but unique Eastern dishes. It's always very full, but there's almost never much waiting for a table, or actually part of a table, because it's shared. 

High prices

• Vue de Monde.   Main plate: $50/80 tasting menu: $150/250. The common question is whether this restaurant is the best in Melbourne. Placed on Little Collins Street 430, it offers wonderful French cutting dishes with a very large list of wines. The price is appropriate to experience, quite high. 
• Taxi Dining Room.   Main plate: $40/60, appetizer: $20. Located in the center of Federation Square, it offers a spectacular view of the Yarra and Southbank River. Contemporary cooking offered by one of the best cooks in the world, Michael Lambie. You can check the menu and prices directly on the website. 
• Big Florentino.   Main floor in the room: $50/70, bar tastings: $15/20. It's a great Italian restaurant that keeps all the true flavors of Italian cuisine, with the first and second always cooked at the right time, at the tooth. There are three sections, the bar where prices are very low, and then you go to the main hall on the upper floor with a service of excellence. 

This page contains only prominent housing, regardless of the area. It is suggested that you read the lists in the articles dedicated to the Melbourne districts, such as St. Kilda and CBD. The last minute offers found on the following sites are also very convenient:

• Wotif. 
• Flight Center. Similar to the previous one, but he also accepts reservations in advance. 

Always make sure there is no major event happening in the city (listed above), otherwise last minute reservation is not a good idea!!

Modest prices

• City Square Motel, Swanston Street. Popular among tourists. The winning weapon is the place where it is located: the central way of the CBD. 
• Claremont Hotel (located in South Yarra next to the famous Chapel Street). Old Victorian construction with a section dedicated to travelers in Budget and a part with better quality and average prices. Including breakfast, but nothing to scream. 
• Albert Park Manor Boutique Hotel (CBD, St. Kilda and South Yarra). The price is really low for the quality of this hotel. The disadvantage is the area, because you will always need a tram or bus, but it is in front of the hotel. A taxi will cost you about $10. 
• ibis Styles Melbourne, The Victoria Hotel, 215 Little Collins Street Melbourne Victoria 3000, ☎ +61 3 9669 0000, @[email protected]. Cheap hotel in Melbourne CBD. 

Average prices

• Vibe Hotel (In front of Southern Cross Station, where you'll arrive from the airport). A chain at moderate prices. The area doesn't have a lot of restaurants/bars but a few hundred meters and you'll be in Swanston Street. 
• BayView Eden. There's no view of the sea, but everything else is there. Another good option in CBD. 
• City Limits Motel. If you're not in a hurry to book, the last-minute offers are very profitable. Just be careful that we didn't schedule major events in the city. 

High prices

• Crown Promenade. Top of Melbourne's list of luxurious, expensive hotels. It's in Southbank, along the river, where you'll have no difficulty finding a restaurant for the evening. 
• Oaks on Lonsdale. In case you want to have an apartment with your kitchen, and being in the center is the right choice. 
• The Hotel Windsor. An institution, though probably expensive for what it offers. But here the price is for the story the Hotel Windsor brings. 

The security problems are minimal and the precautions normally taken in their place of residence are sufficient to prevent them. In Melbourne, the small crime is almost completely absent. But be careful outside the clubs/bars to avoid fights with people who have drunk too much, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.

Post

Australia Post [10] has offices everywhere, even in small shops. The largest power plants are located at CBD in:

• Elizabeth Street 250
• Russell Street 296
• Flinders Lane 246
• Collins Street 440

The Australia Post is a good way to send parcels home, if of limited weight and size. There are other private carriers.

Telephony

Telephone booths are less and less common, but still present in the main streets. To make a telephone call to Italy, you must dial 0011 39 and the Italian telephone number included with the prefix zero if the telephone is fixed and without an initial zero if the telephone calls.

In many shops, there are Phone Cards that will allow you to call home with 3-5 cents/minute after the initial 50 cents.

To buy a mobile phone card, you must have your passport and a residency address with you to allow the shopkeeper to register the sale. Telstra is the national operator. Other suppliers are Vodafone, Virgin and 3.

Internet

Internet points are everywhere. You can also phone Skype from here. There are also many travel agencies that leave Internet stations for free if you book trips with them.

In St Kilda, there are two centers on Gray Street, near the intersection with Fitzroy Street. They are very famous, especially the tourist agency that makes spectacular prices for trips and trips across Melbourne, any destination in Australia.

Yarra Valley, seen by Chandon Wine

• Phillip Island [11] - About an hour and a half from Melbourne are offering one of the most touristic experiences in the area, the penguin parade coming to the beach at the end of the day. Tourists gather on the beach to try to take the best picture. The area is now controlled and fenced and you have to pay for access. It is recommended to arrive one or two hours before sunset to see the museum connected to the site.
• Yarra Valley (Yarra Valley)[12] - Little Tuscany called by Melbourne residents. There are hills, there is no shortage of wine, and olive cultivation guarantee good quality oil. You can go on an organized tour (costing around $80-100) and enjoy wines from 5-6 wine cellars or rent your car, but watch out for the police's frequent alcohol controls. Tastes are free in most cases.
• Mornington Peninsula [13] - You have two possibilities. Rent a car and turn it around in one or two days. Rent a bike, take the train to Frankston and pedal. Both experiences are valid. It's pretty hilly so you have to be fit for the bike option. Beautiful beaches, winegrowers, spa, parks and more to visit.
• Werribee - A small town west of Melbourne, about 30 kilometers from the center. The Victoria’s Open Range Zoo [14] is a park where animals from the four corners of the earth are in a free state.

Itinerary

• Great Ocean Road. If you can, rent a car and follow this road for 2-3 days. You can sleep in some Hostel backpacker or B&B. There's enough availability if you do this trip during the week. First stop Torquay, famous for surfing, where a village of shops is waiting for you. 
• Australian Alps. It's not really a trip outside the door. It's a journey of at least four hours, but if you miss the mountains, this is your place.