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Melbourne destination guide

Melbourne is the capital of Victoria. The city's draws include sport, museums, markets and gardens, and the trips out of town include Phillip Island, the Great Ocean Road, the Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges. Flights land at Melbourne Airport (MEL) or Avalon Airport (AVV).

The City of Melbourne's interactive map of places of Aboriginal historical and cultural significance was created with Traditional Owners, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung peoples, and the City of Melbourne.

What to see and do in Melbourne

Museums and city sights

The Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens are on the World Heritage List. The building's Great Hall was built to house the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880 and the Melbourne Centennial International Exhibition of 1888, and Melbourne Museum was built between 1998 and 2000 to its north.

Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre is inside Melbourne Museum, at 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton. As of May 2026, Museums Victoria opened it from 9am to 5pm daily, except Good Friday and Christmas Day.

Visit Victoria's list of things to do in the city also names the Immigration Museum, Old Melbourne Gaol, Scienceworks, Fed Square, the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Melbourne Gardens, St Kilda Pier and Breakwater, the Australian Music Vault and Werribee Open Range Zoo.

Queen Victoria Market

Queen Victoria Market is bounded by Peel, Franklin, Victoria and Elizabeth Streets. The market points visitors to tram routes 19, 57, 58 and 59, which stop at Elizabeth, Victoria or Peel Streets, and puts the walk from Southern Cross Station at 15 to 20 minutes.

As of December 2025, the market's trading hours were Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 6am to 3pm, Saturday 6am to 4pm and Sunday 9am to 4pm, with specialty shopping opening at 9am on each market day. Christmas trading hours are published separately.

Renewal works are under way at the market, and the operator says trading carries on as usual while they run.

Sport and dated events

Visit Victoria lists the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a match or a tour: it is the home of Australian cricket and the Australian Football League, and the site of the 1956 Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

The Victoria Racing Club's Melbourne Cup Carnival 2026 has race days on Saturday 31 October, Tuesday 3 November (Melbourne Cup Day), Thursday 5 November and Saturday 7 November 2026. Business Victoria lists Melbourne Cup Day as a public holiday across Victoria unless a council outside metropolitan Melbourne has arranged a local holiday instead.

Tennis Australia has set the Australian Open tennis for Melbourne Park from 11 to 31 January 2027, with the singles finals on 30 and 31 January.

When to go to Melbourne

The Bureau of Meteorology names Melbourne as an example of Australia's temperate zone, "with cold, short days in winter and warm, long days in summer". It defines the seasons by calendar month: summer is December to February, autumn March to May, winter June to August and spring September to November.

Visit Victoria calls the climate variable. It says Melbourne's top temperatures usually come in January and February, months that are often dry, with hot spells and cooling afternoon breezes off Port Phillip Bay, while June and July are the coldest months and October is the wettest.

Flying to Melbourne

Melbourne Airport is at Tullamarine. The terminals share one building, and the airport warns that it can be a long walk between them. SkyBus runs from the airport to Southern Cross Station in the city.

Avalon Airport is, the operator's driving page gives, 55 kilometres by road from central Melbourne, 20 kilometres from central Geelong and about 35 minutes' drive from the start of the Great Ocean Road. The operator lists Jetstar as the airline flying there. The SkyBus Avalon City Express runs to Southern Cross Station by way of Werribee, and SkyBus says the trip can take around 90 minutes depending on traffic.

Direct domestic flights recorded from Melbourne Airport and Avalon Airport include the places below, with the airlines recorded on each; where Avalon Airport is not named, the flights recorded are from Melbourne Airport. Those airlines are Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Rex, Link Airways and Alliance Airlines.

Getting around Melbourne

Melbourne's trains, trams and buses take myki, Victoria's public transport smart card, or contactless payment by Mastercard or Visa card, phone or smartwatch. Mobile myki works on Android phones only.

The tap rules differ by mode: trains and buses take a tap on and a tap off, while on trams the rule depends on the tram zone. Transport Victoria's page for visitors to Victoria sets out each case.

V/Line trains run between Melbourne and regional centres including Geelong, Warrnambool, Ballarat, Bendigo, Echuca, Shepparton, Albury, Traralgon, Sale and Bairnsdale. Not every V/Line line takes myki and contactless yet, and V/Line coaches take neither: they need a paper ticket or an eTicket.

Since 1 March 2026, Victorian taxis and rideshare vehicles must display a code that passengers can scan, linking them to information on their rights and how to raise a complaint. Rank and hail taxis must also record audio during trips.

Travelling on from Melbourne to Tasmania, note that Biosecurity Tasmania says it has strict import requirements for plants, seeds, flowers and related items, and does not permit flowers or foliage from Victoria. Western Australia and South Australia also set their own rules for travellers arriving from other states.

Side trips from Melbourne

Phillip Island

Phillip Island Nature Parks says penguins arrive at sunset every day of the year, and suggests visitors arrive an hour before. Phillip Island Nature Parks asks visitors not to use cameras, camcorders or camera phones at the Penguin Parade after sunset, because the penguins have sensitive eyes. The drive from Melbourne is about two hours, Visit Victoria says.

The Nature Parks recommend booking ahead at any time of year, and especially over the December and January summer holidays, school holidays, Easter and long weekends. Ranger guided tours, Penguins Plus and Underground Viewing must be booked all year round. Public transport does not run between the parks, and the Nature Parks suggest a coach tour for visitors without their own transport.

The Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is a drive of 2.5 to 4.5 hours, and the Twelve Apostles are about four hours from the city. Visit Victoria advises booking at least one night of accommodation if you are travelling from Melbourne.

Port Campbell National Park takes in the Twelve Apostles, Gibson Steps, London Bridge, The Grotto, The Arch and Loch Ard Gorge. The park is open year-round, and the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority says spring and summer bring the most favourable weather for outdoor activities.

A Parks Victoria news item of 15 June 2026 said that from 1 July 2026 the authority would take primary management of a number of parks and reserves between Point Impossible in Torquay and the Hopkins River in Warrnambool, with no change to public access. Short-tailed shearwaters return to Mutton Bird Island between October and April, and at dusk little penguins can sometimes be seen returning from the sea near the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge.

The Dandenong Ranges and the Yarra Valley

Parks Victoria describes Dandenong Ranges National Park as a short drive or train ride from the city. Its walks include the 1000 Steps (officially the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk) from the Ferntree Gully Picnic Ground, and Olinda Falls and Sherbrooke Falls, which the park says are best after rain.

The park is open every day, but Parks Victoria closes the entire park, the 1000 Steps included, on days when the Fire Danger Rating is Extreme or above, and on days of severe weather. VicEmergency says Fire Danger Ratings are forecast four days ahead, and that a Total Fire Ban is declared on days when fires are likely to spread rapidly and could be difficult to control.

Puffing Billy Railway runs from Belgrave.

The Yarra Valley, known for its open green spaces, vineyards and local produce, is 45 to 90 minutes from Melbourne by road, according to Visit Victoria.

Geelong, the Bellarine and the Mornington Peninsula

Geelong is just over an hour's drive from Melbourne on Visit Victoria's figures, and V/Line trains run there from Southern Cross Station. Ferries link Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula with Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula, and Portarlington or Geelong Central with Docklands in Melbourne.

The Spirit of Tasmania ferry connects Geelong and Devonport across Bass Strait. The Mornington Peninsula, up to 90 minutes from Melbourne by road in Visit Victoria's estimate, has Point Nepean National Park and the Cape Schanck rock pools.

Melbourne questions

How do I get from Melbourne Airport to the city?

SkyBus runs from Melbourne Airport to Southern Cross Station. The Victorian Government's Big Build page says Melbourne Airport Rail Stages 1 and 2 are now under way between West Footscray and Keilor East. It also says the Australian and Victorian governments and the airport's operator are working together to progress the planning of a rail line to the airport.

Can you see the Phillip Island penguins all year?

Yes. Phillip Island Nature Parks says you can see penguins all year round, regardless of the weather, and that they arrive at sunset every day of the year. It recommends booking ahead, especially over the December and January summer holidays, school holidays, Easter and long weekends.

When is Melbourne Cup Day in 2026?

Tuesday 3 November 2026, within the Victoria Racing Club's carnival from 31 October to 7 November. It is a public holiday across Victoria unless a council outside metropolitan Melbourne has arranged a local holiday instead.

Is the Dandenong Ranges National Park near Melbourne open on fire danger days?

Not when the rating is Extreme or above. Parks Victoria closes the whole park, the 1000 Steps included, on days when the Fire Danger Rating is Extreme or above, and on days of severe weather.

Does Melbourne have daylight saving?

Yes. Victoria observes daylight saving, as do New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory; Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not.

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