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Australia is on many people’s travel bucket list, and for good reason. Its the country down under that takes most international travellers 6+ hours to get to. 14+ hours if you’re coming from Europe!
Which is why many people plan to visit several cities on one trip. Now, Sydney is a must visit, but Melbourne is another destination any foodie traveller shouldn’t miss out on.
Let me show you how to spend 24 hours in this beautiful city.
Table of Contents:
7AM - COFFEE CULTURE
Start the day off with coffee.
Good coffee.
Australia has really good coffee. We’re a coffee fanatic country, and Melbourne has a thriving coffee culture you need to check out.
Here are 5 places I personally really like:
1. Brother Baba Budan 359 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
2. Manchester Press 8 Rankins Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
3. Patricia Coffee Brewers Little Bourke St &, Little William St, Melbourne VIC 3000
4. The Hardware Societe Melbourne Address: 10 Katherine Place &, 123 Hardware St, Melbourne VIC 3000
5. Market Lane Coffee – Queen Victoria Market 83-85 Victoria Street, Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne VIC 3000
8am - Explore the many laneways
Melbourne has a thriving arts scene which lives among the city’s laneways. You’ll find lots of hidden gems and interesting shops if you do a little bit of exploring.
Make sure to check out one of this city’s most famous graffiti lane at Hosier Lane. This place is quite touristy and so quite crowded during the day – head back at night if you want to snap a picture without the crowds.
9:30 - 11am Queen Victoria market
Depending on how hungry you are, now might be a good time to grab a bite to eat.
Head on over to Queen Victoria Market and check that place out. There’s so much here at the market, whether it be fresh meat & seafood, coffee, fresh bread, cheeses, cold meats, fruit & veg, pies – the list goes on and you’re bound to find something that you’ll want.
But it’s not just munching your way through all the stalls. There are also a lot of cafes for a sit-down meal.
Fun fact: Queen Victoria Market has been serving up fresh and cooked products since 1878! It’s a must visit for the history buffs, foodies and just to tick it off the go-to landmarks!
Tip: not open on a Wednesday (don’t repeat my mistake)
11:00AM - head to Flinders Street Station
Now that your belly is full and you’re completely re-energised, head on over to Flinders Street Station.
Sydney has the Opera House, Melbourne has Flinders Street Station!
This is an iconic station in Melbourne, as it is Australia’s first ever railway station. Also at one point in time the world’s busiest train station.
To snap a picture – go diagonally opposite the road so you can get the full view of the station in one shot.
11:30 AM - Hang out at Federation Square
It’s a really unique spot in the heart of Melbourne – there’s always something going on there.
There’s the ACMI, which is the Australian Centre of Moving Images – its a free exhibition about the journey of the moving image. It has everything from a century of film, to the latest computer games.
If you’re into that, then grab a chair that’s laying around Federation Square and tune into what’s on the big screen. I watched a Raptors vs. Warriors game that day and it was a pretty cool atmosphere to watch a game at.
Would be perfect if you grabbed a drink and a bite to eat to have a little mini picnic!
1PM - Melbourne cafes
I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again You cant really go wrong with Melbourne cafes – I love Melbourne breakfast, lunch brunch foods here.
I also did a video on 5 of my favorite places to get brunch whenever you’re in Melbourne, check that video out for inspiration:
2PM - 5PM
Spend the next couple of hours depending on your own preferences.
Option 1: Shopping Head on over to Bourke Street Mall, where you can find department stores and flag ship fashion brands
Option 2: Brighton Bathing Boxes If taking cool photos is more you thing, you can head on over to the Brighton Bathing Boxes, which is an iconic group of 82 very brightly coloured wooden beach huts built over 100 years ago.
Option 3: Visit the National Gallery of Victoria Or, head to the NGV , which is an art museum in Melbourne. Entry into the NGV is free, but if you want to go into their special collections there usually is a fee. For more details check: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/
6PM - Head to St Kilda's Pier and visit the Penguin Colony
If you want to see Melbourne’s skyline as well as see wild penguins then you need to head over to St. Kilda’s Wharf. This spot in Melbourne is home to a colony of over 1000 penguins!
There’s a special boardwalk you can walk along where the penguins can be found usually. The best times to catch the penguins is near sunrise or sunset. (obviously sunset is the easier option of the two)
7pm - Dinner!
I wouldnt do Melbourne’s food scene justice if I didn’t at least mention some of the restaurants on Flinders Lane.
Check out these Melbourne restaurants if you’re looking to splurge a bit.
Chin Chin Melbourne Address: 125 Flinders Ln, Melbourne
Supernormal Melbourne Address: 180 Flinders Ln, Melbourne
Cummulus Inc Melbourne 45 Flinders Ln, Melbourne
But, you know where you can always rely on for cheap and delicious eats?
Chinatown.
Make sure you give that place a visit if you get a chance.
9PM - Melbourne's night life
Experience Melbourne night life and check out some themed bars, or even better, hidden bars.
I went to Storyville Bar, address as follows: 185 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
After a few drinks you need something greasy to soak it up for the night.
Finish your night off with a good ol slice of pizza. There’s something about some cheesy goodness after a long day that just feels so satisfying.
I visited Pizza Pizza Pizza @ 16 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000
