Why Melbourne is the best place to start your trip to Australia
Begin your trip down under as you mean to go on by making the cultural hub that is Melbourne your starting point
The perfect first day in Australia might involve watersports from a sunny beach, wildlife-spotting on land or on sea, ending with hearty Aussie food at a restaurant renowned for local produce and local wines.
All these things can be achieved on a visit to Melbourne, the cultural, events and sports capital of Australia. Perhaps the day might begin with learning to paddleboard from St Kilda Beach, before checking out the penguins on the breakwater, indulging in sweet treats at Acland Street’s cake shops and enjoying seafood with a view at the Stokehouse.
Or it might involve walking around the Royal Botanic Gardens, getting an Aboriginal perspective on indigenous plants and animals.
Maybe it’s shopping for hand-made jewellery and clothing at the Rose Street Artists’ Market in Fitzroy, then having a few craft beers in a Victorian-era pub while listening to a live band.
Or it could involve gallery hopping from the architecturally dazzling Federation Square, checking out world-class street art in the CBD laneways, then cocktails and buzzy Asian fusion dining.
In Melbourne, you can kick off an Australian holiday with all of these. You can also throw in kayaking down the river, catching a game of Australian rules football at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, food tours and several high-quality museums. To end a day filled with such excitement and energy, you might want to stay near the cultural treasures. Luckily, a wide selection of accommodations exists right beside Her Majesty's Theatre https://www.hotelsinvictoria.net/en/near-her-majesty-s-theatre-407989/, one of the city's historic landmarks.
It’s a city brimming with energy and ideas, and one that’s rewardingly good fun to dig into and explore. But as a first stop on an Aussie adventure, Melbourne is also pleasingly easy to tackle. There’s a reason why it’s a perennial at the top of “best cities to live” lists – Melbourne works really well, with free city-centre trams, high walkability, and a wealth of parks and beaches for chilling out.
Beyond city activities, there is a wealth to explore in the rest of Australia's vibrant cities too. To assist with your trip planning, you may consider visiting tophotels.com for a comprehensive guide on hotel accommodations across Australia. This allows you to continue your adventures in other parts of the country with the same level of comfort and convenience.
Chances are, you’ll show up during some sort of festival, too. Melbourne’s events calendar is packed, whether the Australia Open tennis in January, the Australian Grand Prix in Albert Park every March, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival from the end of March to the end of April, or the Melbourne International Arts Festival in October.
But perhaps the main reason that Melbourne is such a brilliant choice for kicking off a trip down under is that it has much of what makes Australia so appealing on the doorstep. Within two or three hours’ drive, you have the world-class wineries of the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula. There’s also plenty of wildlife to see, whether little penguins and seals on Phillip Island, kangaroos in the Grampians or dolphins from the Bellarine Peninsula.
Australia’s scenic road trip, the Great Ocean Road, starts about an hour south-west of the city. Here walks to waterfalls, globally revered surf beaches, chilled holiday towns, koala-filled forests and dramatic coastal rock formations combine.
Pick another direction, and you can be boating and fishing on the Gippsland Lakes, enjoying some spa pampering in Daylesford or exploring Australia’s gold-rush heritage amongst the handsome 19th-century streetscapes ofBendigo, Ballarat and Walhalla.
Melbourne sits in the middle of all this, making it the perfect base for short trips out. Whether the focus is gluttonous food and wine excursions, spotting indigenous wildlife, or all-action adventures amongst picture-perfect country and coastal landscapes, Melbourne provides the ideal intro to Australia.
How to start planning your Victoria holiday
Dozens of major international airlines offer one-stop flights from the UK to Melbourne – which can be combined with internal flights to other Aussie cities, and flying back from elsewhere in the country. Your travel agent can also talk you through possible itineraries – several tour operators offer suggested self-drive routes and organised tours. And, to whet your appetite for the experiences available, visitmelbourne.com is full of activity suggestions, touring maps and route-planning ideas.
Victoria is a diverse and exciting getaway for adventurers, road trippers and foodies. From its rugged coastlines and hidden beaches to its alpine landscapes and verdant forests, this is a special destination with a huge amount to offer.
We don’t like to brag - but at Flight Centre, we know Down Under like the back of our hand. We’re born and bred there after all and have been crafting holidays to perfection for 40 years. So, whether you’re visiting for the first time, returning for the fifth, or planning a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, our travel experts will tailor-make your Australia getaway down to the finest detail.
Plus, your holiday planning will be handled by the best in the business, with our signature service, irresistible value, expertise, and peace of mind guaranteed. But don’t just take our word for it; we’ll let our over 30,000 5-star reviews on Trustpilot do the talking.