Melbourne is one of the best travel destinations in Australia, with lots to offer to both international and local visitors alike. It’s Australia’s second largest city, but is regarded as the nation’s capital of culture, food & sport. A trip to Melbourne is an essential part of an itinerary for a first trip to Australia. I have lived in Melbourne since 2015 and have loved getting to know this beautiful city.

Melbourne is famous for its coffee & cafe culture, thriving multicultural restaurant scene, trams, the bayside beaches, and neighbourhoods like St Kilda, Fitzroy and Carlton. The best things to do in Melbourne including visiting the National Gallery of Victoria, visiting the South Melbourne Market, seeing Flinders Street Station & Federation Square, exploring the city’s laneways and experiencing Melbourne’s best coffee, cafes, bars and restaurants.

There are a few “sights” to see, but Melbourne is really about being the place to be. International visitors from around the world flock to the city’s roster of world class sporting and cultural events year-round, from the Australian Open and the Grand Prix, to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

The Wanderbug acknowledges the Boon Wurrung and Woiwurrung people as the First Nations owners of the lands now recognised as Melbourne. The Wanderbug pays respect to their Elders, lores, customs and creation spirits and recognises that these lands have always been places of great natural beauty, culture and community. 

The best time to visit Melbourne

Melbourne is known for its temperamental weather, which can go from 40 degrees and scorching to cool and rainy in the space of a few hours. Summer is often late in Melbourne, so if you’re after mild spring weather, visit from November-December, for more guaranteed heat, visit from January-early March, or to catch a beautiful (but crisp) Autumn, visit from mid-March to May.

It doesn’t snow in Melbourne, but it does get cold in winter and is coldest from late June-early September. If you’re after some Australian sunshine (and heat), come in January or February.

Where to stay in Melbourne

Melbourne CBD & Southbank are the best places in Melbourne to stay for first time visitors, but if you want a more local experience, look for accommodation in Fitzroy, Richmond or Carlton.

The best neighbourhoods in Melbourne

The best neighbourhoods to visit in Melbourne are the Melbourne CBD, Fitzroy, St Kilda, Brunswick & Carlton. Check out my guide to the best neighbourhoods in Melbourne for more ideas.

The best day trips from Melbourne

There are dozens of amazing day trips you can take from Melbourne. The best day trips from Melbourne are to the Yarra Valley, the Mornington Peninsula, the Goldfields, to Geelong & the Bellarine Peninsula, the Dandenong Ranges or to Daylesford & Hepburn Springs.

Population of Melbourne

Melbourne is the largest city in Australia, with more than 5 million residents. This makes it larger than Los Angeles in population!

A brief history of Melbourne

The Traditional Owners of the lands we know today as Melbourne are the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung peoples, of the Eastern Kulin nation. The Eastern Kulin nation is an alliance of five Aboriginal nations in southwestern Victoria, with two of these nations coinciding with the area of Melbourne. European settlement and colonisation led to the with dispossession of land, violent clashes and the introduction of European diseases which all led to a dramatic decline in population of First Nations peoples. The Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung peoples survived, and continue to live in Melbourne to this day.

During the Australian Gold Rush in the 19th century, Melbourne became the richest city in the world. It attracted immigrants from all over the globe, mostly from China and Southern Europe, seeking their fortunes in a new country. The city still has beautiful historic buildings and bridges, and the most impressive art gallery in Australia, as a result of this wealth. Even more importantly, the immigrants who flooded the city from all over the world have been instrumental in making it one of the most dynamic cities in Australia. “Marvellous Melbourne” as it was known, developed a reputation as Australia’s capital for arts, culture and shopping, which lasts to this day.

Today, Melbourne conjures up images of laneways covered in vibrant street art, teeming with cafes, hidden bars and tiny, bustling restaurants. In the 1990s, it became one of the first cities to celebrate street art rather than shun it & inspired hundreds of other cities across the world in doing so.

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