Melbourne is a vibrant city full of elegance and multicultural diversity. It is a city for all seasons.
Melbourne is located at the banks of Yarra River, has more examples of Victorian architecture. Also, it has exceptional tree-lined streets, large space of city garden and parkland surrounding the CBD as well as other Melbourne Tourist Attractions that have made this city a world class event centre.
So, come along as we explore the top tourist attractions in this great city.
1. Federation Square
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It was opened in 2002 to commemorate the 100 years of existing as a federation and since then, it has become an integral part of the city as well as a place for tourists to begin the sightseeing. The sensational open and close spaces design of this building points to the surrounding Victorian architectural edifices.
Federation Square is a high capacity event centre that is capable of hosting more than 2,000 events annually. So, tourists will always be entertained in both the indoor venues as well as the outdoor centrally located performance space. What’s in the federation square? Well, your guess is as good as mine. The Australian Centre for Moving Image is housed in this architectural masterpiece together with the Ian Potter Gallery which is dedicated to Australian Art.
2. Arcades and Laneways
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Going through the complicated network of lane and alleyways around Flinders, Collins and Bourke Streets, you will see Melbourne at its best with elegant and interesting look. The most outstanding feature is the magnificent Block Arcade in Collins Street. It has unique shops, floor consisting of various components and period details. This is the place where late 19th-century upper classes walked for pleasure, thus creating this phrase “doing the block”.
The tea offered either in the morning or afternoon at the Hopetoun Tearooms is worth it. This iconic event dates back to 1892 and is the only non-traditional shop housed in the arcade even till today. The wealthy Royal Arcade is Melbourne’s oldest arcade and Flinders and Degraves Lanes are also side attractions to watch. Many companies embark on guided walking tours of the lanes and alleyways.
3. Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Centre
The Melbourne Museum is surrounded by beautiful gardens and parkland and with a short tram ride from the CBD, you are there already! The ultra modern purpose built museum has in it diverse collections showing culture, society and style. It houses three outstanding features such as the children’s museum, the aboriginal centre and the blue box is a cube extending off the side of the building.
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The phenomenal gallery is a series of personally involved event designed make the children busy as well as stimulating them. The royal exhibition building was built in 1880 to host Melbourne international exhibition. The building is adjacent to Melbourne museum. It is still used for exhibitions, special events and is open for regular tours.
4. Royal Botanic Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens is one of the highest Melbourne Tourist Attractions in the centre of green parkland reaching out to southern area of the Yarra River. This botanic garden was set up in 1846 and the Royal Botanic Gardens is rated as one of the finest of its kind around the globe. It covers an area of 40 hectares and can boast of over 50,000 plant species with many uncommon species. Around 1.5 million tourists visit the garden yearly.
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The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden is established to support the next generation of gardeners while the Aboriginal Heritage Walk is a popular tour that looks into the rich cultural heritage of indigenous people of Australia. During summer, live theater is a feature of the gardens while a moonlight cinema is set up under the stars.
5. Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is considered one of the world’s greatest stadiums. It was built in 1853 with a capacity of 100,000. It has hosted so many sports events such as the Olympic Games of 1956 and the Commonwealth Games of 2006. MCG is the home to Australian Rules football as well as a birthplace of test cricket.
Daily 75-minute tours take visitors for a trip of yester years and of great moments in sports; and add the Australian Gallery of Sport and the Olympic Museum. Tourists can also play a game of cricket in summer or football during winter. The Melbourne Park is directly opposite the MCG and it is the home of Australian open tennis tournament which is held every January.