Melbourne, the cultural center of Australia, lies steps from nature and wilderness. Melbourne has idyllic wine regions, world-class surfing beaches for beginners and pros, and stunning national parks with hiking, horseback riding, scuba diving, and sailing. The state’s coastline offers seasonal whale-watching.
The city itself has plenty of thrilling activities for kids and adventurers. Art and indulgence are also abundant in the city, with hands-on opportunities to explore its culture, history, drinking, and cuisine.
Fly a hot-air balloon over the city.
Melbourne is one of the few metropolitan cities with balloon rides. A sunrise excursion lets you hover above the 38-hectare Royal Botanic Gardens and photograph the Yarra River. Watch the city come to life as skyscraper lights flicker off and sinuous trains disgorge ant-like commuters into Federation Square and the city streets as you drift above the great Edwardian Flinders Street Station’s domed ceiling. Ballooning will give you a new viewpoint on one of the world’s most intriguing cities, from Queen Victoria Market to Melbourne Zoo.
Rise to Eureka Skydeck
A climb to the southern hemisphere’s highest observation deck atop the Eureka Tower offers an all-weather perspective of the city’s cityscape. The Skydeck offers 360-degree views of the city center, Fitzroy Gardens, Dandenong Ranges, and beyond from over 1,000ft. The Edge experience lets you enter a glass cube that slides out from the building’s 88th story to reveal the city’s streets.
Discover indigenous culture
Melbourne Museum’s Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre empowers Aboriginal people to interpret their culture for indigenous and non-indigenous people. Through art, historical exhibits, performance, storytelling, and the Milari Garden, planted with First Peoples of Victoria flora, the Koorie people tell visitors the story of their vibrant culture’s survival on the land where native Australians lived for tens of thousands of years before European colonization.
Watch AFL.
Australia Rules Football, Victoria’s favorite sport, was founded in 1859. For those unfamiliar, the fast-paced game is like Gaelic football but played with a rugby-style oval ball on a modified cricket ground. The Australian Football League still has its headquarters in Victoria’s first city, and Melbourne Cricket Ground (known as “The G”) is the greatest site to watch the games. AFL Grand Final, the world’s most-attended club championship event, is hosted on the last Saturday of September in Melbourne, a part of its culture.