Places to visit in Melbourne

Melbourne is the second-largest city in Australia, and the capital of the state of Victoria. It is located on top of the famous Port Phillip Bay, which also functions as a mouth of the famous and mighty Yarra river. Melbourne prides itself in encouraging the blend of Victorian-era architecture as well as contemporary works, huge landscaped botanical gardens at various places of the main city, art galleries featuring the most famous artists, elegant street-scapes, calm and serene outskirts. The city is rightly heralded as the cultural capital of Australia. The numerous sports events and unending programs of the festivals, major art exhibitions and musical treats, reflect the importance to culture and sports.

There are innumerable places to visit and enjoy in this city. A sneak-peak at some of the prominent tourist attractions of Melbourne are discussed herewith.

Shopping

Melbourne is Australia's best shopping destination with its modern boutiques, sophisticated arcades and buzzing shopping centers. Some of the prominent shopping centers of Melbourne are:

• The Melbourne City Center offers the best shopping experience for a tourist to this city. A visitor is spoiled for choice in this market be it, art and craft or books or localized souvenirs or dresses or farm products.
• You can also shop exhaustively from the 'Melbourne Central' or 'Fashion Triangle' purchasing designer jackets, scarves, handbags, costume jewelry, antique items, hand-made shoes, aboriginal fine art, Australian art and sculpture, botanic art and tapestry art.
• The Melbourne shopping center at Chadstone is unarguably the most comprehensive shopping location in the city with an additional benefit of free shuttle services from all parts of the city.
• The Queen Victoria market is converted into a modern Arabian night market and is renowned for souvenirs and fresh farm yield of Melbourne.
• The Masonic Hall of Yarraville is known for handmade and gorgeous products of artists and designers from Australia.

Art and culture

Melbourne is a city, buzzing with excellent artwork and cultural activities. Most of the Melbourne buildings are built in the style of Victorian and Gothic architecture, and they stand alongside the modern glass-covered skyscrapers. The night life of the city can be witnessed through a wonderful cruise experience of this beautiful city.

Melbourne Museum has a collection of twenty different exhibitions, is one of the largest museums in the entire southern hemisphere. It comprises of a range of displays starting from Australia's Aboriginal heritage to modern marvels.Another tourist attraction is the 'Old treasury building' which is one of the oldest and finest-built public buildings in Australia. It was the major Government office in the early days of 1862.Flinders St Station is located at the focal point of Melbourne and a major landmark of the city, also known as 'Central Meeting place'. This railway station is full of hustle and bustle all the time. It helps in reestablishing the link to its past, by hosting the Victorian architecture and big clocks.Federation square which is a public civic center, links the Melbourne's business district to the river, gardens and parks across the river.

Wildlife, beaches and gardens of Melbourne

When you are exhausted with shopping and exploring culture, you can take a tour of the wildlife, gardens and beaches in and around Melbourne. There are many beaches in the South of the Melbourne city center, along the arc of Phillip Bay such as St Kilda beaches and Brighton beaches, which are easily reachable by tram from the city center.

Melbourne is also famous for its greenery and closeness to nature.Queen Victoria Garden has a Queen Victoria Memorial statue, which encompasses palm trees, ornamental lakes, sweeping lawns and rose gardens, besides a stunning cityscape.Flagstaff garden, established on the highest point of land in the city, is a relaxing spot for the tired feet, after shopping in the Queen Victoria market. This garden was used as a signaling station in the early days to inform the arrival of ship at bay.Royal Botanical Garden is another tourism spot with extensive landscaped gardens covering 35 hectares. It has thousands of varieties of plants from Australia and around the world.

You can also visit the state-of-art aquariums and international award-winning zoos/ national parks of Melbourne. You can also visit the Australian Shark and Ray center to enjoy the world's largest shark and the feeding experience with it. Phillip Island Nature Park has many penguins, and you can spend quality fun-time with the penguins and observe the habits and behavior of this bird.

A Melbourne holiday tour will leave you with new vigor, energy and freshness encompassing you. This city is filled with attractions, from old-age lane ways and lush green parks to grand museums and architectural structures, all engulfed in vibrant surroundings. Before you think of leaving the city and returning to your hectic routine life, hire car rental and take some time to visit the 'Yarra Valley' and the 'Great Ocean Road', located a few miles away from the main city of Melbourne.