I had four days in Melbourne. No rental car, no local knowledge, no group to share the planning with. Just a myki card, a rough idea of what I wanted to see, and a city that turned out to be far kinder to the car-free visitor than most guides suggest. This is the 4 days in Melbourne itinerary I followed: one day in the city, the Great Ocean Road, the Puffing Billy...
Melbourne is one of the best cities in the world for food. That is not a controversial take – it is just what the city is. Forty-four countries later, I have eaten in a lot of places. Melbourne still surprised me. What makes it unusual is the range. In a single day you can have a bowl of Japanese curry for AUD 10 in the morning, walk past some of the most...
The first decision most visitors get wrong about Melbourne is not what to do – it is where to sleep. Pick the wrong area and you spend your entire trip on trams trying to get somewhere. Pick the right one and the city opens up immediately – everything is walkable or a short ride away, and you spend your time actually in Melbourne rather than commuting to...
Nobody told me to go to the State Library Victoria. It wasn’t in my original Melbourne plan. I walked past it on my way somewhere else, saw the chess set on the forecourt, went in to have a quick look, and stayed for two hours. That seems to be how most people discover it. You don’t plan the State Library – you stumble into it, and then you...
Day trips from Melbourne don’t need a car. I had three to four days in Melbourne, based in the CBD, with no rental car and no driving licence. Most travel guides assume you have a car, so they make these trips sound harder than they are: the Great Ocean Road “isn’t really possible”, Phillip Island is “best by car”, and you’re...
The first thing I thought when someone mentioned Australia was kangaroo. Not the Opera House, not the beach, not even the coffee. Kangaroo. But when I actually arrived, I had no idea where to find one. I had this vague assumption that Australia would just have kangaroos somewhere – on the roadside, in a field, visible from a bus. It turns out that’s not...
We found two penguins that evening. One appeared briefly on the rocks, looked around with the quiet confidence of something that knows it belongs here, and disappeared. The other stayed for a long time – standing on the sand under the amber glow of the viewing platform lights, doing what penguins apparently do when they get home: absolutely nothing in...
One of the most beautiful train journeys in Australia, Puffing Billy is a genuine must-do from Melbourne. Here's everything I wish I'd known before going - including the photography tip nobody else mentions.
If you’re interested in Melbourne landmarks photography, this slow walk through the city reveals how history, culture, and light shape its most iconic buildings. Some cities impress you immediately. Others take their time. During my days in Melbourne, I realised this is a city best understood slowly. Not through a checklist of attractions, but through its landmarks —...
Some cities invite you to rush from landmark to landmark. Melbourne does the opposite. It rewards those who slow down, look out the window, and let the city reveal itself naturally. If you’re looking for the best free tram ride in Melbourne, this guide to the iconic City Circle Tram (Route 35) shows you how to ride it, where to stop, and what you’ll see along the way...