[Travel] Melbourne (Summary) : What to Visit and Where to Go | sillyandordinarygirl
By Lasmarya Hadi Purwanto - June 26, 2021
Disclaimer: This post will be based on our own experience and personal review only!
Does it mean that we highly recommend these? In our humble opinion, YES! (BUT, please take note that our preferences, budgets, length of stay etc might differ from yours, so if this list helps you or suits you, feel free to use it as your reference :))
Sorry in advance that I can't recommend other places or food that we haven't tried ourselves, as it will not be an honest recommendation. So, if there's any that doesn't make it to the list, it is either not recommended (by me! Different opinion may apply!) or we simply haven't had a chance to try it out yet, hence we don't have any opinion about it. :D
There are actually lots of interesting places in Melbourne, but due to the limited time, we only managed to squeeze in some and here is the list:
The Shrine of Remembrance is a huge complex of war memorial shrine and monuments dedicated to commemorating all Australian soldiers who had fought in the First & Second World War.
To be honest, when I first went there, I didn't know much about the Shrine, I only knew that it was a beautiful monument and it was a landmark frequented by tourists (which is also the reason we visited it at the first place :P). Little did I know that there's actually a pretty interesting history behind the construction process. I think if I had known these details beforehand, it would make the visit much more meaningful.
Read more of the Shrine's fascinating details and history : [Travelogue] Melbourne : Day 1 (3/3) The Shrine of Remembrance | sillyandordinarygirl
Admission Fee: Free
Shrine tours are available to hire daily at 11 am & 12.45 pm
Website: https://www.shrine.org.au/home
Ph: +61 3 9661 8100
Address: Birdwood Ave, Melbourne VIC 3001, Australia
Opening Hours:
The Galleries of Remembrance open daily from 10 am-5 pm, last admission 4.30 pm.
The Services of Remembrance (featuring the Ray of Light) are held every half hour starting 10.30 am in the Sanctuary.
Nearest Tram Stop : Shrine of Remembrance - St Kilda Road
State Library of Victoria, established in 1854, is Australia's oldest public library, and one of the first free libraries in the world. The La Trobe Reading Room is the most "instagrammed" part of the library, but there are actually some other parts of the building that might be worth to explore too (though we didn't have the chance to) like the Cowen Gallery and the Redmond Reading Room. Although it is an old library, but it didn't seem old to me at all. The building is very well-designed and well-maintained, that it even felt modern enough for me.
Read our mini exploration in the library and some trivia of the library : [Travelogue] Melbourne: Day 2 (3/3) | State Library of Victoria + Pidapipo | sillyandordinarygirl
328 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000 Australia
Open daily 10am-9pm
Admission: Free
Wifi available
La Trobe Reading Room
The Great Ocean Road is the world's largest war memorial, built by World War I returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and dedicated to the fallen soldiers in the war. It is 243-kilometer road stretched along the south-eastern coast of Australia (from Torquay) to the west until Allansford near Warrnambool. There are a lot of Victoria's famous landmarks along the way, like Shipwreck Coast, Teddy's Lookout, the Twelve Apostles, and so on.
We booked our day tour through viator.com and here's the link if you want to check it out : https://www.viator.com/tours/Melbourne/Boutique-Great-Ocean-Road-One-Day-Experience/d384-20852P1
I highly recommend this trip, because the view along the ocean road is amazing. I really couldn't stop admiring the beauty of the nature and how could I not with the clear blue sky, the blue shades of the ocean, the hint of green here and there. 💙💙💙
Check the full travelogue of our Great Ocean Road Day Tour : [Travelogue] Melbourne: Day 3 | Great Ocean Road Day Tour | sillyandordinarygirl
The Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch - the starting point of the route
See? Even the view from the car looked like this <3
The Twelve Apostles
Brighton Beach's main attraction is its 82 colourful bathing boxes which are said to have been there since the 19th century. It is a popular destination for tourists in any season and it can be pretty crowded in summer as locals and the bathing box owners also come to the beach to sunbath, to swim, and to relax.
Full version of the travelogue: [Travelogue] Melbourne: Day 2 (2/3) | Brighton Beach - The Colourful Bathing Boxes | sillyandordinarygirl
How to Get There: ride a train from Flinders Street Railway Station to Brighton Beach Railway Station (Sandringham train). The Beach is only about 200m away from the railway station.
5. Yarra Valley
Yarra Valley, which is about an hour away from Melbourne, is Victoria's oldest wine region, and is best known for its Chardonnay, sparkling wine, and Pinot Noir. It is said that there are three kinds of day trips that you should consider while you're in Melbourne (Great Ocean Road, Yarra Valley, and Phillip Island), so to experince Yarra Valley, we booked a day tour through viator.com (Wine Tasting & Winery Tours Yarra Valley Wine Tour with Lunch, Cider, Chocolate Tastings from Melbourne) and spent one day around the region.
*IMPORTANT: If you're not an alcohol drinker, I honestly don't recommend this trip, because it will bring you to four different wineries / breweries, where you'll get to see or listen about the production process, and as the name suggests, to taste and buy their products. Most of the stops are breweries / wineries and only one chocolaterie. So, I think it will be a waste of time and also money if you can't have a taste of the famous locally produced wine / beer / cider.
Read the full trip in detail and my review : [Travelogue] Melbourne : Day 5 (1/2) | Experience Yarra Valley - Beer, Cider, Wine and Food | sillyandordinarygirl
You can find more information about Yarra Valley : https://www.visityarravalley.com.au/
Puffing Billy is Australia's preserved steam railway and has been operating since the early 1900s. This century-old steam train runs from Belgrave to Gembrook (full length - 5 hours return trip), but there are also tickets available for Belgrave to Lakeside (half of the route) which takes only around 3 hours for a return journey. I personally think this train ride will be perfect for families, but it was also a nice experience for a first-timer.
It is highly recommended to pre-book your ticket online as they only keep very limited tickets for on-site purchase. Detail information can be found in their website: https://puffingbilly.com.au/visit-us/the-journey/
How to get there: Ride a train from Flinders Street Railway Station to Belgrave Station (about 1 hour and 10 minute), and walk 2-5 mins to Puffing Billy Railway
Read our full experience and opinion about the steam train ride: [Travelogue] Melbourne: Day 4 (2/3) | Puffing Billy + Chin Chin | sillyandordinarygirl
7. CBD area : The Flinders Street Railway Station - St. Paul's Cathedral - Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
The CBD is the city center where you can find almost everything: shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, and some of the Melbourne's famous landmarks, such as Flinders Street Railway Station, St. Paul's Cathedral, National Gallery of Victoria, the State Library of Victoria etc within walking distance. This is a very strategic area for tourists, as Flinders Street Railway Station is the hub that can bring you to many places, like Brighton Beach, Belgrave, and so on. Most tours also offer pick up from several points in the CBD, so it can be really convenient if you stay in a hotel in the area.
Flinders Street Railway Station
St. Paul's Cathedral
Museum of Modern Art at National Gallery of Victoria (MoMA at NGV)
And this is it, the very last summary of the Melbourne series. With this post, I officially end the series and this would the 'end' end. The FINALE. I really hope and I would be really happy if these summaries can serve their purpose and can help you with anything. So, if you think I need to make more of this kind of post, let me know in the comment box below :)
Thank YOU!
Bye bye (again) for now, Melbourne!
❤❤❤
sillyandordinarygirl
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