Top 10 Attractions in Melbourne

Popular Melbourne sights and tourist spots

• 1 Federation Square

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  Opened in 2002 to commemorate 100 years of the federation in Australia, Federation Square lies in Melbourne's very heart, adjacent to the Flinders Street railway station and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Its ultra-modern design stands juxtaposed against Victorian architecture and comprises open spaces, museums, and cultural institutions. Regular events and concerts are held here throughout the year, with a giant screen that broadcasts major sporting events and public announcements ...

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• 2 Royal Botanic Gardens

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  Established in 1846, the Royal Botanic Gardens sprawl across 40 hectares to the south of the Yarra River and are considered one of the finest of their kind in the world. The gardens include more than 10,000 different species, including many rare varieties of both native and exotic species. The Royal Botanic Gardens is divided into numerous themed sections, including a Herb Garden, Arid Garden, Fern Gully and Rose Garden, as well as numerous different lawned areas ...

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• 3 Melbourne Cricket Ground

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  Known to locals simply as “The G”, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is considered Australia’s most legendary sports stadium and the country’s largest. It was here that the 1956 Olympic Games and 2006 Commonwealth Games were showcased and it is considered the spiritual home of Test Cricket and Australian Rules Football. The MCG was built in 1853 and hosted the first cricket Test match to be played between Australia and England in 1877. It was also here that the first One Day International was played between the two countries in 1971 ...

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• 4 Southbank

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  Stretching along the Yarra River just a short stroll from the city center, Southbank is a vibrant area of restaurants, cafes, cultural institutions and shops. It is a major hub of live entertainment, with venues such as Hamer Hall, the State Theatre and the Playhouse situated within the Arts Centre, as well as being home to the famous Crown Casino. Southbank was once a largely dilapidated industrial area that was reinvigorated to become one of Melbourne’s cultural hot spots ...

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• 5 National Gallery of Victoria

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  Australia’s oldest public art museum is the National Gallery of Victoria, which is set across two locations in Melbourne. It was founded in 1861 and has grown to become one of Australia’s largest institutions dedicated to art, with the NGV International collection on St. Kilda Road and its Australian works in Federation Square’s Ian Pottery Centre. The NGV International first opened in 1968 and was later redeveloped by Mario Bellini, now being listed on the Victorian Heritage Register ...

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• 6 Eureka Tower

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  Named after the 1854 Eureka Stockade rebellion of Victorian goldfield prospectors, the Eureka Tower has become one of Melbourne’s most recognizable landmarks. Its gold-plated windows and crown glisten in the sun’s light as it soars 297 meters over the Southbank entertainment precinct. The Eureka Tower’s 88th floor Skydeck is the highest public viewing area in the Southern Hemisphere, with a glass cube known as The Edge sliding out from the building for a vertigo-inducing experience ...

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• 7 Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building

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  If you want to gain a more comprehensive insight into the history of Melbourne, make the short tram ride from the CBD to the Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building. It follows the development of society and cultures in the city from its indigenous Aboriginal communities to modern-day settlements and has recently been awarded the title of “Best Tourist Attraction”. Don’t miss a visit to the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Centre and the dedicated children’s museum, with plenty of hands-on activities to keep young visitors entertained ...

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• 8 Melbourne Zoo

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  Officially known as the Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, the Melbourne Zoo is located a short tram ride north of the city center and survives as Australia’s oldest zoo. It was modeled on the London Zoo and first opened to the public on 6 October 1862 on a 55-acre parcel of land at Royal Park. While its initial function was to help animals acclimatize after being transported to Australia, it developed into a zoo in its own right with animals acquired for public display ...

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• 9 Cottage of Captain Cook

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  Brought all the way from Yorkshire, England to Melbourne’s Fitzroy Gardens, Captain Cook’s Cottage is the former home of one of the most influential explorers to enter Australian waters. It provides a unique insight into the life and times of this British captain who made the first European contact with Australia’s east coast, as well as being the first recorded as having circumnavigated New Zealand. The cottage was originally constructed in the village of Great Ayton in 1755 by the parents of Captain James Cook and there remains disagreement as to whether he actually lived for any extensive period in the house ...

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• 10 Queen Victoria Market

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  If you want to pick up fresh produce and artisan goods in Melbourne, there’s no better place than at the historic Queen Victoria Market. It’s the only surviving 19th-century market left in Melbourne’s CBD and is the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere. It has been serving consumers since 1878 and is now listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The market isn’t actually named after Queen Victoria, but rather due to its location at the corner of Queen and Victoria streets ...

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