Melbourne

A not-at-all exhaustive list of things to do in and around Melbourne. Anything I haven’t seen/done is marked with an asterisk * (hover for commentary).

In the city

• Catch a tram. The CBD is a free tram zone (PDF) – the trams are never far away, and you can ride a heritage tram on the City Circle route.

• Explore the network of laneways and arcades, including the Victorian-era Royal Arcade and the shifting street art of Hosier Lane.

• Visit the Nicholas Building, an early 20th-century building with vintage clothes shops and an art deco interior.

• Visit the NGV, Australia’s oldest art museum. (The main site is a short distance outside the free tram zone.)

• See contemporary artworks at the Outré Gallery.

• Dine at +39 Pizzeria.

Shops:

• City Basement Books – secondhand books.

• The Paperback Bookshop – independent bookshop.

• Kay Craddock – rare and antique books.

• Minotaur – comics and pop culture collectibles.

• Spellbox in the Royal Arcade – witchy things.

• Wunderkammer – rare and unusual items.

Outside the free tram zone

• Wander a park: Carlton Gardens, Fitzroy Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens, Birrarung Marr…

• Follow a trail.

• Stop by Smith Street. Order a burrito from Trippy Taco, or a banh mi from N Lee, or a panini from Alimentari, or a craft beer from Beermash.

• Get your drum & bass fix at Radio Bar in Fitzroy.

• Step into a glass cube which hangs almost 300 metres above the street. *

• See the St Kilda penguins after sunset.

• Visit the tram museum. *

Shops:

• Readings – an independent chain of bookshops; the one in Carlton is a favourite.

Venturing outside Melbourne

• See Aussie wildlife in Healesville Sanctuary (an hour’s drive from the city).