Things to Do in Melbourne

Melbourne is the coffee capital of Australia, with more specialty coffee roasters per capita than anywhere else in the country, and barista skills are taken seriously enough that competition is fierce.

The city's famous laneways and arcades—like Centre Place and Block Arcade—were built in the Victorian era and are now lined with street art, independent cafes, and boutiques that have made Melbourne a global design destination.

Melbourne hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics, making it the first Southern Hemisphere city to do so, and you can still visit the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the world's largest stadium by capacity at over 100,000 seats.

The Great Ocean Road, just 90 minutes southwest of Melbourne, features the Twelve Apostles—iconic limestone stacks rising 45 metres from the Southern Ocean and one of Australia's most photographed natural landmarks.

Australian Rules Football (AFL) is practically a religion in Melbourne, with the sport invented in Victoria in the 1850s, and the MCG hosts weekly matches during the season (March–September).

The Dandenong Ranges, 40 kilometres east of the city, are home to native mountain ash trees and iconic wildlife including kookaburras and lyrebirds, accessible via the scenic Puffing Billy Railway.