FEDERATION SQUARE

Federation Square, one of Victoria's most ambitious projects, links the city centre with the Yarra River and has fast become the city's cultural hub.  A riotous explosion of steel, glass and abstract geometry it is home to the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, the Australian Centre for Moving Image, numerous bars and restaurants and a Visitor Information Centre.

HARLEY TOUR OF THE CITY

Perhaps the best way to get your bearings of this city and its precincts is to hop on the back of a Harley Davidson and enjoy an exhilarating tour of the city’s main attractions. Head through the suburbs to Williamstown and trendy St Kilda on this popular one-hour tour.

SOUTHBANK ARTS AND LEISURE PRECINCT

Contemporary visitors find it impossible to believe, but until the early 1990s Southbank was a drab area that few Melburnians visited. Over the last decade it has become one of the true hubs of city life, since the fabulous Southgate development was built and the Melbourne Casino set up shop. Southbank now is chic, cheerful, and a wonderful attraction. This is where Melbourne unwinds, with coffee in one of the dozens of quality cafes or restaurants or by browsing the vast array of specialty shops. Then there is the street theatre, the passing parade on the Yarra, and just the fun of being in the very middle of something gorgeous.

MELBOURNE OBSERVATION DECK

Too much action on the street? Want to get away from it all – or at least above it all? A 40-second lift ride will transport you 55 storeys up the tallest office building in the Southern Hemisphere, Melbourne’s Rialto. The Melbourne Observation Deck provides 360-degree views across the city, from the Dandenong Ranges in the east to the grand sweep of the bay in the south and the You Yangs in the west. On a clear day, visibility extends 60 kilometres (37 miles) or more. The Rialto is one of 22 members of the World Federation of Great Towers.

MELBOURNE CRICKET GROUND

Take a behind the scenes tour at one of the world’s most hallowed sporting grounds – the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) or the ‘mighty G’ as it’s known by the locals.   Its famous turf has see it all – the 1956 Olympic Games, cricket greats from Don Bradman to Shane Warne, Aussie Rules Football games and most recently the 2006 Commonwealth Games – all playing to full capacity crowds.

MELBOURNE AQUARIUM

The bustle of Melbourne city life is just metres away – and yet you feel like you are in the middle of the Southern Ocean. Since opening in 2000, the centrally-located Melbourne Aquarium has become one of the city’s hit attractions. From the arrogance of the bronze whaler sharks to the majesty of the smooth rays and the sea jellies, this is a mesmerising collection. There are more than 250 different species of marine life, existing in a 2.2 million litre (483,932 gallon) oceanarium. The tour ends with a simulated underwater roller-coaster ride – if you’re game. If you’re REALLY game, you can sign up to swim with the sharks. Seriously!

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS MELBOURNE (RBG)

Since 1846, these gardens have been one of Melbourne’s crowning jewels. Extending across 36 hectares (89 acres), the RBG are world-famous for their sweeping lawns, marvellous plant life, and spectacular lay-out. There are more than 12,000 different species, including more than 300 varieties of camellia alone. Highlights include the serene Fern Gully, the 1980s-created Grey Garden which features plants with grey and white foliage and surrounds the Temple of the Winds folly, and the Australian Rainforest Walk. The Aboriginal Heritage Walk through the RBG, led and operated by indigenous people, reveals local Koori history and heritage as well as sharing secrets regarding ancient uses of common plants. Having this oasis of tranquillity and grandeur just a few minutes walk from the CBD makes Melbourne a fortunate city indeed.

OLD MELBOURNE GAOL

For a total change of pace, step inside the walls of a model 19th century gaol and imagine just how tough life must have been for a prisoner in those days. If you are really daring, take a night-time tour by candlelight. Of the 135 men and women executed in this prison, easily the most famous was Ned Kelly. He was the loved and loathed Victorian bushranger whose brief, eventful life was the basis of Peter Carey’s Booker Prize-winning novel ‘True History of the Kelly Gang’.

MELBOURNE MUSEUM

Iconic, innovative, interactive - and fun! Combine a collection of more than 16 million items of national and international significance with a purpose-built state-of-the-art building, and you have the $290 million Melbourne Museum, the largest museum in the southern hemisphere. Forget dusty items in glass cabinets – this is an archetype of the experiential museum, and it’s enormous fun as well. Focusing on natural science, industry and technology, and social history, Melbourne Museum will intrigue visitors of any age.

QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET

Every Melbourne visitor (and every Melburnian) knows the ‘Vic Market’, a much-loved local landmark since it officially opened in 1878. ‘Diverse’ might be an overused word, but we challenge you to find a better adjective for this icon of local commerce and street life. Souvenir stuffed koalas, exotic earrings, fresh crayfish, leather jackets, pickled onions – if you can’t find it at the Queen Victoria Market, maybe it just doesn’t exist. This is Australia’s oldest market, and the largest open-air market in the southern hemisphere. Full of life, full of bargains, full of wonderful produce and unmissable.

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