General: Melbourne (Australia)

I suppose I should probably begin by declaring my unquestionable bias on this subject… Melbourne is my home town, and although I've lived in a lot of other places around the world, I've probably spent the majority of my life there.It often strikes me that whilst Australia is obviously a very popular destination for tourists generally, Melbourne is frequently overlooked in favour of Sydney; its bigger, brasher, older sister up north. This seems a ...
...more lively and appealing city to visit. WHY VISIT MELBOURNE? Why? Well, because it's a city like no other. For starters, it has a fabulous climate with four genuine seasons, which is a rarity in Australia. Melbourne tends to be hot and sunny all through the summer, pleasantly bright and warm in the spring, romantically autumnal in the autumn and suitably frosty in the winter, albeit with plenty of sunshine during the day. On a September day in ...

snowbunni 07.11.2005 (15.01.2006) · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

There are several cities in Australia which compete to be the nicest, the most comfortable, and the most interesting. As far as I'm concerned, the hands-down winner is my home city of Melbourne. Not that I am in the least bit biased - but 20 years of living in one place tends to give you a certain, intimate connection with it. And Melbourne has a lot to be intimate about, I suppose! In case you do not know, Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria, ...
...approximately 3,500,000 people spread throughout about 6000 square kilometres, making Melbourne one of the largest cities in terms of size. The City itself houses only about 100,000 people, but the suburban sprawl of Melbourne is very extensive. It continues out to Werribee and Sunbury in the west, up to Hurstbridge in the north and out to Belgrave and Lilydale in the east. Get out an atlas! It also follows the mornington peninsula and officially ...

adamsputnik 21.07.2004 · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

I went to Melbourne not for the Neighbours connection as many people do, but for the gymnastics. Whike I was working in Sydney, the 2005 World Championships was taking place at the Rod Laver Arena in the city, and I had a ticket to the Women's All Round Finals on Friday night so decided to make a weekend of it. Melbourne's a 70 - 90 minute flight from Sydney, and you can fly there and back for about $150 if you book at the right time, so many visitors ...
...long weekend or on a stop over from or to Tasmania or Adelaide or Perth. I liked Melbourne, and would go so far as to say I would choose to live there over Sydney if I ever come back to Australia for a long stint. It's hard to pin down exactly why I prefer it, but I think the number of things to see and do and explore in the city played a big part. I started at the top of the city, with a trip to the observation deck where you can admire the city ...

zoe_page 29.11.2005 (26.06.2006) · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

I visited Melbourne over the Christmas break and what a break it was! Instead of doing a usual what a wonderful city this is, I thought I will give a tour of Melbourne based on food. Getting hungry already? Well, here we go! Lets start at the airport. Upon arrival, the immigration officers were very efficient and before long, we were through and collecting our bags. Just a word of warning; because Australia is an island, they are very strict about ...
...you have food items, plants or even animal skin, do declare it. Upon exiting the arrival hall, you have 3 choices. One, someone is there to meet you, whereupon transportation is already taken care of. Two, you are in Melbourne by yourself and have already decided where you are staying (in the city), and so the airport shuttle (Airbus) would be a viable form of transportation to get into the city. It cost $13 (australian) one-way or $21 return. Three, ...

petitesquirt 25.02.2003 · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

I have one tip if you are intending on visiting Australia and that is "Come to Melbourne before you visit Sydney". We visited Melbourne in July (the middle of winter in Oz) having flown from Sydney which we had been living in for the past 7 months. Our first day in Melbourne, we froze and ended up in shops buying gloves and scarves. It is so much further south than Sydney, that it gets very cold in Winter with winds which cut through you, so be ...
...Accommodation in Melbourne is not great for the budget traveller. We found a place called 'The Lords Lodge' in the Rough Guide, it got 4 stars and they said it was very nice with clean facilities - they were very wrong. We ended up staying one night and found a really nice place called 'Toad Hall Hotel' {441 Elizabeth St., Melbourne (03) 9600 9010 } in the city. It was so clean and warm that we ended up staying there for about 11 weeks. Melbourne ...

shanemcdonald 23.02.2004 · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

To 'celebrate' my new name on Ciao (I had to change from SB as the new-fangled internal search engine the site now uses can no longer find member names that are less than three letters long) I've decided to write an opinion on my travels. For those that don't know, or should that be care, Mercury was the Roman God of Travelling... cunning heh? Anyway my five months of work in Sydney finished a few weeks ago and instead of spending all my hard earned ...
...drinking excessively in for the last half a year or so I decided it was time to hit the road again and get back in the travelling spirit... my destination for a two week sojourn the Southern State of Victoria and the Australian Grand Prix. As with my previous travel opinions this will be an amalgamation of a guide book style things to do and see and a diarised type travelogue of the various things I've actually been up to in Melbourne. Hopefully ...

Mercury 14.03.2002 · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

I visited Melbourne in July last year so this is basically a review of what I saw and what I thought about it. Firstly my husband, son and I all went to Melbourne Australia last year to visit family, namely my husbands grandmother and grandfather, who emigrated out to Australia from Wales many many years ago. The airport --------------- I actually loved Melbourne airport, you walk down from the plane to emigration (you fill in your visa on the ...
...and sends you down the ramp to collect your luggage, you then walk through customs out to the main termial and the exit. The traffic ------------- What you have to understand about Melbourne is that it's nothing like England, these people live beside highways that are basically four lanes or more. For every right turn on these roads, you have an undertaking lane so that the traffic doesn't get backed up behind the stupid git who wants to turn ...

jakes-mum 19.03.2006 (20.03.2006) · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

If you are planning a trip to Australia then Melbourne is an absolute must to add to your itinerary. It is such a beautiful city and contains everything you could possibly want. As part of a working holiday, I spent 3 months living in Melbourne and these are the main attractions as well as some helpful hints. Anything goes in Melbourne, so be prepared, you will see some very unusual sights!! You may also spot the odd famous person...I saw Kimberley ...
...have read the other reviews on Melbourne and they cover the most famous attractions so I wanted to add a few more that most people may not know about. Crown Casino: A great night out even if just to watch. I went 3 times while I was in Melbourne and loved it every visit – even though I didn’t always win money. It is just so big and flashy and there is so much to choose to see. Not only is there gambling (roulette, black jack, pokies ...

scrapper78 15.08.2002 · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, is Australia's second city and is home to over 3.5 million people. It has a concentrated city centre with a clutch of gleaming sky scrapers but is resolutely green in its approach to the environment. As well as a thriving inner city scene it also boasts the bohemian suburbs of St. Kilda and Richmond. Melbourne sits on the Australian south coast which means that there are suburban beaches to be lapped up. Unfortunately ...
...Melbourne lacks in beaches though, it more than makes up for in sport and the arts. Many of Australia's favourite television programs have their base in town such as 'The Secret Life Of Us' and 'Rove Live'. Melbourne is also the hotbed for Aussie Rules Football with several top teams based in the city. Getting from the cities international Airport in Tullamarine is a nightmare if you are on a budget. Situated 22 km away, there is a complete absence ...

indiecater 23.12.2002 · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

I'm a born and bred Melbournian so I'm sure that I'm slightly biased but Melbourne is a wonderful place. Although I no longer in Melbourne (I now live in the UK) I often go back for visits and to see the family so I thought I'd add a few tips on what to see and do. There are many things to see and do in Melbourne and, even if your time is short, you can see plenty just by getting those walking shoes on and going wherever takes your fancy. It's difficult ...
...in a grid pattern and if you do lose your way, you can jump on any one of many trams that go around the city. In fact, one way to see this city is to jump on one of the free trams that goes around Melbourne and takes in many of the sites. These trams used to be a fetching burgendy colour but I've since been told that they are now the same colour as the "normal" ones (i.e. green and yellow) but just ask if you are not sure. Some of the sites the ...

aingel 14.05.2001 · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

Lovely. Absolutely 100 percentey lovely. The first thing you notice when you arrive in Melbourne is when you're flying over it in a plane all the streets are like in New York - all criss-cross, so it's easy to find your way around. So after collecting your bags, you jump in to a taxi and go to your hotel. May I reccommend you stay at the Rockman's Regency - it's 'One of the best Hotels in the World.' The food is fantastic, but you can also rent ...
...self-cooking basis. I must point out that the flats are very nice, and that supermarkets are available near to the apartments. People are very welcoming and charming, and you'll find a lot to do. Perhaps you want to go and see the set of Neighbours, a street which does exist and is lived in. Or maybe a boat trip takes your fancy. Or maybe, you want to do what I did - take a train trip to the Koala sanctuary - it's well worth it. I was very ill on ...

danieletheridge 08.02.2001 · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

I must start by saying that i grew up in Melbourne and spent the best part of 20 years there. Now living in London I still pine for the unaffected, easy-going lifestyle that Melbourne engenders. Where to begin... Get a hotel near the centre of town, anywhere with a 3000 postcode is good or aim for the food and drink centres of St Kilda, Fitzroy, Carlton or Prahran. The airport is only half an hour from the city and i would recommend getting a taxi ...
...a lot depending on where you stay, but hostels are plentiful in the above areas and average around $AUD30 a night - they are without a doubt the cleanest and best looked after hostels in the world. At the higher end of the market the central business district is full of 3-5 star hotels, ranging in price from $150 - $400 a night). If you've got the cash i would highly recommend the Windsor Hotel on Spring St, a venerable institution in the colonial ...

Jimigill 11.12.2003 · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

We stayed on Spencer Street, a short walk from the airport shuttle stop at the railway station, on the city tram loop. The street is a typical grimy city street like the Kings Cross Road, London. My Mother was hoping I would like Melborne better than Sidney two years before, not a very good start. We walked into Swanston Street, the heart of the shopping district where the coach operators share offices and the main pick-up point. I found much of ...
...(does everyone in Australia smoke?), with beggars/drunks. The shop doors were splintered and we were watched like hawks. We liked the river and parks (in daylight) and the area outside the city tram loop. We mostly took coach trips. We enjoyed all those. Unfortunately the half day ones left us in Swanston Street for lunch! If we come again - to retake trips and those we did not have time for - we would stay out of the city tram loop and use the ...

lms3504 11.12.2000 · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

I love Australia and one of the nices Cities is Melbourne. I fell in love with it on my first visit 30 years ago then in the last year I went over to Melbourne again on a visit and I still got the same type of Buzz which I got all those years earlier. Melbourne is a major centre of Commerce, Indusrt and Cultural Activity. There are a great variety of buildings Victorian as well as Modern. The climate is very similar to ours in the South East of ...
...It is very easy to get around particularly if you are a Tourist. They have a City Tourist Shuttle which takes you around the Top Attractions which you would like to see if you were a visitor. There are 15 stops so you can get on and off them when ever you wanted to. The other plus factor is it will not cost you anything as it is a free service. There are many parks and gardens to visit and the one I like the best is Fitzroy gardens, this is where ...

ruth1957 30.07.2007 · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)

I have lived in Melbourne twice now. The first time I studied there for 1 year and the second I worked on a working holiday visa for 6 months. People arrive in Melbourne and don’t want to leave. It has a culture and people that you would not expect from Australia, very reserved people who know how to have fun and love to relax in one of the many cafés. It is a city of diverse suburbs that form one huge metropolis. The one big surprise though is the ...

RobS 07.08.2000 · Read full review
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Review of General: Melbourne (Australia)