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Melbourne

Destination guide

Melbourne

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Hosier Lane.
Explore Melbourne’s famous laneways on a Hidden Secrets tour.

Nine ways to embrace Melbourne’s cooler months this year

The city’s Europeanness truly comes to the fore in autumn and winter. From shows to cosy new openings, here’s how to soak up the best of the season.

  • Katherine Scott
Point Lonsdale Pier.

The things I hated about this beach town as a child are what I love now

My family started visiting this seaside town in the 1980s. Back then I hated the tea-tree, the sand dunes and the lack of a pub.

  • Katrina Strickland
The outdoor terrace is a must at sunset.

New Melbourne hotel exceeds expectations (and is less than $200 a night)

The city’s latest Accor hotel shows that a quality stay needn’t break the bank.

  • Chris Chamberlin
Melbourne: I’d probably like it.

I have a confession: I’m a travel writer, but I’ve never been to Melbourne

I live just 90 minutes’ flight away in Sydney, but for some reason the call of overseas has always been stronger than heading south to our second-largest city.

  • Paul Marshall
Queenscliff Station.

Make the most of free trains: 10 of the best trips to take from Melbourne

In an era of soaring petrol prices and free rail travel, nothing beats taking the train.

  • Tim Richards
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Englighten in Bendigo.

Ten great things to do in Victoria with kids during the Easter holidays

Take a vintage steam train or spend a night at the museum. Here are 10 of the best things to keep the kids entertained these school holidays.

  • Catherine Best
Hannah St Hotel, Southbank.

The verdict on Melbourne’s glam new Manhattan-style hotel

Tucked next to a major highway and likened to New York’s iconic Flatiron Building, Hannah St Hotel might be the city’s most convincing slice of the Big Apple.

  • Katherine Scott
Putting on the glitz. The Ritz-Carlton’s infinity pool.

The best places to stay in Melbourne

With huge growth in recent years, the hotel scene in Melbourne has become as diverse and extensive as the city itself. 

  • Julietta Jameson
Savour a summer’s day in Fitzroy Gardens.

I dreamt of Disneyland, but a park became my real dream destination

Every summer our friends disappeared to the coast in caravans, or road-tripped to Surfers Paradise. We were stuck at home, until my mum had an idea.

  • Julietta Jameson
The Victoria’s impressive chandelier and a central staircase.

As a travel writer, here’s where I stay in Melbourne when I’m paying

Built before the era of big gyms and pools, this CBD hotel is cosmopolitan, unpretentious, calm – and very affordable.

  • John Borthwick