What To Do On Your Melbourne Campervan Road Trip
The state-of-the-art, modern and exciting museums and galleries, beautiful public spaces, heritage sites, wildlife, and ground-breaking architecture are characteristic of the great city of Melbourne. This cosmopolitan city is a place where cutting-edge technology and natural wonders coincide. Come discover for yourself all the hidden gems this city has to offer!
Queen Victoria Market
The culinary center of Melbourne, this market offers food from around the world. While there, you might want to take part in a two-hour-long Foodies Tour.
Federation Square
Federation Square is your first stop on a great Melbourne Campervan Rental road trip. Get yourself oriented at the Visitor Information Centre, where the helpful staff will give you maps and brochures, and help you make travel reservations, including campervan hire in Melbourne.
The square is home to the Ian Potter Centre, which is the first major art gallery to contain exclusively art from local Australian artists and artisans. It has over 20 galleries, and is located in an inspiring setting, by the Yarra River.
Melbourne Museum
This 6-story museum features all the latest and greatest technology to help you better understand the plants, animals and culture of Australia. Right next door you’ll find the Royal Exhibition Building (a World Heritage site) and Carlton Gardens.
Eureka Skydeck 88
The observation deck at the top of Eureka Tower will allow you to get a 360-degree view of the city from 254 metres up in the air. The tower is the highest residential building in the Southern Hemisphere.
Melbourne Aquarium
Get up close and personal with sharks when you dive into a 2.2-million-litre aquarium. You’ll have the chance on the Southern Ocean dive adventure to see all kinds of deep-water creatures.
Victorian Arts Centre
The Victorian Arts Centre sites in the Southbank entertainment district. The Centre is cultural meeting place for performing arts companies, many coming on tour from international locations. Come by any day of the week to see the great gallery with intriguing exhibitions, take a guided tour, or come to one of the daily performances. Every Sunday, artisans and producers set up shop just outside the Centre to sell their goods.
Old Melbourne Gaol
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be arrested in the 19th century, here’s your chance! At the Old Melbourne Gaol, experience realistic, indulging, and participatory re-enactments of olden-days judicial practices. Experience getting arrested and sent to jail, and sit in one of the same cells that Ned Kelly, the most famous outlaw in the country, would have been in while awaiting his hanging on 11 November 1880.
You will have the opportunity to learn about Justice in Australia, the prison’s usage as a military detention barracks in World War II, and hear the stories of ex-military prisoners from Australia, America, Germany and Italy.
Melbourne Zoo
The Melbourne Zoo contains a great variety of both local and foreign animals for the whole family to enjoy on your Melbourne campervan vacation. There are pygmy hippopotamuses, tigers, gorillas, mandrills, otters, orang-utans, and many, many more! The zoo offers a “Roar and Snore Safari” package where you can stay overnight and see the nocturnal creatures come out that normal visitors don’t usually get to witness. You’ll also have the advantage of camp hosts who are both experts and lovers of animals.
Melbourne River Cruises
Near Flinders Street Station, at Southbank promenade and Princess Bridge is the departure point for an epic cruise down the Yarra River. This makes the perfect end to a perfect Melbourne motorhome vacation. You’ll get to see the city like never before!
Melbourne Shopping
Shopping in Melbourne is legendary, where excellent department stores like Myer and David Jones, co-exist with specialty chocolatiers, clothing boutiques, stationers and all kinds of niche shops. Places to put on your shopping list include Melbourne Central Shopping Centre for everything, Little Collins St for boutique fashion, Chapel Street for all kinds of fashion, Brunswick and Smith Streets for more bohemian/streetwear and goods, and St Kilda for incredible cakes! Which leads to the next topic...
Melbourne Food
Melbourne is a city that never sleeps. The trams rattle through the streets all night, and every one has a party on-board. They’re on their way to any of the fabulous and world-renowned bars, clubs, restaurants, or cafés. This city is home to fashionable people who like to shop and have fun!
For a city of its size, there is an incredible amount of selection when it comes to food. The locals will tell you that certain suburbs are known for their specialties, where you can find local food, foreign food, and the delicious result of mixing the two.
If you love Chinese food, you won’t want to miss Little Bourke Street. Melbourne’s Chinatown is home to some of the best Chinese restaurants outside of China.
For a wide range of options, whether it is Australian, Indian, Japanese, or even Vietnamese check out the Bayside precinct of the suburb of St. Kilda.
Other districts that you should know about are Carlton and Fitzroy. These north-of-downtown areas are known for great affordable cuisine. On Carlton St., you’ll find a wide assortment of Italian restaurants and cafés. In particular you should definitely check out Lygon and Brunswick Streets for the best of the best!
If you want to party with the locals, then there are a few particular restaurants you should know about. The contemporary Seamstress is an eatery with exotic Cantonese cocktails and cozy, private booths. If you want to take in some of the jazz this city has to offer, there’s no better place than Tony Starr’s Kitten Club. If beer’s your thing, and you like live music, then head over to The Prince on weekends for some fun times.