Hello!
I am coming to Melbourne all alone, on a budget, to discover all the must see attractions
We’ll be visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens
the National Gallery
the famous graffiti alley,
and tour of the State Parliament
Indulging in lots of free food
As well as many historical buildings and other attractions
and ending our visit by chilling out at the St Kilda Beach
All FREE and done easily
Melbourne is the capital city of Australian state of Victoria
and the second-most populous city in Australia with a population of 4.6 million
During the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the world's largest and wealthiest cities
Today, it is a leading financial centre in the Asia-Pacific region
and considered Australia’s cultural capital
with Victorian-era architecture
extensive shopping
museums
galleries
theatres, and large parks and gardens
So, let’s get started by getting out of the airport
If you are arriving from Melbourne Airport
there are public buses for $6.00 plus the cost of Myki card which can be purchased outside of Terminal 1
Downtown shuttle buses are also available, ranging from $18 to $20
many offers door to door drop off
If you are arriving from Avalon Airport
you can reach city centre by schedule shuttle
Both shuttles and most inter-city buses will drop you off at the Southern Cross Station
I recommend you stay in the city centre known as to as the Docklands
surround by lots of attractions accessible by foot
But regardless where you stay
Melbourne is easy to get around with through public transportation
and as of 2017, all fare provides unlimited travel on train, tram and bus for two hours
and the most you’ll be charge a day is two one way fares
Our starting point is the historical Flinders Street Railway Station
It is Melbourne's busiest station and the busiest railway station in Australia
completed in 1909, it is a cultural icon of Melbourne
Our first stop is just located across the street
so to began off, we'll start with the Federation Square
because this is the centre of the city
behind me is a famous cathedral
and what so nice about is you get the Melbourne Visitor Centre where you can get maps and stuff like that if you need it
you can basically walk anywhere nearby by foot
Anyhow...
let's start exploring...
Right across the street is another one of city’s landmark
the St. Paul Cathedral
It is built on the site where the first public Christian service in Melbourne was conducted in 1835
The area of the current site was a corn market until 1848
when it was made available for the construction for the cathedral with the foundation stone laid in 1880
Just few meters away is The Hosier Lane
Melbourne is known as one of the world’s great street art capitals for its unique expressions of arts on displayed throughout the city
and this is definitely one of them…
For those of you who like to pray paint and decorate the public places
Bring your spray can
Yes, you can decorate and mark your turf
and the best of all
its totally legal!
I have no idea any of this shit on the wall says
Nice colours though
I totally agree
I might not know all these on the wall
but I do like the colour and the artistic side of it
I really, really agree with one message here
Street Art is Cool!
and can't agreed more...
By the way
did you know Melbourne operates a free City Circle public tram?
It’ll take you to majorities of attractions mention here on the North Side of Yarra River
So this is a free tram that takes you around to different attractions here in Melbourne
It's pretty cool, because it stops in places like the zoo
Melbourne Star
and bunch of other attractions
if you really want to get a interesting experience
and want to be arrested
that is the place to be right there
One of these stops is Town Hall
It’s the seat of the municipal government of Melbourne
but also used for multiple purposes such as theatrical plays, exhibitions as well as school concerts
Next we’ll checkout the politics of the Victoria State by visit the its Parliament House
It’s connected to the underground metro
but it’s really not necessary as it only 15 minutes walk away
or by free tram
so, if you are interested in politics
this is one of the great place to go to...
The Parliament of Victoria
Because...
it's open to the public and the tour is free
and...
the camera is allowed so you can take lots of selfies in there
It has served as both the seat of the Parliament of Victoria from 1927 to present day
and as the seat of the Federal Parliament of Australia from 1901 to 1927
When Parliament is sitting, visitors are welcome to come in and see Parliament in action, such as the debates
However...
free public guided tours and express tours are available multiple times a day, on weekdays when the Parliament is not sitting
After all that politics, we need to eat something
on a budget off course…
preferably under $10
and the Chinatown is perfect places to be…
So...
we are in Chinatown Melbourne right now
to be honest with you I haven't had Chinese food for so long
I think its time for me to catch up on that wonton soup and fried rice
Melbourne’s Chinatown is located in City Centre and is a major tourist attraction
It was established during the Victorian gold rush in 1851 when Chinese prospectors came to Australia in search of gold
In 1854, the first Chinese lodging houses were created between Little Bourke Street and Celestial Avenue
So this is one of my personal heroes
This is Dr. Sun Yat-Sen
the modern day founder of China
and this is also located in Chinatown
the back is the Chinese Museum
The ground floor of the Chinese Museum was remodelled as a visitor centre for Melbourne's Chinatown.
The traditional Chinese New Year Lion Dance has always ended at this point
With the bless of the good weather
let’s head off a nice fifteen minutes walk to another historical site
The Royal Exhibition Building is also UNESCO World Heritage Site for being one of the last remaining major 19th-century exhibition buildings in the world
It was build to host the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880–81
and later hosted the opening of the first Parliament of Australia in 1901
one advice I want to give to everyone coming to Australia is to be properly hydrated
because its hot most time of the year
However, the bottle water is really expensive, like $2.00 each
what I recommend is you buy a bottle and drink it and refill it at one of the water foundation all over the city
the good thing is the bottled water here is very safe to drink and it taste just fine
Located beside Exhibition Building is the home to Melbourne Museum
Touring Hall is one of the feature exhibitions where international artifacts are displayed
past exhibitions includes mummies from Egypt and dinosaurs from China
Another historical building is the State Library of Victoria
Established in 1854, its the central library for this state
and holds over two million books
It’s reading rooms includes; Chess, Heritage Collection, Art Collection, Newspaper Paper, and more
I think I need to catch up on my reading and here we go!
The State Library of Victoria
Our last destinations on the Northern side of Yarra River is the Queen Victoria Market
It’s a nice 10 minutes walk or accessible the by free tram
This is also another major landmark and the only surviving 19th century market in Central Melbourne.
Prior to its conception in 1878
Queen Victoria Market has being the site of a wholesale fruit and vegetable market, and livestock market
It’s the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere
The Market is open every day of the week except Mondays and Wednesdays
On Wednesday evenings in the summer months
there is a night market which offers dining, bars, live entertainment and a variety of other stalls
The food can be expensive here in Australia
so this is one of the places you can get Free Food…
I mean free samples…
especially if you like CHEESE!!!
But be fast or else you’ll be out compete by the school children
that is part of the tour
that is hummus
that is taggiasca olives
and that is...
But if you can’t compete with them
don’t be disappointed as the price of food here isn’t that bad
Also there are free book sharing
and free candies everywhere to brighten up your day
Next day, its time to explore the best free attractions south side of Yarra River
and this is also the perfect time to introduce another means of transportation
You do get free trams all over downtown Melbourne
but its really nice to be able to go at my own pace with these bikes
and the first 30 minutes is free
you just need to pay a daily access of $3.00 or something like that
and you get unlimited number of rides under 30 minutes
the only drawback is I can't have a tripod
so I have use where-ever I can to put the camera in
Anyways...
I think its time to visit the Botanic Gardens
I think you should join me!
We’ll begin off our tour by biking around the Royal Botanic Gardens
first open in 1846
it’s internationally renowned and consist of 94 acres of landscaped gardens
Consisting of a mix of native and exotic vegetation, including over ten thousand individual species
Since its earliest days, the Royal Botanic Gardens is involved in plant research and identification
This is done primarily through the National Herbarium of Victoria, which is based at the Gardens
The Herbarium is also home to the State Botanical Collection
which includes over 1.2 million dried plant specimens, and an extensive collection of books, journals and artworks
Another nearby attraction is the Shrine of Remembrance
built as a memorial to the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I
and is now a memorial to all Australians who have served in the war
Today, it is one of the largest war memorials in Australia
and the site of annual observances of ANZAC Day on April 25 and Remembrance Day on November 11
I think I am getting wet!
Next we’ll visit one of the largest and best art gallery in the world
National Gallery of Victoria or NGV International on the St. Kilda Road
Its history can be traced back to the Victorian gold rush when Victoria became the richest colony in Australia
In 1859, the Government of Victoria pledged £2000 for the purchase of plaster casts of sculpture
In the early 1860s further money was set aside for the establishment of the first "National Gallery"
pretty amazing...
look how big are these portraits
I have no words to describe it
its just amazing!
The NGV's Australian art collection encompasses Indigenous Australian Aboriginal art and artifacts
Australian colonial art, Australian Impressionist art, 20th century, modern and contemporary arts
one of the great thing about this gallery is the fact that...
you can get so close to the artworks
off course you shouldn't touch it
lot of them are just open air and there is no glasses
it makes you feel almost its yours
The NGV's international art collection encompasses European and international paintings, fashion, textiles, photography, decorative arts, prints and drawings
It also has extensive collection of Asian art, Meso-American art, Pacific art, sculpture, antiquities and global contemporary arts
So we are in the Japanese Exhibit
This is just of many, they got one for China, India and so on...
These are some of the rare collections from Japan
considering this is a free gallery
it's a must-see
As you can see when you are in Melbourne, you can see lots of strange architecture
I don't know what that is?
I know there is Sunday market there...
I don't know what this is and there is no description anywhere
But!!!
at least you get to enjoy different types of architecture here in Melbourne
Right next to the gallery lies some funny structure
initially I thought it was a television or radio antenna
but its not
It’s actually Arts Centre Melbourne
Finally, we finish our tour of downtown Melbourne at the Riverside
Just few steps from where we began at the opposite to the Federation Square
Well, after all that walking, I think its time for us to take a rest
at the...
The Alexandra Gardens right by the Riverside
So, let's go and check it out
Pedestrian and cycle access to the gardens is via steps or a ramp from Princes Bridge
or along the promenade from Southbank under Princes bridge
After two days of non-stop walk and biking
it’s time to chill out at Melbourne’s most famous beach
St. Kilda Beach
located just 6 km from the City Centre and accessible by the tram
It’s also home of the Royal Melbourne Yacht
and the roads which run alongside St Kilda Beach are popular for many sporting events
such as marathons and bicycle racing
But if you are lucky enough, you may even see some little penguins by near the marina
Finally, I return to Southern Cross Station to catch a bus to Avalon Airport for my flight to Sydney
From the same station, there is also shuttle buses that goes to Melbourne Airport
as well as Greyhound and other interstate coaches that will connect to you other Australian cities
With that being said…
I hope you enjoy Melbourne
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Thanks for watching!