Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria, the southernmost state on the mainland of Australia. It's the largest city in the country, closely followed by Sydney in neighbouring New South Wales.
I first visited Melbourne during a solo backpacking trip around Australia in 2019 where I followed the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport. This time, I've returned to Australia with my partner and we're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country).
For over 40,000 years, the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived, calling the area Narrm.
The first Europeans to arrive in present-day Melbourne were from Tasmania in 1835 (then called Van Diemen's Land) and permanently settled in 1837. It received city status from Queen Victoria a decade later and became the capital of the state of Victoria in 1851. It became one of the country's (and world's) largest and wealthiest cities thanks to the gold rush of the 1850s. When the federation of Australia happened in 1901, Melbourne was the interim capital until the permanent capital of Canberra was established in 1927.
I have to say quite honestly, both times I visited in 2019 and again in 2026 that I didn't really like Melbourne. I strive to always be truthful in my blog posts and so I will share everything I got up to on both visits but with the context that I can't personally recommend the city.
I first visited Melbourne in January 2019 on a solo backpacking trip and returned with my partner in March 2026 and updated the original post with all the new things we did. This post was first published on 19 January 2019; last updated 14 March 2026.
Every single spot (and more) that I mention in all my blog posts about Australia can be found in my Australia | Ultimate Map!
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Each pin includes exact locations, images, detailed information, the ability to open and save the spot in your Google Maps and a link to my relevant blog post to read more.
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Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to Melbourne. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. In Melbourne, the traditional language of the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation is Bunurong and Woi wurrung respectively.
→ Learn more about the language of the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data/WiFi: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
We travel with a Starlink in our campervan which enables us to have unlimited WiFi wherever we are, even in places without coverage.
There is free WiFi available throughout most of Melbourne thanks to the City Government on the VicFreeWiFi network.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. Melbourne can get extremely busy especially around the school summer holidays and cool in the winter months. I recommend visiting in spring (September-November) or autumn (March-May) for pleasant, sunny days.
Length of stay: On my first visit in 2019, I spent just shy of a week in Melbourne including a day trip to visit the Great Ocean Road. When I returned in 2026 with my partner, we just did a day trip to the city. As I said in the introduction, I didn't particularly like Melbourne on either visit. Truthfully, I wouldn't personally recommend a visit, but I do know plenty of people who loved the city!
As Melbourne is Australia's largest city and the capital of Victoria, the southernmost mainland state in Australia, and home to just under 5.5 million people, it is a major destination to travel to.
By flight: The easiest way to get to Melbourne is by flying, home to a major international airport (the second-largest in Australia after Sydney) connecting 48 airlines to 31 domestic and 38 international destinations directly.
From Melbourne Airport, it's just a 25-minute drive into the city; Uber is a popular choice here. You can also grab the SkyBus straight from the airport to the CBD in about half an hour.
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to Melbourne is with your own wheels. The most popular way of exploring Australia is by camping - whether with a motorhome, campervan, caravan or a roof tent on top of a car. This gives you the ultimate freedom of going as fast or as slow as you like.
You might want to start in Melbourne as your base for renting a campervan to explore Australia.
→ Rent a campervan in Perth with Apollo, Camplify, Indie or Juicy.
By coach: Both Flixbus and Greyhound run coaches to Melbourne from multiple stops in Victoria, Canberra and New South Wales.
By train: The NSW TrainLink connects Melbourne with Sydney, a journey of about 11 hours, stopping along the way.
On foot: The main CBD area is very walkable and exploring on foot is the best way to get around and visit many of the city's main highlights.
By public transport: Transport Victoria runs a vast bus, train and tram network around Melbourne, making this a super practical and easy way to get around such as down to Brighton Beach.
→ Plan your trip by public transport around Melbourne.
By car: If you have your own wheels, of course you can drive yourself around.
→ Find out about parking in Melbourne.
By Uber: Uber is readily available throughout Melbourne.
By guided tour: There are countless guided tours of all sorts in Melbourne available, no matter what you're interested in!
Taking the train from Brighton to Melbourne
Walking around Chinatown
Hostel: When I first visited Melbourne in 2019, I was on a solo backpacking trip around Australia, staying in hostels along the way and traveling by public transport.
I stayed at Flinder's Backpackers right in the heart of Melbourne, a popular hostel. They offer free daily breakfast, coffee and tea plus free WiFi and had plenty of free activities to join.
Hotel: Not traveling by campervan? Driving in a car? Whatever your reason for needing a place to stay, there are some great accommodation options in Melbourne to suit any budget.
→ Check out all the accommodation options in Melbourne.
Brisbane is Australia's third-largest city and has countless food options to go with it. When I visited in 2019, I cooked in my hostel and don't have any food recommendations from then.
However, when we returned in 2026, we had the most incredible sandwiches for lunch at UNION KISOK, a fantastic little spot in the heart of Melbourne. All their sandwiches are entirely vegan including some fantastically creative flavours such as bolognese, plus they offer gluten-free bread! It's the perfect spot for lunch in the city.
After lunch, we grabbed gelato from the nearby ANITA, a super stylish gelateria in the heart of Melbourne serving up so many delicious flavours. I had the watermelon mint and the hazelnut and both were perfection.
For dinner, we headed out of the city to Midori by Tao's which is no ordinary sushi restaurant - they offer an entirely vegetarian menu! For someone like me who loves sushi but doesn't eat meat or fish, this was such a delight. They have a sushi train so you can pick whatever you want off the conveyer belt, plus order anything else off the menu. I'm pretty sure it's the only all-vegetarian sushi train in Australia. The food was so good and so creative; I can highly recommend stopping here for dinner when you're in the Melbourne area.
Brisbane is the largest city in Australia and the capital of Victoria. Personally, I did not like Melbourne on either my 2019 backpacking or 2026 campervan visits.
Having said that, I truly LOVED Victoria and the surrounding areas around Melbourne are amazing. I have included day or multi-day trip suggestions at the end of this post.
Check out Flinders Street Station
An ornate and grand old train station, Flinders Street is the main station in Melbourne connecting regionally and state-wide. Even if you don't catch a train here, the building itself is worth a visit as it's well-known for its opulent architecture and massive dome.
Hang out in Fed Square
Fed Square is a plaza in the heart of town that stands out against the backdrop of the city. I visited Melbourne in 2019 during the peak of the Australian Open and the square was filled with seats in front of a massive TV for fans to come together and watch the tennis.
→ Check out what's going on in Fed Sqaure during your visit to Melbourne.
See the graffiti in Hosier Lane
Hosier Lane is the most popular example of Melbourne alleyways being transformed from dumping grounds to works of art. Worth a stop for a photograph!
Go shopping in the Block Arcade
Block Arcade is Melbourne's boutique historic shopping centre with stunning architecture and those kind floors you want to stand on all day long, plus some opulent tea houses.
Visit the State Library of Victoria
I first visited the State Library of Victoria in downtown Melbourne in 2019 on my first visit to Australia and returned in 2026.
The State Library of Victoria opened in 1856 and features some stunning reading rooms full of books. Many people come here to study and use the internet computers; the whole building is free to visit and use.
I can recommend visiting the Dome and the Redmond Barry Reading Room. Please be quiet and respectful of others during your visit.
The Dome
Redmond Barry Reading Room
2019
Explore the Shrine of Remembrance
Located in South Melbourne, I really enjoyed my visit to the Shrine of Remembrance in 2019, a beautiful commemorative structure to honour those who have served. My favourite part was the hand-written collection of books in which was inscribed the name of all who served from Australia during the First World War. A great view of Melbourne can be had from the top of the balcony, too.
Spot the bathing boxes of Brighton Beach
Possibly Melbourne's most famous beach, just a short train ride out of the city (direction Sandringham), Brighton Beach is home to the famous Brighton Bathing Boxes. The 82 iconic boxes on the beach were built in the early 1900s originally as women's private changing areas. Most often they are passed down from family to family through the generations, but sometimes go on the market for top dollar.
2019
While in Melbourne in both 2019 and 2026, I did some really cool day and multi-day trips to beautiful spots around the region. Click on each picture below to read my complete guides!
Great Ocean Road
Tarra-Bulga National Park
Phillip Island
Mornington Peninsula
Dandenong Ranges
Daylesford
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
