Travel Recap: Melbourne, Australia

When my then-fiancé and I were trying to decide upon a honeymoon destination, we knew our honeymoon would likely be the longest vacation we'd ever take, so we wanted to take advantage of that when it came to travel time. That's why we chose Australia and New Zealand, since a day of travel both ways wouldn't cut too much into it. And it helped that our honeymoon was in January, which is summer in the Southern Hemisphere! So we booked our first flight to Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria and a foodie city with lots of street art and options for several easy nearby day trips. 

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tips and advice:

  • When we were flying from the U.S. to Melbourne, we checked about flight upgrades at the ticket counter and opted not to upgrade because it was extremely expensive, then we checked again at the gate where the cost of 2 upgrades combined was less than the cost of one upgrade at the ticket counter.
  • Coming from the U.S. East Coast, we typically got tired around 10pm every night.
  • We visited in January, and the weather was perfect for shorts and dresses with jean jackets (approximately 60-80 degrees). However, apparently weather in Melbourne is unpredictable, so be sure to check in advance!
  • Melbourne is a foodie city famous for its street murals and art, coffee shops, and little alleys.
  • We aim to do one big excursion or activity in every city and to spend the rest of our time exploring -- in Melbourne, we chose the Great Ocean Road as our excursion.
  • Check in advance what's open and if reservations are required! Some shops, restaurants, and bars close early or aren't open at all on certain days (like on Mondays or Tuesdays).
  • Nearly every local we spoke to stressed the importance of tourism to Australia's economy, worried about the effect of the January 2020 wildfires on Australians' livelihoods, and expressed gratitude that we as tourists were there. Just a month or so after our January 2020 honeymoon, the COVID pandemic hit and global travel shut down, so it's especially heartbreaking to think of the additional damage inflicted on Australia because of COVID.
  • Per my understanding, tipping isn't standard in Australia, but as we were there during the January 2020 wildfires, we still tipped at least 10% to try to help make up for any lost tourism revenue.
  • One thing I'd note if you plan to hit multiple cities is to look at where they are in relation to each other: We flew from Melbourne to Cairns to Sydney based on price but we might have spent less time in the air (and thus more time on the ground) if we'd visited the cities in different order.
  • With jet-lag and no longer being in my 20s, I'm not much for wild nightlife these days, but Melbourne is known for its nightlife! Check out St. Kilda if that interests you!

itinerary:
  • Hotel: The Langham Melbourne
    • This hotel, its accommodations, and its location were lovely. We were able to walk so much of the city by staying here.
  • Day 1
    • We spent the day exploring the city, with a particular focus on murals. Our favorite murals were the Baby Yoda ones!
    • Dinner reservation at Cutler & Co.
      • We made a reservation in advance and chose the chef's selection menu, and it was delicious! We always like to do the chef's menu/tasting menu when traveling because it provides the opportunity to taste multiple items.
  • Day 2
    • Toured the Great Ocean Road with Simon Greenland of the Private Tour Guide
      • Private all-day tour (just the two of us for approximately 11-12 hours) in which we drove the Great Ocean Road to see the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, Razorback, and Gibson Steps, among others; saw koalas and kangaroos; and ate lunch at the Bay Leafe Cafe.
      • Most of the larger tours do the stops along the way and then drive back, but Simon drives out and then does the stops on the way back, so you miss the crowds. We planned this thinking we could sleep on the way if we were jet-lagged, but Simon was so pleasant and knowledgeable we stayed awake the whole time to learn more!
    • Dinner at Pure South Dining
      • We chose this restaurant because it was around the corner from our hotel, and we were feeling the jet-lag. We selected the chef's menu again and were able to enjoy another delicious meal.
  • Day 3
    • Breakfast at Lune Croissanterie 
      • The line was very long (but moved quickly), and we were stressed about finding somewhere to eat once we'd ordered, but we found a spot and the food was worth it.
    • Explored Fitzroy Gardens
    • Wine and snacks at Napier Quarter
    • Dinner at Chin Chin 
      • I ordered the Feed Me #1, and it was so good but I was so full I couldn't finish, despite how much I wanted to.
photo diary:

Sunglasses: Illesteva Leonard in tortoise/pink (affiliate link) | Earrings: Red Dress Boutique (affiliate link) | Jean jacket: Old Navy | Dress: Lulu's (affiliate link)| Purse: Tory Burch | Shoes: Vince Camuto Breshan Espadrille Platform Sandal (affiliate link)




An extra bonus to Simon's tour? He was more than happy to play photographer, and as you can see we beat the crowds because of him! 
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban Mirrored Clubmaster sunglasses in green mirror (affiliate link) | Jacket: J Crew | Leggings: Under Armor | Sneakers: ASICS




Simon spotted this koala on the side of the road as we were driving (I have no idea how because I completely missed it!) and quickly pulled over so we could get a quick photo.

Koalas sleep 18-22 hours per day, so we were extremely lucky to see two of them awake!

Breakfast at Lune Croissanterie.

Melbourne was initially called "Batmania," after its founder John Batman. My husband thinks changing the name was a mistake!

At Napier Quarter - I had to snap a photo because I have family friends named Napier :-)

where to eat and drink:
what to do:
  • The Great Ocean Road
    • The Great Ocean Road is 150+ miles long and was built by soldiers after they returned home from WWI. Out of a population of approximately 5 million, 330,000 Australians volunteered for WWI; 60,000 were killed with 160,000 wounded. Australia had the highest casualty rate of any nation in WWI, and this was Australia's highest casualty rate in any war. The Great Ocean Road is dedicated to the Australian soldiers who were killed during WWI and is therefore the world's largest war memorial. 
  • Bike or walking tour around the city -- some walking tours are free!
  • Wine tasting in Yarra Valley (day trip)
    • There are bus tours for transportation, or you can opt for a helicopter ride there and back!
  • Botanic Gardens
  • Phillip Island to see penguins
  • Eureka Skydeck
    • This is the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere! It's particularly beautiful at sunset.
  • Melbourne's museums
  • Take in the sports scene!

links I used or recommend:


Ultimately, I loved Melbourne, but when ranked against Cairns/Port Douglas and Sydney, it ended up my least favorite of the three. Cities can tend to feel very similar to other big cities, and there were definitely times when I felt like I could have been in any other city. However, I might have felt differently if we'd had time to visit Phillip Island, and the food was amazing and the Great Ocean Road was incredible -- both beautiful and powerful! 

From Melbourne we flew to Cairns to visit the Great Barrier Reef -- you can read that recap here.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments or if there's anything I missed!

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