So it is already decided that you are going to visit Melbourne during
your vacations this year. The tickets are booked and necessities like hotel
stay and logistics are already planned. What remains still is how you get to
know more about the city even before visiting it? What are the tourist attractions to be seen??
What is the best tradeoff between time taken to visit a place, money spend on
doing so and the final pleasure out of it??Most importantly what will make your
trip memorable??
So the purpose of my writing this article is to make you fall in love
with this magnificent city ‘Melbourne’
and once you are awe inspired, the magic of the city will be lots stronger on
your senses. Feel the pulse of the city through my post and you will thank me
for a being an enthusiastic blog ambassador of the city. By the way I have been
to Australia 2 times and seen mostly Queensland and the marvel of the nature ‘The Great Barrier Reef’. My memory of the country is a beautiful place
with splendid scenic beauty, serenity, low population density, warm people and
their obsession with the debate ‘Sir Don Bradman versus Sachin Tendulkar’.
According to the The Liveabililty Ranking and Overview August 2012
*** Melbourne, second
year in a row remains the most liveable location of the 140 cities surveyed. The Liveability Ranking
and Overview assesses living conditions in 140 cities around the
world. A rating of relative comfort for 30 indicators is assigned across five
broad categories: stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education;
and infrastructure. The survey gives an overall rating of 0-100, where 1 is
intolerable and 100 is ideal.
*** This ranking is done by the Economist Intelligence Unit and this is an independent business within ‘The Economist Group.’
So what makes this place
to special and so adorable!!
Top 10 things international overnight visitors to Melbourne
do on their trip
(Source: Tourism Research Australia – International Visitor
Survey, year ending March 2012)
1.
Eat out (83%)
2.
Shopping for pleasure (78%)
3.
Sightseeing/looking around (73%)
4.
Go to the beach (63%)
5.
Go to markets (55%)
6.
Visit national parks/state parks (51%)
7.
Visit botanical or other public gardens
(48%)
8.
Visit museums or art galleries (43%)
9.
Visit historical buildings/sites (41%)
10.
Pubs/clubs/discos (40%)
So here is my list of To- Go Places in Melbourne based on the
‘Top 5 interests’ of the
international travelers:
Eating Out (83%)
Bottega Restaurant
For delightful Italian cuisine,
visit Bottega -Melbourne’s one of the finest restaurants.
Taxi Dining Room
For contemporary Australian and
Japanese cuisine this is the place to go.
Cafe Italia Restaurant
For fine cuisine, quality beverages visit this 25 year old
sophisticated eating joint.
Stokehouse Restaurant
Stokehouse can
provide you with memorable dining experiences with impeccable food, and wine.
Shopping for pleasure (78%)
For fashion shopping look for Obüs, Scanlan and Theodore
and for couture Melbourne's renowned couturiers Yeojin Bae, J'Aton and
Gwendolynne are the names to keep in mind .
Sightseeing/looking around
(73%)
Federation
Square
Federation Square is
Melbourne’s meeting place and a unique cultural precinct. It hosts more than
2,000 events, activities and functions
every year. Many of them are free.
Yarra River Waterfront
The waterfront is full of life.
Along its banks you will find the Arts Centre, Melbourne’s main arts, music and
theatre precinct, Southgate Leisure
Complex, Federation Square, Birrarung Marr park, Crown Entertainment Complex
and harbourside Docklands.
Go to the beach
(63%)
St Kilda
Beach
One of the
most popular of the Port Phillip Bay beaches, St Kilda is a wide, sandy beach
that is suitable for swimming and a host of other activities.
Brighton
Beach
Set
against the spectacular Melbourne city skyline, there is windsurfing, yachting
and boating and a walking and cycling path.
Go to markets (55%)
Queen
Victoria Market
The market is 125 years old
and one of the liveliest spots in the city. There are more than 1000 stalls
including the
dairy hall with 38
delicatessens, fish and meat market, fruit and vegetables and organic market.
Collins
Street
Leafy Collins Street is
famous for its grand historic buildings. It’s also the home of Melbourne’s most
expensive
jewellery and fashion
boutiques. Collins Street is Melbourne’s home to international designer
boutiques and
jewellery such as Chanel,
Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Tiffany.
' It's your time to visit Melbourne NOW!!’
**** Please note - The information and pictures in this post are taken from multiple websites on Melbourne. Since i have never personally visited the city, the information and my knowledge comes from secondary sources.
