Anyone brought up on a diet of Australian soap operas and hospital dramas may be a little shell-shocked when they arrive in Melbourne. Soulful, stylish and clued up, this is a streetwise city that is at odds with the stereotypical vision of Australia. In 2000, Melbourne trailed Sydney as the leading city for cafes, bars and nightclubs. But, the city has climb back on top with good cafe culture and diverse nightlife, some of the best in Australia.
Eschewing a tourism-by-numbers approach, located in Australia’s southeastern state of Victoria, Melbourne is Australia's secret city. Forget ticking off the sites, you need to hunt for those hidden gems. The city is about contrasts: world-class cuisine can be found in both Michelin-starred restaurants and tucked down labyrinthine laneways; dazzling street art vies for your attention as you stroll to a myriad of galleries; Victorian architecture, like Joseph Reed's Royal Exhibition Building of 1880 rubs shoulders with the modern Melbourne Museum and IMAX cinema.
The aroma from over 3,000 restaurants, cafes and bars spills into the lazy Melbourne streets, and there is a cosmopolitan feel that European will familiar. Foodies should head to Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, an unpretentious, arty and open-minded cafe precinct that says all you need to know about Melbourne's psyche.
The acclaimed Piraeus is a must-visit and fans of alfresco dining should try Williamstown. Italian options on Carlton's Lygon Street cannot be ignored. Australia's most rewarded restaurant, the Flower Drum in Chinatown easily lives up to the hype. If you want a flavour of 1950s Australia, head to the Hopetoun Tea Rooms, do not leave without Degraves St or head to Akland St to sample a cake from one of the many bakeries.
Melbourne pulls off a clever trick of being two things at the same time. It is designed for locals but also warm and comfortable for visitors. Trundle around on a tram and you'll see a richly multinational city but with a deep Australian identity. Melbourne mix a love of Aussie Rules Footie (a visit to Melbourne Cricket Ground is a must for cricket fans). There are a number of festivals and sporting events throughout the year, including the Formula1 Grand Prix, the Australian Open Tennis Championship.
Getting around Melbourne couldn't be easier: the free City Circle tram navigates the main tourist attractions or you could see peddle power with Bonza or Murrays bike tours. If you have time for a walking tour and want to find out where reclusive retailers hide their goodies away from the glittering mauls, try Fiona Sweetman and her Hidden Secrets tour (hiddensecretstours.com). It visits a dozen unknown shops and identifies 50 more. Another hot spot for shopping is the markets, especially Queen Victoria market which opened in 1878. If all the shopping gets too much, the beaches of St Kilda are the perfect place to unwind.
If you want to see Melbourne from a completely different angle, take to the skies in a hot air balloon at sunrise, or the Eureka Tower's Skydeck, the highest viewing platform in the Southern Hemisphere. Any way you look at it Melbourne won't disappoint.
NEAR BY ATTRACTIONS
Yarra Valley
Gazing our across a hodgepodge of greens, oranges and reds, vineyards and pastures as far as the eye can see, it is difficult to believe that you are only an hour from Melbourne. This is the Yarra Valley, the birthplace of the Victoria wine industry and home to about 70 wineries, specialising in everything from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to Shiraz and Cabenet Sauvignon. The tumbling tapestry of colour that makes up this countryside is a mesmerizing place to get lost in.
The big draw is, of course, the wine itself, but many wineries have excellent restaurants and can match what you eat and drink with precision. Interestingly this region is becoming increasingly associated with local natural produce, so the odds are everything you eat will be as fresh as the air you breathe. If you are not drinking, or even worse are the designated driver, there are still plenty of things to do, from Healesville Animal Sanctuary and amazing animal hospital or checking out the fascinating TarraWarra Museum of Art, Australia's first significant privately funded, public art museum. Tour the skies by balloon, or tour by car, either way the Yarra Valley will not disappoint.
The Dandenongs
Peer out into the darkness from the top of Mount Dandenong, past the cooling fern glades and soaring forest, past the muddled carpet of streetlights, and you'll just make out the bustling centre of Melbourne. This is where Australians have been coming for our 100 years to escape the stress and strains of urban living, and to remind themselves of the continent's natural beauty.
Less than an hour by car from the city, the Dandenongs are a low mountain range, topped by Mt Dandenong (633m high). Travelling through the dense, misty forest, scattered with tearooms and old-world inns, it to be transported back in time. Over a century-old, the Puffing Billy steam train totters through the enchanting landscape. Make a base in one of the period bed and breakfast cottages and explore not only beautiful countryside but also unbeatable arts and food.
Philip Island
There is an irony that this lush island, spread evenly into the Bass Straight, supported sealing, whaling and game hunting around two centuries ago. Today the 100km band of craggy, ruggedly beautiful coastline creates a haven for thousands of species and unique natural habitat.
Just 90 minutes drive from Melbourne, visitors can get face-to-face with koalas in the Koala Conservation Centre, spend two hours with Wildlife Coast Cruises visiting the largest colony of Australian Fur Seals or bumping into a wallaby on the Rhyll wetland trail.
The island's top attraction, however, is the Penguin Parade. As dusk falls on Summerland Beach, Little Penguins, the smallest variety in the world, emerge from the sea and march up the beach towards their burrows. The triumphant march of the Eudyptula minor, meaning 'good little diver', can be seen from a variety of viewing areas. Get up close and personal with wild koala on the tree top boardwalks at the koala Conservation Centre.
Mornington Peninsula
The pretty rainbow of beach huts lining the beaches of the Mornington Peninsula gives an insight into what this place is about. If Australians holiday in Victoria, Melbournians go to the Mornington Peninsula to relax by the sea. Surfers hunt out the peninsula's endless sandy bay inlets and smorgashbord of breaks, while keen fishermen can go in search of bream. Alternatively there's even an opportunity to swim with the dolphins.
One of the big pulls is the golf courses - five of Australia's top 10 courses are in this state, where you can enjoy stunning vistas, challenging bunkers and the odd kangaroo on the course. At the end of the peninsula is the picturesque Point Nepean section of the Mornington Peninsula National Park, which was once a quarantine station for stricken immigrants arriving on those shores. It's worth exploring the maze of tunnels and army fortifications that have guarded Port Philip Heads since the 1880s.