Melbourne Vacation –
Your Local Melbourne Guide

If you are after a Melbourne vacation - or Australia vacations - you are most likely from North America.

In Australia we use British English and call them Melbourne holidays .

A holiday for us is a break away from the usual routines for at least a week.

In American English, a holiday is a one day break – a day! A vacation is a larger break of several days or weeks.

Melbourne Vacation Guide

To get orientated in Melbourne, visit Federation Square and walk along the Yarra River and over the Princes Bridge to Southbank.

Catch a free City Circle tram that takes you around the city square and points out major attractions and their location.

For a view from above, visit one of Melbourne’s Observation decks on the Rialto or Eureka towers or some of the many more Melbourne tourist attractions .

But these are just for orientation. Then you can delve into the depth of a Melbourne niche of your style. Melbourne is a great place for whatever you want it to be - for a family holiday, a romantic getaway, art and sports holidays or Melbourne shopping.

Greater Melbourne Holidays

Leaving the cultural Melbourne centre behind, you will find plenty of beaches along Port Phillip Bay, including the famous beach huts on Brighton beach.

For a great day trip, drive around Port Phillip Bay and visit the beaches and bay-side towns along the way. You can cross the bay via Ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff either way. Here is how to organise your Melbourne travel.

We also have romantic wine valleys, lush hills and National Parks, all within a 1-2 hour drive. Choose here from a variety of Melbourne tours .

If you are on an Australia travel tour, the drive from Melbourne to Sydney along the coast is particularly beautiful, with many beaches and secluded spots along the way.

Melbourne and America

Americans have a long history in Melbourne, beginning with the Gold Rush days in the 1850’s. They also established, among other things, the first Melbourne fire brigade and the J.C. Williamson’s theatrical productions.

While English speaking Australians think themselves as being British orientated, Melbourne development has nevertheless been dominated by American innovations such as the drive-in-cinema, shopping malls and freeways – not to speak of food chains and electronic media with American content.

Because of this dominance the American culture is both loved and loathed by many. However, you won't come across it as an individual and welcomed for who you are.

Melbourne has nurtured its multiculturalism and you will find many cultures, their food and expressions alive in the various nooks of the city and its surroundings.

Melburnians are friendly and helpful. As a European, and having travelled the world, I have not come across any other cosmopolitan place that has yet retained a ‘country town’ feel where people are still reaching out to each other.

Friendship, good food, conversation, picnics and get togethers have a firm place on most Melburnian’s calendar.

In Australia we have had a long-standing rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney as to which is the more attractive city. In US analogy, Melbourne would be more like the cultural San Francisco (or may be New York) while Sydney would be more the glamorous and loud Los Angeles. I’d love to hear from you what you think.

Melbourne is a place to fall in love with. A Melbourne vacation is for many the beginning of a long love affair with a city that surprises with variety, friendliness and style.

Make sure to allow time for it on your Australia vacations.