Why You Should Visit Melbourne If You Are Traveling To Australia

Katelyn Edmisson-Breeze
Oct 15, 2024
2 min read

Australia is a massive island with so many different options of cities to visit. I want to tell you why Melbourne should be at the top of that list of cities.

Melbourne is Southeast Australia in the state of Victoria. The city is situated in a big inlet called Port Phillip, right off the Bass Strait. Unlike Sydney, it does not have a massive opera house that distinguishes what city or landmark you are in, and that is what makes it a perfect city to travel to. Less tourists and more touring of niche places.

Downtown Melbourne is a big, walkable city with a lot of fun streets to walk down and grab a bite to eat, or sitting and looking out at the Yarra River. Catch a cricket game with either the Melbourne Stars or Melbourne Renegades for a unique sporting event experience. If you want to venture out of the city or have kids with you, visit Sovereign Hill at Ballarat to goldmine. And another fun family activity (or just pure adult activity) is to visit the Healesville Sanctuary. Of course, Australia has different animals than the United States, so it was fun to feed the kangaroos and see the koalas so close. I recommend this over the Melbourne Zoo, as it is a wildlife refuge, and not just an exhibit trapping animals.

As far as beaches go, Brighton Beach and Sorrento Beach are my personal favorite. Brighton Beach has all of the painted sheds on the sand, making it a unique and colorful beach experience. Sorrento Beach reminds me of a beach in Cape Cod, as the sand on the beach extends out for you to walk pretty far out into the water, while it is only calf-high.

I will say, my favorite Australia experience by far, was visiting Phillip Island. On this island, penguins parade each night up the sand to their burrows; and you can watch them! No joke, it is called the Parade of Penguins, and it happens during the summer (December to February). We watch from a distance and on boardwalks, of course, as to not scare the Little Penguins, or destroy their homes. Each night, they migrate from the ocean and into their burrows for the night. Talk about cuteness overload. You have to be there to see it!

Melbourne, and Australia in general, has a lot to offer for a vacation. It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and can be pricey, so if it is on your bucket list, start saving and do it right!