By James Cook
How do you ask? With the free bus! The free bus is perhaps one of the best ways to get around Melbourne. It runs every 30 minutes and takes a circular route through the city, stopping at the major tourist hot spots. Because it runs every thirty minutes, it is easy to see a little bit of each attraction in Melbourne. It is one of the best examples of public transport I have seen. There is even an onboard commentary!
There is so much to see along the free bus route – it will probably not be likely to see everything in one day. But hey – it’s free! So nothing is stopping you from coming back at another time!
Melbourne from Above - CC Teknorat
The first free bus leaves from the arts precinct at 0930. The arts precinct is a series of Theatres and Galleries located at the hip St. Kilda Road. While it is possible, and entirely reasonable to spend the whole day surrounded by incredible art and great live performances. Melbourne is a big place and if you want to see a lot in one day, you will probably want to hop back on the bus after a little while.
Federation Square is next. Federation Square is the tourism centre of Melbourne with the largest tourist info site located beneath it. Again Melbournes status as a world cultural centre is again proven here with the ACMI (Australian Centre for Moving Images) a creative museum of Australian Film with two cinemas. They screen many film festivals here. Federation Square is also a gathering point to watch big sporting events and on New Years is a prime place to watch the fire-works. If you get to Federation Square at 1100 you can partake in a free walking tour which explores the whole complex. It is an amazing example of architectural creativity, and definitely worth spending some time wandering the nooks and crannies.
In case everything was getting a bit artsy for you the next stop is the Sports Precinct. Including the National Sports Museum and 3 arenas. Which are often used for big gigs as well.
Federation Square - CC avlxyz
Every big city worth its salt has a Chinatown. Melbourne’s is located at stop 4, which is right in the heart of ChinaTown, this is the second best place to pick up souvenirs and maybe even stop for a bit of lunch from one of the many fantastic vendors. There is also a Chinese Museum tracing the history of Chinese-Australians.
You can explore the world renowned Melbourne Museum, which is the largest museum in the southern hemisphere (they are still not really in competition with some of the big ones in the northern hemisphere though!) it has 7 main galleries and a touring gallery which recently showed off mummies!
In an American city Lygon Street Precinct would be affectionately know as Little Italy. This is the centre of Melbournes Italian community. There are many great restaurants and cafes all serving the finest in Italian cuisine. There is also quite a large fringe/experimental theatre scene located here. Perhaps jump off the free bus to grab a great cappuccino! Or you can continue on to….
The Webb bridge over the Yarra river - CC Wojtek Gurak
For an interesting architectural stop, you can hop off at the the University of Melbourne. The campus has a museum of art and also the interesting Grainger Museum. It is dedicated to all forms of the arts, from rare musical instruments to a costume collection – it’s easy to get lost in here!
Remember when I said that Chinatown was the second best place to grab souvenirs? Well The Queen Victoria market is the first. This covered market is incredible! From Kangaroo ball bottle openers (these taxidermic wonders actually exist!), to traditional Digereedoos. You can also grab some food from one of the vendors and it is a great place to just have a wander round and have a little break from the city.
A great place to go for mid afternoon drinks is the Waterfront Marina. You can just sit and watch the boats going to and fro from the harbour – a nice relaxing break if you have been sightseeing all day!
Melbourne's Southbank at Night - CC Cometchaser832
The Docklands are anther area of Melbourne where you can get great food. It is also the departure point for many of the sightseeing boats. You can also see the wetlands area of the Docklands park which is home to many indigenous birds.
William Street is home to the immigration Museum and the indigenous cultural centre. However, if you want to get the blood pumping consider visiting the Melbourne Aquarium, where you can take a shark dive!
The centre of Melbourne is structured around the Yarra river. The best place to experience the Yarra river is on the riverside strip of Southbank. The nightlife in Southbank is really great - with nightclubs, casinos and high end restaurants. It is also home to the Eureka Skydeck which offers 360 degree views Melbourne, as well as the Polly Woodside, an old tall ship which has been converted into a museum
The Shrine of Remembrance
The final stop is also one of the most sobering. It is the Shrine of Remembrance, a memorial dedicated to Australians who have lost their lives in conflict. This is also the stop for the Royal Botanical Garden a beautiful park with many different sections all dedicated to different types of flora.
Want more budget travel tips? Check out our budget travel section!
James
James is a freelance travel writer from Bristol England. You can also find him at Google + : James Google Profile To learn more about the OurOyster project,click here!
AdorableLand (2 months ago)
It’s really a good idea to provide tourists with free public transport. For sure, it’s a good way to attract people to the city.
OurOyster (2 months ago)
Definitely, and a great way to attract tourists to visit attractions that are a little further away from the city centre, like the Botanic gardens for example.
Nomadic Samuel (2 months ago)
Nothing beats free travel!
Nomadic Samuel recently posted..Nomadic Samuel’s A-Z of Travel Misfortunes
OurOyster (2 months ago)
Agree!
Kieron (2 months ago)
Great post! Being Melbourne locals, this is something we’ve been meaning to do for years but have just never gotten around too (poor, huh?). Definitely something we’ll tick off the list in 2012!
Here’s the link for the Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle – didn’t see it in the article and it might be handy for some readers.
http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/gettingaroundthecity/visitorassistance/pages/touristshuttle.aspx
Melbourne also has the free City Circle tram (http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/melbourne_details.php?id=3900) which is another nice way to get around the city for free!
Kieron recently posted..Four Traveling Couples To Follow In 2012
OurOyster (2 months ago)
Hey Kieron! Thanks for the links! I am going to edit the post to include them!
Cherina (2 months ago)
Great find, James! I’ve recently moved to Melbourne from Perth – such a fabulous city! (Melbourne, I mean) I had no idea about the free bus, but it looks like it stops in loads of the top places in the CDB.
Cherina recently posted..Old Friends, New Lives: Vancouver, British Columbia
OurOyster (2 months ago)
Hey Cherina! Melbourne is super cool!! It was the first city we saw in Australia and we LOVED it. The free bus is a great way to spend a lazy afternoon. There is commentary as well, so you can just ride it in a circle and learn about all the different areas. haha. There is also a free tourist tram in Melbourne, but we never got a chance to take it.
Italian Notes (2 months ago)
It’s amazing to see a city, where everything is so new.
Italian Notes recently posted..Venice beyond the obvious
OurOyster (2 months ago)
Definitely! It really encourages people to discover all they can about Melbourne
Abby (2 months ago)
I somehow have never even been to Australia…
Abby recently posted..Costa Rica coffee yum
OurOyster (2 months ago)
It is a great country. We have only been here a month and are looking forward to exploring some more
Natasha @ Wandering Kiwi (2 months ago)
Hey good itinerary and commentary. Melbourne certainly does well with its public transport in the central city. A couple of things I haven’t seen yet!
OurOyster (2 months ago)
It does incredibly well with its public transport. It makes things so much easier when there is a good public transport system
David Britt (2 months ago)
It feels like I’ve been on Melbourne.. we include this place for our next vacation great review!
OurOyster (2 months ago)
Thanks, it was a really good tour and I would recommend it!
Bobbi Lee Hitchon (2 months ago)
This is great!! I had no idea they had free bus tours. I only knew about the free tram when I was there. Melbourne has a surprising number of free things to do. It makes up for the city being sooo bloody expensive. Love Melbourne.
Bobbi Lee Hitchon recently posted..Firefly watch in Donsol, Philippines
OurOyster (2 months ago)
Yeah we did not get to go on the free tram! But it was amazing how much free things there are in the city!
cheryl (2 months ago)
Free? I like the sounds of that! Seems like a great tour and boy, love that bridge. Sooo coool.
cheryl recently posted..Christmas Markets: Wiener Christkindlmarkt at Rathausplatz.
OurOyster (2 months ago)
Some of the architecture in Melbourne is just so progressive! I love it! And free stuff is awesome as well
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