Melbourne - a truly warm and welcoming city for visitors is Australia’s second largest city and the capital city of the state of Victoria. Melbourne is Australia’s undisputed capital for – events, sports, cultural activities and fine restaurants. A business centre and home to several major corporations, this city is also popular for exciting travel destinations. Here are a few places you cannot afford to miss out when you are in Melbourne
• Dandenong Ranges
• Yarra River
• Phillip Island
• Great Ocean Road
• Sovereign Hill
The above is not a comprehensive list and you may find a month too less to experience the true spirit of Melbourne! But if you cannot spare so much of time and still want to make the most out of your visit, then make sure to plan your tour well.
A few tips to make your tour in Melbourne as hassle-free and convenient as possible:
If you are planning to visit places surrounding Melbourne, hiring a car would (arguably) be the best mode of transport for you. For someone in a bit of a hurry, this gives an easy and fast access to places around Melbourne.
Planning to roam in the heart of Melbourne? Take a ride on the City Circle Tram. You’ll have the liberty to get on and off at any designated stop - ABSOLUTELY FREE! For those who want to see a ‘quixotic’ Melbourne, classic horse-and-carriage ride is the best option. It’s a romantic way to travel around Melbourne, with your loved ones (or alone, whichever you prefer!).
To make the best out of the visit and to ensure that you don’t miss out anything, it is best advised to go for tour packages made available by several tour operators in Melbourne. Travel companies such as Australian Pacific Touring offer affordable packages for day tours in Melbourne as well as other popular tourist destinations in Australia. Try visiting their website to learn more about how you can make your visit to Melbourne a memorable experience – www.australiasightseeing.com
by: Jake Marshall
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Moving Around in Melbourne – Resources & Tips for Melbourne Tours
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Short Stay Apartments in Melbourne
You need short stay apartments during your Melbourne stay. Although luxury hotels in Melbourne are a popular accommodation option in such cases, but nowadays the concept of short stay apartment and serviced apartments are being popular and perfect alternative of luxury hotel’s accommodation. This is also a cost effective option of accommodation in Melbourne with all the comfort and luxuries like a five star hotel room.
Why You Need Short Stay Apartments in Melbourne
Melbourne is a popular city of Australia. It has worldwide recognition due to the presence of global business and corporate houses. Being an important seaport of Australia, it is also a major centre of import and export. As a business owner or corporate executive you may get chances of visiting Melbourne very often. However, the city of Melbourne is also very popular for tourism and vacation purposes. So, you may consider this an option for luxury vacation this summer.
Well whatever is the reason behind visiting Melbourne, you will need proper accommodation here. Well, the city has several options for accommodation ranging from luxury five star hotels, to short stay serviced apartments, vacation homes, and tourist hostels. That means you don’t need to worry about your accommodation while in Melbourne.
Diverse Accommodation Options in Different Areas of Melbourne
During your Melbourne stay, you will come to know that serviced apartments and all other luxury accommodation options are not saturated to any specific location of Melbourne. You will find them spread all over the city. If you are coming for business reasons, it’s obvious that you will prefer renting an apartment in Central Business District of Melbourne, so that you do not have to spend more time in travelling from your short stay apartment to the business location of your interest.
However, if you are in Melbourne for personal reasons like tourism or vacation, then it will be better if you choose a seaside apartment overlooking the picturesque beaches of Melbourne. It will keep you close to the hotspots for tourist’s interest.
One thing that is relaxing for people visiting Melbourne is the presence of ample transportation facilities. Even though, you should give a serious thought to selecting a serviced apartment from well connected areas of Melbourne. To avoid last minute availability problems, you should reserve your apartment well in advance before visiting Melbourne.
by: Alex Berg
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Things To Do In And Around Melbourne #6 :: Mornington Peninsula
Melbourne is the capital of Victoria, Australia. Melbourne offers great shopping and dining and Victoria has got a beautiful countryside and coast line combining beautiful national and state parks with quiet little towns and some larger regional centres. The Mornington Peninsula is a great area offering beaches and stunning bay views, golf courses, vineyards and shopping. Whatever you want, the peninsula has got it all.
The Mornington Peninsula is a prime spot for holiday makers. But it is close enough to Melbourne for weekend getaways or daytrips as well.
How To Get To The Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula can be roughly characterised as anything south of Frankston.
Frankston is only about an hour's drive away from the Melbourne CBD. Especially now that CityLink and EastLink are established, the drive to the peninsula takes no time at all. Be aware though that the roads around Frankston get very busy in weekends and during the daily commuting hours.
You can avoid some of that frustration by taking a little more scenic drive. This leads via Beach Road which offers bay views as you drive through the Bayside towns of Brighton, Black Rock, Hampton upto Mordialloc, where you then take the Nepean Highway further down towards Frankston. You can also take the Nepean Highway straight out of the city towards Frankston.
When you are driving back from the Mornington Peninsula the drive down the Nepean Highway on a sunny late afternoon is definitely worth it. Especially the drive into Frankston down Oliver's Hill can be great. From the top of Oliver's Hill you can get beautiful bay views and, on clear days, a good view of the Melbourne CBD.
Portsea and Sorrento
When you are into luxury and have got money to spend Portsea and Sorrento are the places to go. Millon-dollar holiday houses offering bay views is what it is all about in this part of town!
With the bay often not more than a stroll away, you can have a beautiful time in and around the water.
Flinders
Flinders is on the other side of the Mornington Peninsula. It is a nice quiet little town with a lovely beach, some dining opportunities and quite some antiques shops. When you are into antiques, then also make sure to visit nearby Tyabb.
Red Hill
Not far away from Flinders is Red Hill. There are some great wineries with excellent bay views, some art galleries, a beer brewery, cheese and berry farms etc. All what is great about local produce can be found there. You should definitely take the opportunity to try some of the wines at any of the vineyards or some of the local food. Many vineyards also have excellent lunch and/or dining facilities. There are about 200 Mornington Peninsula vineyards. Although it is probably not good for your health and wallet to visit all of them, definitely go visit a few to get a true feel for what the peninsula has to offer!
Mornington
Mornington is a lovely town with a decent shopping strip and of course, beaches galore. You can enjoy a great play in the park with the kids or dine at a number of fine restaurants.
When mentioning a number of towns on the peninsula there is the invariable injustice to the towns not mentioned. Take Arthur's Seat up in the hills or any of the small coastal towns like Ballnarring Beach, Dromana and Rosebud.
Living very close to the Mornington Peninsula one of my favourite things to do on a Sunday afternoon is to take a drive with the family on one of the backroads. You pass a few wineries, have a quiet lunch somewhere or take a picknick, stop at a beach for a play, etc. Before you know it your afternoon is over and you are fully recharged. The peninsula is just the best place to unwind from it all.
No matter what you are looking for in terms of a vacation, there is a good chance that the Mornington Peninsula has it.
by: Dominique Vangheel