Crown Entertainment Complex
8 Whiteman Street
Southbank
tel: 03 9292 8888
A relatively new addition to Melbourne’s nightlife, Crown has become synonymous with entertainment and glamour. There are more than 40 restaurants, bars and cafés to choose from. In addition, there are the casino, cinemas, game arcades, international designer stores, nightclubs and live performance venues. Crown hosts film premieres, international conferences and awards ceremonies. Located downstream from Southgate on the banks of the Yarra River,
Melbourne Museum
11 Nicholson Street
Carlton Gardens
tel: 131 102
Open daily from 10am to 5pm
Walk through a living forest gallery, discover the tumultuous history of Melbourne and experience Aboriginal cultural performances in this ultra-modern, hands-on museum. Performances, activities and interactive displays make a visit to the Melbourne Museum a truly memorable experience.
National Gallery of Victoria
180 St Kilda Road
Melbourne
Open daily from 10am to 5pm
tel: 03 8620 2222
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) has an impressive range of international and Australian art housed within its recently renovated walls. Most of the Australian art is now located at the NGV’s Ian Potter Centre located at Federation Square. This new building and the renovation of the original gallery on St Kilda Road provides exhibition space for literally thousands of previously unseen treasures.
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
ABC Southbank Centre
120-130 Southbank Boulevard
Southbank 3006 VIC
Tel: 03 9626 1111
Fax: 03 9626 1101
With a reputation for excellence, versatility and innovation developed over almost 100 years the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is renowned for its performances of the great symphonic masterworks with leading international soloists and for its appearances with The Three Tenors, Frank Sinatra, Kiri Te Kanawa, Elton John, John Farnham, supergroup KISS, Dionne Warwick, Meat Loaf, tenor Andrea Bocelli, Harry Connick Jr and kd lang.
Victorian Arts Centre
100 St Kilda Road
Melbourne
Tours depart Monday to Saturday at midday and 2.30pm.
tel: 03 9281 8000
Crowned by a magnificent spire, one of Melbourne’s most distinctive landmarks, the Arts Centre is the city’s hub of visual and performing arts. Explore the centre’s many theatres and discover the history of the site on a guided tour. Tickets are available from the concierge located near the entrance.
Surfing Museum
Beach Road, Torquay
(03) 5261 4606
10am to 4pm
This is a museum that most families will enjoy, where parents don't have to worry about their children breaking something. The museum features a large number of interactive activities for children and adults alike. There are displays that will interest those that are not surfers, as well as surf fanatics. For surfing enthusiasts, the museum offers tips on some of the best surf locations in Victoria.
Australian Toy Museum
174-180 Smith Street
Collingwood
Tram 86
Daily 10-5 Children under 18 months free.
Historic building houses toys from the 1880's to the present. A special feature is a permanent display of dolls and doll houses. There is also a garden with a miniature steam train and the Magic Pudding Café which caters to the tastes of children.
Fun Factory
257 Toorak Road
South Yarra
03-9826-8276
Daily 10-1
No admission charge.
One of the largest indoor amusement centers in Melbourne, Fun Factory is equipped with Daytona racing machines, pinball, shooting and skill test games, pool tables, a rollerblade rink and "dodge-em" cars.
Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre
Aughtie Drive, Albert Park
03-9926-1555
Tram # 96
This combination sporting facility and playground has a wave and toddlers' pool, a water slide, pool garden, and a diving complex. Childcare is available Mon.-Fri. 9-Noon. A school holiday program and one on Saturday mornings for children ages 5-12 are low in cost, and high in educational and entertainment value.
Puffing Billy
Admission charged.
Old Monbulk Road, Belgrave 3160
(03) 9754-6800
This historic steam train still runs regularly in the mountain district it was built to serve at the turn of the century. Puffing Billy, Victoria's best known steam train. Travel through the beautiful bush land of the Dandenong ranges. The Railway is the sole survivor of four experimental lines used to develop rural areas in the early 1900's. Puffing Billy is now a major tourist attraction, its operation depending on hundreds of dedicated volunteers. All Puffing Billy trips depart and return from Belgrave, 40 km east of Melbourne,
Catch Puffing Billy to Emerald, have a picnic lunch, then travel back to Belgrave. Puffing Billy runs every day of the year, except Christmas day, and is a 24.5 km operating museum. Enjoy the mountain scenery and panoramic views which pass by your carriage window. Lakeside, the intermediate terminus of the railway, is inside beautiful Emerald Lake Park. You may stop over for a few pleasant hours bushwalking, swimming or just relaxing in the peaceful country setting. The terminus of the line at Gembrook is a delightful country town with much to offer the visitor.
Melbourne Cricket Ground
(03) 9657 8879
Open 7 days a week (excluding event days)
Go behind the scenes...see prints and paintings, ornate silverware and porcelain trophies, in portrait-lined hallways.
Scienceworks
Booker Street Spotswood
Williamstown and Werribee Lines from Flinders Street station to Spotswood Station
Daily 10-4:30
Admission charged.
A series of interactive exhibits teach participants about science and technology. The subjects range from sports, to insects, to the human mind and body. There is also a digital planetarium.
