48 Hours in Melbourne
We had just over 48 hours in this amazing city over the Easter long weekend, so really had to plan our time wisely. It was the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, so we prioritised a couple of shows over other activities. There are definitely some trips that we still want to do next time we go, but here’s how we spent 48 hours in Melbourne!
We arrived on Friday evening and checked into our hotel at the Docklands, right next to the Marvel Stadium. There was an Australian Football League (AFL) game about to start, so plenty of people around and as we wandered down to the waterfront it was bustling!
This was in the free tram zone (as the majority of the city centre is – it’s amazing!) and so we hopped on the tram and headed into the city. We found a Turkish Café, and enjoyed a Turkish Coffee and some sticky date pudding, whilst watching a lantern-making workshop taking place in the back of the café.
We continued our wandering, without any real destination in mind, passing the Flinders Street train station and the town hall, walking through China Town, passing busy restaurants and supermarkets and ending up at the Parliament building.
We stumbled across The Crafty Squire, the brewhouse of one of our favourite brewers here, so snuck in for a beer and a snack. Then we hunted down the Gin Palace – and almost missed it because it is quite hidden. It almost has a secret bar vibe and the drinks were pricey but delicious – it was definitely my favourite bar of the weekend!
We had booked a late comedy show to see the Best of Melbourne Comedy – UK version, and so headed off to the European Bier Café for the show!
Saturday
On Saturday morning we had a reasonably early start and headed for the circular tram. It’s the tourist tram and so has commentary included during the journey, suggesting what you can access at each stop, the distance to walk, tram connections to the main sites, etc.
We completed three-quarters of the loop, before stopping at the Queen Victoria Markets for some late breakfast. We picked up a few things from various stalls before finding a seat outside to eat – and watch an argument play out in front of us and enjoying the drama!
We continued our tour of the market, moving from the food section, through the fruit and veg and into the clothing and tourist sections. It was the largest market I have been to in a long time!
We had booked a ‘free’ cultural walking tour at 3pm, starting from the State Library Victoria. This took us through the Laneways and some of the arcades. It was fascinating to hear the stories of the street art, coffee culture and live music venues.
After a short afternoon rest, we took the tram to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for our first experience of an AFL game! It took us the first two quarters to understand the rules and the scoring, but the game was exciting and the crowd singing and chanting. Best of all, Melbourne, who we were obviously cheering for, won the match!
Sunday
Sunday was the day to take in all the sights we hadn’t yet seen, so we headed straight to the Tennis Park to visit the home of the Australian Open, then over the bridge to the MCG once again take the obligatory photos with the statues around the stadium.
Then we walked back towards the city centre through Fitzroy Gardens and past Cooks’ cottage. We then did our own walking tour, starting at parliament, back through China Town where we stopped for some lunch, past the State Library Victoria and up to the Eight Hour Day Monument. Then to Carlton Gardens and the Royal Exhibition Building which were beautiful, and well worth a visit! Finally to St Patrick’s cathedral and back to Parliament.
We had booked another comedy show for the evening so headed back to the city centre. We found a pop-up bar in one of the laneways, doing some more delicious gin cocktails. We finished just before the rain started so ducked into the venue to see Fern Brady!
After the show and just outside the venue we smelled some delicious French crepes so had a late but scrummy dinner. By now it was absolutely pouring down, so we hopped on the closest tram and went back to the hotel, ready for our long drive home on Monday morning.
We had a great time in Melbourne, and can’t wait to go back to discover more of the city itself as well as the surrounding area. We look forward to the next 48 hours in Melbourne!
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