When you think of Melbourne, what comes to mind? Look beyond the city’s art galleries, excellent coffee shops and restaurants and you’ll find hidden gems worth making time for – a 1912 wooden roller coaster, a train carriage suspended above Collingwood and a former shot tower preserved inside a shopping centre. Some are unusual curiosities, while others are inseparable from the city itself. Here’s our list of moments that feel distinctly Melbourne.
Discover more about Victoria on the new season of Luxury Escapes: The World’s Best Holidays, airing Thursday 8.30pm AEST* on Foxtel Lifestyle and on demand on Binge.
1. Float over the city while Melbourne is still sleeping
Melbourne is the only major city in the world with a population of more than five million where you can travel over the skyline by hot-air balloon, so why not see it from a new vantage point? Set your alarm before sunrise, meet your pilot in East Melbourne and wait for the balloon to inflate while the city is still mostly dark. From above, Melbourne’s streets lose their traffic and noise, and as the first light catches the city and the Yarra River, sporting grounds and skyscrapers form a patchwork below. It’s a magical experience.
The flight itself lasts approximately one hour, with the full journey taking around three to three and a half hours once you include travel to the launch site, set-up and pack-down. Wind direction determines where you go, so treat the flight as an airborne perspective on Melbourne rather than a guaranteed chance to see specific landmarks.
2. Ride a 20th-century wooden roller coaster beside the bay
At Luna Park overlooking St Kilda Beach, the Great Scenic Railway is a step back in time. Opened on 13 December 1912, it holds the Guinness World Records title for the oldest continuously operating roller coaster in the world. Its 967-metre track rises 16 metres, dips and twists above St Kilda, and reaches speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour.
The ride is old-fashioned in the best possible sense. There’s no need for a complicated backstory or a themed world around it – just sit back and see the city from a different vantage point. But be warned: this heritage ride can still move, reaching speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour.
3. Learn footy by feeling it at the ‘G
You don’t need to know every rule before attending an AFL game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). All you need to know is that the oval is large, the chips are hot and the energy is electric. The MCG has hosted almost every AFL Grand Final. With the ‘G at the heart of Melbourne’s sporting culture, an afternoon here is a rite of passage for any self-respecting Melbournian – and visitor. Arrive early to soak up the atmosphere around the concourse, find your seat and watch the crowd settle in before the first bounce.
Want to learn more about this Melbourne icon? Take a guided tour or visit the Australian Sports Museum – both are reliable options outside the AFL season or when tickets are unavailable.
4. Walk above Melbourne inside the Royal Exhibition Building dome
The colossal Royal Exhibition Building is easy to admire from the Carlton Gardens, but did you know you can climb inside it and see the gardens from above? The building was completed for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition, hosted the opening of Australia’s first Federal Parliament in 1901 and became Australia’s first UNESCO World Heritage-listed building in 2004.
On a Dome Promenade tour, climb to the upper level and look out across the city from one of Melbourne’s most important heritage buildings. As you make your ascent, take your time to examine the dome, roof trusses and exhibition hall in greater detail. At the top, admire the contrast between the lush Carlton Gardens and the geometric streets and skyscrapers of the city. The view is the headline, but the building is the real time capsule – a glimpse of the grand exhibition culture that helped shape modern Melbourne.
5. Experience Birrarung Marr with a Koorie Heritage Trust guide
Down by the banks of Birrarung – the Woi-wurrung word for the Yarra River – the history of Melbourne’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples comes to life in the heart of the city. Hosted by the Koorie Heritage Trust, the Birrarung Wilam Walk begins at Federation Square and follows the river towards the Birrarung Wilam Aboriginal art installations, connecting the modern city with the history and culture of the Kulin peoples. Along the way, learn about Birrarung Marr (meaning ‘beside the river of mists’) and how the landscape has changed over time.
The tour finishes with a guided experience at the Koorie Heritage Trust, where you can engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tools and cultural objects, including shields and possum-skin cloaks. It’s a compact one-hour introduction to the continuing cultures of Victoria’s First Peoples.
6. Eat a burger in a rooftop train carriage in Collingwood
A Melbourne favourite, Easey’s gives a familiar piece of Melbourne transport history an unlikely second life by turning an old train carriage into a rooftop burger joint with a view.
After climbing the stairs or taking the lift, you’ll arrive at a dining room that looks as though it has been lifted from a suburban rail line and placed above the inner north. Through the windows, the city spreads out around you while the menu stays firmly in comfort-food territory with crisp fried chicken or beef burgers and mac ’n’ cheese. Savour each bite with a local craft beer or a glass of Easey’s Lager.
7. Gaze up at a 19th-century shot tower inside a shopping centre
Melbourne Central contains one of the city’s most unexpected pieces of industrial history. Beneath the centre’s glass cone stands Coop’s Shot Tower, a 50-metre structure built in 1889 and once used to manufacture lead shot: molten lead was dropped from the top of the tower, forming small round pellets as it fell and cooled.
Today, this gigantic 19th-century factory remains preserved inside one of Melbourne’s busiest retail complexes. As you walk through Melbourne Central, take in the contrast between the imposing brick tower and the modern glass roof – between the city’s past and its future.
8. Watch a film on a seven-storey IMAX screen
IMAX Melbourne is Australia’s only independent, standalone IMAX theatre and home to the country’s only IMAX 70mm film projector. Measuring 32 metres wide by 23 metres tall, the screen is the world’s largest 1.43:1 cinema screen. Fun fact: it was the only screen in the Southern Hemisphere that showed The Odyssey in its intended 70mm format.
Films can take up the equivalent of a seven-storey wall, changing the way you see the story unfold – action scenes gain scale and you feel as though you’re part of the film. The cinemas themselves are impressive too: 461 seats fit into one colossal auditorium and 25 Premium seats at the front that recline for maximum comfort. Cinema fans looking for the ultimate immersive film experience, you’re set with an afternoon at IMAX.
9. Enter Pentridge Prison after dark
North of Melbourne, Pentridge’s former prison walls tell a story worth listening to. Victoria’s central prison closed in 1997 but now hosts guided tours through the surviving H Division buildings. Led by expert guides and supported by immersive audio, the H-Division tour explores the prison’s punishment systems, daily routines and human stories.
Exploring after dark lets you see life at Pentridge in a new light. Wander through the imposing grounds and into the former high-security units as your guide shares stories of Melbourne’s underworld. Families can choose the Prison Break Explorers tour, an accessible introduction suitable for children of all ages.
10. Walk from the Sun to Pluto along the St Kilda foreshore
Did you know that St Kilda has its own sculpture walk? Starting near the St Kilda Skate Park, the route follows the beachfront of Port Phillip Bay and weaves along the foreshore towards Port Melbourne, passing sculptures of all the planets in the solar system. The most unique part is that the walk is to scale, helping you understand the distance between each planet. It’s an easy way to turn a familiar waterfront stroll into a small lesson in astronomy, with plenty of room to stop for a swim, snack or coffee along the way.
The first five planets can be reached within around 20 minutes, so it’s manageable for younger children or anyone with limited time. Continue north and the distances begin to stretch: Saturn, Uranus and Neptune gradually separate, while Pluto sits 5.9 kilometres from the starting point. You can see how close the inner planets are, then feel the solar system expand with every step.
If you have a day or two more: take the regional detour to The Goulburn
Melbourne’s city centre is only part of the story. If your itinerary allows another day or two, head north towards the The Goulburn for experiences that trade city streets for wetlands, art exhibitions, wildlife encounters, fresh produce and large-scale outdoor art.
Connect with Taungurung Country at tabilk tabilk wetlands
At Tahbilk Winery near the Goulburn River is wawa biik – Taungurung Cultural Experiences, a journey through the 1,214 hectares of wetlands on Taungurung Country. After being formally welcomed to Country, you’ll learn from your guide about the area’s continuing significance to the Taungurung peoples while looking for native birds and frogs throughout your walk.
Make a wine-country day of Tahbilk and Fowles
With so many wineries in The Goulburn, where should you start? Tahbilk Winery and Fowles Wine may be close in distance, but they provide two different ways to experience the region’s wine, food and landscape.
Tahbilk combines its cellar door and restaurant with the tabilk-tabilk wetlands and winding walking trails. After sipping on cool-climate wines, take a walk between tastings to look for birdlife and understand the estate as a living landscape. Give yourself time to linger here rather than treating it as a quick stop – the wetlands, old vines and walking paths are part of the experience. At Fowles Wine, explore the farm shop and onsite restaurant, where slow-cooked lamb, tomatoes picked from the vine and Portarlington mussels meet more cool-climate wines.
Board a heritage train from Seymour when the timetable lines up
All aboard! The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre is the place for train lovers, with preserved heritage locomotives and carriages on full display. Its programme includes occasional open days, shuttles, day trains and dining trains departing from Seymour or Melbourne, so check what’s on before you plan your visit.
Meet a cassowary or meerkat at Kyabram Fauna Park
Kyabram Fauna Park lets you spend time up close with Australian wildlife. Get close to meerkats or choose a cassowary encounter to learn about one of Australia’s most unusual birds. You can also see koalas and wombats, birds flying overhead and kangaroos moving around their enclosure. It’s a useful choice when you’re travelling with different ages and energy levels, because you can move at your own pace and choose the encounters that suit your group.
See Australian art and ceramics at Shepparton Art Museum
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) has an expansive collection of Australian art and ceramics, while its exhibition programme brings touring shows and major national exhibitions to regional Victoria. In 2026, SAM is hosting the Victorian-exclusive showing of the Archibald Prize, Australia’s leading portrait painting award, so it’s a timely reason to visit.
Use Shepparton as a base for the North East Silo Art Trail
The North East Silo Art Trail turns a regional drive into an outdoor gallery. From a base in Shepparton, make your way through towns such as Devenish, St James, Goorambat, Tungamah and Katamatite, where large murals cover grain silos and other local structures. Each town adds a different piece to the route, and the drive between them helps you understand the context of each work. Stop to stretch your legs, visit a local bakery or settle in at a crowd-favourite pub.
Discover more about Victoria on the new season of Luxury Escapes: The World’s Best Holidays, airing Thursday 8.30pm AEST* on Foxtel Lifestyle and on demand on Binge.
