7 free things to do in Melbourne, Australia

 

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1) City Circle Tram

Hop on the free City Circle Tram to get a great general idea of Melbourne’s inner city. The vintage tram runs past the most important historic and architectural sights (like Flinders Street Station, Federation Square and the State Library) and gives a lot of information through the audio commentary.

It’s not just a good city guide but also a comfortable and free way of public transport.

2) Street Art in the alleys

When you’re in the CBD (Central Business District), head into one of the small alleys and take your time to explore the colorful mural arts. Melbourne has one of the biggest street art communities in the world and most of the alleys are officially liberalized for street art.

You find some beautiful examples here: Hosier, Rutledge & Caledonian Lane.

3) Fitzroy Market

Of course, Queen Victoria Market is great but it’s no insider tip anymore, so I want to introduce you to Fitzroy Market today. The self-proclaimed “cutest market in Melbourne” is a wild mixture of vintage, flea and food market which takes place in the quarter of Fitzroy once a month . Here you can experience the Melbournian laid-backness with free live music, delicious food and a bargain or two.

4) Royal Botanic Gardens

This spacious public park is located very close to the city centre and the perfect spot to relax, have a picnic or wander around. You can participate in a free guided tour or discover the forest, lakes and meadows on your own with a free audio-guide.

5) True Australian wildlife

So you’re fed up with kangaroos and koalas and want to experience (more) real Australian wildlife?
Take a night-time walk along the Yarra River and have a closer look at the treetops. You’ll find possums linger in droves, waiting to find something eatable on you.

In contrast, the penguins at St Kilda Pier are less greedy and offensive. Those tiny guys hide in the stones at the end of the Pier and are only visible very, very late at night.

Attention: If you want to take a picture of them, please turn off your flash. They go blind by it.

6) Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)

This film museum simply blew my mind. As a film enthusiast I visited a lot of film museums but the ACMI was the most detailed, the most fascinating and the most modern by far. It lets you travel back in time to the early beginnings of cinema and shows you the developments until the latest digital media.

The best part of it: it’s completely free!

7) Festivals

It’s all go in Melbourne, may it be cultural or sportive. There are a lot of festivals all year round and most of them are for free. Besides free live music and entertainment a festival is the best way to get to know the people and the life in Melbourne better. Simply check out the internet if there’s a festival when you’re there and be surprised.

Have fun in Melbourne and say hi to the penguins!

More free things to do in Melbourne?

We love to hear them! Just share it below in the comment section – i will add the additional tips from time to time.

[author image=”http://www.back-packer.org/wp-content/uploads/09_melbourne-carina.jpeg” ]Carina studied in Melbourne for five months and that’s where she found her true purposes: travelling and running. On travel run play she writes about how to manage these and shares tips on how to arrange that with full-time job. Find her also on Twitter and follow along on Instagram![/author]

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