Inside Melbourne

If you’ve been to Melbourne, you know many of the things to do: Taking a tour down the Great Ocean Road, viewing the Twelve Apostles, stopping in to say hello to the penguins on Phillip Island, or petting a Koala bear at the Koala Conservation Centre.  But how about inside the city itself?  What attractions can you find after you’ve checked into your the luxury hotels melbourne australia has to offer?  Here are a few of the possibilities:

Walking along the Yarra River From the banks of the Yarra, you can stroll and sightsee, taking a look at the contrast in Melbourne’s architecture, from the new modern structures to the very old.  There are buildings spanning from 1840 to the present, and examples from the Georgian/Colonial period (1840-1869), Victorian (1870-1889), Edwardian (1890-1915) and Interwar Architecture (1916-1939), and then every decade after that.

Restaurants.  There’s a fine selection of restaurants in Melbourne, from vendors on the street to multi-starred establishments, and more than a number of restaurants catering to Malaysian tastes, something more difficult to find in the United States.

Take in a few art galleries.  Many galleries are tucked away down lanes and hidden up staircases.  If you investigate, you may find more than a few, such as West Space on Anthony Street, a gallery that pulls in new and emerging artists; Someday Store & Gallery on Swanston Street, providing contemporary artists; or the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art on Southbank.  There’s also Laneway Commissions, where international and local artists use the many maze-like laneways as a kind of canvas to present their art.  Check out as well the Nicholas Building’s boutiques and the artists of the Victorian Writer’s Centre over on Swanston Street.

The nightlife may also be of interest, but if none of these fail to satisfy, perhaps it’s time to return to nature and pet a koala!