Discover the Delights of Melbourne in Spring
Melbourne is a labyrinth of hidden secrets, cultural attractions and gastronomic delights and as the temperature starts to rise, the city is buzzing with things to see and do.
Spring in Melbourne means fashion and horse racing and it all starts with Australia’s largest annual sporting event, the Spring Racing Carnival (3 October – 22 November). Offering 50 days of action and excitement, the Carnival is characterised by glamour, fashion, celebrities, horses and parties so grab your fascinator and enjoy all the fun of race day festivities.
Famous for being Australia’s fashion epicentre, Melbourne delivers time and again as the ultimate shopping destination. Its hidden laneways, arcades and edgy shopping precincts are bursting at the seams with trendy boutiques, creative local designers big-name department stores and international labels that will satisfy even the fussiest of shoppers.
Take your pick from countless options including GPO, QV, Melbourne Central, Centreway Arcade, Little Collins Street, Block Arcade and Flinders Lane and enjoy the unique range of products on offer. To get an insider’s peek into the hippest places to shop, go on a Hidden Secrets Tour where you will discover the boutiques and businesses that exemplify Melbourne’s X-factor quality.
Recharge and refuel with a quick espresso at Degraves or Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar and, if you are feeling a little peckish, take advantage of the plethora of cafes and restaurants scattered throughout the city including MoVida, Piadina, Gingerboy, Cookie, Bar Lourinha, The Journal and Switchboard.
Renowned as the cultural capital of Australia, make sure you visit the NGV International for the spectacular Guggenheim Collection: 1940s to now which is on show until 7 October. The exhibition features more than 85 works by 67 artists from the famous Guggenheim Museums including Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Roy Lichtenstein and Jeff Koons.
Complementing this exhibition is Pixar: 20 Years of Animation at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), a unique exhibition which explores the creativity and technology behind some of our most loved movies of recent times including Toy Story, Monsters Inc, A Bug’s Life and Finding Nemo.
Arts and culture continues to take centre stage during spring with the Melbourne Fringe Festival (26 September to 14 October) which offers a quirky mix of arts and culture across theatre, dance and visual arts. The Melbourne International Arts Festival (11 - 27 October) presents an interesting collection of work by today’s leading contemporary artists. And for all those theatre buffs, Phantom of the Opera has made a special return to Melbourne for a limited season so make sure you book your tickets today!
For the best views in Melbourne, visit the city’s newest attraction, the Eureka Skydeck 88, which boasts the highest vantage point in the southern hemisphere. Adventurous types can even try the world-first ‘Edge’ experience – a glass cube that projects out three metres from the side of the building and is suspended 300 metres above ground.
If you’re visiting Melbourne with the family there are a range of activities to keep the little ones amused including the Melbourne Aquarium and Melbourne Zoo which boasts more than 350 different animal species in exquisite natural settings on the fringe of the city.
Spring is a particularly delightful time to visit Melbourne to enjoy the city’s vibrant culture, cuisine, sport and fashion.
Explore every corner of Melbourne with these exclusive package holidays:
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