Here are the great ‘must do’ activities that give you a good overall sense of Melbourne and its flair. If you have only a limited time in Melbourne, these are failsafe and almost always a success:

Melbourne Aquarium

The Melbourne Aquarium has recently undergone extensive renovations and has become one of the state of the art Melbourne attractions. It is the only Southern Ocean aquarium, which means that there are creatures there you won’t see anywhere else.

The most amazing display though is the penguin area. This is new, large and fascinating. You see the Antarctic penguins slithering over the ice only meters away through a glass wall, and also get a view of them shooting through the underwater space. The penguins seem to also have a lot of fun.

Eureka Melbourne Observation Deck

The Eureka Melbourne Observation Deck is worth a visit on a clear day, when you can see right to the Dandenong Ranges and over Port Phillip Bay. They have made it much more ambient after it had become know as being a bit noisy.

You get a different perspective on things at that height; you can watch the world go by as if in a toy world with miniature trains, trams and buildings.

Williamstown Ferry

The Williamstown Ferry is an inexpensive way to cruise the Yarra River. It leaves from Southgate and goes to Williamstown, and also stops at the Scienceworks museum. It is a nice way of getting a feel for Melbourne and its Port. On summer weekends, they abandon the flat boat that fits under the low Yarra bridges for a vessel with a sundeck. This then leaves from the Exhibition center.

Australian Center for the Moving Image

ACMI, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, is definitely one of the failsafe things to do in Melbourne Australia. Apart from very well organized exhibitions, it also has a free permanent exhibition: Screen Worlds – the Story of Film, Television and Digital Culture. There are so many interesting hands on activities there that you can easily fill an afternoon.

Luna Park

Luna Park Melbourne, while it may not be the amusement park for serious thrill seekers, is nevertheless a fun amusement park with great rides and experiences for kids. It is nearly 100 years old and still has the original restored roller coaster operating. The big face at the front is also an icon and worth the visit in its great location at picturesque St Kilda.

Fairy Penguins

And last but not least, one of the most awe inspiring things to do in Melbourne is to watch the Fairy Penguins perform their daily penguin parade at dusk, after they come back to their nests in the hundreds from a day of fishing. This is worth the drive of 1.5 hours to Phillip Island, and worth the wait after sunset.

There is so much more that Melbourne Australia has to offer, but this list provides a few of the firm favorites of most visitors to this spectacular city.