Chinese Museum
The Chinese Museum was established in 1985 to preserve and display the history of Chinese Australians since the mid-1800s. It has become a living part of Melbourne’s modern Chinatown, with its five levels of galleries, showcasing artefacts and photographs depicting the life and culture of Chinese Australians. The museum is also the home of Dai Loong, the world’s largest dragon. There are numerous other museums catering to different national cultures in the heart of Melbourne.
Address: 22 Cohen Place, Chinatown; Telephone: (0)3 9662 2888; E-mail: info@chinesemuseum.com.au; Website: www.chinesemuseum.com.au; Opening time: Daily 10am to 5pm; Admission: A$7.50 (adults), A$5.50 (children)
Cooks' Cottage
This cottage was originally built in the village of Great Ayton in Yorkshire, England, in 1755 by James and Grace Cook, the parents of Captain James Cook. When the cottage was offered for sale in 1933 it was bought by a prominent Melbourne businessman, Sir Russell Grimwade, for 800 British Pounds. He arranged for it to be taken apart brick by brick and transported via ship and train to Melbourne. In early 1934 the cottage was rebuilt on its present site in Fitzroy Gardens, East Melbourne. Today it provides visitors with the opportunity to glimpse what life was like in 18th century England.
Address: Fitzroy Gardens, Wellington Parade Street; Telephone: (0)3 9419 4677; E-mail: cookscottage@melbourne.vic.gov.au; Website: www.cookscottage.com.au; Transport: Tram 48 or 75 from Flinders Street or Swanson Street to stop 9 on Wellington Parade; or City Circle Tram to Spring Street; Opening time: Daily 9am to 5pm; Admission: A$4 (adults), A$2 (children); concessions available
Yarra River
A visit to Melbourne would not be complete without a good look at its main river system, the Yarra River. Often the centre of many jokes due to its brownish colour, it is actually not dirty, just muddy. The Yarra has become the focus of much development in the central business district, with many new buildings, walks and parks having been created along its banks in recent years, including the relatively new Riverside Park. For the best view of the Yarra River walk to Princes Bridge, St Kilda Road, or take a cruise along the river from Princes Walk (below Princes Bridge).
Website: www.yarrariver.info
Government House
Government House is the official residence of the Governor of Victoria, located within the Botanical Gardens. The house is built in the style known as Italianate, and is one of the finest examples of this type of architecture in Australia. The house was built during the gold rush and is said to be the grandest house in Victoria. Tours of the state apartments start from La Trobe’s Cottage (home of Victoria’s first Lt Governor, Charles la Trobe) on the corner of Birdwood Avenue and Dallas Brooks Drive, South Yarra.
Address: Government House Drive; Telephone: (0)3 9656 9800; Website: www.governor.vic.gov.au/govhs.htm; Opening time: Visits are by advance booking only and tours operate on Mondays and Wednesdays
Old Melbourne Gaol
Victoria's oldest surviving remand prison gives visitors a chilling insight into prison life in a model 19th-century gaol. Behind the thick and forbidding walls Ned Kelly, the infamous bushranger, was one of 135 men and women who were hanged on the gaol's scaffold. Visitors can view the Hangman's Box, the Particulars of Execution book and other exhibits relating to this grim period of Victoria's history, as well as the death masks used in the study of phrenology to predict criminal behaviour. The Women in Prison exhibition reveals the fascinating stories of the crimes committed by the female inmates. There are free performances every Saturday of The Real Ned Kelly Story - Such is Life at 12.30pm and 2pm, and night performances on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday with hangman 'Michael Gately' as he recounts stories of the gaol by candlelight (not for the faint hearted or children under 12 years of age).
Address: Russell Street; Telephone: (0)3 9663 7228; Transport: City Circle Tram or train to Museum Station; Opening time: Daily 9.30am to 5pm (Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day); Admission: A$12.50 (adults), A$7.50 (children). Concessions available. Night tours: A$25 (adults), A$16.50 (children under 16)
Royal Botanic Gardens
tablished in 1846 by the first Governor of Victoria, Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens are considered one of the worlds finest. They contain extensive landscaped gardens covering 35 hectares (86 acres) and are home to more than 51,000 individual plants, representing over 12,000 different species. The gardens have become a natural sanctuary for native wild life including black swans, bell birds, cockatoos and kookaburras, filling the air with their distinctive song. Free guided walks are available.
Address: Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra; Telephone: (03) 9252 2300; Website: www.rbg.vic.gov.au; Transport: Tram 3, 5, 8, 16, 64 or 67 from Flinders Street Station to Domain Road Interchange; Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle from Melbourne Museum; Opening time: Daily 7.30am to 8.30pm (November to March); 7.30am to 6pm (April, September, October); 7.30am to 5.30pm (May to August); Admission: Free
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery collections are divided between the redeveloped gallery at St Kilda Road, which houses Victoria's impressive international collections (including Picasso's Weeping Woman) and the Ian Potter Centre, the spectacular new home for the country's most important Australian collection.
Address: International collections: 180 St Kilda Road; Ian Potter Centre: Federation Square; Telephone: (0)3 8620 2222; E-mail: enquiries@ngv.vic.gov.au; Website: www.ngv.vic.gov.au; Opening time: Daily 10am to 5pm (closed Mondays except when a public holiday); Admission: Free. An admission is charged for special exhibitions