Chinese Museum
A living part of Melbourne's modern Chinatown, the Chinese Museum was brought into being in 1985 to document, preserve and display the history of Australians of Chinese descent.
An exciting range of changing exhibitions, heritage tours and public seminars are some of the ways by which the Museum shares the past, culture, and values of Australia's Chinese community.
Artefacts dug from the Victorian goldfields, carpenters' tools from industrious furniture makers, and images of the debutante balls of the 1930's Young Chinese League, evoke some of the richness of the Chinese contribution to Australia's history. The Museum is also home to Dai Loong and the Millennium Dragon, the largest Chinese dragon in the world.
The Museum is a popular and important educative resource visited by over 20,000 school children per annum who learn about multiculturalism, local and Australian history, Chinese arts and crafts, language, literature, dance and traditional festivals and customs.
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
Cooks' Cottage is located in the Fitzroy Garden. The cottage was constructed in 1755 in the English village of Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, by the parents of Captain James Cook.
The cottage was deconstructed brick by brick and packed into 253 cases and 40 barrels, for shipping onboard the Port Dunedin from Hull. Cuttings from ivy that adorned the house were also taken and planted when the house was re-erected in Melbourne. Grimwade, a notable businessman and philanthropist, donated the house to the people of Victoria for the centenary anniversary of the settlement of Melbourne in October 1934.
The cottage immediately became a popular tourist attraction. In 1978 further restoration work was carried out on the cottage. An English cottage garden has been established around the house, further adding to its period reconstruction. Very few of the items in the house are from the Cook family, but all are representative furnishings from the period.
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
Although Melbourne is situated on the shores of one of the largest bays on the Australian coast, the city's main water feature is the Yarra River. That's because the city grew from the banks of the Yarra and even today the focus for the city is still very much on a one-kilometre section of the river. The nicest feature of the Yarra River is its picturesque walks. Once you get away from the concrete of Southgate and walk east down through King's Domain, you can walk for kilometres along the banks of the river without any sense of being in a great city. That's because the city planners have allowed for parklands either side of the roads that skirt around the river, including the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Website: www.yarrariver.info
Government House
Government House, Melbourne is the office and official residence of the Governor of Victoria. It is set next to the Royal Botanic Gardens and surrounded by Kings Domain in Melbourne. It was the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia from 1901 to 1930.The main building consists of three parts: the south wing with its extravagant single storey State Ballroom; a grand staircase hall entrance to the three storey State rooms; and two storey vice-regal apartments to the north. Rising from the building is a 145-foot belvedere tower. The mews - a paved area surrounded on three sides by stables, coach houses and staff living quarters is nearby. The garden was designed by John Sayce in 1873 and is thought to be the most intact 19th century mansion garden remaining in Melbourne by the Victorian Heritage Register. William Guilfoyle, curator of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, further refined the original garden design with many fine mature trees, including conifers, Australian rainforest species and deciduous trees, which are characteristic of the era and which also reflect Guilfoyle’s personal taste.
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
Home to our oldest prison, historic Magistrates' Court and former Police City Watch House, Russell Street has been at the heart of crime, law and order in Melbourne since the 1840s. Most of Australia’s infamous characters, including iconic bushranger, Ned Kelly and notorious gangster Squizzy Taylor have spent time within the walls of this amazing precinct.
Step back in time and walk the road to the gallows in a 19th century prison, be arrested in a modern-day Police Station or put yourself on trial in court. A ticket to the Old Melbourne Gaol Crime & Justice Experience grants you visiting rights to the past, present and future of crime and justice in Australia.
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
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne are internationally renowned botanical gardens located near the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on the south bank of the Yarra River. They are comprised of 354,000 square metres (35 hectares or 87 acres) of landscaped gardens consisting of a mix of native and non-native vegetation including over 10,000 individual species. They are widely regarded as the finest botanical gardens in Australia, and among the best in the world. However, the gardens are also noted for their historical contribution to the introduction of invasive species.
The Royal Botanic Gardens have a second division in the outer Melbourne suburb of Cranbourne, some 45km south-east of the city. The 363 hectare Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne have a focus solely on Australian native plants, and feature an award winning special section called the Australian Garden, which was opened in May 2006.
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 of Victoria is an art gallery and museum founded in 1861. It is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. The main gallery is located in St Kilda Road, in the heart of the Melbourne Arts Precinct of Southbank, with a branch gallery at Federation Square.
At the time when the gallery opened, Victoria was an independent colony for just ten years, but in the wake of the Victorian gold rush, it was easily the richest part of Australia, and Melbourne the largest city. Generous gifts from wealthy citizens, notably industrialist Alfred Felton, made it possible for the National Gallery to start purchasing large collections of overseas works from both old and modern masters. It currently holds 63,000 works of art.
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