The Best Travel Guide for Melbourne, Australia

The first thing you need to know when planning a visit to anywhere in Australia is that their seasons are directly opposite that of the US. When it is winter America, the land down under is experiencing summer. No dreams of a white Christmas here, folks. That does not mean they do not get into the holidays though. There are plenty of decorations up and lots of frolicking, along with the massive shopping sprees. It is just that shopping is broken up with bouts of lying around on the beach. If you are tired of the cold, Melbourne, Australia in the state of Victoria is a very good choice as far as get-away plans.

Melbourne is on the southernmost tip of the continent, so a bit further away from the equator than other cities in Australia. This means it is a little slower to warm up, but you still need to pack for spring and summer when visiting over the Yule season. Just be sure to pack a few sweaters for the milder evenings. Do not worry if you forget anything, though, because Melbourne has some of the best shopping in the world. There is nothing you need that you cannot find here.

Do not worry to much about renting a car. Melbourne has an awesome Tram system that will get you pretty much anywhere you want to go with relative ease. The trams are clean and run very frequently. Odds are you will not wait at any tram stop longer than 10 or 15 minutes. An all-day ticket is a mere $6.10 Australian for adults. If you are under 15 years of age you can get it even cheaper. Once downtown, you can take the City Circle Tram for free. This one does as the name implies: It runs around the perimeter of the downtown area, making shopping much easier on your feet.

If you happen to get lost, simply jump on just about any tram and head in to the Flinders Street Station. This is a grand old gorgeous building and you can get to anywhere from there, including hopping a train to go explore the outer areas of Southern Australia.

Currently, the Australian dollar is ringing in at about 77 cents on the US dollar. So when you see a price tag of 10 bucks, know that this is the equivalent of about $7.70 in American pricing.

Shopping in Melbourne is some of the best in the World

Credit: Lars Leidig

Copyright: Lars Leidig