Outdoors · Melbourne · Australia
6 best outdoor things to do in Melbourne
Parks, viewpoints and open-air sights for the dry, bright days.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Jorge Láscar from Australia, CC BY 2.0
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Quick answer
Start with Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building and St Kilda foreshore and pier. Together the 6 picks below take roughly 12–17 hours across 6 areas; 3 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 6
- Free entry
- 3
- Time to see them all
- 12–17 hours
- Areas
- South Yarra, Carlton and St Kilda
Outdoors in Melbourne
Garden · South Yarra
1.Royal Botanic Gardens
Walk part of the Tan, the 3.8 km running track around the edge of the gardens, or join locals picnicking by the Ornamental Lake.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Nature
- Couples
Museum · Carlton
2.Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building
Check the museum's site for guided tours of the Royal Exhibition Building's interior, which is otherwise mainly used for events.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
- Architecture
- Nature
Waterfront · St Kilda
3.St Kilda foreshore and pier
Arrive around dusk to see the little penguins return to the breakwater; keep your voice down and never use a camera flash.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- After dark
- Couples
- Nature
Aquarium · Melbourne CBD
4.SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium
Visit on a weekday morning outside school holidays to watch the penguins without a crowd at the glass.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Zoo · Parkville
5.Melbourne Zoo
Children usually enter free at weekends, on public holidays and during Victorian school holidays; tram 58 from the CBD stops near the entrance.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Historic site · Abbotsford
6.Abbotsford Convent
Combine it with the Collingwood Children's Farm next door, where children can meet farm animals beside the river.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Off the beaten path
- Free
- Art
- Kids
- Outdoors
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| South Yarra | Royal Botanic Gardens | 1–3 hours |
| Carlton | Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building | 2–3 hours |
| St Kilda | St Kilda foreshore and pier | 2–3 hours |
| Melbourne CBD | SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium | 1.5–2 hours |
| Parkville | Melbourne Zoo | Half a day |
| Abbotsford | Abbotsford Convent | 2 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 6, 3 free, 1 low cost, 2 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Melbourne Zoo; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 4 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (South Yarra and Carlton): Royal Botanic Gardens → Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (St Kilda and Melbourne CBD): St Kilda foreshore and pier → SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Parkville): Melbourne Zoo, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Abbotsford): Abbotsford Convent, at least 2 hours.
The best months to be outside
- January: highs of 26°C (79°F), about 5 rainy days, very busy crowds. Mostly warm and dry, with occasional scorching days above 40°C followed by sudden cool changes; the Australian Open fills the city.
- February: highs of 26°C (79°F), about 5 rainy days, busy crowds. Often the warmest, most settled month, ideal for rooftop bars, St Kilda's beach and long evenings outdoors.
- March: highs of 24°C (75°F), about 6 rainy days, busy crowds. Warm, stable weather and a packed events calendar make March one of the best months; hotels fill during the Grand Prix.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Melbourne CBD — Laneway cafés, Victorian arcades and the free tram zone on the Hoddle Grid
- Southbank — Riverside promenade, the arts precinct and high-rise hotels across the Yarra
- Carlton — Italian cafés on Lygon Street, the university and UNESCO-listed gardens
- St Kilda — Bayside Esplanade, Acland Street cake shops and a century-old amusement park
- South Yarra and Prahran — Chapel Street shopping, Prahran Market and leafy residential streets
More of Melbourne
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Melbourne?
Royal Botanic Gardens. Thirty-eight hectares of lawns, lakes and plant collections stretch along the Yarra south of the CBD, with a fern gully, an arid garden and Guilfoyle's Volcano, a restored reservoir planted with succulents.
+Which of these are free in Melbourne?
Royal Botanic Gardens, St Kilda foreshore and pier and Abbotsford Convent.