Bonnie Best's Picks:
Activities & Attractions –
Melbourne, Australia

Top 20 things to do in Melbourne

Stroll, skate or soak up the sun on the St Kilda beach promenade
Discover Australia’s Aboriginal culture on a Koorie Heritage Walk
Dine in the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant, travelling city streets while you enjoy local cuisine
Meet multicultural Melbourne at the Queen Victoria Market
See the city from ‘The Edge’, 88 stories up in the Eureka Tower
Capture the city spirit at Federation Square, home to galleries, cafés, bars and live entertainment
Eat, drink and live like a local in Melbourne’s sophisticated secret laneways
Swim with sea horses around the piers of the Mornington Peninsula
Capture culture at the National Gallery of Victoria, with art spanning the globe
Meet native and exotic animals or picnic over jazz at the Melbourne Zoo
Discover the Melbourne Story at the Melbourne Museum
Tee off at one of 15 championship golf courses around Melbourne
Take time out at one of Melbourne’s seaside day spas
Experience café culture on Lygon Street – Melbourne’s ‘Little Italy’
See a show at a world-class theatre as Broadway comes to Melbourne
Live the sporting passion at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and National Sports Museum
Drive a lap around Albert Park Lake, home to the Australian Formula 1™ Grand Prix
Shop at Melbourne’s largest department stores, Myer and David Jones
Enjoy spectacular water views and stylish restaurants in Docklands
Join in the festivities at one of Melbourne’s many free festivals or public events

Top 20 list from MCVB.com.au

Where: Various Venues around Melbourne
When: 12-23 March 2011
Join the feast that is the annual 12-day Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Since its launch in 1993, it has grown to be the largest food and wine festival in the Southern Hemisphere.
It attracts over 300,000 lovers of food and wine to participate in a busy program of over 250 events including alfresco dinners in city laneways, lunches held in surprising settings, culinary master classes, star appearances and plenty of opportunities to sample the best of local food and wine.
The ‘World’s Longest Lunch’ remains a popular event, held in special locations throughout Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Where: Albert Park Lake, Melbourne
When: 24-27 March 2011
The fastest men on four wheels come to Melbourne’s purpose-built 5.3 kilometre track in Albert Park to contest the FORMULA 1™ Australian Grand Prix. This four-day carnival of speed, glamour and excitement features the world’s best drivers, V8s, great music, food and festivities.
Special events include celebrity challenges, performances by leading DJs and musicians, and after the main event a big-name rock legend takes to the stage to wrap up four days of fabulous F1.

Where: Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens
When: 30 March-3 April 2011
Every autumn the largest horticultural event in the Southern Hemisphere blooms on the edge of Melbourne’s Central Business District. The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show showcases Australia’s best landscape and floral artisans as well as garden retail products, entertainment for all ages and with great food on offer.
Wander through the 10 hectares of displays and see more than 300 exhibits, including a sustainable living garden, floral and design competition entries, and the Great Hall of Flowers.

Where: Various Venues
When: 30 March-24 April 2011
Melbourne’s annual festival of mirth has the whole city laughing out loud at venues around the city each autumn. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival program boasts over 300 events, including stand-up, theatre, music, film and even visual art – more than enough to keep Melbourne chuckling and grinning for weeks.
See performances by the international greats of comedy, local favourites, and hopeful newcomers who brave open mic competitions or launch shows of their own. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is one of the three largest comedy festivals in the world, alongside Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival.

Events Calendar from MCVB.com.au

Wine Tours: Yarra Valley Tours - “Yarra Valley Winery Tours invites you to experience the best food and wine of the Yarra Valley. We take you to iconic or boutique wineries with local driver/guides.”
The Great Ocean Road Tour - “Once you have entered this land of breathtaking rock formations and heard the tales of the shipwreck coast, you will have just experienced the most wonderful day tour of all time.” –MelbourneTours.com or Great Ocean Road Small Group Eco Tour - "Experience the spectacular Great Ocean Road on a full-day tour from Melbourne. Your small, personalized eco tour takes you by comfortable minibus along the winding Great Ocean Road to Kennett River, where you're guaranteed to spot koalas in their native habitat.”-Melbourne.com.au
Melbourne City Tour with River Cruise - “At the conclusion of the Melbourne City Tour, enjoy a spectacular Yarra River cruise which will show you Melbourne from a very different perspective.” – City Discovery
Phillip Island Wildlife & Penguin Experience - “This tour is the ultimate experience for those interested in Australian animals and our beautiful Phillip Island. Take a look "behind the scenes" where rangers will talk to us in depth about some of our native animals and heritage spots on Phillip Island.” –Melbourne Tours.com