5 Bucket List Experiences in Melbourne

If you've been following me on social media, you've probably realized I'm travelling across Australia doing everything worth doing, research for two upcoming books, The Great Australian Bucket List and Esrocking Travel with the Kids.   The journey has kept my family than hyperactive bees, and we kicked it all off in Melbourne.  Here's some of the highlights: ​

Take a Street Art Tour

The laneways and arcades that snake through Melbourne’s CBD’s conceal a hidden city, one that is home to one of the world’s most renowned underground art and culture scenes.  You might see glimpses of it walking around, but an organized tour will lead you directly to the most striking art and locations, and reveal the fascinating stories behind them.  Once you learn about paste-ups, graffiti, yarn-bombing and blanking out, you’ll never look at any city the same way again.  ​

Old Melbourne Gaol Ghost Tour

It’s a creepy enough building during the day, and that’s when it’s just a historical museum.  At night, echo-chamber passageways and thick cells of the Old Gaol reveal a far more disturbing atmosphere, aided by the death mask of Ned Kelly and other convicts hanged on-site.  A convincing storyteller tells true-life ghost stories as you tour the cellblocks, walking carefully in the dark or else you might trip over your imagination.  ​

Puffing Billy

Old world travel has always been romantic.   When this narrow-gauge track was decommissioned in the 1950’s, it was reinvented as a volunteer-run leisure railway, with steam locomotives taking visitors through Dandenong Ranges for picnics along the way.  On-board, it’s a festive and family-friendly atmosphere, with guests encouraged to sit on the open-air windows with their legs in the breeze.  Puffing Billy has become an icon, and a great way to explore nature outside the city. ​

Eureka Skydeck's The Edge

It’s the highest public viewing deck in the southern hemisphere, and the top 10 floors have 24-carat gold plated windows.  The Eureka Skydeck gives visitors stellar 360-views of the sprawling city, and the latest attraction puts the streets (and the Oaks Southbank below) literally beneath your feet.  The first of its kind, The Edge is a glass cube that extends out the 88th floor viewing deck, 285 metres above the ground.  Sound effects of glass breaking add to the thrill.

Melbourne Zoo’s Roar n’ Snore Overnight Camp

10,000 people a day can pack into the world renowned Melbourne Zoo.  Imagine having the place to yourself at night when many of the animals are actually awake.   The Roar n’ Snore experience not only allows this to happen, it includes guided behind the scenes tours, dinner and breakfast, early morning sessions with the zookeepers, and your chance to sleep in a canvas tent surrounded by the sounds of exotic animals. 
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​With special thanks to our partners: Ford Motors Australia, Jetstar Airways, Oaks Hotels and Resorts, and Discovery Parks.