MELBOURNE IN 3 DAYS: A GREAT LONG WEEKEND TRAVEL
Are you thinking of visiting Melbourne for a long weekend trip but unsure of where to go and what to see? Here’s a great 3-day Melbourne travel guide.
Melbourne Travel Buddy Corner
My high school friend, Iris, was in Australia visiting her sister in Sydney. We decided to meet up in Melbourne as this is one of the places in Australia where we both have never been before.
We stayed in Melbourne for 4 days but the fourth day was just us waking up, checking out and going to the airport. Nevertheless, we had a fun short trip to Melbourne.
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Melbourne Day 1: Melbourne Central Business District (CBD)
I arrived at Melbourne Airport Tullamarine from a 3.5-hour flight from Perth. I met up with Iris and we took the SkyBus Shuttle from the airport to Southern Cross Station.
From the Southern Cross Station, we did about a 10-minute walk to Hotel Sophia. We left our luggage at the hotel since check-in was still at 2:00 pm.
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Then, we went to Federation Square to have our breakfast.
After breakfast, we wandered around Hosier Lane. A few tourists were there taking photos of the famous graffiti art lane.
At 2:00 pm, we went back to the hotel to check in. After check-in, we toured Melbourne’s CBD.
My uncle, who lives in Melbourne, told us that we can take the tram for free and it would take us around the CBD. So, we did!
Melbourne CBD Free Tram
All trams that operate within Melbourne CBD are FREE as Melbourne has a Free Tram Zone. All stops are marked so don’t worry about going over the free zone boundary. Also, the tram drivers make regular announcements when the tram is approaching the zone boundaries.
If it worries you about going over the free tram zone, you can always use the City Circle Tram.
The City Circle Tram is Melbourne’s FREE tram service. It travels to Melbourne CBD’s major tourist attractions and shops. Its route is a loop from Flinders Street, Harbour Esplanade, Docklands Drive, La Trobe Street, Victoria Street, Nicholson Street, Spring Street and back to Flinders Street.
It is pretty easy to spot the City Circle Tram. It is a heritage tram with a green roof and a maroon body. Also, it has the City Circle labelled in front of the tram with route number 35.
The timetable for the City Circle Tram is every 30 minutes between 10:00 am to 6:00 pm every Sunday to Wednesday and 10:00 am to 9:00 pm every Thursday to Saturday.
We took the City Circle Tram and the attractions we visited are the State Library Of Victoria, Parliament House, Central Pier, Harbour Town Shopping Centre and Melbourne Star.
After the CBD sightseeing, we headed back to Flinders Street to have dinner at Taxi Kitchen.
Melbourne Day 2: 12 Apostles Tour
We started our day early as we booked the 12 Apostles Tour. We booked the tour online and pick up was at 7:30 am at a nearby hotel.
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The tour took the scenic route. It is a long and winding road so even if you are not prone to motion sickness, I suggest you take some meds before going on this tour.
Angelsea
The tour’s first stop was at Angelsea, which has beautiful coastal scenery. Our tour guide, who was also our driver, offered us a quick morning tea. It was some crackers and coffee, milo and tea.
Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch
The next stop was the Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch. The memorial arch was built in honour of soldiers that lost their lives in the war.
Kennett River
Then, we stopped by Kennett River. It is known to be one of the best places to see koalas along the Great Ocean Road. At Kennett River, we got to see koalas relaxing and hanging up the trees.
We didn’t get much time to tour around Apollo Bay. We just stopped by there to have a quick lunch and after, we headed straight to the main attraction of the tour, which was the 12 Apostles.
12 Apostles
When we arrived at the 12 Apostles, it was way too crowded as there were loads of tourists also there to see the attraction. The 12 Apostles are limestone stacks that were created because of erosion. There were originally 12 but now it is only around 8-9.
We stayed there longer than the other places as our tour guide gave us time to get around the place. We got to get down to the beach and some of the people on our tour booked the 12 Apostles Helicopter Tour.
After the 12 Apostles, we stopped by other amazing rock formations – The Razorback, London Bridge and The Arch before heading back to Melbourne CBD.
We arrived back in Melbourne at around 8:00 pm.
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Popular Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles Tours below 👇
Melbourne Day 3: Brighton Beach Huts
We spent our last day in Melbourne with my uncle and his partner. They offered to drive us around other places in Melbourne.
We spent the day at Brighton Beach to see the IG-worthy beach huts.
Melbourne Day 4: ‘Til Next Time, Melbourne!
We checked out from the hotel early. We took the SkyBus Shuttle from the Southern Cross Station to the airport and we said our goodbyes. Iris was heading back to Cebu, Philippines and I was going back to Perth.
It has been fun, Melbourne. I will be back!
Melbourne In 3 Days Recap
We spent a short but fun-filled Melbourne trip. We were able to explore Melbourne CBD with the free tram and got to see notable landmarks and museums around the CBD.
The 12 Apostles tour was the highlight of our 3-day trip. I recommend you take some motion sickness meds when going on this tour. You might get sick as the Great Ocean Road is long and winding.
Brighton Beach was a fun place to visit as well. The beach huts were so creatively designed and colourful.
I hope you find this 3-day Melbourne itinerary helpful. This is perfect for a long weekend trip especially if this is your first time visiting Melbourne. Enjoy!
Melbourne In 3 Days Links
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