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The Block Arcade is a heritage-shopping arcade that was built in the late 1800s. Restored to its original glory, the arcade still features its original mosaic tiled flooring, glass canopied ceiling and wrought iron and carved stone finishes.

In conjunction with Melbourne’s Royal Arcade, The Block Arcade forms part of the city’s Golden Mile heritage walk that cuts through the center of the CBD and offers a unique shopping experience.

Much loved shops within the arcade include the popular Hopetoun Tea Rooms (Melbourne’s original spot for high tea and still home to the city’s most drool-worthy window display!), Dafel Dolls & Bears toy shop and Haigh’s Chocolates.

You can enter The Block Arcade from its official entrance on Collins Street or via Elizabeth Street (west) or the pedestrian laneway off Little Collins Street.

Melbourne’s grandest avenue, Collins Street is known for being a hub for prestigious boutiques and designer stores, theaters, global bank headquarters, high-end hotels and restaurants.

Running for a mile between Elizabeth and King Street, Collins Street is the traditional main street of the city. On a visit, start at the east end, or “Paris end,” so named for its lavish Victorian-era buildings, erected in the 1880s when Melbourne grew recklessly during the Victorian gold rush. Collins Street has long been Melbourne’s center of financial activities. Some of the banks are housed in Victorian gothic builds nicknamed “Cathedrals of Commerce,” while others are in shining glass skyscrapers, some of which are Australia’s tallest, like 101 Collins Street. It’s worth seeing the late 19th century Old Stock Exchange, which looks straight out of Venice, and the ANZ Gothic Bank — all gold leaf ceilings and grand ceilings on the inside.

Degraves Street is a short, narrow laneway that runs between Flinders Street and Flinders Lane in the heart of Melbourne.

Though named for two pioneer merchants who moved from Hobart to Melbourne in 1849 – Charles and William Degraves – Degraves Street is more often attributed to William alone, who served as a member of Victoria’s Legislative Council. Degraves Street is one of Melbourne’s more unique arcades. Bluestone cobbles and an otherworld charm are the characteristics of Degraves Street. Tall, old-style buildings frame the street, with shops, bars, cafes and more lining the ground level, and apartments up above. Dining on Degraves Street tends towards Italian. Degraves Espresso is said to be one of the most quintessentially Melbourne café experiences. The Degraves Street underpass was built in the 1950s, connecting Flinders Street Station with Degraves Street. The underpass, much like the street it connects to, is full of character.

With its 30,000 square meters of open space and a bold approach to modern architecture fused with green design, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibit Center is an engineering marvel. Nearly everyone who visits these enormous buildings is here for a large convention, as the exhibition center is the largest of its kind in the entire southern hemisphere. At the center’s famous Plenary hall, public shows such as ballets and theater are also open to the public. The room can accommodate up to 5,500 people, or can also be divided into three different rooms of approximately 1,500 people. Aside from the shows and conventions themselves, the buildings are lauded for their innovative advances in modern green design, and it’s the world’s only venue to ever receive a 6 star Green Star environmental rating.

If early explorers could have had this view it would have made their jobs a lot easier. Situated high above Melbourne’s bustling streets, the Eureka Skydeck 88 is a 360-degree viewing platform towards the top of the Eureka Tower. From this elevated vantage point on the 88th floor, the Victorian countryside literally stretches from the mountains down towards the sea. Gaze east toward the 2,000-foot Mount Dandenong which can be coated with snow in winter, and south to the waters of Port Phillip and beachgoers lounging at St. Kilda. More than simply the view, however, it’s the Eureka Skydeck’s remarkable height that will leave you weak in the knees.

Even the elevators to reach the platform are an adventure unto themselves, and the 40 seconds to cover 88 stories make them the fastest in the Southern Hemisphere. Once you’ve taken a lap of the 88th floor, step outside onto the open-air terrace to feel the wind rushing through your hair from nearly 1,000 feet off the ground.

Appreciate Melbourne’s best street art and graffiti in Hosier Lane, one of the city’s ‘hidden’ laneways. Once forgotten but now very much on the Melbourne cultural map, Hosier Lane is a small cut through between Flinders Street and Flinders Lane, filled with regularly changing graffiti and a series of light boxes that exhibit the work of up and coming contemporary artists.

Jutting out from the center of Hosier is Rutledge Lane; walk past the (graffitied) garbage bins until you hit the Until Never gallery, which displays work by emerging Australian artists (open Wed-Sat). Hang out in Misty Bar or enjoy excellent tapas in the compact but excellent Spanish bar, Movida Next Door (Cnr Flinders St & Hosier Ln). If you want to eat at the more spacious and original Movida (1 Hosier Ln), you’ll need to book at least two months in advance.

Stark and solemn, the Shrine of Remembrance is Melbourne’s memorial for all Australians who fought in a war. The Shrine was originally built to remember those who fought in World War One and is now open to the public for commemoration and education about all Australian victims of war. Permanent exhibitions show metals awarded to soldiers and records of service men and women. Temporary exhibitions and free daily tours at 11am and 2pm also allow visitors a chance to expand their understanding of Australia’s involvement in international conflicts. The unique shrine is easily recognised by the two identical porticoes supported by eight Doric columns and topped with a pyramidal roof inspired by an ancient Mausoleum. The result of combining the Athenian and Turkish architectural designs in a bold white structure is nothing short of stunning.

Visiting Melbourne Shopping Center is a trip that can literally take days. Even if you spent only 10 minutes in each of the 300 shops, it would still take over 50 hours before the shopping was through. Granted—while it’s impractical to visit every shop—there’s still the time it takes to visit the sights within the center. Take, for example, historic Shot Tower—a bullet making facility from 1889 that’s housed within the shops. To protect the original structure from crumbling, an enormous, 20-story, cone made of glass protects the entire tower—a feat of architectural engineering that’s the largest of its kind in the world. While exploring the maze of eateries and shops, be sure to keep an eye on the time as it approaches the top of the hour. Every hour, on the hour, the famously oversized Marionette Watch sounds a version of “Waltzing Matilda,” an old bush ballad that’s considered the unofficial national anthem of Australia.

Impressively stoic, with bold white columns commanding attention, Parliament House of Victoria is one of Melbourne’s most recognisable landmarks. The great steps that lead to the entrance only hint at the opulence behind the impressive façade. Built in 1856, Parliament House of Victoria is the largest public Australian structure to be built in 19th Century.

Visitor experiences in Parliament will depend heavily on whether Parliament is sitting. When Parliament is not sitting, the chambers, halls and eateries are open to the public. Visitors can take a 90 minute tour through the esteemed halls and chambers.

After touring, visitors may relax with a traditional High Tea of finger sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, and assorted pastries at either The Parliament or The Corridor. During sitting weeks, visitors can only view live debates and decisions from the public galleries.

Fitzroy Gardens is one of several gardens established during the nineteenth century with a mind to creating and preserving green spaces within the city.

Hugging the eastern side of the CBD, Fitzroy Gardens is seen as the finest garden in the city’s large collection of green spaces, which include Flagstaff, Treasury, Carlton, Alexandra Gardens and the Kings Domain. Dominated by sweeping avenues of English Elms, and full of deciduous and native Australian trees, Fitzroy Gardens looks particularly beautiful in autumn (April to June). Points of interest within the gardens include Captain Cooks Cottage (transported from England in 1934), a fairy tree, a model Tudor village and a conservatory that exhibits stunning floral displays throughout the year.

One of only four giant observation wheels in the world, along with the London Eye, the Singapore Flyer and the Las Vegas High Roller, the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel has some big names to live up to, but with its 360-degree panoramic views reaching as far as the distant Mount Macedon and Dandenong mountain range, there’s no other attraction like it in the city of Melbourne.

Riding in one of the 21 air-conditioned capsules is an experience in itself, reaching heights of up to 400 feet (120 meters or the equivalent of 40 stories) during the 30-minute tour and offering an unbeatable bird’s eye view of the surrounding Docklands and Port Phillip Bay from the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The most atmospheric time to ride the Melbourne Star is during the evening hours, when the wheel’s specially engineered multi-colored LED-lighting creates a dazzling lightshow over the waterfront.

Located on the city’s eastern fringe and surrounded by gardens, St Patrick’s Cathedral is a striking feature on Melbourne’s skyline.

Built in the Gothic Revival style of the early 14th century, the Cathedral layout is based on a Latin cross, with a nave and transepts, a sanctuary with seven chapels, and sacristies. Famed ecclesiastical architect William Wardell designed the cathedral as well as many of the brass items and mosaics that can be seen today including the sanctuary lamps, a Paschal candle stand and the eagle lectern. St Patrick’s excellent acoustics and original pipe organ make it popular with musicians and choral groups and a cathedral choir has existed here since 1939.

Visitors are welcome to explore the cathedral and attend the daily mass, which is accompanied by organ and cantor on Sunday’s at 9.30am, 11am and 6.30pm.

Animals from Australia and around the world have called the Melbourne Zoo home since 1862, making it Australia's oldest zoo. Surrounded by landscaped gardens, the zoo is a popular location for picnics and evening concerts during the summer.

Star attractions at Melbourne Zoo include the colorful inhabitants of the Butterfly House, families of gorillas at play in the Gorilla Rainforest, and native animals like kangaroos, wombats and koalas in the Amazing Australians exhibits. Most famous of all is the Trail of the Elephants, the Asian village home of the zoo's five elephants, including recent addition baby Mali. Orangutans are viewed from elevated boardwalks, and penguins and seals swim in the Wild Sea display. Don’t miss feeding time and Meet the Keeper presentations.