Melbourne is Australia’s cool, creative city, a flat, walkable grid threaded with graffiti splashed laneways, rattling trams and hidden courtyards. It is a little more low key than Sydney, and honestly a delight with kids, with a superb museum, a beach with wild penguins, and a famous penguin parade a short drive away.
The trams are the secret to the city, and the best news for families is that the City Circle loop around the center is completely free, a fun ride kids ask to repeat. From there you can explore the laneways, hunting for the ever changing street art down narrow alleys, visit the excellent Melbourne Museum with its dinosaurs and living rainforest, and ride down to St Kilda, the bayside suburb with a beach, the vintage Luna Park funfair, and a pier where little penguins waddle ashore at dusk.
Getting in is easy on the SkyBus from the airport, and the flat center is very walkable. The one thing to pack for is Melbourne’s famously changeable weather, four seasons in a day, so always bring a layer and a rain jacket.
Come in spring or autumn for the most settled weather, give it three or four days, and add a day trip to Phillip Island for its magical penguin parade. It is a relaxed, characterful companion to Sydney.
Want the full plan? Melbourne With Kids. Ready to book it? Work with me.
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