Ten undiscovered highlights of Melbourne most visitors miss

Many of Melbourne’s attractions are well known – the laneways, the restaurants, the events. But some of Melbourne’s highlights are worth digging a little deeper for.

Yarra Bend Park

Dights Falls in Yarra Bend Park.Credit: Matthew Bouwmeester

When you visit Melbourne you have to check out the Yarra but instead of the obvious city spots head to Yarra Bend Park, the city’s largest natural bushland park. Start at Dight Falls which is natural rock bar that has been turned into a weir, stroll the wild river and woodlands and then weave your way through the Yarra Bend flying fox colony and watch them squawk and squabble overhead. At sunset the colony heads off in search of food which is a sight to see.

Elvis Presley Memorial Garden

It’s no Graceland, but the modest grotto in Melbourne Cemetery that is dedicated to the King of Rock’n’Roll is one-of-a-kind in Australia and draws Elvis fans from all over each year on the anniversary of Presley’s death. Commissioned in 1977 by the president of the Elvis Presley Fan Club, the oddity was opened by Australia’s own rock legend Johnny O’Keefe.

Rippon Lea Estate

The perfectly preserved Rippon Lea Estate.Credit: Anthony Basheer

This grand Rippon Lea Estate in the south-eastern suburbs is part of the National Trust as it is one of the most amazingly preserved examples of the suburban estates that were once all over the fast-growing city. The mansion is perfectly preserved and you can wander through the master bedroom, the conservatory and sitting room, then out to the ghostly pool area that was once the focus of many a 19th century shindig. Built in 1868 the mansion and grounds are a great slice of Melbourne history.

Pentridge Prison

Pentridge tours do not shy away from the prison’s brutal past.Credit: Jason South

Built in 1929, Pentridge Prison became the primary remand centre for the city and the site of all executions in Victoria, and for a brief time it even played host to the corpse of Ned Kelly. The violent and controversial gaol became known as Bluestone College as it was carved from the famous blocks and prisoners mined it. Now, the area has been activated with shopping, outdoor movies, shops and BrewDog brewery in the old infirmary. Take a Pentridge Prison Tour to see the underlying, harrowing stories via an audio tour activated as you walk into each claustrophobic cell.

Heide Museum of Modern Art

The Heide Museum of Modern Art.

Back on the banks of the Yarra River, Heide Museum of Modern Art in Melbourne’s north is one of the most impressive art spaces in Melbourne. In the 1930s art patrons John and Sunday Reed set up home here and it became the scene of some serious, and seriously debauched, creative gatherings. In 1981 it became a public art museum showing modernist works like Sidney Nolan’s Ned Kelly series and has had over 300 exhibitions since then. There is also a riverside sculpture park to explore.

Seaworks

Head to the Seaworks maritime museum in Williamstown to explore Melbourne’s seafaring past. It is set in a maritime precinct over nearly three hectares of the Williamstown waterfront in a series of 19th century sheds. The collective includes The Pirates Tavern, a nautically themed boozer open on weekends, the Seawords Wooden Boat Building Company, and is the home to the Sea Shepherd.

Lyon Housemuseum

Is it a house, is it a museum? On a suburban Kew street the answer is both when you visit the home and private gallery of Corbett and Yueji Lyon. Architect Corbett designed the Lyon Housemuseum as a live-in gallery that is opened to the public on select days, so you are wandering through an incredible collection of modern art and also someone’s kitchen; around one corner is a bedroom and the next a life-sized Patricia Piccinini figure that would definitely terrify you on the way to a midnight snack. In 2019 the Housemuseum added a new public wing with several modern art spaces.

(The museum is currently closed, reopening in May 2024)

Old Treasury Building

The Old Treasury building was built with the barrowloads of Gold Rush money.Credit: Visit Victoria

The regal 19th century building is regarded as one of the finest buildings built with the barrow-loads of Gold Rush money. The building itself is home to the original vaults that held Victoria’s golden wealth and many of the historical documents of the era. You can tour this piece of Victorian history six days a week.

St Kilda’s Solar System Trail

You can stroll from one end of the Solar System to the other in Port Phillip on this walking trail established in 2008. The trail starts at the lighthouse in Marina Reserve in St Kilda at the “sun”, a small metal sculpture of our nearest star, and then you can stroll the rest of the trail that is accurately scaled in size and distance from your starting point. This is a quirky and fun way to explore the beachside suburb and you can always end with a well-deserved drink at The Espy, the redone rock pub that is almost a tourist attraction in itself.

Aboriginal Heritage Walk in Royal Botanic Gardens

The Aboriginal Heritage Walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens.Credit: Visit Victoria

The Botanic Gardens is a stunning park to explore a living collection of some of the most amazing plant collections in Australia where you can explore lush forests, have high tea or go punting on a calm lake or discover a hidden grotto. But one of the best ways to see the gardens is on an Aboriginal Heritage Walk where you learn about caring for country and take a journey through the culture of the First Nations people.