The best penguin display I have ever seen although I am sure Antartica is better. Well worth it, was located just near the casino which was also really good

www.melbourneaquarium.com.au/
Cnr Flinders Street &, King Street Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
+61(03)9923 5999
Google map: bit.ly/HmCFin

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Melbourne is getting a collection of great little restaurants along its bay and Vincents is another one. It has fantastic views across Port Phillip Bay and the surrounding bayside suburbs from the upstairs dining room.
The menu is mediterranean based and of course offers lots of fish choices.
The pastas were great as were the home made dips. Service was smart and efficient. BYO and also licenced, Vincents is just a nice place to go and have a meal

468 Beach Rd
Beaumaris
ph 95893161

www.vincentscaferestaurant.com.au

Google map: tinyurl.com/oezpl9

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Another outstanding find in one of our inner city suburbs is Olives. Situated in the busy strip of Martin St (highway end) Olives was a great place for us to have a family dinner for Mothers Day last Sunday.

Olives' menu gave us a large number of choices for dinner, with most of the menu seafood/mediterranean based. Us meat eaters (and vegetarians) are also well catered for with special menu offerings.

A reasonably priced wine and drinks list is also offered for diners. Service was efficient and friendly with wait staff able to offer menu recommendations when asked. All in all, a nice evening out was had by all.

162 Martin Street
Brighton 3186
Ph: 9530 8884
100m from Gardenvale Station

www.olivesrestaurant.com.au/

Google map: tinyurl.com/ps6xf5

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A small town nestled at the base of the Strezlecki ranges , Yarragon has a range of speciality shops covering arts and antiques, bookshops and places to taste the local cheeses and wares. We stayed at the Yarragon motel, a small neat and tidy place just off the main highway (it was cheap accommodation too.)

about 130km SE of Melbourne on the Princes Hwy

www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-factsheet/yarragon-20081113-5zus.html

Google map: tinyurl.com/pf36vv

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Maris is a small restaurant in the inner south eastern suburb of Malvern that produces some amazing food with a mediterranean flavour and does so very well in a low key french bistro atmosphere. Run by a husband (chef) and wife team (front of house) team, Maris provides food that makes dining out a joy. Something is there for the carnivores (suckling pig or steak tartarè) or the vegetarians of this world (smoked beetroot for entreè!) Desserts are to kill for, with our choice being the pannacotta (can't recommend this dish highly enough). Home made sourdough is presented when you are seated and that is just the start of an enjoyable evening out. Service is slick and attentive. We thoroughly enjoyed our recent dining experience there.

15 Glenferrie Rd
Malvern 3144 VIC
Phone: 9500 0665

Maris is only a short walk from Malvern railway station
(parking is out the front)

Google map: tinyurl.com/pnhadn

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Strange name... nice restaurant. The Wet Fish is a small intimate place that serves excellent mezze, tapas, great Turkish food and other Mediterranean fare. Seafood is a speciality. The range of Turkish dips and bread is rather nice. Also nice too are the prices, this is a cheap eating experience. The service is excellent.

Shop 12
427 Hampton St
Hampton 3188
(in Hampton Village)
ph 9533 1666
free parking out front

Google map: tinyurl.com/qy5zl8

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Great for lunch. Go to the deli section, order a pie, sandwich, coffee etc. They have Greek, Italian, Vietnamese - you name it. Then find a seat in the alley out back and they will bring it to you. It is a sunny spot if the weather is fine. Afterwards you could stock up on bargain souvenirs to take back home. There is often some kind of street theatre going on too. It is a lively, vibrant place and definitely should be included on a visit to Melbourne.

A city tram drops you near to the market.
www.qvm.com.au

Google map: tinyurl.com/nncs2n

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Another nice little find in my local neighbourhood... Sarands presents a Mediterranean-based menu of seafood or meat dishes. The restaurant itself is light and airy (with an upstairs private dining area for functions), service is pleasant, the wine list small but well chosen and the (mains) servings huge. The prices are reasonable too. Coffee is excellent.

532 Hampton St, Hampton
3188 Vic (200m south of South Rd)
Ph 9598 8944

Google map: tinyurl.com/rxul2v

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It's a two hour hike to this little bit of Thai splendour a couple of hours from Melbourne. A forested swamp meets the sea in a golden crescent of sand hemmed in by mountains. Granite headlands keep the warm, clear waters nice and calm; continue on to Refuge Cove (2hrs) for a more exclusive swim before a long walk out.

wilson's prom national park

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Recently renovated inside, the Flinders Pub has moved to improve its eating areas with a formal dining room in addition to the bistro.

The pub is a favourite of motorcycle riders (it's a great place to start or end a ride) who frequent the bistro but the dining room is a nice place for those wanting something more formal... nice thick linen and quality tableware. It's a nice place to eat for those who have been tramping the wineries in the area or having a hit at Flinders Golf Club.

Cook St
Flinders
Mornington Peninsula
about an hour from central Melbourne
ph 59890201

www.flindershotel.com.au

Google map: tinyurl.com/l4vkfk

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The 'Show' - where city and country get together! Once a year, the country invades the city at the showgrounds and lets city families see what the country has to offer.

In addition, there are quite a few competitions where our farmers and country folk can show off the best bull, pig, horse or who can cook the best sponge or grow the best pumpkin.

Sheepdog and poultry competitions are favourites. City kids also have a chance to see new lambs or piglets or chooks. There are enough circus rides, face painting areas and handicraft stalls to keep everyone happy.

Adults have flamenco, hip hop, capoeira performers, belly dancers and others to keep them entertained.

And of course, there are fireworks at night. Everyone should go and don't forget to grab a ShowBag.

Sept 20 - 30
Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
Epsom Road, Ascot Vale

take a tram or train there from the CBD (car parking is available too)


www.royalshow.com.au/

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Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Or, so it said in Lewis Carrol's Jabberwock!

Cafè Callooh is a new cafè in Hampton with an unusual interior, great coffee and snacks. Soup of the day and other eats are great. Kid-friendly too. Tucked away from the main part of Hampton's High street, Cafè Callooh is well worth a visit! Enjoy the wall writing....

75 Ludstone Street
Hampton Vic 3188
T: 9521 6865

Google map: tinyurl.com/okdc73

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Melbourne is the home of footy. The game was devised here, was first played here in a paddock (on what is today part of the MCG) and, despite it branching out to be played, spectated on and barracked on in all corners of Australia, Melbourne still rules the footy.

The 'footy' is aussie speak for football, which is played under the rules of the Australian Football League.

However, this football is like no other on earth. It is uniquely Australian and uses some of the skill sets from Gaelic football (but not use of their round ball), some of the tackling skills of the two rugby codes and the use of the oval Rugby ball but none of the hassles of 'offside', 'own goal', or 'handball' which taint the rules of soccer.

It is a 'winter' game played by both sexes and is very much a sport where the entire family can attend and barrack for their favourite team (or player). It is a game with history going back to the early 1850s and with its rules and first clubs pre-dating even the setup of other major football codes. Some of the rules even relate to age-old aboriginal sports which featured jumping to catch a ball made of possum fur, today reflected in the rules related to 'overhead marking'

Our great game results in a Grand Final (after 22 matches between 16 national teams) traditionally held on the last Saturday in September.

The rules? Too many and complex to list here so I suggest a visit to the AFL website or, if in Melbourne between March and September, go to the footy! It's a Melbourne institution!

at your nearest footy ground
or visit the
Australian Football League at
or www.afl.com.au
or
www.realfooty.com.au

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The Boundary is a pub with a history,
although today it fronts as a pub with decent food, kid-friendly even for those with ankle biters or rugrats who want a meal out and, of course, it has the obligatory pokies and TAB. Oh, and a decent wine list in the dining room.

The history bit? The Boundary pub gets its name from being on East Boundary Rd which gets its name from being the former east boundary of a large farming estate (back in the 1880s through to the 1920s)

Take the kids (leave them in the playroom) and have a meal or play the pokies.

cnr East Boundary Rd and Centre Rd
East Bentleigh
Vic 3165
ph 9570 7044
free on site parking

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Wheelers is a pub that has gone through a bit of a transformation and turned into a top class hotel with good food, good entertainment (especially Thursday and Friday nights) and a view to die for.

Having a lazy lunch in the fancy class restaurant overlooking the valley is a great way to spend a Sunday. The Wheelers is a fave with locals. And did I mention the views too?

Wheelers Hill Hotel
Ferntree Gully Road (cnr Jells Road), Wheelers Hill (about 20 mins from the centre of the city along the freeway) Tel. 9560 8922
car parking on site is free

www.melbournepubs.com/v/794/Wheelers-Hill-Hotel.html

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Tucked up in the ranges overlooking Melbourne is a series of small villages, most with little restaurants, cafes and bistros. At the small village of Olinda is 'the Cuckoo' restaurant probably one of the best known and famous for its Bavarian (German) based entertainment and food.

It's been there for about 50 years and thrives with families going there for a great night out.

The food? A huge variety of seafood, meats, side dishes, hot and cold. The freshly made pancakes are a favourite for desert, with cream of course!

The music and entertainment? Bavarian with something for all the family.

508 Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, Olinda Victoria
Australia 3788
phone: +61-3-9751 1003
Fax: +61-3-9751 2229

www.cuckoorestaurant.com.au/

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At dusk daily numerous little penguins come in to rest, sleep and feed their young. It is a fabulous sight to behold. they are the smallest penguin species in the world and VERY cute.

Penguin Parade, Phillip Island, Melbourne.

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In Melbourne you will find soapboxes being put to use on Sunday afternoons at the Speakers’ Forum on the forecourt outside the State library.

Over the years, speakers (including Prime Ministers) have gathered on the banks of the Yarra river to discuss politics (brave!). In 1995, the tradition was relocated to the forecourt. If you have something you think needs to be heard, the stage is yours between 2.30pm and 5.30pm every Sunday. The audience gets to heckle and boo for free.

the State Library of Victoria
Melbourne CBD
328 Swanston St City

www.slv.vic.gov.au

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Visting Melbourne's Chinatown - the oldest area of continuous Chinese settlement in the western world is a great way to spend a quiet Sunday afternoon. Lots to see (as the history of the area dates back to the 1840s and 1850s), plenty of places to have a bite and while there, visit the Chinese Museum.

Melbourne's ChinaTown
along Little Bourke Street City
plus the alleys which link the area to Bourke St and Lonsdale St
www.melbournechinatown.com.au/


Museum of Chinese Australian History
22 Cohen Place Melbourne
Victoria 3000 Australia
Phone: 9662 2888
www.chinesemuseum.com.au

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Go to the zoo and see the animals ..and get up close with the animals. After closing time, "Roar 'n' Snore' starts with dinner followed by a nightime guided tour of the zoo. You get to explore the zoo as night falls and see the zoo's nightlife...animals whose activities start at dusk. Supper follows..before you bed down for the night...in your tent in the middle of the zoo.
I might add, nightime at the zoo is NOISY!
Breakfast is served next morning before more walks around the zoo.
This is simply a wonderful activity that has to be experienced.

For adults and families with children 7+

Melbourne Zoo
Elliot Ave, Parkville

Melbourne Zoo is located only minutes north from the city centre, within Royal Park. Car parking is available or visitors can take the tram or train to reach the Zoo. Trains run from Flinders Street Station stopping at Melbourne Zoo's own Royal Park Station

www.zoo.org.au/melbourne/roarnsnore.htm

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