Hotel Phillip Island is centrally located in Cowes on the esplanade with simply one of the best views from any eatery I have been in. The food is good with a quite extensive menu with plenty of seafood listed.
Quite a nice spot to while away the time with a drink, a meal and the view.

11-13 The Esplanade
Cowes 3922

Phone +61 3 5952 2100

www.hotelphillipisland.com/

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Melbourne's tallest building now has a viewing platform on level 88 which is approx 300 metres above sea level. The view from there is amazing, being able to see across to the Dandenong ranges or across Port Philip Bay.

However, for the adventurous and definitely not the faint hearted, there is the 'Edge', a box of glass (with a steel frame) which slides out about five metres from the viewing platform, so you can also look DOWN!

Go for the view at the Southern Hemisphere's highest look out!

Skydeck 88
Eureka Tower
Riverside Quay
SouthBank
phone: 96938888
www.eurekaskydeck.com.au

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Named after a notorious Victorian brothel keeper, Madame Brussels has a deliciously kooky garden party theme, complete with grassed interior, trellising and parasols.

Bright young things in tennis whites will bring you iced Pimms and cucumber sandwiches. Scrumptious in every way.

Level 3, 59-63 Bourke Street, Melbourne
www.madamebrussels.com
+61 (0)3 9662 2775

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

There are two Melbourne observation decks, both giving you amazing views over the city and the bay.

However, I prefer the Rialto. There is a coffee shop and place to sit and hang out for a while - it is quiet.

The Eureka overwhelms you with an artificially created noisy Melbourne soundscape. This takes away from the viewing experience.

www.we-love-melbourne.net/Melbourne-observation-deck.html

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Armistice day (was Nov 11) and so the Remembrance day ceremonies at the Shrine have passed but Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance is still worth a visit as it hosts a number of exhibitions throughout the year. The latest exhibition is 'Passchendaele: the Australian and New Zealand experience' and it's very good, very simple, very powerful in its message and very moving. ANZACs involvement in the 3rd battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) cost many Australian diggers their lives and this exhibition lets us not forget.

The Shrine was built over six years from 1928 to 1934 as Victoria's memorial to the men and women who served Australia in all armed conflicts throughout Australia's history.

Our Shrine is worth a visit for the
simple message it tells...Lest we forget.

St Kilda rd
Melbourne

www.shrine.org.au

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

A pub with a view, a great view across Melbourne's bay. A pub with decent food in the bistro, a TAB, a lounge bar and accommodation all within 15km of the CBD.

A pretty good local pub with one of the best outlooks in Melbourne.

Cnr Beach & Bay Road, Sandringham,
just around the corner from Sandringham station
Telephone: 9598 7255

www.sandringhamhotel.com.au/

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Salix restaurant at the Willow Creek Winery on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne is simply superb.

Local produce and seafood, a great view and the fine wines from the winery and other areas create a high-class dining experience. Go for lunch or dinner and enjoy!

Willow Creek Vineyard
166 Balnarring Road
Merricks North 3926

Salix Restaurant
ph: 5989 7640


www.willow-creek.com.au/index.php?page=salix_restaurant

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

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

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

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

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

A quiet private resort at Metung with many upper class town houses and cabins for couples and families. Set on the hill overlooking the lakeside at Metung, Mcmillans is walking distance (10 mins) from the town centre. Go and have a quiet comfortable weekend away. Highly recommended!

3 hours drive from Melbourne on the Gippsland lakes.
www.mcmillansofmetung.com.au

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Going to Gippsland? Like a round of Golf at a new course in picturesque Metung?
I reckon Kings Cove on the hill overlooking Metung is the way to go.

The views are worth the cost of a round, clubs bags and buggies for hire. And if you don't play golf, go to the restaurant for dinner - recently voted one of the best country restaurants
in Victoria

Kings Cove golf course is at Metung on the Gippsland lakes, 3 hours from Melbourne
www.kingscovemetung.com.au/golf/overview.html

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Ride a bike? Melbourne now has a bike trail that goes from Mordialloc (20km SE of the CBD) up to Westgate Park (under the bridge) and beyond to Willamstown and Altona (west of the city). Enjoy the views while riding but stop at Cafe Racer in Beach Rd for an espresso or Half Moon Bay for a feed of fish'n'chips.

Around Port Phillip Bay from Mordialloc (catch the train there from the city) and ride back
More at Bicycle Victoria www.bv.com.au

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Cape Bridgewater, part of the Discovery Bay Coastal Park provides shelter for Victoria's largest colony of seals and just to the east, Bridgewater Bay.

Cape Bridgewater is a headland formed by volcanic action and exposed to all the forces of the ocean. Apart from the seal colony, there are blowholes and 'the petrified' forest to see.
The kiosk on the beach at Bridgewater Bay serves great fish and chips!

18km from Portland in the SW corner of Victoria. Get there via the Great Ocean Rd.

www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=102

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Cowes, main town on Phillip Island. Use it as a base for visiting the penguins or Seal Rock ... or maybe the Phillip Island motor racing circuit, home of the Australian motorcycle GP.
Or while at Cowes, buy the best fish'n'chips and go eat them on the beach!

Cowes, Phillip Island
1½hrs drive from Melbourne

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Ramsay St..famous for the site of Neighbours .. the Aussie sitcom/drama

It's actually not known as Ramsay St, its actual title is Pin Oak Crt and it's in the Melbourne suburb of Sth Vermont and yes .. you can go and have a look when there is no filming.

Ramsay St ...aka Pin Oak Crt is accessible only by car off Springvale Rd Sth Vermont

instructions and details -
www.onlymelbourne.com.au/melbourne_details.php?id=3790

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Dining at the upstairs restaurant at the Middle Brighton Baths is a quality experience, with MBB splashed on the glassware and tableware. Our lunch experience was a terrific way to spend a Sunday afternoon on a fine, clear but cool winters day. The food is fab, the service and attention from the young staff terrific and the view... even better. Sunday lunch is a'la carte or a fixed price affair (3 courses and a glass of wine for $30) there were quite a few families there.

For something less ritzy try the downstairs cafe where you can eat inside or outside on the balcony overlooking the baths.

251 The Esplanade, Brighton;
tel: 9539 7008 (upstairs restaurant); 9539 7004 (downstairs café)
www.middlebrightonbaths.com.au/main/Restaurant.htm

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Melbourne bar/restaurant that’s located on the beach at Hampton (although the locals call it Brighton Beach because that’s the name of the adjacent railway station). Great outlook (check the website), nice food, plenty of parking, with a place upstairs for a drink and meal with a view. The hotel also hosts live music at times, check out the gig guide.

Cnr South Rd and Beach Rd (aka the Esplanade) in Hampton (aka Brighton Beach), 50 metres from Brighton Beach Station (20 min trip from the city);
tel: 9592 3555;
www.milanos.com.au

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The Portsea Hotel (aka the Portsea pub) has one of the best outlooks of any pub in the world. It’s a favourite of those who live in Portsea, as well as those visiting. Drives to the Mornington Peninsula end at the pub, motorcyclists arrange their rides to end at the pub. The views are awesome, and the food and service are very good. Eat in the restaurant or outside in the beer garden. They also offer accommodation.

3749 Point Nepean Rd (Nepean Hwy), Portsea. It’s on the right-hand (beach) side as you enter Portsea.
tel: (03) 59842213
www.portseahotel.com.au

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens has just opened 'Australian Garden' at the Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne. This is so different from any other botanic garden I have ever seen anywhere else in the world. It showcases the Australian landscape with red sand, rockeries, dry river beds, arid areas and Australian 'bush'. Breathtaking (and not a rose bush in sight).

1000 Ballarto Road, Cranbourne (about 40 mins from the city);
tel: (03) 5990 2200;
www.rbg.vic.gov.au/australian_garden

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Melbourne has superb gardens spread throughout and one of the best - the Botanical Gardens - has 'The Tan'.

The Tan is a wide flat track around the outside of the Botanical gardens, and it’s home to joggers, runners, walkers and pusher pushers. Watch out for the footballers though as they try and complete a lap in record time.

Best of all: it’s free (bring your own running shoes).

The Tan runs around the circumference of the Botanic Gardens and the Domain. Run there, take a tram or walk from Flinders Street station; www.accessibility.com.au/melbourne/garden/tan.htm

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends