Melbourne Travel Deals and Vacation Packages

Come and discover the splendors of Melbourne!  An array of travel deals and vacation packages to Melbourne offer great experiences perfect for all tastes and budget. Enjoy the grandeur of this great place and discover its unique beauty and rich history.

Melbourne is the second largest city of Australia and the capital of Victoria on Port Philip Bay.  It is a commercial center and contains about two thirds of the state’s population.  Port Melbourne is located some 2.3 miles away, at the mouth of the Yarra River.  Melbourne is a sprawling metropolis extending southwards along the shoreline of Port Philip Bay, east towards Dandenong Ranges, westwards towards the city of Geelong and northwards reaching the plains of central Victoria.

The first European explorers reached the area of Melbourne in 1803.  In 1835, rival groups from Tasmania settled in the area and named the place Port Philip.  There are two Johns that carved the history of Melbourne.  John Batman bought around 240,000 hectares of land from the local aboriginal tribes and built a settlement on the Northern Banks of the Yarra River.  While in October 1835, John Pascoe Fawkner and a group of Tasmanian settlers joined in the further development of the settlement.   Both Batman and Fawkner are considered as the founders of modern Melbourne. Unlike other territories in Southeastern Australia, Melbourne was never a penal colony.  It was intended to be a residential area with broad streets and ample parks by early settlers.  In 1837, the city received its name in honor of the then prime minister of Great Britain, William lamb, Second Viscount Melbourne.

Every season is worth a visit to Melbourne.  It is what travelers endearingly describe as a place that has “four seasons in the one day”.  However, the most ideal time to enjoy the splendor and beauty of the place is during autumn and spring, where temperatures are usually mild, without being unbearably hot with daytime temperature highs at 70 degrees F.

Melbourne, regarded as Australia’s cultural hub, boasts of rich Victorian-era architecture landmarks, extensive shopping, many cultural institutions including museums, galleries and theaters, and large parks and gardens.

You should come and experience the festive moods during the Melbourne International Film Festival in August, the International Art Festival in October, and the Melbourne Comedy Festival in April, as well as individual concerts and exhibitions throughout the year.  Travelers should also include in their itinerary several top tourist destinations in Melbourne.  Take a leisure tour along the Yarra River Trail that runs from the mouth of the iconic Yarra River through the city and onwards to Westerfolds Park in the outer suburbs.  Another interesting tour would be the Bay Trail. This trek takes you around Port Philip Bay through the bustling beachside of St. Kilda, past the famous bathing sheds in Brighton, all the way to Carrum.  Another “must-see” for travelers is the City Centre.  Here you can get a great view and discover Melbourne’s Victorian architecture, restaurants and cafes, boutiques and department stores. Great travel deals and vacation packages shall also bring you to other top tourist draws including the Melbourne Museum, the Italian restaurants, gelatarias and coffee shops, which all serve some of Melbourne’s best hospitality along Lygon Street, the IMAX Cinema, the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, UNESCO World Heritage site.