Hotel Sophia, Melbourne

• Federation Square:
• Opened in October 2002, Federation Square has become one of Melbourne’s most popular Tourist attractions. It was one of the most significant architectural developments undertaken in Melbourne and Australia. Federation Square hosts a number of major attractions, including the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia (the home of Australian Art), ‘Champions’: Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, the National Design Centre and the Melbourne Visitor Centre.
• Location: Federation Square, Corner Swanston & Flinders Sts, Melbourne VIC 3000.
• www.fedsquare.com
• NGV International: Australia’s oldest public art museum and home to one of the country’s most important art collections with everything from Egyptian and Roman antiquities and Asian art, through to Renaissance, Baroque and everything up to and including contemporary art.
• Location: 180 St Kilda Road. Open daily, except Tuesdays, 10am-5pm.
• Free entry, fees apply for certain exhibitions.
• www.ngv.vic.gov.au
• The Ian Potter Centre NGV Australia: the world’s first major gallery dedicated exclusively to Australian art, with more than 20 galleries presenting the history of Australian art from the Colonial period through to contemporary art. Including photography, prints and drawings, fashion and textiles, decorative arts and a suite of galleries dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art.
• Location: Federation Square. Open daily, except Mondays, 10am-5pm.
• Free entry, fees apply for certain exhibitions.
• www.ngv.vic.gov.au
• Australian Centre for the Moving Image: the first centre of its kind in the world, dedicated to the moving image in all its forms from early cinema to the latest digital media. Two multi-format cinemas, the world’s largest dedicated screen gallery with changing exhibitions and movie/art installations, and ‘hands-on’ public activity, education and production zones.
• Location: Federation Square. Open daily 10am-5pm (until 6pm on weekends), free entry.
• www.acmi.net.au
• Champions – Australian Racing Museum: befitting of a city that is host to the ‘race that stops a nation’ – the Melbourne Cup – the museum is home to the nation’s finest collection of racing memorabilia and the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, immortalising some the of the most significant moments in racing history.
• Location: Federation Square. Open daily, 10am-6pm. Kids under 12 free.
• www.racingmuseum.com.au
• Old Melbourne Gaol:
• Victoria’s first prison, the Old Melbourne Gaol is one of Melbourne’s oldest surviving buildings. This imposing bluestone institution is where 136 people, including infamous bushranger Ned Kelly, were hanged. Night tours run four nights a week. Explore the imposing interior of the Old Melbourne Gaol at night when it would normally be locked and left to the restless souls within.
• Location: Russell Street, Melbourne. Open: 9.30am-5pm daily. (Closed Good Friday& Christmas Day)
• www.oldmelbournegaol.com.au
• Melbourne Museum:
• Enjoyed by over one million visitors each year, Melbourne Museum is one of Melbourne’s favourite cultural destinations. A broad-based State museum with a national and international focus, Melbourne Museum’s exhibitions and events cover the natural and physical sciences as well as social history and cultures.
• Location: Carlton Gardens, Nicholson St, Carlton VIC 3053.
• Open daily 10am-5pm. Closed Christmas Day & Good Friday.
• www.museum.vic.gov.au
• Immigration Museum:
• The Immigration Museum, located in the heart of the city explores stories of people from all over the world who have migrated to Victoria. Stories are brought to life through contemporary displays of memorabilia, moving images and computer interactives. You’ll discover the dreams, achievements and disappointments of individuals and families who settled in Victoria from the 1800s right through to the present day.
• Location: 400 Flinders Street, Melbourne.
• Open daily, 10am-5pm. Closed Christmas Day & Good Friday.
• www.immigration.museum.vic.gov.au
• Chinese Museum:
• Established in 1985 to document, preserve and display the history of Chinese Australians since the mid 1800’s. Some highlights include the ‘Finding Gold’ time tunnel in the basement and Dai Loong, the world’s largest dragon.
• Location: 22 Cohen Place, Melbourne. Off Little Bourke Street in the heart of Chinatown.
• Open daily, 10am-5pm.
• www.chinesemuseum.com.au
• Old Treasury Museum:
• The Old Treasury is regarded as one of the finest public buildings in Australia. Completed in 1862, it was the major government office in Melbourne throughout the 19th century, and second only to Parliament House as the centre of state affairs. The City Museum at Old Treasury houses three permanent exhibitions, Built on Gold, Making Melbourne and Growing Up in the Old Treasury.
• Location: Old Treasury Building, Spring St, Melbourne VIC 3000
• Open daily 9am-5pm.
• www.oldtreasurymuseum.org.au
• AFL Hall of Fame:
• Embrace the history and heritage of Australian Football and pay tribute to the legends and inductees of the Australian Football Hall of Fame and the clubs from the VFL/AFL competition.
• Location: 292 Swanston Street, Melbourne. Open daily 9am-6pm.
• www.aflhalloffame.com.au
• Queen Victoria Market:
• Head to the oldest and largest market in the Southern Hemisphere to see buskers, or find a unique souvenir, a new outfit, gourmet goods, fresh fish and organic produce. This open air market hosts a variety of fresh quality produce such as fruit, vegetables, meats, seafood and delicatessen products as well as specialty goods. Take a stroll, visit the Food Court, sip a coffee and try a world-famous Bratwurst- yum!
• Location: Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne.
• Open until 1.30/2pm. Closed Mondays and Wednesdays.
• www.qvm.com.au
• Melbourne Zoo:
• More than 300 animal species from Australia and around the world are on view just 4 km from the city centre at award-winning Melbourne Zoo. Visitors have the pleasure of viewing wildlife in naturalistic habitats in the Zoo’s brilliant 22 hectare botanic setting (55 acres). Other highlights of a visit to Melbourne Zoo include the dynamic and interactive meet the keeper presentations and feeding times scheduled regularly throughout the day. Free Complimentary Guided tours are available daily, between 10am & 3pm.
• Location: Elliott Ave, Parkville VIC 3052. Open daily from 9:00am-5:00pm.
• www.zoo.org.au
• Melbourne Aquarium:
• Australia’s only Southern Ocean Aquarium, the Melbourne Aquarium is home to over 10,000 aquatic creatures. This is the newest and most state-of-the-art aquarium in Australia and provides a complete interactive entertainment experience, from guided tours with marine specialists to scuba diving in the tank with the sharks!
• Location: corner King & Flinders Streets, Melbourne, 3000.
• Open daily from 9.30am-6pm.
• www.melbourneaquarium.com
• Eureka Observation Deck:
• Nothing you have ever experienced will prepare you for the awe inspiring views from the observation deck of the Southern Hemisphere’s highest viewing platform. Eureka Skydeck 88 – with the world’s only Edge experience – will change the way you look at Melbourne & maybe the world.
• Location: 7 Riverside Quay, Southbank VIC 3006.
• Open daily 10:00am-10:00pm, last entry @ 9.30pm.