10 THINGS TO DO IN MELBOURNE

After spending 1 week in Sydney myself and my sister took a flight to Melbourne. The great thing about travelling within Australia is that internal flights are so cheap and quick!

We decided to go to Melbourne as my best friend Jessie lives there and it was the most recommended place to go by everyone I asked.

Melbourne is completely different to Sydney, for a large city I found it really chilled out and slow paced which I love! If you've read my last blog post (click here to read) you'll know I fell in love with Melbourne for it's incredible food scene specifically brunch but this time round I want to talk about things to do in Melbourne.

There's so much to do in Melbourne that it can be difficult to decide how to plan your time there but I think we took advantage of the 2 weeks we had - here's what we got up to:

MAKE FRIENDS WITH KOALAS

This was the one thing my sister really wanted to do while we were in Oz and there was no way we were coming home without seeing a koala or kangaroo.

Moonlit sanctuary is such an incredible day out, the wildlife park is filled with kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, colourful birds, reptiles and other endangered species. It's just under an hour from Melbourne but it is definitely worth the trip if you have a car.

You can pay extra to pet a koala ($20) and get some photos taken which we did. We got to meet Gumnut, she was the cutest koala ever, such a princess with a massive appetite.

ALFRESCO DRINKING ON ROOF TOP BARS

There's no better place to enjoy a drink on a hot summers day than a breezy rooftop. You will have a choice of rooftops showcasing Melbourne's impressive skyline.

Make sure to go for sunset, it's just out of this world!

My favourites were:

Rooftop at QT: Incredible views in the centre of Melbourne surrounded by skyscrapers. Great for drinks.

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Naked for Satin: The food was fab, I loved the tapas style dishes to share. The view overlooks Melbourne's CBD.

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Johnnys Green Room: This is the place to be for sunset, you just cannot beat the stunning view of Melbourne's skyline.

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VISIT FEDERATION SQUARE

Federations square is a venue for arts, culture and public events in the CBD of Melbourne. We ended up here a few times and it was always buzzing with people.

The Australian open was on too so you could sit and watch it outside on a big screen, while enjoying the sunshine.

The best thing about it is the bars that surround this area. Me and Jess sat along the river drinking Pimm's watching the world go by, it was heaven!

BECOME A BEACH BUM

One of my favourite things about Melbourne was the beaches. There's so many beaches and they're all quite different!

- St. Kilda - This was the first beach I went to in Melbourne. I came here a few times as it's easy to get to by tram. It was always busy and every time I went I could hear Irish/English accents around me.

It isn't the most beautiful beach but I liked it and the area in St.Kilda is really cool for bars, cafes and hipster markets.

- Port Melbourne: I loved it here. It was very quiet and so peaceful, the water was like a lake!

- Brighton Beach: I loved Brighton beach mainly because of the colourful bathing huts. Whenever we came here we stayed on the other end of the beach to the bathing huts because it was just way too busy with tourists constantly taking pictures of them.

MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Okay so this isn't in Melbourne but you cannot leave without taking a trip here because it is heaven on earth!

The beach was one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen in my life. The sand was as white as snow and the water was crystal clear.

After a day at the beach we made a trip into a small town and there was loads of restaurants, the place was packed and the atmosphere was lovely!

SIP ON THE BEST WINES AT A VINEYARD

Take a break from Melbourne's busy city and explore one of many vineyards Victoria has to offer.

I've never gone to a vineyard so it was the perfect opportunity to do so while in Oz. I love wine and I can see why everyone raves about vineyards, you just can't get better wine.

We went as a group and did a wine tasting which was brilliant, it was so cool to hear about the different grapes and how each wine is made. I would have loved to try a few more vineyards but we were just stuck for time.

If you're travelling with your partner this is the perfect day out, so romantic!

EAT YOUR HEART OUT AT QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET

Now this is something you HAVE to do in Melbourne. It's crucial that you arrive hungry because you will want to try everything!

What I loved about this was even though I was with one vegetarian and one vegan, we could all get what we wanted. Think of every type of cuisine and you'll find it under this roof.

This is also a great thing to do if it's too hot or if it's raining because it's all indoors.

SHOP TILL YOU DROP

I experienced a whole new level of shopping while in Melbourne. I'm not talking about high-street shopping, even though they do have the most beautiful boutiques and stores. I'm talking about op-shops (opportunity shops, also known as second hand stores) and vintage shopping.

You'll find the best stores on Brunswick St. and Coogee had some fab ones too. I was lucky enough to find a second hand Gucci backpack and brand new Balanciaga trainers for a fraction of the original price!

BRIGHTON BATHING BOXES

I know it's cliche but it has to be done. The one thing you need to see when you go to Brighton beach is visit the iconic bathing boxes located on Brighton beach. All 82 are completely unique to the one beside it. We only went once because it was so busy with tourists taking pictures but one visit is enough and definitely worth it.