Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with melbourne

What's a good, cheap hotel in Melbourne, Australia?

No-sword — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:40:18 -0800

Looking for a cheap place to stay for a week in Melbourne, the cheapest that meets these criteria: (1) Hotel is 30 minutes or less from the CBD by public transport; (2) I can get a two-person room with its own shower; (3) I will not get stabbed or robbed there. I don't want to eat breakfast or dinner at the hotel. I don't need a gym or bar or anything like that in the hotel. Just a room with a lock, two beds (or one double bed), and a shower.

Not looking to couchsurf or anything like that; we do have friends in Melbourne but for a variety of reasons we would prefer to just pay some money for a room we can come and go from as we please, without worrying about inconveniencing someone or offending their hospitality.

Meta-answers on how to find such a hotel would be great too. I tried to Google this but found only spammy aggregator sites and super-expensive fancy hotels in the city center. I'm really trying to avoid Googling "hotel +[area]" for each individual area of Melbourne I can think of that's 30 minutes or less from the CBD...

Killing Time in Melbourne.

Effigy2000 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:36:19 -0800

My partner and I are going to Melbourne in August to see Wicked. We're only there for one night, but while we're there we have a few hours to kill before the show and about an hour or two in the morning before we fly back home to Brisbane. What should we do/see while we're there? We'll be arriving in Melbourne on a Friday, checking into our hotel (located in the CBD) at about 2pm, and the show starts at 8pm. What do Melbournian MeFites suggest we do in the 5 hours or so that we have before we need to get ready for our night out?

The next day, Saturday, we will probably check out around 10am but our plane doesn't leave until about 1pm. We'll need to be at the airport by about midday, so we only have about two hours to kill on a Saturday morning. Suggestions for what to do in the CBD on what I assume will be a cold Melbourne Saturday morning would also be appreciated!

Hotels in Indialantic or Indian Harbour Beach?

LightMayo — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:32:16 -0800

Any recommendations for hotels in the Melbourne Beach, Florida area? My husband and I are attending a wedding in the Indialantic and Indian Harbour Beach areas of Florida on August 2 and are looking for any good experiences that you might have had anywhere in this area. We are looking to spend between $90 and $150 per night.

I would also love it if you have any recommendations for restaurants and activities in the area that are a must. (We’ve done, and loved, the Kennedy Space Center.)

What are the cool areas to live in Melbourne?

Silentgoldfish — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:31:36 -0800

Need advice from people in Melbourne, or familiar with it about where to live. So as sort of a followup to this question I've gotten a job at the Royal Melbourne and start in June. Since I don't know Melbourne at all, geography wise, I don't really know what the good suburbs to be looking to live are.

The Royal Melbourne is in Parkville, which I understand is basically downtown (though I could be wrong), and my ideal place would be as close as possible so that I could either walk or catch the minimum of public transport to get there. Where I live right now is a 10 minute walk from where I work right now and in a perfect world I'd have the same set-up in Melbourne.

I'm looking for share-house accomodation (mostly cause I don't know anyone in Melbourne yet and it seem the fastest way to kickstart that!) and going by the share-house websites I've been looking at there's lots of choices. I just don't want to wind up with a 3 hour commute by looking in an interstate suburb! Also, I'd prefer to avoid slum areas.

Where to stay in Melbourne?

adamk — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 15:27:57 -0800

Where to stay in Melbourne, Australia? Need lodging for 5 nights in mid-April. Looking at hostels, but there are so many options and neighborhoods to choose from! Thanks to everyone who gave advice in this thread a few months ago.

My flights are all booked, and next month I'll be flying: Los Angeles -> Sydney -> Brisbane -> Cairns -> Melbourne -> Los Angeles. I have hostel bookings in all of the cities except Melbourne.

Using sites like TripAdvisor, LonelyPlanet and HostelWorld I've found a few different hostels that all seem quite reasonable, but they're all in different parts of town and I'm looking for any advice.

In the city center there are options like Greenhouse Backpacker and Urban Central. In North Melbourne there are options like YHA Melbourne Metro. In St Kilda there are options like Cooee and Base.

Does anyone have any insight into these hostels, or the parts of town that they're in? I'm a 24 year old guy who is traveling alone, so I'm interested in staying places where I can meet people to hang out with, or duck out on my own for a day of exploring without needing to travel too far to reach the interesting attractions.

Where can we go bushwalking near Melbourne?

lazy robot — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:34:45 -0800

Where can we go bushwalking near Melbourne that is accessible by public transport? Me and my friends desperately need to get out of the city for a day and go on a bushwalk. We have no access to a car and cannot afford to hire one right now, so where is a decent bushwalking track that has some nice views and will occupy us for at least 3 hours, that we can access via bus or train?

Can you help me and my family plan a roadtrip in Australia?

Kattullus — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 11:51:33 -0800

My family and I will be in Australia from March 14th, 2008 to the 26th. We'll be staying in Sydney for most of the trip (friends' apartment) but we also want to take a leisurely road trip to Melbourne. Do you have any recommendations what to do in Sydney, Melbourne and during the roadtrip? We were thinking that we'd rent a car, spend two days on the drive to Melbourne, stay a couple more in the city and then fly back to Sydney. What route should we take? Where should we stop for the night? What should we see on the way? Where should we stay in Melbourne? What should we do while we're there? Is there anything especially awesome happening in Melbourne during the period we're in Australia?

If you know of something cool that's happening in Sydney while we're in Australia, please let me know, as we haven't decided when we'd be going to Melbourne. Generally, if you know about something superawesome that's not well known please share the info.

As to what we like, we're fairly artsy, cultury, natury type people. Museums, concerts, national parks, theater and such are up our alley but if it's cool and fun in general we'll probably like it. My parents are 50, my sister is 21 years old and I'm 26. You can give suggestions applicable to all of us or something my sister and I would like and my parents would be less likely to and vice versa. My parents have been to Sydney before, so they know what to expect.

Also, we were considering going on another excursion while we were there, possibly Uluru or The Great Barrier Reef, but we're concerned we'd be too pooped from the 24+ hour travel. How feasible would another major outing be given the jet lag we'd experience traveling to Australia from Iceland (my family) and Boston (myself)?

Appliance bargains in Melbourne

dbateman — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 02:26:01 -0800

Melburnians! Where is the best place to get a good deal on appliances like fridges, washing machines, and dishwashers? I'm having no trouble finding places through Google but I could really use some local knowledge (Melbourne, Australia).

Where in Melbourne can I hire projectors?

PuGZ — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:58:10 -0800

From where in Melbourne, Australia can I borrow projectors (+ screens) for one night?

Good Accountant Needed!

dbateman — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:46:21 -0800

Any recommendations for a really good accountant in Melbourne, Australia? So, we're getting closer to our big shift to Melbourne, Australia. One of the things we would like to sort out in the first few weeks of being there is organising a good accountant.

My girlfriend and I will primarily be doing consultancy work for our previous employers in New Zealand, so we prefer an accountant who is familiar with helping maximise the tax breaks for income sourced from NZ.

I'm calling on all Melburnians past and present to proffer your wise recommendations! Thank yee.

Where to hang out in Melbourne

dbateman — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 02:51:58 -0800

What are your favourite places to just hang out in Melbourne, Australia?

dining out in melbourne

edtut — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:36:12 -0800

best night out with a special girl in melbourne australia just imagine hypothetically you were an australian who had been out of the coutnry for a few years, and had the chance to return and meet up with a girl who was kind of special to you, and wanted to go somewhre quiet and impressive for a quality dinner, at any cost but not being silly. where is the best place in melbourne to go? nothing too dramatic, just a quality meal, somewhere classy inner city

Changes ahead in Australian tertiary education?

PuGZ — Sun, 27 May 2007 03:39:26 -0800

One of the two big universities in Melbourne, Australia have radically changed their philosophy on education to be more in line with that of the US and Europe. Where should I go? For quite some time, Melbourne University has been talking of changing their system of undergraduate studies and their relation to postgraduate studies to be more like the system in the US. Next year is the first year that such changes apply.

Now that more information regarding the "Melbourne Model" is out, I'd like to query the hive-mind that is AskMefi and get some opinions. I'm currently a high school student in my final year and if all goes to plan (!) I'll be entering university in 2008. I have my heart set on Engineering (Electrical), Science (Physics) and languages (French, et cetera, but that's probably irrelevant).

Now, as I see it, due to the changes that are taking place at Melbourne, these are the options I am tossing up between:

* BSc + ME at Melbourne (five years)
* BSc + BE at Monash (five years)

My question is such: which qualifications would be most highly regarded and provide the best education for a future in Engineering? At this point in time, I'd absolutely love to do R&D, which may factor into your suggestions. Also, I know that I'll be travelling the world down the track, so international recognition is important too.

Thanks for all your advice and I hope that the replies in this thread may prove to be useful for kids in a similar position to my own.

EDIT: I realise that a few people will jump in and go for the BSc + ME without thinking. I would like to know, in such a case, how three years of an undergraduate science degree and two years of a post-graduate Engineering degree could be comparable to a typical four-year Engineering education.

Where can I find cheap hats in Melbourne Australia?

snarkle — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 05:21:22 -0800

Where can I find cheap hats to buy or hire in Melbourne, Australia? I have a party to attend on Friday and need half a dozen cheap hats to either buy or hire. Emphasis on cheap.. less than $30....

I was thinking a nice cheap felt fedora hat, but even fancy dress type of stuff will do.. I just have no idea where to look! Clothing stores, milliners, haberdashery, costume shops.. all recommendations welcome!

Don't let me miss the boomerang exhibition!

antifuse — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 03:02:00 -0800

Help me not miss anything on my "once in a lifetime" trip through southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand! Ok... in just under a month, my new fiancee and I are leaving for a 6 week trip - we're moving back to Canada from Ireland and decided to take the long way home. Here's my itinerary:

Shanghai: 04/24-04/28
Siem Reap/Angkor Wat: 04/29-05/01 (Taking the bus there from Phnom Penh, and flying back)
Phnom Penh: 05/01 noon-05/03 noon
Phuket area: 05/03-05/11 (with roughly 4-5 days on Ko Phi Phi, and the rest travelling around the area)
Singapore: 05/11 noon-05/12 evening
Melbourne: 05/13 v.early-05/18 mid-morning
Sydney: 05/18-05/22 mid-morning
Townsville up to Cairns: 05/22-05/27(midnight) (Cairns because we are flying Cairns->Auckland->Queenstown)
Queenstown: 05/28-06/02 afternoon
Wellington: 06/02-06/05 evening
Los Angeles: 06/05 2pm-10pm

Now, here's my question. Given my itinerary, is there anything in my given destinations that is ABSOLUTELY not to be missed? We've already got some set things planned... obviously Angkor Wat, visiting the beach from The Beach when we're on Ko Phi Phi, Phillip Island when we're in Melbourne, some sort of boat tour on the barrier reef, the Franz Josef Glacier when we're in Queenstown, but I want to make sure I don't get home from this amazing trip, only to have somebody say "OMG, you didn't visit the flying trapeze museum in Shanghai? It is AMAZING!"

Some background for the types of things we're looking for: amazing museums, architecture, interaction with locals (moreso in Asia than Aus/NZ), beautiful natural areas with interesting wildlife (more like zoos than jungle hikes, though)

Things we're not interested in: jungle hikes (fiancee is afraid of snakes... deathly afraid... so much so that we're not allowed to go to Fraser Island)

I know that this is going to be a jam packed trip (we tried to arrange travel to give as much time in the places we're most interested in), but I'd hate to miss something absolutely amazing just because we were rushing, ya know?

Also, any tips for the trip in general would be well received, but I'm more interested in sights. And yes, we're already well sorted with our vaccinations/disease prevention plan. I feel like a pincushion!

watching other people's (televised) fun

kaydo — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:54:47 -0800

Where can I watch tv show tapings in Melbourne or Sydney? I'd like to be in a live studio audience or watch the taping of a tv show. Doesn't have to be a particularly good show but I'm having surprising difficulty in tracking down any information. This is on my list of things to do, and therefore I must make it so.

The big complication is that they don't really film anything here, so I'm looking for any shows that might accept audience folk in Sydney (any weekend) or Melbourne (over easter only).

Thoughts?

Things to do with kids in Mekbourne

i_am_joe's_spleen — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 21:52:52 -0800

In Melbourne this weekend with my almost 12 year old daughter, staying in Carlton. What things are fun and don't require a car?

Where can we have a quiet one in Melbourne city?

lazy robot — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 01:10:35 -0800

What are some cool, low-key alley-way bars in Melbourne city?

Help me be an active robot!

lazy robot — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 00:17:11 -0800

Are there any gyms in Melbourne in Balaclava/Prahran/Windsor/St Kilda where I don't have to pay an annual membership, but can attend on a casual basis? I can go further than where I've mentioned, but those areas are nearest where I live. For instance, I wouldn't be opposed to going to the daggy surrounding suburbs of Elsternwick, Caulfield, Malvern, etc, for my once weekly gym-fix. In fact, the daggier the gym the better, as I don't have any cool gym clothes.

How do I watch NFL games downunder?

mikeybidness — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 19:16:40 -0800

Where can I watch NFL games in Melbourne, Australia? A recent convert to the sport - I play for a local team in the Gridiron Victoria league - I'm desperate to be able to watch games, particularly those featuring the Falcons or the Raiders.

I can't afford cable and I've yet to find a solution that doesn't cause my ADSL connection to weep uncontrollably.

Any fellow aussies or yank expats who can give me a heads-up on where to catch games?

Wedding for breakfast?

cwhitfcd — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 19:49:08 -0800

Where can we have a breakfast wedding & reception in Melbourne, Australia? My fiancee and I are set on the idea of having a breakfast wedding & reception for around 120 guests. Most traditional reception centres only cater to lunch and dinner functions, so we're looking for some good recommendations or ideas for our big day.

Bonus question: any suggestions from others who have had or been to a breakfast wedding?

Where can I board my cat in Melbourne?

andraste — Mon, 08 May 2006 18:10:29 -0800

We need to put our cat in a cattery while we take a month-long overseas trip. We've never done this before. Anyone have any recommendations for a cattery in Melbourne, Australia? And what indicates a good or a bad cattery? The cat is about eight years old, desexed male, up to date on all his shots. Normally we try to get someone to look after him in-house when we're away, but four weeks is a bit long, and he is a big sook so he tends to be a whinger when we're not around. Not having done the cattery thing, I don't know where to take him; the local vet boards cats but they just have small cages. I know I should look for something with a bit of space, natural light, a vet on call... any other tips for cattery-hunting?

Where can we stay when we move to Melbourne?

azuma — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 21:47:05 -0800

My partner and I are moving to Melbourne in a month. Where can we stay fairly cheaply until we find rental accommodation? So the last time we moved, (to Newcastle) we were so desperate to get out of the motel that was eating up our cash, we took the first rental house to come along. It was in a really crappy area and we had problems with some drug dealers down the road. This time we would like to spend a bit more time looking around. So I've looked up caravan parks online, but can't tell which ones are OK and which ones are skanky. We don't want our stuff stolen while we're out looking for an apartment, but we want to stay somewhere that is fairly inexpensive. Any ideas?

What to do in Melbourne?

oliyoung — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 03:11:37 -0800

Dear TravelFilter, I've got a day or two in Melbourne, Australia to kill - I'm into photography, modernist art and the like, and I want to take in the MCG tour. I have no private transport and don't want to stray to far from the city. What should I do ?

Melbourne Commonwealth Games Accomodation

Jimbob — Wed, 01 Jun 2005 04:33:16 -0800

Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi! My wife and I are heading off to the Commonwealth Games next year in Melbourne. We're waiting for confirmation of our tickets, but in the meantime have seen the prices of accomodation in Melbourne during this period skyrocket beyond our price range. Any suggestions for how to obtain decent (AU$150-$200 per night) accomodation during events like this? Or will we simply have to bow before the forces of unbridled capitalism?