AboutJohn Baranyai Expertise I can answer most questions about popular Australian tourist destinations such as the Gold Coast, the opal mining town of Coober Pedy and I have specific knowledge of the historic goldfields region in Victoria. I have lived in Melbourne all of my life and will do my best to answer any questions you have about this city.
Experience I have been travelling around Australia for over 30 years.
Question QUESTION: Hi John,
We are planning a week trip to Melbourne and Victoria 25 April - 2 May. We have a 3 year old and 7 month old (at time of trip) We are joined by another family with a 2 year old. We are planning to stay in serviced apartment in Melbourne from 25 - 28 April. We would like to be near shops, restaurants and the sights. Where would you recommend we base ourselves? Are there any must sees you would recommend for our few days in Melbourne. I have already picked a few thing for the kids like Collingwood Farm and the fire engine museum, but would like to know the highlights for the adults too?
Part 2) We would like to move off to the countryside in Victoria for 4 days. Where would you recommend we base ourselves for this next part of our trip? A factor to consider too is avoiding the recent fire areas I presume? I would be grateful for any advice.
Thank you
Cindy
ANSWER: Hi Cindy and thank you for your letter.Good serviced apartments can be found all over Melbourne but you pay a higher price in the city district. I would consider moving out of the city to the Inner Eastern suburbs such as Richmond, Malvern or Camberwell. All of these areas have excellent shops and restaurants and are close to the sights.
I would recommend that you see our Victoria Market where you can buy almost anything at a very good price, the Fitzroy Gardens and just wandering around the city of Melbourne is a treat for both adults and children.In the city you have Federation Square, the State Library, great eating places and a lot of historic building and attractions. A cruise down the Yarra River would also be a lot of fun for both you, your husband and your children.
If you are interested in History I would suggest you base yourself in the very pretty old gold mining town of Castlemaine which is only 1 1/2 hours drive from Melbourne.It is a very picturesque and scenic drive to that town.I have been visiting this area for over 21 years and I always take my overseas visitors there and they love it. It has historic bluestone buildings,great restaurants a very good playhouse/ theatre and wonderful antique shops.This area was not affected by the recent fires and is close to other historic towns such as Kyneton and Maldon .
I hope you have a great trip and if you need any clarification on anything I have written please feel free to ask a follow up question.
Best wishes and could you please rate my answer?
John
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QUESTION: Thank you John for your prompt response. My PC has been down, hence the lapse in time. I have a further question about Castlemaine. Some guide books recommend Ballarat to stay. How would you compare the two places? I was thinking of doing the following trip after a few days in Melbourne: 1 night in Phillip Island, then heading along the famous scenic great ocean Road - overnighting in Lorne. From there heading to Ballarat or Castlemaine (is that even a possibility?) What is your view of the Yarra Valley, for wine tasting and the Healesville Sanctuary?
Thank you in advance for your assistance
Cindy
Answer Hi again Cindy and thank you for your letter. Ballarat is more of a big city whereas Catslemaine is a small country town (pop.10,000) so it all depends on your own preferences.Lorne is a very nice coastal town and the Great Ocean Road is a very scenic route to take.The Yarra Valley and the Healesville Sanctuary are also must see destinations and I always take my overseas visitors there.
