The alphabet of Melbourne

Where to start when talking about Melbourne? And why not start from the beginning? From Albert Park to the Zoo via Hosier Lane, St Kilda, or even a road trip on the Great Ocean Road, discover with me what makes it such a special city. 26 letters for 26 places, atmospheres and anecdotes: this is the alphabet of Melbourne!

Melbourne from A to Z

A as in… Albert Park

Albert Park refers to both a large park in the inner-south of Melbourne, and the residential suburb adjoining it and stretching to the seaside. The park was officially created in 1864 and named in honour of the late Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. The artificial lake was dug in the following years. This is one of my favourite places in Melbourne. I love walking along the lake, and I find the view of the city absolutely stunning. It is also in Albert Park that the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix is held each year.

B as in… Brighton Beach Boxes

Located on the beach of Brighton, about 14km south of the CBD, these 96 colourful wooden huts are not only pretty: they are also extremely valuable. One of them was sold for a record price of $340.000 in 2019!

C as in… Collingwood and Fitzroy

These adjacent suburbs in the inner-north of Melbourne are amongst the ones I love most, with a soft spot for Fitzroy. They are both very lively, with an eccentric and alternative vibe. Second hand shops, vegan restaurants and live music everywhere! They’re home to a lot of street art as well. You can find many murals painted by artists such as Adnate, Rone, Smug or Sofles around these neighbourhoods.

It's also in Fitzroy that you can find one of the best bars of Melbourne: Naked for Satan.

D as in… Degraves Street

The CBD of Melbourne is riddled with dozens of narrow laneways, each with its own atmosphere. Degraves Street near Federation Square is one of the most popular, with its countless cafes. But there are many others! I also really like Guildford Lane and its red brick buildings, or Hardware Lane with its dozens of restaurants.

E as in… the Esplanade

The Esplanade or ‘Espy’ is a huge pub located in St Kilda, in the south of Melbourne. Built in 1878, it is now a very popular place for drinks, dinners, or late-night parties. It’s one of the most iconic bars in Melbourne!

F as in… Flinders Street Station and Federation Square

Two major landmarks of Melbourne facing each other. On one side, the stunning Victorian facade of Flinders Street Station. On the other, the ultramodern buildings surrounding Federation Square. It’s one of the beating hearts of Melbourne. More than a hundred thousand commuters pass through the station every day, while Federation Square is where most tourists will begin their visit of the city.

G as in… Great Ocean Road

Speaking of tourists, here is one of Australia's most phenomenal natural attractions, less than two hours from Melbourne. Beginning in Torquay, the Great Ocean Road follows the south-west coast of Victoria for more than 200 kilometres. Extraordinary landscapes throughout the whole itinerary, such as the famous Twelve Apostles! More or less halfway, the Great Otway National Park is a natural habitat for a lot of wildlife, including koalas.

H as in… Hosier Lane

Melbourne is one the world’s capitals of street art, and Hosier Lane is probably the most iconic place when it comes to this art form. There is not a single square inch of this alley that is not covered with paint, including the bins! It’s not my personal favourite though. In the CBD only, I much prefer AC/DC Lane, much less busy and with more beautiful murals in my opinion.

I as in… Immigration Museum

The most interesting museum of Melbourne in my opinion. Located in the old Customs House, it allows you to discover with a lot of details how two and a half centuries of immigration have shaped nowadays Australia, to the detriment of the Aboriginal populations who lived here for thousands of years. You will also learn about the politics of ‘White Australia’, and the disgraceful ‘Dictation Test’… The exhibition on the second floor questions identity, prejudice, racism, with personal stories and testimonies.

Among the many other museums in Melbourne, I particularly recommend the ACMI (Australian Centre of the Moving Image) and the Ian Potter Centre – NGV Australia both on Federation Square, the Melbourne Museum in Carlton, or the National Gallery of Victoria in the arts precinct.

J as in… Jungle Boy

Here is another specificity of Melbourne: its many hidden bars or speakeasies. These fascinating places can be found all over the CBD and surrounding suburbs. Entrance reserved for initiates only, those who know which secret passage to take. Jungle Boy in particular is located on Chapel Street in the Windsor district. Behind the innocent-looking facade of a sandwich shop, push the door of what seems to be the cold room and enter the tropical atmosphere of a cocktail bar!

K as in… Kew

Kew is a suburb in the east of Melbourne, about which I admit I don't know much. But it borders at its western end one of the city’s hidden gems: the Yarra Bend Park. Nestled within a series of several meanders of the Yarra River and criss-crossed by dozens of trails, this huge bushland park is a wonderful area, home to a lot of wildlife. Hiking there feels like being in the great outdoors, but still within Melbourne!

L as in… Library

…or to be more precise, the State Library Victoria (but the letter S was already taken!). For me this is hands down the most beautiful building in Melbourne. Its massive colonnade facade is nothing exceptional, but wait until you see the inside… The octagonal La Trobe Reading Room is an architectural masterpiece, worthy of Harry Potter’s magical universe. Take one of the elevators to admire the view from the balconies!

The La Trobe Reading Room of the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne

M as in… Melbourne Cricket Ground

Melbourne is an extremely sporty city, and the MCG also known as the 'G is one of its symbols. With a capacity of just over 100,000 seats, it is the largest stadium in the southern hemisphere! It comes alive in particular at the end of September for the AFL Grand Final, or for cricket test matches. Melbourne also hosts the Australian Open tennis tournament and the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Australia on the Albert Park circuit every year.

N as in… Naarm

Naarm is the Aboriginal name of Melbourne in the Woiwurrung language of the Kulin nation, who lived in this area prior to British colonisation. It means ‘place’ in that language, which signifies that it was an important meeting place for the different clans of the Kulin nation. The name Naarm is now more and more often attached to that of Melbourne to designate the city.

O as in… Oat latte

I admit, I was a little lacking in inspiration for the letter O. But I couldn't do an alphabet of Melbourne without mentioning coffee, and the oat latte is one of the most commonly ordered drinks, barista word! Coffee is a true religion in Melbourne. It is one of the cities with the highest number of cafes per capita in the entire world! In the suburb of Balaclava where I used to live, there were more than a dozen cafes within a five-minute walk from my flat...

If you want to know more about the rich coffee culture of Melbourne, I invite you to have a look at the blog One Cup at a Time that I also manage. One Cup at a Time is the story of a never-ending quest: that of the best cafes in Melbourne!

A flat white at Levanter Cafe in Balaclava, Melbourne

P as in… Penguins

Did you know that a colony of penguins lived in St Kilda? At nightfall, head to the very end of the St Kilda pier. The sight of these cute animals coming back to nest for the night and clumsily climbing the rocks to find a shelter is both endearing and moving. Bad news though: even if a brand-new pier has been inaugurated in December 2024, the viewing platform (which at least offers a much better protection to the penguins than the old one) at the end will remain closed after 6pm until further notice.

Q as in… Queen Victoria Market

Melbourne's most famous and largest market! It's not my favourite though. I much prefer the South Melbourne Market or the Prahran Market, more authentic and less touristy. Most of the so-called Aboriginal souvenirs at the Queen Victoria Market are actually made in China... However, the atmosphere at the night markets on Wednesday evenings is really great, with a very wide choice of food from all around the world!

R as in… Royal Botanic Gardens

Located on the south bank of the Yarra River, the Royal Botanic Gardens have been created in 1846. They cover an area of over 38 hectares and have a collection of more than 8,500 species of plants! Melbourne is actually a very green city, with numerous parks and gardens. In addition to the already mentioned Albert Park and Yarra Bend Park, there are also the St Kilda Botanical Gardens, the Fitzroy Gardens, Royal Park, Fawkner Park, and so many others!

S as in… St Kilda

With the beach nearby and the numerous palm trees, this suburb has a very enjoyable seaside spirit all year long. This is where one of the icons of Melbourne is located: Luna Park. The slightly disturbing face of Mr Moon whose mouth serves as entrance gate is one of the most photographed places in the city. Inaugurated in 1912, this theme park is the oldest in Australia (Sydney’s Luna Park was only open in 1935). Its wooden roller coaster the Great Scenic Railway is even the world’s oldest still in operation!

T as in… Tan and U as in… Umbrella

Melbourne is known as the ‘city with four seasons in one day’… and that saying is often accurate! Weather can be quite unpredictable, and it’s not rare for a sunny morning to give way to a rainy afternoon, or vice versa. This also has its advantages: the summer heat waves where temperatures rise up to almost 40°C usually don’t last very long. Which can also be quite brutal when it suddenly drops to a mild 20°C the next day… Remember to always have both sunscreen and an umbrella within easy reach when exploring Melbourne!

V as in… Victoria

Victoria is the second-smallest state of Australia, but also the second-most-populated after New South Wales. Aboriginal people have lived in the area for about 40,000 years, and it is estimated than more than 30 different languages were spoken prior to British colonisation. There was a huge gold rush in Victoria between the 1850s and 1860s. Melbourne, the capital of the state, became the richest city in the world, which earned it the nickname ‘Marvellous Melbourne’. There are many beautiful places in Victoria. The famous Great Ocean Road of course, but also the mountains of the Grampians, the Yarra Valley and its vineyards, the Mornington Peninsula and Philipp Island to the south, or Wilsons Promontory National Park and its stunning beaches. Plenty of options for day trips or weekend getaways from Melbourne!

W as in… Windsor

This south side Melbourne suburb and its neighbour Prahran are among the city's liveliest. They are crossed by Chapel Street, a street where bars, restaurants and clubs are legion. I have a particular attachment to this area of Melbourne. This is where I lived when I moved here for the first time in 2016, in a share house of 12 people! Times have changed since, but I still really love Chapel Street, its working-class atmosphere, the mix of architectural styles of its buildings, or its world-class street art. And I'm not the only one thinking that way: Windsor was ranked 10th coolest neighbourhood in the world according to the list established by Time Out magazine in September 2024!

X as in… X-class trams or X’trapolis trains

Tradition versus modernity! The X-class trams operated in Melbourne between 1924 and 1957, while the X’trapolis trains have been in service since 2002. You don’t care? Let’s be honest, me neither, but it was a great excuse (or X-cuse?) to use the letter X! Public transport in Melbourne is really good and efficient… most of the time. The city actually has the biggest operating tram network in the world! There are also numerous buses or trains serving the more distant suburbs. Icing on the cake, the entire CBD is part of a free tram zone!

City Circle tram in Docklands, Melbourne

Y as in… Yarra River

The Yarra River takes its source in the Yarra Ranges in the east of Melbourne. It then meanders through the Yarra Valley, and after 242 kilometres flows into Port Philipp Bay. It is on its north bank that the colony of Melbourne was established in 1835. Today, the river offers a refreshing stroll through the heart of the city. Numerous terraces border it on both sides, and many rowers practice there.

The Boatbuilders Yard next to the Polly Woodside in Southbank, Melbourne

Z as in… Zoos Victoria

The Melbourne Zoo is located in Parkville, next to Royal Park, in the inner-north of Melbourne. It is part of Zoos Victoria, which also includes three other places across the State: Kyabram Fauna Park in the north, Werribee Open Range Zoo in the west, and the Healesville Sanctuary in the Yarra Valley, the only one on this list that I visited. I highly recommend it if you ever pass through Healesville: the walk in this vast shaded area is very pleasant, the enclosures are quite large, and you will discover in detail the incredible diversity of the Australian fauna.