Hastings Caves State Reserve offers visitors a variety of experiences, from relaxing in the warm waters of a thermal springs pool, walking in the rich forests of the reserve and, of course, the unique experience of exploring Newdegate Cave.

Richmond Maze and Tea Room get lost in two wooden Mazes each with their own surprise centre. Enjoy the delicious, freshly made food and drinks in the Tea Room. Located at 13 Bridge Street Richmond.

Old Hobart Town Model Village model town is 1:16 scale which means you are able to stroll through it. It has been painstakingly reconstructed from original plans of the era thus depicting Hobart as it was in the 1820s. The authenticity of this model makes it unique in Australia.

Blackaby’s Sea Kayaks and Tours is the perfect way to reach Tasmania’s pristine rugged coastline, temperate rain forests, islands, beautiful white sand beaches, viewing wildlife, and retracing the convict history of Tasmania and Australia. Tours include a Hobart sunset tour.

Tasmanian Devil Jet 30 minutes of action packed excitement Jet Boating on the beautiful upper reaches of the Derwent River only 30 minutes out of Hobart.

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery opening hours (Main entrance 40 Macquarie Street) are 10am to 5pm every day except Good Friday, ANZAC Day (25th April) and Christmas Day (25th December). The site is on the Hobart waterfront. It is bounded by Macquarie Street, Argyle Street, Davey Street and Dunn Place. It overlooks Constitution Dock and is one block from the GPO.

Maritime Museum of Tasmania reflects Tasmania’s rich maritime heritage where historic items, paintings and ships models combine with interesting display panels to unfold a series of fascinating stories including whaling, ship wrecks and naval warfare.

Battery Point of today retains much of the character of 100 years ago. Battery Point is named after a Battery of guns (long since removed) that were established on the point in 1818. Arthurs Circus is a small enclave of lovely old cottages built around a park and well worth a look.

Salamanca Place old sandtone buildings along the harbour front with a range of restaurants to choose from. On Saturday the Salamanca markets operate with over 300 hundred stall holders.

The Cascade Brewery offers tours Monday to Friday four times daily with the highlight being the free sampling at the end.

There are many days worth of activites in the Melbourne proper. The City Centre probably has the most to attract the traveller, including cafes, boutiques, department stores, and Victorian architecture, which can all be sampled on foot. Here is a check list of places to see and things to do while in Melbourne

1. Wander around Docklands— An entire new precinct filled with shops, bars, restaurants and a stadium with a waterside setting.
2. Eureka Tower— Tallest residential building in the southern hemisphere, panoramic views of the whole of Melbourne.
3. Parliament House of Victoria— The first seat of the Australian federal government, free tours are available on week days.
4. Queen Victoria Market— Huge and colorful, with an assortment of fresh and dry produce and tonnes of souvenirs and other interesting things.
5. State Library— Worthwhile if you’re into books, city architecture and free internet.
   

   Federation Square

6. AFL World Cnr Swanston & Lonsdale Street Melbourne— A great introduction to Australian Football.
7. Southgate— Pretty promenade on the south bank of the Yarra, with lively restaurants, bars and a Sunday art & craft market.
8. Federation Square— Modernistic and popular meeting space to see Melbournians enjoy life whilst sitting down at cafes and bars. 
9. Melbourne Musuem— It is the largest museum in the Southern Hemisphere and home to seven main galleries, a children’s gallery and a temporary exhibit gallery on three levels, Upper, Ground and Lower Level.
10. Lygon Street— Crammed with Italian restaurants, gelatarias and coffee shops, which all serve some of Melbourne’s best hospitality.
11. IMAX Cinema— Right next to the museum. It shows movies, usually documentary films, in 3-D format.
12. Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens— UNESCO World Heritage site (tours available through the museum). 
13. Melbourne Zoo— Usual assortment of zoo animals in a natural-like setting with lots of Australian native species too.
14. Jazz at the Zoo is a popular weekend evening function over the summer months for a picnic, music and evening stroll around the animal enclosures.
15. University of Melbourne— The premier university of Victoria, and internationally recognised as a leading university, it is a hub of students, fine Victorian architecture and gorgeous sprawling gardens.
16. Luna Park— Historic amusement park built in 1912 on the beach in St Kilda.
17. St Kilda Pier— Popular spot for fishing and walking.
18. St Kilda Esplanade— Fine place for walking, skating, sunbathing and on Sundays, discovering new treasures at the Esplanade Sunday market.
19. St Kilda Botanical Gardens— With the first trees planted in 1859, the Botanical Gardens are a sprawling oasis of tranquility and greenery.
20. Jewish Museum of Australia— Depicts the history of the Jewish community in Australia.
21. Royal Botanic Gardens— Water restrictions limit traditional floral gardens. It does have nice old trees, drought tolerant displays, a cafe and grassy places to loll about. In summer you can see outdoor movies and Shakespeare plays.
22. Chapel Street/Toorak Road— Kilometer-long strip of fashionable but often unaffordable shops plus some top end restaurants to match.
23. Chapel Street in Parhran— Famous for its street cafes and designer fashion boutiques. Cheaper stores are found at its southern end.
24. Prahran Market— Smaller version of Queen Victoria Market with excellent quality, albeit slightly pricey, fresh food.
25. Commercial Road— Known for its gay-friendly eateries, shops and clubs.
26. Woodlands Historic Park— Immediately north of Melbourne Airport, contains an 1840s homestead and a nature reserve. 
27. Brighton— Melbourne’s prime bayside suburb featuring excellent upmarket cafes and boutique shops.
28.  The Melbourne Planetarium is located at Scienceworks Museum in Spotswood. It features a 16m domed ceiling, reclining seats, a stereo surround sound system and has recently been upgraded to incorporate Sky-Skan’s DigitalSky projection system.
29. Scienceworks makes learning about science and technology a fun, interactive adventure. Located in Spotswood, five kilometres from the Melbourne Central Business District, the museum presents science and technology in unexpected and involving ways.
30. Mebourne’s Grand Prix held around Albert Park lake in March every year.
    

    Rod Laver Arena Australian Open

31. Australian Open Tennis Championship one of the grand slams of tennis held every year at Melbourne Park in January. There a large screens outside for those who can’t get / afford tickets to the main Rod Laver arena (centre court).
32.  Take a free tram ride around the city circle. Catch the red tram to tour the city and experience riding a tram.
33. Brunswick St Fitzroy- Long and lively cafe/bar strip with cheap and decent eats.See a film (not a movie) at the Art Deco-styled Astor Theatre in Windsor. There are several moonlight cinema programmes in summer.
34. The Melbourne International Film Festival is on in August.Visit a comedy club. The Comic’s Lounge  has shows for $10-25 including a show filmed for Channel 31 on Mondays, or dinner and show for $45. The Comedy Club  has dinner and show for $32 and shows only beginning at $7 (discount ticket price).
35. Watch the mesmorising process of personalised hard candy being hand-made at Suga Around lunch time is a good time to see (and sample!). There is a store at Queen Victoria Market, but if you visit the Royal Arcade location, you can also watch chocolate making next door at Koko Black.
36. Brighton Beach – One of Melbourne’s favoured beaches, be sure to check out the infamous ‘bathing boxes’, brightly coloured boxes that are dotted along the sand.
    

    Bathing Boxes

37. Watch a game of AFL football at the MCG or Telstra Dome during the winter, or a Cricket Match during the summer. AFL Fixtures and Cricket Fixtures, bookings at both the MCG and Telstra can be made through Ticketmaster, however for most games you can just turn up and pay the rates at the gate: this is the most authentic way to experience the game.
38. Kick back at one of Melbourne’s fantastic cafes in the CBD (Degraves St, The Causeway, and other laneways are fantastic for this), South Yarra (Chapel Street) or Fitzroy (Brunswick Street, Smith Street).
39. Melbourne has an exceptionally vibrant live music scene. Many bars and pubs will have copies of the free magazines “Beat” and “Inpress” which provide local gig guides. Fitzroy, Collingwood and St. Kilda are generally your best bets for seeing some of the great local talent Melbourne has to offer. Venues where you generally can’t go wrong include: “The Tote”, “The Evelyn” and “The Espy”.
40.  Bourke Street Mall in the centre of the city has all the shopping anyone could want.

If you have any further ideas or suggestions of great places to see while in Melbourne leave a comment.

This list is compiled in no particular order.

1. Kakadu Situated in the Northern Territory Kakadu National park is the size of a small country and because of its remoteness in the far north of Australia the wilderness has been preserved.
2. Great Barrier Reef – the largest coral reef in the world which stretches most of the coast line of Queensland. This is a divers paradise.
3. Nigaloo – Situated in Western Australia this is where you can swim with the largest fish the whale shark.
4. Ularu – (AKA Ayres Rock) a massive monolith in the middle of central Australia. One of the icons of Australia.
5. Whitehaven Beach – In the Whitsundays Queensland has the whitest sand in the world.
6. Stockmans Hall of Fame – Situated in Longreach central Queensland outlines the history of the Australian Bushman.
7. Luna Park Sydney is a historical amusement park, in Sydney, New South Wales.
8. Surf at Surfers Paradise – Surfers paradise highly comercialised strip along the southern coast of Queensland just over an hour south of Brisbane. Catch a wave on the beach breaks. Not the best surf in the world but a great place to visit.
9. Gold Coast Theme Parks – There is Seaworld, Dreamworld, Warner Brothers Movie World, Wet and Wild water park and Whitewater World. More than a weeks worth of adventure.
10. Cape Schank – on the southern tip of the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. An extensive boardwalk to the cliffs and a lighthouse.
11. Phillip Island – Home of the moto GP and fairy penguins. Take a night tour of the penguins returning to the beach nests after being out hunting all day.
12. Sydney Opera House – An icon of Australia which is visited by million each year situated on Sydney Harbour.

13. Sydney Harbour Bridge – Crossing Sydney Harbour and can be climbed by the intrepid traveller with tour guides.
14. Melbourne Shopping – Visit Melbourne and some of the lesser known shopping spots by exploring the alleys and lane ways throughout the city.
15. Great Ocean Road – Drive the length of the Great ocean road which stretches from Torquay towards the South Australian Boarder.
16. Ride the Gahn – A train ride that travels the length of Australia through the Australian red centre from Adelaide to Darwin.
17. Indian-Pacific – An even longer train ride stretching the breadth of the country from Perth to Sydney 3 day and night and 4352 km one of the worlds longest train journeys.
18. 12 Apostles – well not quite 12 more like eight, located along the Great Ocean Road Victoria where columns of rock protrude from the sea along the cliffs.
19. Devils Marbles – (aka Karlu Karlu by the local Aborigines) Rounded Rock formations thousands of years old in central Australia, 114 km from Tennant Creek, Northern Territory.
20. Daintree Rain forest – Large rain forest in Far Northern Queensland, know for it untouched beauty.
21. Cradle Mountain – A brilliant walking destination and scenic escarpment shaped somewhat like a cradle.
22. Wave Rock – 330km east of Perth a naturally sculpted rock from wind and rain that is 15m high and 110 meters long forming a massive wave from rock.
23. Rialto Tower Observation Deck – In the heart of Melbourne’s CBD is the Rialto with a 360 degree observation deck at 235 meters.
24. Sydney Tower – If in Sydney for unrivalled views and a thrill on the Sky walk at 260 meters above the harbour.
25. Whale Watching – Popular along the east coast particularly Hervey Bay Queensland during the migrating season.
26. The Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways are 120km southwest of Winton in Central Queensland where dinosaur footprints have been uncovered. Up to 150 dinosaurs were gathered and than scattered by a larger predator. Up to 3000 foot prints have been preserved in the rock.
27. Port Arthur – Historic Port Arthur the convict settlement in Tasmania.
28. Christmas Island red crab migration where up to 120 million red crabs emerge from the forest to mate and lay eggs in the ocean each November/December.
29. Whale World in Albany Western Australia where commercial whaling killed up to 850 whales each season and stopped in 1978 becoming a museum 2 years later.
30. Puffing Billy – 40 km east of Melbourne in the Dandenong ranges a Steam Train named puffing billy resides.
31. Rodeo – experience bull riding at its finest in Rockhampton the beef capital of Australia. Rodeos can be seen at the indoor area at the Great Western Hotel.
32. Hobart – See the colonial architecture of the city and walk in the snow (in winter) at the top of Mt Wellington. Salamanca Markets…
33. Fossick for Gems in the towns of Rubyvale and Emerald in Central Queensland.
34. Lake Ayre – The largest lake in Australia (when there is water in it) is situated in the desert of central Australia 700km north of Adelaide, South Australia.
35. The Henley-on-Todd Regatta (August) sees grown men and women running, carrying the hulls of boats along the dry, sandy Todd River situated near Tennant Creek.
36. Catch a game of cricket or Aussie rules football at the MCG in Melbourne.
37. Sail the tropical waters of the Whitsundays exploring inhabited and uninhabited islands and beaches with calm azure waters to frolic in.
38. Mungo National Park is located in southwest NSW, 980km west of Sydney the rock has been eroded by thousands of years of wind and rain leaving a landscape described as “Lunar” the most prominent eroded rock is dubbed The Walls of China.
39. Cape Byron, in northern NSW Byron Bay, is the most easterly point on Australia’s mainland so be the first to see the sunrise for the rest of Australia.
40. Steep Point in Western Australia is the most westerly point so you can be the last person to watch the sun set over Australia.
41. The Melbourne Cup, held at Flemington Race track is the race the race that stops a Nation on the first Tuesday in November at 3pm (EST) . No need to get into the track the the car park is where it all happens.
42. The Big Banana – is just as the name suggests, this giant structure located just north of Coffs Harbour on the Pacific Highway, 565 kilometres north of Sydney and 450 kilometres south of Brisbane is probably the most well known “Big Thing” in Australia. Of course there are heaps of big things, the big crab, prawn, pineapple?… need I go on!
43. Surf the Barrier Reef, well kind of. The reef starts at around Bundaberg but is some distance from the shore. The town of 1770, and only town in Australia with a numerical name, is north of Bundaberg and has waves that are surfable.
44. Balls Pyramid, a triangular chunk of rock sticking 550m out of the ocean 23km off the coast of Lord Howe Island, is officially the tallest sea stack in the world.
45. Birdsville Races held in the first week of September in the outback town of Birdsville in deep southwestern Queensland.
46. Tamworth Country Music Festival held in January and set in Country New South Wales is the largest Country and Western shin dig there is.
47. Wine tasting the Barossa Valley.
48. Australia Zoo – A wildlife zoo made famous by Steve Irwin “the Crocodile Hunter”. See crocodile shows and interact with Australian wildlife.
49. Surf with dolphins Byron Bay Queensland.
50. Pat Koalas at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary on the Sunshine Coast Queensland
51. Cruise the Franklin River Tasmania a World Heritage listed picturesque river that was saved from being damed in the 1980′s.
52. Qantas Museum home of the first Qantas aeroplane and now home to the Museum that Longreach
53. Jondaryan Wool Shed near Towoomba the history of sheep and sheep farming.
54. Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo offers an authentic African experience at bargain prices.
55. Noosa National park is located 160km north of Brisbane in Queensland and boasts spectacular coastal scenery and a refuge for Australian native animals.
56. Bondi Beach is one of Australia’s most famous beaches. It is about 1 km long and hosts thousands of people through the summer months.
57. Parks Observatory 64-metre Telescope used for Radio Astronomy. It is located about 20 kilometres North of Parkes along the Newell Highway, which is approximately 380 kilometres West of Sydney.
58. Monkey Mia feed the wild dophins from the shore.
59. Turtles at Bargara see the turtle hatchery on the beach where baby turtles make a dash for the ocean. Hatching season is between November and March.
60. Frazer Island stretching over 123 kilometres along the southern coast of Queensland. Fraser Island with an area of 184 000 hectares is the largest sand island in the world. Watch out for the native dingos…
61. Rainbow Beach is located approximately 265Km north of Brisbane, 76Km east of Gympie and 700 Metres west of Fraser Island on the Cooloola Coast, Queensland, Australia. 74 different shades of coloured sand can be found on Rainbow Beach.
62. The Kimberly wild rugged and remote in Northern Western Australia.
63. Syney to Hobart Yatch race held each year starting on Boxing day. Participate as crew or just head to the wharf at Hobart for the finish.
64. Snow Skiing at Threadbo, Perisher, Mt Buller only during winter as Australia’s peaks are on the small side.
65. Darwin night time Markets an institution in Darwin the last Thursday in April to the last Thursday in October and operate every Thursday 5pm – 10pm and every Sunday 4pm – 9pm.
66. Wine tasting Margaret River the largest wine region in Australia.
67. Kangaroo Island off South Australia is an unspoilt refuge for native animals.
68. Cable Beach on the Northern Western Australian coast camel Rides at sunset.
69. Coober Pedy a mining town where the locals live underground and the landscape is somewhat similar to the moon.
70. Olsens Caves just north of Rockhampton has a series of caves with bats and a natural underground cathedral.
71. Swimming Kangaroos at Pebbly Beach, in Murramarang National Park between Ulladulla and Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast. This is apparently the only place in Australia that this happens!
72. Canberra’s War Memorial (Australian Capital Territory) a monument to fallen soldiers from past conflicts.
73. Glass House Mountains on the Sunshine Coast Queensland About 70km or one hour’s drive north of Brisbane. Craggy volcanic peaks tower above pine plantations, eucalypt forests and open fields. Walking tracks ranging from easy to very challenging – lead to peaks and lookouts offering panoramic views.
74. Surf Bells Beach arguably the most famous surfing spot in Australia, located in Torquay, 100 km South west of Melbourne, Victoria. Home of the Rip Curl Pro Surfing Competition and featured in the movie Point Break.
75. Mt Isa Mine Tour – The Isa is a mining town producing copper, silver, lead and zinc. Mine tours are available for surface and underground mines.
76. Pinnacles in WA’s Nambung National Park. Thousands of eerie limestone pillars, up to 4m tall form the Pinnacles Desert. Just 245km or three hours drive from the center of Perth.
77. Dog on the Tuckerbox is an Australian historical monument and tourist attraction, located at Snake Gully, 8 km from Gundagai, New South Wales. The monument is a tribute to the pioneers was inspired by the poem Bullocky Bill who loyally guarded a mans tuckerbox until death.
78. Sovereign Hill near Ballarat Victoria – is a replica of an 1850s goldfields town.
79. Katherine Gorge 317 kilometres south-east of Darwin cruise the Gorge and see aboriginal rock art.
80. The Rocks is Sydney’s oldest preserved colonial district so the main emphasis is on the historical importance of the area.
81. Southern most point of the Australian mainland Wilson’s Promontory feed the parrots by hand.
82. Cape York the northern most tip of Australia. A popular destination from May to October for 4WD enthusiasts who come to test their driving skills and their vehicles on the remaining sections of the Overland Telegraph Track.
83. Catch a Barra at lake Awoonga a stocked lake just outside of Gladstone in central Queensland. Barramundi are renowned fighting fish and taste good as well.
84. Arnhem Land next to Kakadu but closed to major tourism. An untamed wilderness home to aboriginal curture and art. Permits are required from the Northern Land Council when travelling on Aboriginal Land.
85. Kings Canyon Northern Territory has an easy 1.5km Creek Walk up the centre of the canyon to a lookout point or the Canyon Walk which is more challenging as the first 300-400m are straight up a steep incline at the canyon edge. The reward at the end is worth it.
86. The Burrup Peninsula a unique ecological and archaeological area on the north western coast of Western Australia in the Pibara region. It arguably has the oldest rock art / engravings on the planet dated 50,000+ years.
87. Eungalla National Park near Mackay in Queensland will almost guarantee you a sighting of one of the most elusive mammals in Australia the platypus. Apart from that the lush tropical forest is inspiring.
88. Wine Glass Bay on Tasmania’s East coast – take in the view of the bay from atop of Mt Amos, a very strenuous 1 1/2 hour walk (one way).
89. Cadbury Factory – in Claremont – Tasmania near Hobart. Guided tours of the factory and chocolate samples.
90. Natural Hot Mineral Springs on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula at Rye. Relax in 50 degree spring water.
91. Four X (XXXX) brewery tour Brisbane Queensland. Taste the nectar of the Gods. Well kind of…
92. Drive the Nullarbor – travel the Eyre Highway for 1200km virtually in a straight line from Ceduna in South Australia to Norseman in Western Australia. It is flat and desolate.
93. Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras the first Saturday in March, Sydney stops for a spectacular in costume and parade.
94. Moomba Waterfest is Australia’s largest community festival and remains one of Melbourne’s favourite annual celebrations for over 50 years. It is held over the four days of the Labour Day weekend in March.
95. Take a paddle Steamer from Echuca along the might Murray River.
96. Ride the Rapid of the Tully river near Cairns Queensland.
97. Kuranda Scenic Skylift just outside Cairns in Queensland.
98. Botany Bay Sydney the spot where Captain Cook arrived in 1770 to lay claim to Australia for England.
99. Victoria Markets in Melbourne CBD. Pick up a bargain…
100. Glenrowan is a thriving tourist town, catering for those wishing to see the place where Ned Kelly made his famous ‘Last Stand’.
101. Mount Kosciuszko, located in the Snowy Mountains, in Kosciuszko National Park, is the highest mountain in Australia.

www.itchy-feet.com.au

Australia has a strong beach culture and as such surfing is a popular pass time. There is surfing in the East, South and West of the Country. The most consistent waves come during winter (May to August) however during the summer cyclone season the tropics also receive some epic swells.

Queensland

There is literally hundreds of kilometres of surf with some of the most consistent waves in warm tropical waters. The most popular locations are Noosa, Sunshine Beach, Alexandra Headlands, Surfers Paradise, Burleigh Heads, Currumbin, Kirra, and Duranbah. These areas run the southern part of the state form the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast. The surf declines north of Bundaberg at 1770 due to the Great Barrier Reef blocking the ocean swell. Also the further North the saltwater crocodiles, stingers and box jelly fish become more of a problem.
New South Wales
The beaches around Sydney are packed during summer when the water is warm so be prepared to surf with others. There are heaps of surfing spots all along the coast. The most popular are Byron Bay, Newcastle and Sydney. Sydney is the largest city in Australia and as such the beaches are packed particularly during the summer months December to March. The most popular breaks are at Bondi, Manly and DeeWhy. Watch out for the locals who don’t take too kindly to sharing waves with tourists at some spots so pack you patience when surfing these locations.
Victoria
The southern ocean swells pound the coast and provide some of the most solid and consistent surf. Any point along the southern coast will provide a surf but the ones to write home about are at the Southern Penisula, about 2 hours drive south of Melbourne with breaks from Gunamatta to Portsea. Cross over the heads to Torquay, the town at the start of the great ocean road and surf Bells Beach point break which is host to the Rip Curl Classic. April to October sees some consistent swells that can be big up to 20+ foot. Don’t forget to pack a long wet suit even during summer as the water is cold down this end of the country.

Western Australia
The whole coast potentially catches excellent swells however scattered reefs and Islands allow some spots to work only when the swell is just right. The Margaret River region is a popular surf destination as is Rottnest Island which blocks out most of the swells from Perth. The dispersed population means a little bit of looking can be rewarded with classic waves and no one to share them with. Don’t forget like Queensland the further north you go the stingers and salties add an element of danger so get some local advice perhaps before taking the plunge.
Australia has some of the best surf in the world and as the biggest Island there is bound to be some of the best waves of your life waiting.

Mt Donna Buang is located east of Melbourne, take the Maroondah Highway to Lilydale and the Warburton Highway to Warburton. Travel through the town and on the eastern side is a clearly signed route to the Mount.   There are signs that advise that a toll is payable and this is generally only when the snow is good. The road to the summit is sealed and easy to drive. Signage also advises chains be carried during heavy snow periods. In most cases they are not needed but should be fitted when advised. 

The drive to the summit is picturesque with large tree ferns and tall gum trees. The excitement builds when snow starts to pile up on the side of the road.  There is a large carpark a couple of kilometers from the summit which appears to be used when the road is closed due to heavy snow.  The summt also has a car park so drive to the top if you are able to.

The  snow itself is great for snow man making, walking, tobogganing. There is no resort at the top, nor food so pack a meal or eat and drink a Warburton.