Here are lists of some of the places to eat, visit and shop across the State of Victoria with most places centering around its capital city Melbourne.
Here is my guide on how to get around Melbourne.
Eat
Here are the top restaurants based on suburbs (click the name):
| Glen Waverley | Melbourne (central business district) |
| Springvale |
- Charles & Gamon – Seddon – on a sunny day, sit outside and enjoy their great food and beers
- Kakilang – Melbourne – if you blink you may notice Lulu’s Char Koay Teow
- Fortune Alley – Melbourne – choose your own adventure meals
- Xing Fu Tang – Melbourne – the number 1 boba milk tea from Taiwan
- Dakao Hoang – Springvale – a go-to Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of Springvale
- Beachcomber Cafe and Beach Bar – St Kilda – beachside cafe
- Thai Social at Chadstone – what happened to D’Elephant?
- Kit Espresso – Melbourne – coffee that is a perfect blend of passion and flavours
- Marrybrown Dandenong Square – Dandenong – Malaysian fast food fried chicken and Nasi Lemak
- T Minus 90 Pizzeria – Hughesdale – close to Oakleigh Station for more homely pizza
Visit
- Supanova 2025 Melbourne at Melbourne Showgrounds – big year with Tyler Hoechlin and for us Sarah Natochenny
- Sovereign Hill – Ballarat – step back in time to the gold rush
- Kryal Castle – Ballarat – jousting and horse-riding to entertain kids
- Jurassic World Exhibition Melbourne – Brunswick – a short thriller for some
- Cherryhill Orchards – Wandin East – a seasonal adventure for family cherry picking
- Caldermeade Farm and Cafe – Caldermeade – free entry with farm animals and playground
- Dinosaur World – Somerville – for kids to see animatronics dinosaurs, “dig” for fossils, and mini golf
- Animaga Expo 2024 – Melbourne – an anime fan festival without the big names
- Peninsula Hot Springs – Fingal – tourist and locals reprieve from the city
- BattleKart – Footscray – interactive indoor racing like Mario Karts
Shop
- Wantirna Trash & Treasure Market – first in Sunday Markets and the largest operator of open air markets in Australia
- MKS Spices’n Things – Dandenong – hidden in plain sight delicious takeaway curries, dosa, vada, samosa and more
- Critical Hit – Melbourne – a pop culture store selling popular anime and manga collectables and merchandise
- Minotaur Entertainment – Melbourne – this well established pop culture merchandise store has moved locations and still remain the best for comic and manga fans
- Chadstone Shopping Centre – Melbourne – the Fashion Capital and the biggest shopping centre in Australia and claims to be the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere
- Sakura Lounge – Melbourne, Australia – their motto is inner peace, outer glow. How true it is. The massage was one of the best I’ve had
- Love Journal Photography – 7 October 2018 – a fun day of shooting pre-wedding photos under great weather
Hotel
- RACV Goldfields – Creswick – escape to a Tranquil Oasis in Regional Victoria
- Pullman Melbourne on the Park – great views of Melbourne Cricket Ground and Rod Laver Arena
- Marriott Docklands – Melbourne – connected to a shopping complex with an infinity pool, hot tub and rooftop bar
- Crown Towers Melbourne – luxurious executive club suite and the original Crystal Club Lounge
- Hepburn at Hepburn Springs villa accommodation – Hepburn Springs – a nice long weekend to enjoy rural Victoria in a villa while being close to nature and the iconic bathhouse
- Langham Melbourne – Melbourne – a luxurious stay for any visitor. Close to Flinders Street Station and all the eateries on Southbank
- Pan Pacific Melbourne – Melbourne – stay-cation with a view of the city and Yarra River
- Sofitel Melbourne – Melbourne – we were rewarded guest-of-the-day and had the club lounge
