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Melbourne welcomes millions of tourists every year, and a good proportion of them do exactly the same thing!
A city bus tour, river cruise, and day trip to the Great Ocean Road or Penguin Parade are generally on the radar. But who wants to follow the crowd at every turn? There are lots of cool things to do that will get you off the beaten tourist track — and you’ll see a side of the city that many visitors miss entirely.
Here are eight awesome ways to explore Melbourne. Let’s get amongst it!
Watch our video of ten top things to do in Melbourne:
Top 10 Things to Do in MELBOURNE, Australia, 2026 | Ultimate Melbourne Travel Guide for First Timers
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1. Fly high in a helicopter
Lindsay Fox might have ruffled plenty of feathers in posh South Yarra over his use of the oval at Melbourne High School as a chopper landing pad — but he’s not the only one who gets to clock the city from on high. An Eco Flight Melbourne helicopter ride from Essendon Airport will see you soaring above the CBD and surroundings for 20 exhilarating minutes. See iconic landmarks like the Eureka Tower, MCG, and Melbourne Park, before winging your way over the bayside suburbs of St Kilda and Port Melbourne.
2. Do a street art tour with a working artist
Melbourne offers no end of walking tours, most of which cover the city’s incredible street art scene to some degree. But you can take a deeper dive into this gritty world of blackbooks, blocks, and burners by doing a tour of the CBD with a working street artist. Melbourne Street Tours will lead you along kaleidoscopic Hosier Lane, AC/DC Lane, Presgrave Place, and Union Lane, before rolling out the red carpet with wine and cheese at the Blender Studios in West Melbourne. This warren of workshop spaces for streety creatives is not open to Joe Blow, but it is to you!
3. Paddle the Yarra in a kayak
OK, so the water of the Yarra River that flows right through Melbourne doesn’t exactly scream ‘come and jump in me’. But that muddy, slightly yellow tinge is actually caused by clay sediment — not pollution. So no, it’s not toxic, and yes, one of the most amazing ways to see Melbourne is on a kayak tour along said river with Kayak Melbourne. Departing from Federation Square, you’ll pass key sights such as Princes Bridge, Flinders Street Station, Crown Casino, the Cutty Sark, and Docklands precinct — all the while enjoying witty repartee from your guide. This two-hour experience is suitable for all ages and guarantees a good night’s sleep at the end of it.
4. Face the Edge at Melbourne Skydeck
An oldie but a goodie, Melbourne Skydeck has been wowing guests with jaw dropping views of the city since 2007 — and scaring the bejeepers out of them in the Edge: a glass cube that slides out from the side of the building like a giant matchbox. The Edge’s floor starts off opaque, before suddenly turning clear (accompanied by the somewhat unnerving sound of shattering glass) — giving you a view of the city streets 88 storeys straight down!
5. Cycle the city grid
Looking at the relentless traffic in Melbourne’s CBD and the seemingly complete madness of hook turns, you’d think that braving it on a bike would be dicey. Not so! This is a very cycle-friendly city — and if you’re up for a pedal, book a half-day tour with Blue Tongue Bikes. You’ll be kitted out with a standard bike (or e-powered option for an additional fee) and helmet, before heading off to explore. Most of the 14-or-so-kilometre tour takes place on designated bike paths, and the performing of hook turns is not required!
6. Walk in the footsteps of sporting greats
Melbourne’s love affair with sport is enduring and all consuming, and the place is dotted with points of interest relating to an array of codes. You’ll see many of them on the guided Sports Lovers Walking Tour run by Show Me Melbourne. Take photos outside a number of famous venues and relive great moments in our collective sporting memory — as related by your sports fanatic guide. You’ll end up at the mighty Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which has hosted an Olympics, a Commonwealth Games, a swag of cricket tests, and hundreds of Australian Rules Football (AFL) matches. Peruse memorabilia from them all on a behind-the-scenes tour.
7. Swim with sharks at Melbourne Aquarium
Finding sweet little Nemo is one thing; shirt-fronting a shark is quite another. But it’s all in a day’s work for the intrepid traveller on a visit to Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium. Sitting beside the Yarra in the middle of the CBD (you’ll paddle past it on your kayak tour), the Aquarium is awash with wonders from the deep. And booking a shark dive in the Oceanarium will see you come face-to-snout with the most feared of finned predators. Cue the soundtrack from Jaws.
8. Skydive on to St Kilda Beach
And finally, we wrap up this daredevil’s shindig back where it all began — in the air. Although, this time you’ll be disembarking at 14,000 feet with Skydive Melbourne! Experience the rush of free-falling at speeds of up to 220 kilometres per hour above the city, before floating back to reality in a parachute and landing on St Kilda Beach. This is a tandem skydive, so you’ll be accompanied by a professional pilot at all times. Nonetheless, the thrill will be real! And if you’re feeling extra brave, you’ll have the opportunity to take control and steer the chute!
This post was published thanks to Eco Flight.
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Additional images: Depositphotos, Bigstock, and Envato
About the writer
Adam Ford is editor of Top Oz Tours & Travel Ideas, and a travel TV presenter, writer, blogger, and photographer. He has travelled extensively through Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and the Middle East. Adam worked as a travel consultant for a number of years with Flight Centre before taking up the opportunity to travel the world himself as host of the TV series Tour the World on Network Ten. He loves to experience everything a new destination has to offer and is equally at home in a five-star Palazzo in Pisa or a home-stay in Hanoi.
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