City Circle Tram
The first free attraction in Melbourne you should try is one that get you around the city to many of Melbourne’s landmarks and attractions, the service runs every 12 minutes just look out for the heritage brown trams on the trams route and hop on. The City Circle trams travel the perimeter of Melbourne’s central business district every day between 10am and 6pm.
http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au
Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle
The Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle is a free hop-on, hop-off service, operating between 9.30am and 4.30pm daily. The Shuttle bus makes a good companion to the city circle tram as the shuttle take in a north-south route across the city from the gardens to Carlton where the tram is more of an east-west route from the docklands to the parliament area.
http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=308&pg=2701
Federation Square
Federation Square is one of Melbourne’s newer landmarks that also houses a few things to see for free. One of the first things to do here is to check out the extensive tourist information centre located under the square. Two of the main attractions at Fed Square are ACMI (Australian centre for the moving image) and the Ian Potter Centre (part of the National Gallery of Victoria) both of these have various exhibitions throughout the year that are sometimes free. Fed Square is located on Spenser Street at the bottom of Swanston Street, This intersection is also home to some of Melbourne’s best known landmarks. Good photo opportunities here are Spenser St Station, St Paul’s Cathedral and Young and Jacksons Hotel, check out this pub for its rich history of not only the hotel but its famous painting “Chloe”. Fed Square is often a popular spot for car clubs to visit and show off their pride and Joy on weekends.
http://www.federationsquare.com.au/
National Gallery of Victoria
The Main part of the National Gallery of Victoria is located just down the road from Federation Square past the Arts Centre Spire on St Kilda Rd, Like the Ian Potter Centre in Fed Sq the permanent collection of the gallery is free, special exhibition do have a charge, there are also lots of free events on throughout the year at the gallery that you will find on their website.
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/
Queen Victoria Market
The Queen Victoria Market is the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere and has been operating for over 125 years. While entry to the market is free, we can’t be held responsible for all the money shopaholics will part with when they see all the bargains here. The market sells everything from electronics to clothes and food. Make sure you grab a Spanish doughnut here too, the caravan that sells them is like a permanent fixture that has become a Queen Vic Market institution. The Melbourne Tourist Shuttle drives straight past the market, while the city circle tram runs within 2 short blocks of the market.
http://www.qvm.com.au/
Other Markets
There are several markets each weekend all across Melbourne. Some of the best art and craft markets to access from the CBD include the Sunday Market at Southbank just below the Arts Centre and the St Kilda Esplanade Art and Craft Market just a short tram ride from the city. South Melbourne Market is similar in operation to the Queen Vic Market but a lot smaller, it is well known for the dim sims that are sold there with queues to purchase them forming regularly several trams run near the market but the St Kilda light rail is probably the closest point.
Crown Casino
Crown Casino is the largest casino in Australia and is well worth checking out even if you are not into gambling. Situated on the edge of the Yarra River the complex covers several city blocks, inside there are plenty of shops, restaurants, bars and theatres. Just below the hotel tower there is a large foyer known as the atrium where a regular light and fountain show, outside the casino along the riverbank a pyrotechnic display of fireballs lets rip on the hour to entertain passers-by and warm up any low flying ducks.
http://www.crowncasino.com.au/
Michaels Camera Museum
Situated on the first floor of Michaels camera shop on the corner of Elizabeth & Lonsdale Street is a small camera museum consisting of thousands of camera’s dating back to the late 1880s. Entry is free and the museum is open for you to explore daily.
http://www.michaels.com.au/pages/museum.php
Shot Tower Museum at Melbourne Central
The shot tower is a heritage listed building dating back to 1890, it was used to make shot pellets for guns and when the Melbourne Central shopping centre was built in the 1990s the complex was built around the tower making the building a feature of the centre’s atrium inside the tower there is a small museum showcasing the tower’s history, the museum can be accessed via the R.M Williams shop that is based in the tower’s building.
