We will be in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart this January/February. I am interested in moderately priced restaurant recommendations and recommendations for interesting/unusual churches, and possibly with mosaics. I am deep in a few guidebooks so I've got quite a list of sights we want to see, but interested in any sights/activities "beyond the obvious".
We aren't needing any suggestions for excursions/day trips, I have those covered.
What is 'moderately priced' to you? Sorry, but everyone's budget varies somewhat. Sydney and Melbourne are generally good value in terms of eating out, even for iconic fine dining.
In terms of churches, I can't think of anything with mosaics - the older Australian churches are generally nearly Victorian, and fairly simple in design. My favourite Sydney church is Holy Trinity, aka The Garrison Church. It was the first military church built in Australia (1840) and remains in active use: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrison_Church,_Sydney
Interested in unique churches AND any churches with mosiacs.
I get that "reasonably priced" varies by individual. While, "moderate" would be relative to Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, and midrange, much like how the guidebooks rank the restaurants.
One of the highlights of my visit to Melbourne was to take a cooking tour of Melbourne on a trolly. One of the trolly cars is a kitchen and the other cars are dining rooms. The food was amazing and you got to tour Melbourne while eating. I don’t know the price as it was arranged by our tour company, but it was very special. I couldn’t have any garlic and the chief was told about that and he came out from the kitchen and told me he was cooking my dish without garlic. After dinner he stopped by each table and talked about the food he prepared for us. I highly recommend it.
Yosemite1, that sounds really fun to me! Do you recall if it was "Colonial Tramcar Dinner" ? If so, it looks as if its permanently closed.
Incidentally if you say "trolley" no Australian will know what you're talking about. In Melbourne it is indeed called a tram. A trolley is what you use in a supermarket (what you'd call a shopping cart).
Midrange restaurants - my favourites:
Sydney - Felix (great French bistro):
https://merivale.com/venues/felix/
Melbourne - Pastuso (Peruvian):
Or Farmers Daughters
In Hobart, don’t miss Van Diemens Land Creamery if you like ice cream.
Melbourne has approximately 1600 restaurants and cafes suitable for dining in the CBD. Go beyond the smallish city area and the number more than doubles. Too many to give more than a limited personal opinion. China town is famous for the variety of Chinese cuisine from fine dining to casual take out or buffet style. The good thing is that all restaurants will have menus with prices outside on the footpath as you walk by.
Cannot remember if you are visiting Phillip Island for the penguins, but St Kilda pier has reopened for penguin viewing but although free, tickets must be obtained to keep numbers of visitors under control. St Kilda, also home to dozens of reasonably priced eateries is only 20 minutes by tram from the city. Tickets are available here. https://www.penguins.org.au/attractions/st-kilda
The 2 most iconic churches in Melbourne are St Patricks & St Pauls. both easy walking from wherever you are staying (assuming somewhere central) or a free tram ride away. Other places worth visiting and looking at guided tours of are Flinders St Station, The State Library and the Royal Exhibition Centre. Free walking tours are also available from the Melbourne Town Hall, corner of Collins and Swanston Streets.
Other places worth adding if not already on your radar are the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, which is next to the Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens and The Melbourne Jewish Holocaust Centre at 13 Selwyn Street, Elsternwick. If you visit, also take a look at the St Kilda Hebrew Congregation synagogue which is 1 minutes walk away. They are also quite close to the St Kilda pier where the penguins are.
I believe the penguins at St Kilda are booked up until April.
They are booked until end March but there will be cancellations and no shows, so checking daily may produce good results, or you can turn up in hope of a no show or if still booked there are other areas where you can still see the penguins away from the lighted promenade.
I was so excited about the penguins at St. Kilda that I immediately went to the website. Bummer. . . I did note that the start up really was not that long ago, around October 27, I believe. I will try to monitor the website for cancellations. There are five nights I could go, and I only really need one ticket, although I know my husband wouldn't mind going if I could get two
@Yarra, if I do go and try to get in and can't, do you have a recommendation where to wait to watch on my own?
@Texas Travel Mom, I had the ice cream place noted. I pulled it off the search I did of the forum for previous posts (see what a good little forum gal I am, haha!)
@Simon, thanks for the recommendations
I have not been to St Kilda pier since the new boardwalk was built but I used Grok AI and this is the instructions.
Where to Stand (Map + Step-by-Step)
Public Viewing Zone (No Ticket Needed)
Location: Breakwater rocks & promenade beyond the locked platform gate
Distance from tram stop: 5 min walk from Stop 136 (Alfred Square)
Best spot: The rocks just past the “Penguin Viewing Area – No Entry” sign
From CBD: Take Tram 96 south from Swanston St (e.g., Bourke St Mall) – 25 min ride, free in Zone 1. Alight at Stop 136 (Alfred Square / The Esplanade).
Walk to Pier: Head east along The Esplanade (beachfront path) for ~400m / 5 min – pass the yacht club and pier entrance.
To Viewing Spot: Walk to the end of the pier (500m more, 7-10 min). After the locked gate/platform (signs say "No Entry – Ticket Holders Only"), veer right onto the public rocks/promenade along the breakwater. That's your gold spot—penguins haul out 15-60 min after sunset, often 2-5m away!
https://maps.app.goo.gl/k899nNAtSBjGqSVx9
Note: the tram is not free to St Kilda. You will need to tap on/off your Myki card
Note2: If your google map shows the middle of the water, change to "satellite view" and you can see the pathway and marina
