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[title]Melbourne offers plenty of opportunities to live large, but it’s an equally easy place to enjoy for little. We’ve got stunning open spaces, world-class cultural institutions, delicious cheap eats on just about every corner, and incredibly affordable quality accommodation at the YHA.
At six locations across Melbourne CBD, Apollo Bay, Port Fairy, the Grampians and Phillip Island, YHA is upending traditional notions of hostel living with flash amenities like rooftop bars and private ensuite rooms, all while maintaining that same sense of community and warmth.
There are two Melbourne city YHAs – Melbourne Central YHA and Melbourne Metro YHA. The very hip Melbourne Central YHA is close to all of Melbourne top attractions and a multitude of graffiti-covered laneways replete with cafés, bars and restaurants. The Melbourne Metro YHA in leafy North Melbourne has a large self-catering kitchen, free, fast Wi-Fi, a pool table, a barbecue rooftop lounge and exquisite Melbourne skyline views.
Read on to see how you can put together an unforgettable two-night stay in Melbourne for the price of a single fine dining meal.
Book an incredibly cheap holiday now.
Photograph: Graham Denholm | Butcher's Diner
Day one
Evening: Check into YHA, where you can book anything from shared rooms for solo travellers up to private ensuite rooms for couples and families. Starting at just $22 a night (with midweek specials from Sunday to Thursday) you’ll get access to bright, spacious lounge areas for relaxing and mingling, free high-speed Wi-Fi and co-working spaces. Make sure to pick up a Myki card at any station or convenience store, charging it up with some cash to get you around on public transport.
No matter what hour you get in, you can line your travel-weary stomach at Butcher’s Diner, where they grill round-the-world inspired snacks and barbecue until 2am, seven days a week. Go breakfast-for-dinner with the blood sausage and curried devilled egg roll ($12.50).
If you’ve got energy for a nightcap, stroll two minutes down the road for a drink at buzzy rooftop bar Good Heavens. Nurse a nip of Victorian-made Maidenii Vermouth ($12) over ice – the perfect welcome digestif as you look over the city lights. Head back to YHA for a good night’s sleep, or stay up and meet your fellow travellers in the communal areas.
Photograph: Josie Withers/Visit Victoria | Fitzroy Gardens
Day two
Morning: Fix yourself a cuppa in the fully-equipped YHA kitchen or hop on a tram ($4.50) up to the food, coffee and fashion haven that is Fitzroy. Step off at gorgeous hole-in-the-wall café Calere, where they serve rich, complex ONA coffee ($4.50) alongside Japanese sweets and brekky. Take away a hearty field mushroom sandwich ($15) thick with braised kale, XO sauce, fried shallots and cheddar to enjoy at neighbouring Fitzroy Gardens. This blissful oasis in the middle of the city contains a miniature model Tudor Village and avenues of mature elms.
Melbourne is home to innumerable art galleries but if you can only make it to one, it has to be the NGV International. A short walk over the Yarra leads you to a grand modernist building that’s home to a massive permanent collection and free blockbuster exhibitions like the NGV Triennial. See 86 thought-provoking contemporary works from artists including Jeff Koons, Refik Anadol, Porky Hefer and Kengo Juma within the gallery’s halls.
Afternoon: Recharge for lunch at Soi 38, a tiny Thai eatery hidden inside the Mcilwraith Place carpark. Follow the smell of fish sauce and pull up a stool for fragrant beef boat noodles ($12) that will warm and satisfy in one go. Chase it down with a scoop of pistachio gelato from Gelato Primavera ($5) around the corner.
For cheap theatre tickets, stick your head in at Halftix on Swanston Street, where they sell discounted tickets to shows playing that day (with afternoon matinee sessions cheaper still). For as little as $10 you can while away the hours ‘til dinner with opera, dance, plays, musicals and comedy from local talent.
Evening: Tram up to the inner north ($4.50), Melbourne’s epicentre of live music and after-dark hijinks. For dinner, swing by peppy Israeli eatery Tahina for one of their soft pitas ($11.50) packed with crispy falafel, hummus, salad and tahini. From there you can party on with free or very cheap ($10-$20) gigs most nights of the week at venues like the Tote, the Night Cat and the Old Bar, leaving plenty of spare change for bevvies. Alternatively, you can head back to YHA for quiet rooftop drinks or a dip in the pool before bed.
Photograph: Tony Empire Collective | Becoming You
Day three
Morning: After a big night, restore yourself with a wholesome morning roving around South Melbourne Market’s gourmet providores and vintage stores. Between sampling endless cubes of cheese and charcuterie, make space for Agathe Patisserie’s gorgeous French pastries – their pandan croissant ($8) is aromatic, buttery heaven. Tram back into the CBD ($4.50) and cap off your Melbourne sojourn with a stroll around the city’s famed street art laneways. If you’ve got time, stop by the Immigration Museum’s heartwarming new exhibition Becoming You ($15), in which hilarious, embarrassing and deeply personal coming-of-age stories are explored through art and audio. Until next time, Melbourne.
Trip total cost (including accommodation): $173