Contrary to pop popular opinion , the best things in biography are rarely free – least of all in Melbourne , where dinner and drinks at Attica will correct you back almost $ 400 , and rent for a one - chamber flat with no cat - swing way can be highway looting . Nevertheless , we ’ve bump a bevy of budget - friendly must - see and -dos in this cosmopolitan city , from rooftop saloon crawl to the big trampoline Down Under .
1. Take a self-guided street art tour
Most guided graffiti tours of the CBD or Fitzroy are going to set you back a pineapple ( $ 50 ) or so , but Google " devoid street art tour Melbourne " and you ’ll find some DIY direction to the best example in town from a stack of friendly thrift - focused eccentric .
2. Ride, walk, or jog around Albert Park Lake
Don your Lycra or Lululemons and hit the 5 kilometer lakeside racing circuit for a exercise with gorgeous urban center views . Best enjoyed first affair or at sundown , try on to resist feeding the resident fateful swans .
3.Catch a flick in the Royal Botanic Gardens
Chill out and view the stars in the beautiful botanical gardens over summertime , when Moonlight Cinema comes to townspeople . jam some budget - friendly snacks and fetch a cardi – it is Melbourne after all . Nineteen dollar for grownup , or $ 15 if you ’re a member .
4. Take a dip at MSAC
Access to the grownup lap puddle at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre ( MSAC ) will cost you $ 8.20 , or you could practice your bodyboarding skills on the FlowRider inactive wafture for $ 20 .
5.Peek inside some of the city’s most intriguing buildings
Held annually at the end of July , Open House Melbourne gives viscous beaks a rare opportunity to see inside some of the city ’s most enthralling and beautiful building . A must for any architecture or history fan . good of all , though , it ’s dead free .
6. Rollerblade in St Kilda
You ’ll have to dodge the tourer , but the St Kilda foreshore – with its sandy beach and iconic palm trees – is a top spot for an eight - wheeled workout . It ’s just over 11 scenic kilometer from Port Melbourne to Elwood .
7.Do a rooftop bar crawl
suss out out the urban center ’s best sights from the height on a creeping of the 12 or so rooftop bars in Melbourne CBD . While you ’re at it , maybe charm a openhanded stranger into buying you a drink or two .
8.Play Barefoot Bowls at Fitzroy Bowls Club
Open seven days a week from 10 am ' til 11 Prime Minister , gather the troops for some " favorable " competition at Fitzroy Bowls . It ’s $ 15 per person for two hours of barefoot fun in the sun .
9.Ogle some dinosaurs
With a living rainforest , Aboriginal Cultural Centre , and Phar Lap in all his equid , 17.1 - hand nimbus , there ’s plenty to see at Melbourne Museum in Carlton Gardens – but really , it had us at dinosaurs . Adult entry is $ 14 .
10.Have a back, neck, and shoulder massage
Head to the plush CBD campus of Bec Judd & Co. ’s beauty school for a 30 - min relaxation seance . Lift the weightiness of the reality from your shoulders , for only 15 smackers .
11.Wicked Wednesdays at The Astor
Every Wednesday , $ 12 will bulge you a double feature at St Kilda ’s darling Art Deco theater of operations , The Astor – which means more money for choc - tops . Wicked Wednesdays , indeed .
12.Shake it like Queen Bey
The baby at Bey Dance ( yup , a dance studio give to Sasha Fierce ) hurl a riotous Bey Party at The LuWow prevention in Fitzroy every Thursday and Friday night . lend your jelly , along with $ 15 .
13.Ensconce yourself in the La Trobe Reading Room
Feed your inner pedant in the glorious La Trobe Reading Room at the CBD ’s State Library of Victoria . Read , write , or only gaze in awe at the lofty 35 - meter - in high spirits vaulted cap .
14.Take a tour of the MCG
Ever want to look inside the iconic stadium ’s cabinet elbow room or set base on the sacred turf ? You ’ll get all that and more for just $ 17 if you ’re a student . ( adult will have to cough up $ 22 . )
15.Pay what you want at Lentil as Anything
With several restaurants across Melbourne , folks from all walk of life sentence can delight a vegetarian feast from not - for - net surgical procedure Lentil as Anything , pay what they feel is bonny . Do n’t be a churl !
16.Squee at the little penguins in St Kilda
channelize to St Kilda Breakwater just after sunset , any time of class , to spot the dependency of itty - bitty penguins who make their nests in the rock . Summer is prize penguin - viewing sentence .
17.Cack yourself at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
There are deal of opportunity to enjoy some up - and - coming comedic talent for under $ 20 at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival , which brings the gag throughout March and April each twelvemonth .
18. Get lost in the city’s famous laneways
Throw away the guide and disable Google Maps for the mean solar day , then misplace yourself in the city ’s famed cobblestone laneways with their eclectic mix of nutrient , graphics , and fashionable finds . You might just attain a gem or two .
19.Go for a run around the Tan
Affectionately known as the Tan , the easy 3.8 kilometre track around the Botanic Gardens and King ’s Domain in South Yarra is a popular spot for joggers , runners , and power - walkers , and offers bully people- ( and puppy- ) watching opportunities .
20.Take a free tour at the Mountain Goat Beer brewery
search the local cunning beer scene at the Mountain Goat microbrewery , insert away in the back streets of Richmond . Hopalong ( ! ) at 6:30pm on a Wednesday to tour the brewery for free .
21.Go on a ride at Luna Park
With free entry , St Kilda ’s iconic amusement park is home to the Scenic Railway , the world ’s oldest continually operating roller coaster . A single drive at the park will set you back $ 10.95 , but can you really put a toll on fun ?
22.Catch the City Circle tram
Make like a tourist and explore the metropolis sight for nada , zip , zilch on the City Circle tram . savour audio comment on the key landmarks around the city and Docklands aboard a wizard heritage W - class tram .
23.Jump on Australia’s biggest trampoline
For some good ol'-fashioned fun , head to Essendon Fields BOUNCE for a go on Supertramp : a 5x5 - beat bouncy behemoth . It ’s $ 16 for your first visit – empty venter recommended .
24.Gain a new skill or some specialised knowledge
Whether you want to larn about urban USDA , your pelvic floor ( umm ) , or how to vote down at improv , Laneway Learning has the line for you . Most sessions are $ 14 a pop .
25. Have a picnic in Edinburgh Gardens
BYO vegan sausage , Frisbee , and homebrew to this popular North Fitzroy knack , which is decked out with BBQs , lawn tennis courts , picnic tables , resort area , a basketball one-half - court , and ample elbow room for lazy lounging .
26.Get vertigo at Eureka Skydeck
For $ 19.50 , you could take the Southern Hemisphere ’s fastest lift hinge on up to Eureka Skydeck . This is not just for tourists , as the 360 - degree view are EPIC , taking in everything from the G to Albert Park Lake , Port Phillip Bay , and beyond .
27. Ride the Capital City Trail
Twenty - seven kilometer of knockout that take you from Fed Square and alongside Merri Creek , Collingwood Children ’s Farm , Dights Falls , and more . Oh , and if you ’re visiting or your treadlie ’s in the shop , you’re able to …
28.Hire a Melbourne Bike Share two-wheeler
And ride around the metropolis . It ’ll cost you $ 3 for limitless 30 - minute trips on a groovy blue wheel for 24 hours . Usage fees will apply for foresightful trips .
29. Snorkel at Ricketts Point
The 115 - hectare marine sanctuary of Ricketts Point , just near leafy Beaumaris , is a unquestionable playground for bud nautical biologists . Pack a duck soup , a breather , and some sunblock , and make a day of it .
30.Get an art fix at NGV International
Rejoice : world-wide admission to the National Gallery of Victoria is loose ! Browse the lasting international collections on St Kilda Rd before a slur of windowpane shopping in the excogitation store .
31.Stay up all night for White Night
Make like the rest of greater Melbourne and head to the CBD in February for the spectacular White Night : an annual 12 - time of day celebration of art , medicine , and culture , from 7 Prime Minister to 7 am .
32. Check out the many amazing markets
Queen Vic , South Melbourne , andPrahranare good places to come out , since you’re able to easily fill up on free samples . Or , admire the talent of local artificer at Fitzroy’sRose St. Artists ' Marketinstead .
33.Catch a free MSO gig
Make like you ’re cultured by catch one of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra ’s free open - air summertime concerts at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl . Grab three cheeses for $ 10 from South Melbourne Market , and you ’re laughing .
34.Explore Abbotsford Convent
A true artsy hub with a community vibe : take a picnic , carry your study launch pad , or contain out the regular produce and craft markets at this charming urban sanctuary .
35.Attempt the 1000 Steps
In the leafy Dandenong Ranges , the 1000 Steps Kokoda Walk is a well - trodden , picturesque path for seasoned runners , wide - eyed tourists , and Sunday strollers wanting to try out their fitness or simply revel some crisp flock air .
36.Catch a cheap (or free) gig at The Old Bar
It ai n’t fancy , but that ’s the distributor point : enjoy live euphony and chinchy beer at this pasty - floor Fitzroy institution for a decade or less . Any given Sunday , or Monday , or Tuesday , or … signalize up herefor our everyday Thrillist electronic mail , and get your fix of the salutary in food / drink / sport .
Pip Jarvis is a Melbourne - ground author with Champagne sense of taste but a ( craft ) beer budget . The struggle is real .
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