What to pack for Melbourne

There’s so much to love about Melbourne.

I’m probably a wee bit biased since I spent the first 30-odd years of my life there, but there are so many kid-friendly things to do! Combine that with its innate style, amazing food, awesome coffee and fabulous shopping, and well, it’s an incredible city.

Melburnians have a reputation for wearing a lot of black, but black is definitely not compulsory. Especially in summer! However, they do lean towards wearing classics, so when planning what to pack for Melbourne I have included a lot of navy and neutrals, as well as a dash of colour.

I drove down to Melbourne to visit family with the kids before Christmas, stopping overnight at this groovy Albury hotel on the way –

Pool sharks in the making at Atura Albury

My mum and dad are about to put the family house on the market, so it was all hands on deck for painting, sorting, repairing and improving. Not much time for exploring, and sadly we only got to one of our favourite Melbourne attractions.

However, we did finally get to Scienceworks! It only took us 8 years! Definitely worth the wait though. They had a Sports exhibition on, so the kids went crazy trying to outrun Cathy Freeman, and try all the other physical challenges. So much fun!

Hubster and I may possibly have giggled ourselves silly popping in and out of the Star Trek-style transporter too. Beam me up Scotty!

Race a mate at Scienceworks. It’s the best way to appreciate how fast Cathy Freeman really was.

Hubster and I had a wonderfully relaxing night away at Crown Metropol in the heavenly Loft Suite. It’s still my favourite Melbourne hotel –

The divine pool at Crown Metropol

We had a family get-together for Christmas at the gorgeous Studley Park Boathouse. Unfortunately conditions were not safe for hiring a row boat, but we had a lovely meal at the cafe and fed plenty of ducks –

Studley Park Boathouse

And we discovered the awesome Eltham North Adventure Playground aka The Shearing Shed. Filled with sheep pens, a tractor, a lookout and lots of interesting nooks to explore, as well as the more common slides, swings and rock-climbing wall –

The Shearing Shed (Eltham North Adventure Playground)

Weather forecast

Have you been to Melbourne? It is known for its four-seasons-in-one-day climate, so you do need to be prepared. For this wardrobe I’ve focussed on a summertime visit since that was when I was last there.

During the second half of December we had some very hot (like 43°c) days, as well as a couple of quite cool ones (around 20°c). So mostly we wore as little as possible! However if it was under 30°c during the day, then the mornings and evenings could be quite cool, so the few extra layers I threw in the suitcase did not go astray.

So even if you’re visiting in the middle of summer, make sure you take jeans and a couple of long sleeve tops or knits. Chances are you’ll use them!

What to pack for Melbourne

The basics

Browsing the St Kilda Sunday market

Checking out the penguins at the Aquarium