The Hoddle Grid was the City design that created serviced alleyways that have now become…read moreMelbourne's famous laneways with food stalls, restaurants, cafes, night spots and murals. There are over 900 laneways in Melbourne. The Gold Rush in the 1850s, made Melbourne the World's richest city and the wealth afforded the resources to construct the ornate buildings featuring Victorian, Georgian, Italian and French architecture and design. The Block Arcade is renowned for its opulent 19th-century architecture and boutique retailers. Opened in 1892, it is famous for its intricate mosaic tile floors, sweeping glass-domed ceiling, and richly decorated shopfronts. Gayle and I were here, with only the holiday preventing us for visiting more shops, even though those aren't the main attraction. A couple interesting things we learned: - "Doing the Block" is a historic Melbourne social ritual from the 1860s-1930s, where fashionably dressed residents promenaded the section of Collins Street between Elizabeth and Swanston Streets to "see and be seen". It was a vibrant display of wealth, often featuring carriage rides and visits to shops. Hence the name of this arcade. - The historic clock known for its refined design, Roman numerals, and decorative buglers flanking the sides.

Beautiful Victorian shopping arcade…read more The Block Arcade was opened in 1892. It has a lovely French Renaissance style architecture that was meant to mimic the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. Love the high domed glass ceilings, the mosaic floors and the unique cornices. When it was built, it was the place to be seen in Melbourne. Hopetoun Tea Rooms have been serving delicious cakes and scones during high tea for over a century. Get there early as there is always a long queue. So nice to "do the block" just like other patrons have done for the past 130 years.

Love the culture and the food. Not a huge fan of the car park, but this place works better on…read morepublic transport.

I love Melbourne Central. I love how it's a one-stop-shop for everything you could need…read more ~ Smack dab in the middle of the CBD. Need something you (for some strange reason) cannot find at Melbourne Central? It's probably 10 steps away from Melbourne Central/ ~ Stunning interior design and architecture. You have your tower underneath a glass cage. At first, I thought that this was a bit strange, but then accepted the fact that the tower probably did a lot of bad things in its life and needs a cage to control it. You can't let that thing free, man. ~ Nice selection of food. Nothing too fantastic, but my favourites: Menya Ramen, Lord of the Fries, Grill'd, O-Bento, and Harajuku Crepes. There's bound to be more food heavens that I haven't explored in that massive building yet, and I'm keen to be on the lookout! ~ Convenient public transportation. If you're on the go, trust Melbourne Central to have a train running to anywhere you want in Melbourne. Trust Melbourne Central to also have great food takeaways for you to enjoy yourself at before your train arrives. ~ Loads of entertainment! Try out Cho Gao - a great Asian Beer Cafe with a stunning view of the city. Now try out Cho Gao after catching a movie at Melbourne Central's very own cinema. Seriously - what CAN'T you do here?

Forest Hill Chase is never really springs to mind when I think of shopping centers. Located in the…read moretiny suburb of Forest Hill, I came here once and was pleasantly surprised at the center. It was clean and new-ish, it didn't feel like one of those old and forgotten places that nobody ever goes to. That said, it was relatively quite in the center- but it certainly didn't feel forgotten. Forest Hill doesn't have a huge variety of fashion stores, there are still a few goodies here though (such as Myer). Forest hill also have a Hoyts cinema and AMF bowling/M9 laser strike. My favorite thing about this place is the fact that there is a TGIF here! I think I would come back if I ever wanted to just wonder aimlessly through a center, without feeling rushed or buzzed like I do at Chadstone. Would also come here just for TGI and Hoyts.

Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre is somewhere I drop into if I am passing by, but it is not…read moresomewhere I tend to go to on purpose. While it is fairly big and there have been a lot of upgrades recently, the atmosphere here is pretty non-existant and I don't enjoy myself. One good thing about the centre is that there are over 3500 free car spaces without restrictions. These are spread all around and under the centre itself. The centre has 3 levels with the topmost (and smallest) being the best. This is the newest part of the centre and has been designed to be a bit of an entertainment hub. It features Hoyts Cinemas, TGI Fridays, Nandos, Timezone, Rebel Sport, The Chase Hotel and JB Hi Fi to name a few. Despite being the biggest hit of the centre, it still doesn't get very busy up there. The centre is never really busy so if you don't like crowds then this place is perfect for you in every way! The average shopper tends to be a bit older although most of the shops seem suited to younger shoppers. There are a heap of taxis that wait just outside the food court. Bizarrely they are often there during the middle of the day. Bigger, rival centres don't have this service so this is a definite plus.

This really isn't one of the best shopping centres that I have visited, not that I tend to rate…read morethem all that highly anyway. The annoying thing about it is that you have to walk across a ton of carpark from the tram stop to actually get to the shopping centre, and there really isn't all that much here, other than a cinema and a couple of cafes. Well, the do have an Ikea, which is sort of unique where shopping centres are concerned.

Victoria gardens is personally my favourite shopping Centre! Unlike northland it is not so big that…read moreyou get lost and can't find your way around. And unlike northcote plaza it actually has useful shops. Victoria gardens has lots of clothes shops for example cotton on, kmart, tempt, jeans west etc it also has a very big food court and food for all your fussy family members. It has a cinema which always comes in handy when you have nothing to do. One of my favourite things about Victoria gardens is of course ikea, what would you do with out ikea oh yeah NOTHING!! The ikea in vic gardens is very big and it has a childcare program where you just say "take my kids while I shop at ikea" and then POOF kid free. Vic Gardens includes boost, pet shop, various 2 dollar shops, sushi, Coles, dimmocks, dick smith, bakers delight etc I believe that this shopping centre couldn't get any better

The Hoddle Grid was the City design that created serviced alleyways that have now become…read moreMelbourne's famous laneways with food stalls, restaurants, cafes, night spots and murals. There are over 900 laneways in Melbourne. The Gold Rush in the 1850s, made Melbourne the World's richest city and the wealth afforded the resources to construct the ornate buildings featuring Victorian, Georgian, Italian and French architecture and design. Opened in 1870, Royal Arcade is the oldest surviving shopping arcade in Australia and an iconic heritage landmark in the Melbourne CBD. t. It is best known for its elegant Italianate architecture, high glass roof, and the mythical giant statues of Gog and Magog that strike the hour. Gayle and I were here for window shopping and visiting a "not to miss" and elegant Melbourne attraction.

I was so surprised at how small this place is! But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in…read morecharm. It's beautiful in here and full of natural light. You would never know that from the outside. It's fairly easy to enter this arcade, as there are openings on three sides. It's also marked very well so there's no way you could miss it. There are quite a few interesting shops, mostly targeted towards knick-knacks and jewelry for tourists. There are also some coffee/café spots. My partner always finds the adult toy/card shops and immediately went downstairs to purchase some Magic the Gathering cards. This is a nice, quick attraction that is well worth the visit.

Look, I hate these places enormously. They've killed off plenty of local small businesses over the…read moreyears, and every time a new one opens, the only thing I can think of is the nightmare that some poor bugger of a small businessman or woman going broke overnight. That said, these places are here to stay, and there's not much to be done about it once they've opened. And as far as these monstrosities go, this one isn't too bad. Parking is pretty easy, (although generally for only four hours - that's plenty of time to get in, get what you need and get out), there's a couple of supermarkets and pretty much everything you'll ever need. There are lots of really good restaurants within a stone's throw if you're hungry, but the food court has a couple of decent places too.

Centro The Glen is a small shopping center packed full of the most popular brands you would hope to…read morefind in one place. Sure the centers small and the areas not 'that' well known, but The Glen hits mostly all the right notes when it comes to store variety. Brands include, sportsgirls, witchery, country road, cotton on, athletes foot, bed bath n table, mimco, oroton, rebel and many other well-known brands. There is also a David Jones and Target if you prefer being in a department store. The Glen is a long 2 level building that offers ample parking and dining options. Besides their 2 food courts, just a few hundred meters down the road from the center is the Kingsway Strip which is a goldmine of cafes and restaurants. The Glen also offers a coles/woolworths/Thomas dux, as well as a center butcher, deli, fishmonger and Asian grocer.

Located up the very classy Paris end of Collins Street, is a beautiful shopping district and cafe…read moremecca called Collins Place. Home to the independent film theatre Kino Cinemas, Collins Place also has a great selection of bars, cafes and clothing stores to keep you entertained. Upstairs there are also medical facilities, a Physiological Centre, Cosmetic and Laser Clinic and of course an ANZ tower, with and ANZ branch on the corner. Collins Place tends to attract local business workers during the day, later in the afternoon and evening you can often find enthusiastic movie goers waiting for their film as well as people of all ages enjoying a meal or perhaps an end of week vino. Collins Place is a relaxing and upmarket place to shop, it houses some of Melbourne's unique boutique stores as well as being right next to the hotel Sofitel.

Great, lively market with delicious food stalls, market, and shops. Something for everyone…read more Famous for a lot of things but was told their seafood, especially their oysters, were a can't miss. They were right! Their oysters are the best. So many excellent options. Do not miss!!!!!

One of the better markets in Melbourne with lots of options to choose from starting with fresh…read moreseafood like oysters to cafe shops, pastries to even clothings and souvenir items. The pandan croissant at Agathe Patisserie is a must try as it's fairly unique. It's a little bit chewy texture and mildly sweet and crunchy on the outside. Padre Coffee is a popular coffee spot. If you are into oysters, definitely worth trying as the prices are much better than ordering from a restaurant. I suggest trying the local Sydney oysters. Do note that the market is not open everyday so please check and confirm opening hours before you should up. When I was there, it was open only on Wed, Fri, Sat, and Sunday.