8 Things Not To Miss in South Yarra, Melbourne, Australia
South Yarra is known as a ‘glitzy’ suburb of Melbourne, Australia just 4km from Melbourne CBD (Central Business District). When I posted pictures and videos of this neighbourhood, my friends from home have said they’d like to live here and even compared it to Beverly Hills!
It certainly is a lovely area of Melbourne because it’s clean, not too busy or touristy, has beautiful parks, organised grid-like streets/lanes, lots of dogs around and feels safe. This makes it a great suburb to learn a bit more about what makes Melbourne, Melbourne. Along with these great attributes, there are plenty of things to do and below are 8 things not to miss in South Yarra.
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How to Get to South Yarra
Getting to South Yarra is easy because Melbourne public transport is so well-organised.
- You can get the train on the Sandringham line to South Yarra train station located on Toorak Road.
- Get the tram on Route 58 with several stops throughout South Yarra.
- Walk from neighbouring suburbs such as Richmond, St Kilda or if you’re feeling energetic, 4km from the CBD!
- Uber is your friend in Melbourne. Get an Uber so easily around the city at low prices. To get £3 off your first ride with Uber, use my code: shireena1093ui.
Stay in South Yarra
South Yarra isn’t a large neighbourhood and being the glitzy place it is, accommodation may be on the more expensive side. If you want to book, I suggest using booking.com and finding a hostel for your budget. Use the search box here:
8 Things Not To Miss in South Yarra, Melbourne
- Royal Botanic Gardens
- Browse a Beautiful Book Store
- Picnic at Fawkner Park
- Explore Prahan Market
- Do Almost Anything on Chapel Street
- Have Brunch at Dilly Daly
- Shrine of Remembrance
- Attend a Themed Night at The Arcadia
- Bonus: Thai Lunch in South Yarra
1. Royal Botanic Gardens
Visiting the Royal Botanical Gardens is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, a great place to take a stroll and the best attraction in South Yarra. There are thousands of plants on display at the gardens and all have a tag with names and information about them. You can also see little streams woven between the grass areas and a clear footpath for a pleasurable walk. During summer, the Moonlight Cinema (an outdoor large cinema showcasing new and old movies) is held in the gardens which is a must-do in Melbourne! Also, it is free to enter the Royal Botanic Gardens.
If you want to join a tour around the Gardens, including a river cruise, book through Get Your Guide:
2. Browse a Book Store
Located on Toorak Road in South Yarra is a shop called Avaco Hill Bookstore. It has an impressive selection of books ranging from fiction to cook books to autobiographies. Their display is satisfying to the eye and the perfect place to shop for bookworms. My favourite area is the travel section, of course!
3. Picnic at Fawkner Park
Fawkner Park is a large park ideal for lounging in the sun, below the oaks and enjoying a picnic. You’ll be accompanied by lots of runners, sports-mad players and there are tennis courts available to use too. Fawkner Park is a great park for kids in Melbourne. Watch out for those flies at summertime though who just love to land on your face.
4. Explore Prahan Market
Something Melburnians know how to do is markets. There’s Queen Victoria Market in the CBD, South Melbourne Market in South Melbourne and Prahan Market in South Yarra. The self-proclaimed number 1 food market in Melbourne hold hundreds of stalls and traders selling the very best produce. They regularly hold events and you can find out more on their website here.
Top Tip: On Sundays, you can take a basket and fill it with as much vegetables as you want for just $15.
Read Next: What Can $30 Get You at an Asian Food Market in Melbourne?
5. Do Almost Anything On Chapel Street
This 2 mile-long street bursts with life from restaurants, bars, nightclubs, supermarkets, dessert stores and shopping centre so there are so many things to do on Chapel Street.
- It’s the place to go if you want to revamp your wardrobe from high-end designer stores to backpacker-friendly shopping stores and op shops (Opportunity Shops in Australia are what we call Charity Shops in the UK). Chapel Street is the home of South Yarra shopping.
- If you want to go clubbing on a Friday night until Monday morning, head to Revolvers on Chapel Street.
- When you want decent South Yarra food such as fish and chips, Chapel Street’s Hunky Dory is the go-to.
- Try Zumba at one of the many fitness classes held on Chapel Street
- Go for Brunch …
6. Brunch at Dilly Daly
Having brunch is ingrained in Melbourne culture and there are several options to have brunch in South Yarra. While on Chapel Street, my favourite spot to go is Dilly Daly. I love their variety of food options and the funky colour scheme. It’s a great way to spend a morning/afternoon and if you want you can go their for Bottomless Brunch (free alcohol) on weekends!
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7. Visit the Shrine of Remembrance
The Shrine of Remembrance is a war memorial in South Yarra is very close to the CBD making it an easy place to get to (and it has its own tram stop). It is located above the ground with grass areas surrounding the main area so just climbing a few steps and you’ll get to a map that will show you where everything is located. It was built to remember women and men who lost their lives during World War I but now is for anyone who has served in war.
You can go inside and learn about those who lost their lives during war and pay your respects just by walking around. It is an important place to visit in Melbourne especially for those who want to learn through travel. The flags fly and are lowered to music about 5pm everyday. From a bird’s eye view, there is a large cross on the ground so be sure not to be disrespectful as when I visited there were people on skateboards who were asked not to skate by the police out of respect.
The Shrine is open 10am-5pm. Entry is free. Located on St Kilda Road.
Go to Arcadia’s Themed Nights
Arcadia Hotel is a pub located on the corner of Toorak Road and Punt Road. It is a large venue with multiple function rooms as well as its own bottle shop. They have reasonable beer prices, tasty food, pool tables and sports on TV. On some nights of the week they have specials so you can attend one of the following:
- Monday: Trivia Night and $10 Meatballs
- Tuesday: Parmas for $12 (Aussies love a Parma)
- Wednesday: Steak Night from $16 (so, so good)
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Bonus: Thai for Lunch
Looking for Thai food in Melbourne? Rice Paddy Thai is a delicious Thai restaurant in South Yarra that hold budget-friendly lunch deals. The best is any curry or stir fry with rice from $11.90. Come here for a great deal on Thai food. I had Thai Green Curry for the deal and prawn dumplings on the side.
If you choose to visit this Melbourne suburb, be sure to take some dollars as it’s an expensive part of the city. You’ll only need a day or two in South Yarra to be honest or even a quick afternoon to do some of the things on this Melbourne to-do list!
My Oz Blog Posts:
- Asian Food Market in Melbourne for $30
- St Kilda Neighbourhood
- Great Ocean Road Trip
- Checklist for Moving to Melbourne
- My First Thoughts of Melbourne
- What is Melbourne Culture?
- How to Get a WHV for Oz
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