Four iconic Melbourne sites students can comfortably be alone in
UNSURE of where you can comfortably go and spend time alone in as a first-timer in Melbourne? Trinity College Foundation Studies students Jiayi Huo, Thi Mai Quyen Pham and Xuanlian Chen have you covered.
Picture this: You’re new to Melbourne and haven’t really found time to adjust or make friends here just yet. You’re used to having some company with you, especially when you go exploring a new city, but you’re not sure where you can comfortably visit alone. Where do you go?
Thankfully, Melbourne offers several iconic sites that new visitors to the city can go to without feeling like they need someone around. If you want to have a little trip around town on your own, here are four places that you can go to on your own.
Royal Botanical Gardens
Photo: Xuanlian Chen
Established in 1846, the picturesque Royal Botanical Gardens is one site that students can feel comfortable visiting, with its extensive space and flourishing natural reserves.
With more than 50,000 diverse collections of plants in the gardens, covering even some of the rare and endangered species, the Gardens feel like a beautiful wonderland.
Almost always quiet, the Gardens make for a gratifying and relaxing place where you can lazily lie on the grass and forget your troubles or read a book to pass the time.
St Kilda Beach
Photo: Michael McGimpsey via Flickr
St Kilda is Melbourne’s major costal suburb and isn’t far from the CBD at all; it’s only one tram ride away!
If you venture to St Kilda on your own you can park yourself along the edge of the beach or simply walk, cycle, roller-skate your way around the shore. Alternatively, you may enjoy sipping on drinks at their open-air coffee shops or cocktail bars whilst enjoying the scenery of Port Phillip Bay.
St Kilda beach in the evening is even more beautiful so give yourself time to watch the sunset. Explore Fitzroy St and Acland St also for a chance to take in the culturally rich of St Kilda too.
Yarra River
Photo: Russell Charters via Flickr
One of Melbourne’s most iconic landmarks is its Yarra River which has a deep history in Victoria. For the Indigenous, the river was a source of meeting and food gathering. Nowadays, the river is the focus of many events including the Moomba Festival which takes place along a part of the river.
If it’s first your first time in Melbourne, why not head down to the Yarra River and have a walk alongside it. Students living in or near the city can simply start from Federation Square and walk towards Crown Casino, taking in the cool air from the water and the sounds of the rowers and boats floating pass.
The river is especially gorgeous come nightfall as the city’s lights reflect off the surface, creating a glow that’s both calming and even romantic.
National Gallery of Victoria
Photo: Xuanlian Chen
Galleries by their very nature are great places that first-time visitors can go to where they can feel comfortable on their own. The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), located in Southbank, is no different.
As the country’s oldest, largest and most visited art museum, NGV regularly showcases world-class quality exhibitions and artworks including Hans Memling’s The Man of the Sorrows in the arms of the Virgin or Claude Monet’s Vétheuil.
One of its best features is its stained-glass ceiling in the NGV’s Great Hall, which also boasts that it is the largest one of its kind in the world.
This story was produced by Media and Communication students at Trinity College Foundation Studies as part of Meld’s community newsroom collaboration. Education institutions, student clubs/societies and community groups interested in being involved can get in touch with us via meld@meldmagazine.com.au.