Melbourne is Australia's second largest city and the capital of Victoria. Having spent 4 years living in the Victorian country town of Foster, Melbourne was always an exciting place to visit for the day on the train. But that was almost 25 years ago, and apart from exploring Melbourne's inner city, I never got around to discovering what really lay beyond the Yarra River. So for the fourth book in my Train Tripping Series, I thought it was about time I revisited Melbourne to see how much I could explore of the city by train in just 72 hours.
Melbourne is considered Australia's most cosmopolitan city and the birthplace of Australia's cafe culture. When it comes to trains however, the city has a rich railway history. Melbourne was the location of Australia's first public railway and still maintains a tram system that is the largest in the world. It seems there aren't too many places that you can't visit by hopping on a train or a tram.
So after months of research, I headed off armed with a Myki card loaded with $50 credit to find the best that Melbourne could offer by train and by tram. From Geelong to Gembrook, from the MCG to the brightly coloured Brighton Bathing Boxes, I covered 365 km in just 3 days, along the way experiencing a tour of the MCG, dinner in Carlton's Lygon Street, an AFL game and a day out on Puffing Billy, all at a cost of under $1 per kilometre.
So what do you get when you cross 83 brightly coloured bathing sheds, a much travelled cottage, a band from Little River and a 9 story shot tower? You get this 365 km self-guided railway adventure that is the perfect travelling companion for exploring Melbourne from the comfort of a train. So welcome aboard my fourth Train Tripping adventure. Train Tripping Around Melbourne. I hope you enjoy the ride.
Available now through my Books page
