Melbourne
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The capital of the state of Victoria in the south-east of Australia, and one of the major metropolises of the southern hemisphere. In terms of dark tourism there may not be so many sights here, but two of them are rather significant on a national level. And it’s just a fabulous city to visit in any case.
More background info: Melbourne is Australia’s second city by size, after Sydney, but most people living in (or coming from) Melbourne would argue that their city is of course far superior to their big old arch-rival … and the same applies vice versa.
The history of Melbourne goes back to the 1830s; it was officially founded in 1835 and declared a city in 1847. During the great gold rush of the 1850s and 60s Melbourne saw immense growth, in both population and wealth. It was also during that time that many Chinese came to the area – and Melbourne’s central Chinatown is still testament to that influx.
Even after the gold rush Melbourne continued to grow and became a major manufacturing, trading and banking centre. By the turn of the century, Melbourne was the richest metropolis in the southern hemisphere. In 1901 it even became the new Federation of Australia’s capital – albeit only an interim one until a compromise was found between the two rival cities Sydney and Melbourne. That compromise came in 1927 in the form of Canberra, located halfway between the two big rival cities.
Melbourne is often regraded as the “most European” city in Australia, and to a degree that is correct given the exuberant late 19th and early 20th century architecture. After the restriction on the permissible height of buildings was lifted in 1958, this European-ness diminished somewhat and today the many skyscrapers dominating the city’s skyline drown out the older European flair, at least until you’re at street level in the CBD (Central Business District).
Today Melbourne has a population of just over 5 million, only slightly behind Sydney’s ca. 5.5. million. It’s by far the largest conurbation in the sate of Victoria and its capital and also its economic and financial hub. Its harbour is the busiest in the whole nation.
And finally a terminological hint: inhabitants of the city of Melbourne are often called ‘Melbournites’ by outsiders but the locals refer to themselves as ‘Melburnians’ and perceive the other term as somewhat derogatory. (It’s a bit like outsiders referring to San Francisco as ‘Frisco’, whereas the locals use ‘San Fran’.) So be careful …
What there is to see: Melbourne may not have as many sites of dark-tourism interest as Sydney, but these two are especially significant.
The former is one of the best-known and most visited dark sites in all of Australia and the latter was the first and is probably still the most important museum about the Holocaust in the country.
In addition, the Shrine of Remembrance has to be mentioned here, even though I did not find the time to visit it myself. It’s Melbourne’s equivalent to the ANZAC Memorial in Sydney or its counterpart in Brisbane. The Shrine of Remembrance too was erected to honour those Australians who gave their lives in World War One, but today it commemorates all Australians who have fallen in any wars since then (e.g. WWII and the Vietnam War). It’s a grand design: a huge pyramid atop a square stone cube fronted by a neoclassical (Greco-Roman) portal with a frieze and huge columns. Inside are individual memorials in the so-called “Sanctuary” and the “Crypt” below features an exhibition (daily 10-17h, free, located just west of the Botanic Gardens south of the city centre).
Melbourne also has a Medical History Museum with the usual displays of medical gear, apparatus and gory imagery and wax models. It’s currently closed but will reopen at a new location at 233 Bouverie Street in Carlton in April 2025.
Other than those there are just little things, such as the plaque on the former Russell Street police station opposite Old Melbourne Gaol (> combinations) that commemorates a police constable killed as a result of the car bombing of the police station in 1986.
Some of the graffiti in Melbourne’s legendary street-art filled Laneways can have dark themes too. I even found a mural with the image of the late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny.
But just keep your eyes open and you may spot yet more little darkish details across the city.
Location: on/near the coast in the south-east of Australia some 715 km (450 miles) south-west of Sydney, 650 km (400 miles) south-east of Adelaide and ca. 465 km (290 miles) south-west of Canberra.
Google Maps locators:
Shrine of Remembrance: [-37.8305, 144.9735]
former Russell Street police station: [-37.8082, 144.9662]
Parliament House: [-37.8112, 144.9735]
Federation Square: [-37.8178, 144.9692]
Southern Cross train station: [-37.8186, 144.9531]
Access and costs: easy to get to from within (eastern) Australia by train, road or plane; not the cheapest.
Details: If you’re not flying in from abroad but travelling to the city from within Australia, it’s convenient that there are direct train services to/from both Sydney and Adelaide (the latter on the legendary “Overland” train), both arriving at/departing from Southern Cross Station just west of the CBD. Of course there are domestic flights from just about every other larger city in the country too, as well as buses, and expressway roads for those driving their own vehicle. Within Melbourne, however a car would be a hindrance rather than an asset.
Getting around Melbourne is easy. Within the central part (the “CBD”) everything could be reached on foot, but there are also trams (free within the CBD!) and buses. For destinations out of the centre you’ll need to purchase an electronic “myki” card and top it up to the amount you reckon you may need. You have to tap the card on the myki machine when entering a tram/bus and also have to “tap off” when exiting.
Accommodation options in Melbourne are boundless in all categories, just shop around.
As for food & drink: welcome to one of the most exciting cities in culinary terms in all of Australia. The range of restaurants is stunning. I had too little time to really explore, but I had one of the best Peruvian dinners of my life in Melbourne, also an outstanding spicy modern Chinese dinner as well as a superb vegetarian feast.
Victoria is located in wine country, so obviously there’s no shortage of local varietals. The craft beer scene is also going strong in Melbourne and it has one of the most renowned whisky distilleries of Australia. Cafe culture is also omnipresent. You’ll never go hungry or thirsty in Melbourne! The better restaurants and well-stocked watering holes are a bit on the expensive side, however. But you can save money, if you need to, by relying on street food (especially in Chinatown) or self-catering. If opting for the latter, take advantage of the largest (partially) open-air market in the southern hemisphere: Queen Victoria Market on the northern edge of the CBD.
Time required: I had only three nights and two full days in Melbourne during my big Australia trip in the summer of 2024 and found that this was not really doing the place justice. It was enough time to see the two most significant dark sites in the city, but otherwise I only scratched the surface. The guidebook I have suggests four days, but I’m sure you could easily spend even longer here without getting bored.
Combinations with other dark destinations: You can go by train to Sydney and Adelaide from Melbourne, so those two cities would make suitable combinations. Even closer is Ararat with its “J Ward”, also reachable by train. From Melbourne’s airport you can get to practically any other city in Australia (and beyond).
Combinations with non-dark destinations: Melbourne lacks the internationally recognized top iconic sights that Sydney has (the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge in particular), but it’s still a great city destination. Amongst the most noteworthy sights are Parliament House and the nearby Old Treasury, the Royal Exhibition Building, or the Melbourne Spire (atop the Arts Centre).
All over central Melbourne you can find numerous examples of grand European-style architecture, arcades, cathedrals and churches, Arte-Deco edifices as well as hyper-modern structures and skyscrapers of bold designs.
A recent addition is the Federation Square complex (“Fed Square” for short), a hyper-modern cluster of structures filled with art galleries, event venues, cinemas and restaurants/bars.
On a smaller scale there’s also plenty of street art in the form of sculptures in public spaces as well as the fabled graffiti amassed in the CBD’s old Laneways. Hosier Lane is the most visited one, but I found the graffiti in and around AC/DC Lane even better. The latter also boasts a kind of shrine to the famous Aussie hard rock band AC/DC.
The historical shopping arcades of central Melbourne are also of touristic interest, especially the Royal Arcade with its “Gog and Magog” figures.
