By Paul Chai
Famously, in Melbourne you can experience four seasons in one day, or even an hour. So when it comes to seasonal weather, you really just take it as it comes. The crazy Melbourne weather means that residents are pretty hardy and will turn out to anything, anywhere, anytime so there is always a festival, event or exhibition, no matter when you travel.
But there are still seasons to consider. The summer brings the tennis, the winter the religion that is the Australian Football League and a whole host of major events rolling out through the year. Here is our planner as to what to expect when taking a trip to Melbourne.
SUMMER
St Kilda’s Esplanada Hotel, AKA the Espy, is popular in summer.
Visitors sometimes forget that it gets really hot in Melbourne in summer with 40-degree days not uncommon, but there is not the same consistency as up north; it can be shorts one day and a jacket the next. The consistent thing about summer in Melbourne is how much there is to do when it comes to sport, food and rooftop tipples.
Don’t miss: Summer is when Melbourne’s drinkers rise from the laneways to the rooftops. Think new offerings like HER rooftop, old faves like Rooftop Bar on top of Curtin House or tapas and tipples at Bomba. The bay beaches fill up and the queues at The Espy in St Kilda go from bad to hell, no! Take a dip in front of the colourful bathing boxes of Brighton, have a beachside long lunch at Stokehouse Pasta and Bar in St Kilda or take a road trip to the rugged Surf Coast.
The Boxing Day Test at the MCG is one of the biggest events on the city’s sporting calendar.Credit: Getty
Key events: The Melbourne Cricket Ground hosts the Boxing Day Test at the end of December, signalling the start to a summer of sport. In January, the Australian Open rolls into town for two weeks with all the matches, marquees and major entertainment from courtside music to pop-up tennis courts. The St Kilda Festival has been turning the beachside suburb into a multi-stage music festival for over 40 years with food trucks, rides and street performers. The long, hot nights are celebrated at the Queen Victoria Market’s Summer Night Markets. It is also music festival season with the Laneway Festival, originally set in the city’s laneways, kicking things off followed by festivals like Golden Plains, Groovin’ the Moo and the Meredith Music Festival.
AUTUMN
The Royal Botanic Gardens is on the city’s doorstep.
Melburnians barely have time to acknowledge the change of seasons with the arrival of the head-spinning Mad March, one of the biggest event months on the calendar. Comedy, food, sport and more are on all over the city. In the autumn months you can watch the leaves change colour at the Royal Botanic Gardens (where you can join the Tan Track run club), nearby Fitzroy Gardens or Cloudehill Garden and Nursery, in the outer suburb of Olinda. The Dandenong Ranges region is great for a cool weather day trip. You can tackle the 1000 Steps Walk or hang out the windows of Puffing Billy and feel the autumn breeze on your legs.
Don’t miss: The Melbourne CBD in full event-mode, with packed restaurants and bars spilling out into the streets. March, and autumn, kicks off with the runway shows, pop-up Champagne bars and selfie-taking hordes of the Melbourne Fashion Festival. The Fashion Forecourt outside the historic Royal Exhibition Building (which recently reopened its observation dome after 100 years) is the place to be seen and snapped.
Key events: Hot on the high heels of the fashion festival is the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, with hundreds of events across the city from international chefs to hosted neighbourhood walks. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival sees stand-up in every theatre, bar, town hall, henhouse, doghouse and outhouse across the city. The Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix also roars into town for an action-packed few days at Albert Park.
WINTER
The coats and scarves come out and the ski season starts at Mt Buller, one of the closest ski areas to a capital city anywhere, at just three-hours drive away. The crisp winter air is also a good time to hit Victoria’s hot springs at places like Alba Thermal Springs & Spa and the venerable Peninsula Hot Springs. Melburnians are hardened to the winter, so drinking and dining can still be outside but the outdoor heaters and thick blankets start appearing. And winter whale watching begins at Phillip Island, as does the island’s Whale Festival.
The NGV International hosts blockbuster exhibitions in winter.Credit: Jason South
Don’t miss: The migration of Melbourne’s revellers to pubs that rock epic open fireplaces – like the multiple log-burners at The Gasometer (“The Gaso”) and The Grace Darling in Collingwood, the Napier Hotel in Fitzroy or the Wesley Anne in Northcote – is well underway come the cooler months. Locals also head into the warm embrace of one of the city’s top galleries. The Winter Masterpieces series at the NGV International is the star of the show but don’t forget the permanent collection at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia or the multi-sensory experiences programmed at THE LUME Melbourne.
Key events: Stadiums across the city are packed every weekend with AFL matches and you will see the constant stream of fans wearing their team colours as they make their way from Flinders Street Station to the MCG. For a quirkier take on the footy, try the Reclink Community Cup where the musicians team, known as The Rockdogs, take on the radio presenters team, The Megahertz, and it all ends with a concert. The Winter Night Markets bring an altogether more firey, comfort-food approach to the Queen Victoria Market’s evening festivities.
SPRING
A winter of AFL face-offs culminates in that One Day in September; the AFL Grand Final. This day gets all the reverence you would expect for the state’s premier sporting religion. Pubs, parks and restaurants are packed to the gills with sports-mad Melburnians.
The race that stops a nation, the Melbourne Cup, is the centrepiece of the Spring Racing Carnival.Credit: Justin McManus
Don’t miss: The Spring Racing Carnival spans the end of October/start of November at Flemington Racecourse. Spring usually means the return of Arbory Afloat, the floating version of the Flinders Street Station bar, Arbory. Spring festivities along the river can also be enjoyed at Ponyfish Island, Riverland and even a paddle along the river in a Go Boat. Spring produce is on all the menus, so make sure you dine somewhere very Melbourne like Cutler & Co or Marion Wine Bar in Fitzroy, or Tipo 00 and the local-produce-focussed Victoria By Farmer’s Daughters in the city.
Key events: The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix returns to Phillip Island in October, come for the revhead action, stay for the cute Penguin Parade. Always a home to some of the world’s best musicals, Melbourne will have Moulin Rouge! debuting in spring of 2023. Melbourne is always wall-to-wall with live music but October sees the Melbourne International Jazz Festival blow into town. Get into to some Melbourne music history at the Australian Music Vault or catch a gig at classic spots like Cherry Bar, 170 Russell, or The Forum.
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