Take a sip of integral Melbourne history in Lygon Street, Carlton. Carlton was the place where the city's famous café culture was born with the arrival of Melbourne's first espresso machine at one of the street's Italian-owned cafes in the 1950s.
Melbourne's own Little Italy is crammed with double-storey Victorian terraces featuring endless cafes and restaurants serving steaming bowls of pasta, espresso and delicious gelati. Charming waiters will try and entice you to step inside or take a seat for sidewalk service. Old favourites like Tiamo and University Café are as warm and welcoming as they are traditionally tasty.
Further down Lygon Street you'll find bookshops, galleries and plenty of shops selling the latest European and Australian fashions. The crowd here is mixed, from students at the nearby university to the literary set buying up big at Readings bookstore and older Italian men just watching the world go by. Don't miss the Lygon Street Festa in October – a celebration of traditional and contemporary Italian culture and one of Australia's largest outdoor street festivals.
For a taste of Melbourne's history, take a walk through Carlton Gardens and the World Heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building and on into the Melbourne Museum, which houses everything from dinosaur bones and Melbourne Cup hero Phar Lap, to a full set from popular TV soap, Neighbours. It also features touring exhibitions and the spectacular IMAX movie experience.
Take some time to explore the Melbourne General Cemetery, final resting place of some larger than life Australians including Burke and Wills, Eureka Stockade activist Peter Lalor and one-time Prime Minister Robert Menzies.
Head to Carlton on tram number 1 or 22 heading north from Swanston Street or bus numbers 20, 201, 203 or 207 from Melbourne Central.
