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Walking time: 45 minutes

Distance: 2 Kilometres

Take a break from the conference and venture out on a short journey of discovery; it will revitalise your powers of concentration and inspire further exploration when you have more time.

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (1) Polly Woodside Maritime Museum (2)

Explore the South Wharf precinct and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), the most versatile and advanced convention and exhibition centre in the Southern Hemisphere.  It’s the first convention centre to be awarded a ‘6 Star Green Star’ environmental rating by the Green Building Council of Australia.  The entire area has a ‘maritime’ feel, with its location right on the Yarra River, and its proximity to the Polly Woodside Maritime Museum.  With its range of new retail outlets, South Wharf is an ever-evolving destination in its own right.

Footbridge (3) Docklands (4)

From the MCEC, north-west from the Maritime precinct, you can cross the Yarra River by an as-yet-unnamed footbridge (west of Dukes Dock) which takes you past the World Trade Centre on your right and the Mission to Seafarers straight ahead to Docklands, Melbourne’s newest community.

Crown Entertainment Complex (5)

On the southern side of the Yarra River you can walk along the concourse, crossing over Clarendon Street to Yarra Promenade alongside the Crown Entertainment Complex.  If you divert from the promenade you will find that Crown offers an amazing combination of state-of-the-art technology, unsurpassed luxury and non-stop entertainment.  Spanning two city blocks, Crown has a huge range of choice from world-class shopping and dining and luxurious accommodation to cinemas and exciting live venues.  Crown has a collection of the world’s leading designers, including Burberry, Prada, Versace, Louis Vuitton, exclusive menswear store Harrolds, and Montblanc – all under the one roof.  The dining options are also vast, from cafés and quick snacks to serious food appreciation in restaurants with international reputations.

Melbourne Aquarium (6)

Continuing along the promenade, King Street Bridge on your left will take you across the Yarra to the Melbourne Aquarium, a two-minute walk away.  A highly interactive experience featuring the creatures and habitats of Australia’s oceans, the Aquarium is open daily from 9.30am to 6pm.

Immigration Museum (7)

Queens Bridge is the next crossing over the Yarra and is the best place from which to divert to the Immigration Museum housed in the beautifully remodelled Old Customs House.  The Museum explores the stories of people who have migrated to Victoria from all over the world.  These stories are brought to life through moving images, computer interactives, voices, memories and belongings.

Enterprize Park (8)

The Scar Trees you see in Enterprize Park were created to raise awareness and appreciation of the diversity of Indigenous art practices and they tell stories from various Indigenous communities in Victoria and the Torres Strait Islands.  Inspired by traditional scar trees, the artists have created free-standing wooden sculptures that together form a powerful art installation.

Constellation (9)

Remaining on the city side of the river at Queens Bridge you will find five figureheads forming the sculpture ‘Constellation’ by artists Bruce Armstrong and Geoffrey Bartlett.

The Travellers (10)

Crossing back over the river on Queensbridge Street is the historic Sandridge Bridge (originally built in 1888) on your left.  It now features a striking public sculpture.  ‘The Travellers is a series of 10 giant steel sculptures depicting the waves of immigrants who have come from all over the world to make Melbourne their home.  The first sculpture represents Victoria’s Indigenous communities and the others signify Australian immigration from European settlement.

Southgate (11)

Once back on the southern side of the river and continuing along what is now Southbank Promenade, you will come to Southgate.  Situated in the heart of the arts precinct, Southgate is part of the fabric of Melbourne life.  It is home to shops including Australian artist galleries, music, food and clothing. It is also home to corporate towers and the Langham Hotel, and many Yarra River cruises stop here.  There are also plenty of opportunities to indulge in another Melbourne pastime – dining!  From its ground level featuring a number of fast-food outlets, to a range of fine dining options for Asian, Italian and contemporary cuisines, the outside world can be experienced from any number of picture windows.

Arts Centre (12)

At the end of Southbank Promenade, where it meets Princes Bridge, is the Arts Centre, a complex of theatres, concert halls, galleries and foyer spaces – some built underground.  Many of the galleries are at ground level and are free of entry charges.  It’s a Melbourne landmark due to its massive steel spire and wraparound base, designed to reflect a ballet-dancer’s tutu, and it produces a wonderful light show each evening once the sun goes down.

The Sunday Market at the Arts Centre is a great place for Australian-made products.  It brings together over 150 stalls of the finest arts and crafts from around Victoria, from handcrafted Australian timber products and Aboriginal artefacts, to organic teas and homemade preserves.

National Gallery of Victoria (NGV International) (13)

On St Kilda Road, you can cross the river now towards Federation Square, or you can turn right from the city and head for the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV International).  Spanning four levels and housing Victoria’s extensive international collection of European, Asian, Oceanic and American art, this is one of the most impressive collections in the Southern Hemisphere.  A famous water wall greets visitors at the main entrance, and you can’t miss the Great Hall (look up at its magnificent Leonard French stained glass ceiling and check out the brilliant tapestries by artist Roger Kemp).

Melbourne Theatre Company Theatre (14) Melbourne Recital Centre (15)

Leaving the NGV International, it is a short walk along Southbank Boulevard to the home of the Melbourne Theatre Company Theatre, the oldest professional theatre company in Australia. Next door is the Melbourne Recital Centre, a brilliant acoustic space and the centre for chamber and small ensemble music-making and development in Australia.

Turning right from Southbank into Sturt Street would take you to the home of the Australian Ballet, one of Australia’s flagship arts organisations and one of the busiest ballet companies in the world.

Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) (16)

Turning left into Sturt Street from Southbank Boulevard continue on over Grant Street to the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), a dynamic public contemporary art space presenting changing seasons of international and Australian exhibitions, events and public programs.  ACCA is the only major public art gallery in Australia focused on commissioning rather than collecting art.

Malthouse Theatre (17)

Next door to ACCA is the Malthouse Theatre, which produces and presents contemporary Australian theatre.

Margaret Lawrence Gallery (18) 

Opposite ACCA on the corner of Grant and Dodds streets is the VCA Margaret Lawrence Gallery, an exhibiting space for Victorian College of the Arts graduate, postgraduate and alumni work, School of Art projects, in-residence artists, School of Art staff work, as well as independent local and international exhibitions.

Federation Square (19)

From the VCA you can go back to Sturt Street and take the number 1 tram to Federation Square or walk up Grant Street to St Kilda Road and either walk or catch any city-bound tram over Princes Bridge to Federation Square.