Hi all,
We will be in Melbourne all day on Xmas day prior to out 9:45 PM flt to Cairns. Any suggestions as to what to do?
I presume everything will be closed in MEL. WOuld that be a good day to to a Savannah Tour or a tour to one of the closer Natl Parks. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Pat

Hi Pat. Perhaps consider getting a nice picnic lunch and heading to the beach (perhaps Brighton) or even St. Kilda and the pier. Australia goes to the beach on Christmas Day. Lots of restaurants on the beach will actually be open.

Thanks Pixie Chick,
I love the beach and as we will be leaving a New Jersey winter that would be great.
Pat

I was in Melbourne last Christmas Day. Nothing to do in the city, as everything is closed. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Even our hotel dining room was closed, thank God room service was working. The big casino did open until later in the afternoon.

Christmas night we went on the tour to see the fairy penguins. Even the town we stopped in for dinner was totally shutdown except for one pizza place.

Most places do open up on Boxing Day. But Vicctoria's Market remained closed. Very disappointing.

G'day Pat, just one thing to add.
Should you already be in Melbourne on the 24th and if you have children with you then you should consider the Carols by Candlelight.
http://www.carolsbycandlelight.com.a...ram.shtml#2002

Enjoy,
Mike

Hi Patw - I for one would not rely on a day on the beach or a picnic in Melbourne on Christmas Day. Last year Melbourne barely got above 15 degrees celsius and it was showery. I visit my parents every Christmas and 9 times out of 10 have to borrow wintery clothes from my mother to wear Christmas day because I haven't packed anything suitable. The last few years have seen a very, very cool Christmas Day.

And quite frankly as a born and bred Aussie I have NEVER been to the beach on Christmas Day, I and all my friends have a formal sit down lunch with ALL the trimmings with our respective families.

You will, however, find that a lot of the big restaurants will have a Christmas lunch on Christmas Day but you just have to make sure you book well ahead and that you are prepared for a possible set Christmas Fare menu.

I am not sure that too many tours will operate on Christmas Day, so you may find that relaxing over a lunch with the family may be more the go. (Make sure you take a look at the Myer Department Store windows).

Hi,
Just back from Europe. First time on the board since the end of July,
Thanks to all who posted with suggestions. The Carols by Candlelight looks great. We will probably end up taking a mid day flight instead of the 9:45 to Cairns. Maybe we'll just sleep in on Xmas day and walk around a bit.
Thanks again.
Pat