This is a great city, it holds its own in the mega-sights competition with Sydney and offers amazing day trip options. I did three big day tours, Autopia's Great Ocean Road, Autopia's Penguin Parade and the Yarra Valley Wine Experience - all of which are highly recommended! The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles are very iconic Aussie coastline. I splurged and did an 8-minute helicopter ride over the coast around the Apostles for $50. Penguin Parade on Philips Island is beyond cute, the tiny Little Blue Penguins come ashore in the evening in little groups and hurry up the sand into hiding for the night. The Autopia guides were great, they played good music and showed us lots of out of the way spots including great surfer beaches and to see kangaroos and koalas on both of these trips (one time in the wild and one time in captivity so we could feed them). I'm a big fan of Aussie wine so I had to get to some of the vineyards and a tour was a great way to get around and be part of organized tastings. I stayed at the Greenhouse Backpackers in the center of Melbourne, right across the street from Federation Square. It has a nice rooftop BBQ area and a huge kitchen to help keep the budget in check. I got a student discount with my ISIC card at the Old Melbourne Gaol where Australian folk hero Ned Kelly was executed, checked out some Aboriginal art at The National Gallery of Victoria. Melbourne is known for great shopping and a trip to Queen Victoria Market is a must. Rosey Hudson Marketing Coordinator, STA Travel Canada