St Kilda and Bay Beaches

Melbourne's beaches are underrated. St Kilda is the most popular and accessible of them. There is a real Lost Boys feel about St Kilda with its faded deco buildings, towering palm trees & weatherbeaten rollercoaster. Cool place with good nightlife.

St Kilda has a mix of the wealthy girls that live around here and the many travellers and out of towners who are here in the summer. The vibe here is amazing all year round but much quieter when the weather is bad. The beach itself and Catani Gardens, the park next to it, are the best places to meet girls in the summer. The main streets around the beach from Fitzroy St to Acland St ... ... ...

Not the most beautiful beach but there is a cool vibe here in the summer. If you want a better place to swim you can head north-west to Middle Beach or south to Elwood Beach.

Lots of bands play here and there is a nice pub downstairs.

Small bar, can be busy during the week when other venues are quiet.

Very young crowd here with beautiful girls. Loud bar that mainly plays commercial house. You need to get in early because it is small and busy. You will have to pay entry, up to $10.

Really cool place similar to the Saint Hotel across the road but the crowd is hit and miss. You never know if it will be heaving or empty.

Glamorous St Kilda nightspot that draws in local celebrity types and lots of pretty girls. One of those places that is really hard to get into. It is full of gorgeous women and surprisingly friendly. Drinks are expensive.

Melbourne's greatest live music venue. It has been closed for a while but is reopening in late 2018. Great place to see a band or two or just have a beer while the sun goes down.

Great venue that pulls an older crowd. Small venue. It can be hard to get into but its a great bar and it is very social here.

Long pier good for a walk and decent fishing. There is a little penguin colony at the end of the pier where you may be able to see the penguins returning about 30 minutes after sunset.

Tiny theme park with a great rollercoaster and a few other fun rides.

Lively market held every Sunday along the Esplanade. Pricey stuff aimed mostly at tourists but you might find something good.

A nice walk or cycle south from St Kilda Marina to Elwood Beach or all the way around to Brighton. You can also head North West from Catani Gardens to Middle Park Beach and Port Melbourne.

One of the best places in the country for kitesurfing. It is always windy here. If you need lessons or gear hire try Kite Republic they have a trailer on Beaconsfield Prd most days.

Another great location for pay what you feel vegetarian curries.

Legendary 24 hour bakery with lots of cheap food and big smiles behind the counter.

Great Mexican place with lunch specials.

Delicious burgers at great prices. Burgers start at $6 and they have beers here too.

The best of a few coffee and cake places along the road here. Not cheap but not outrageously expensive. The polish cheesecake is amazing.

$7 pizzas til 5:30pm. Jugs of beer are $11 and they have reasonably priced pasta and salads.

Have a beer or a coffee right on the beach. Beautiful spot.

Great sushi as well as Japanese curries and delicious green tea ice cream.

Famous for bagels. They also have dips and hearty Israeli meals. All the food is good but the bagels are the best in the country.

Lots of overnight parking and Public Toilets in front of Alma Park West.

Nice clean place with great common areas and BBQs as well as a bar on site. It is a little bit out of the way.

A bit grubby but there is a good crowd here. Mainly British & Irish. Free breakfast.

Flash modern backpackers that is always pumping. Party crowd here many of whom are at the bar downstairs every night.

Simple backpackers attached to Hotel Barkly.

On the expensive side but very comfortable and sociable.

Decent backpackers attached to the pub here. Cheap and quiet.