Southbank, Victoria

Southbank is Melbourne's arts and riverside precinct, a district on the southern bank of the Yarra River directly across from the central business district. Redeveloped from former industrial land in the 1990s, it strung a wide pedestrian promenade along the water and gathered the city's major performing-arts institutions into a single cultural quarter.

The Arts Centre spire is the landmark. The Arts Centre Melbourne, topped by a distinctive latticework spire, sits beside Hamer Hall and the National Gallery of Victoria's original St Kilda Road building with its famous water-wall entrance. Together they form the anchor of Melbourne's cultural life, hosting orchestra, opera, ballet and blockbuster exhibitions within a short walk.

The riverbank is the social heart. The Southbank Promenade runs a lively strip of restaurants, bars and cafes overlooking the river, punctuated by street performers and, at the Crown complex, a row of gas brimstone towers that fire at night. The Melbourne Skydeck at Eureka Tower offers the city's highest public viewpoint, with an enclosed glass 'Edge' cube projecting from the building.

Practical notes: Southbank is a short walk across the river from Flinders Street Station, linked by several pedestrian bridges, and trams run along its edges; the precinct is flat and fully step-free. The promenade is pleasant by day and animated after dark when the restaurants and light displays come on. Dining ranges from casual riverside cafes to fine dining, while the galleries and river walk are free. Allow a full afternoon and evening to combine a viewpoint, a gallery and a riverside meal. The Southgate complex and the arts precinct host a rolling program of concerts, exhibitions and festivals, and the pedestrian bridges linking the bank to Flinders Street make it easy to weave the river into a wider central-city walk.