Quick answer: Melbourne is Australia’s café and culture capital. Get a SIM, bank account and TFN in your first two days, learn myki, base yourself in the CBD, Fitzroy, St Kilda or Richmond, and treat coffee as a skill you need to earn a living. A barista course is the fastest way into the city’s most common backpacker job.
Melbourne is the city backpackers arrive in for a month and leave a year later. It is less spectacular than Sydney on day one and more liveable by week three: cheaper rent, better nightlife, endless laneways, and a coffee culture that shapes the job market.
First 48 hours
- SIM and bank. Same as anywhere: buy a SIM at the airport or a supermarket, open a bank account with your passport and visa letter.
- TFN. Apply on the ATO site as soon as you have an address.
- Hostel. Book a few nights in the CBD or St Kilda, then decide. Hostelworld
- myki. Buy one at the airport, a station or a 7-Eleven. See below.
- Walk the laneways. Degraves Street, Centre Place, Hosier Lane, then the Yarra at Southbank and the Queen Victoria Market.
The paperwork order is in the first week checklist.
Where backpackers live
| Area | Feel | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| CBD and Southbank | Dense, central, hostels | First week, interviews, hospitality jobs |
| St Kilda | Beach, palms, classic backpacker strip | Hostels, bars, social life |
| Fitzroy and Collingwood | Vintage shops, bars, coffee | Café work, share houses, creative crowd |
| Brunswick | Multicultural, cheaper | Share houses, live music |
| Richmond | Vietnamese food, sport, trams | Share houses, close to the MCG |
| Carlton | Italian cafés, university | Quieter share houses |
| Footscray | Cheaper, rising, great food | Budget share houses west of the river |
Melbourne share houses are traditionally found through Facebook groups and Flatmates; inspections are more formal than Sydney, so treat them like a mini interview.
Getting around: myki
Melbourne’s trams, trains and buses use the myki card. You buy the card, top it up and touch on (and, on trains and buses, touch off). Contactless payment with a bank card has been rolling out across the network; check Public Transport Victoria for current coverage before relying on it. The tram network is the largest in the world, and the CBD has a Free Tram Zone where you do not need to touch on at all. Check PTV for current fares and daily caps.
Coffee culture and where the jobs are
Melbourne takes coffee seriously in a way that is hard to explain until you watch a barista pull a hundred flat whites before 9 am. That culture is good news and bad news for backpackers. Good, because cafés are everywhere and always hiring. Bad, because “no experience” gets you nowhere at the machine.
The route that works: do a short, hands-on barista course, then take trial shifts at suburban cafés, then move to the strips in Fitzroy, Carlton or the CBD once you are confident. Australian Barista School, part of CBD College (RTO 91399), which is owned by the same people as KoalaGuide and pays KoalaGuide a commission on bookings made through our links, runs classes in Melbourne, and KoalaGuide readers get a discount.
Barista course
Australian Barista School (CBD College) — RTO 91399 · Unit SITHFAB025
- Cities
- Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide
- Duration
- 3–5 hours
- Price
- see current price
- Discount
- 10% off for KoalaGuide readers
CBD College is owned by the same people as KoalaGuide and pays us a commission when you book, so we are not neutral here. We also list other providers where they are a better fit. How we make money
Beyond coffee:
- Bars and pubs: Fitzroy, Collingwood, the CBD’s laneway bars, St Kilda and Richmond. You need a Victorian-approved RSA.
- Restaurants: Lygon Street, Chinatown, Victoria Street, Chapel Street.
- Construction: big infrastructure projects and apartment towers; a White Card is required.
- Events: the Australian Open in January, the Grand Prix in March, the AFL season, the Spring Racing Carnival and a summer of festivals all hire casual crews.
See how to find a job for boards and walk-ins.
Day trips and weekends
- Great Ocean Road: the Twelve Apostles, surf towns and wild koalas at Kennett River. Best over two days.
- Phillip Island: the penguin parade and a koala reserve.
- Mornington Peninsula: hot springs, beaches and wineries.
- Yarra Valley and the Dandenongs: wine, forest and the Puffing Billy steam train.
- Grampians: hiking, rock climbing and kangaroos, three hours west.
- Wilsons Promontory: remote beaches and wombats, a great weekend camp.
Koala spots for all of these are in where to see koalas.
Weather warning
Melbourne’s “four seasons in one day” reputation is earned. Bring layers, a waterproof jacket and, if you arrive in winter, expect grey skies and cold mornings. Summer can hit 40 degrees for a day and drop twenty degrees by evening.
What to do next
- Book a few hostel nights: Hostelworld
- Sort SIM, bank and TFN on day one, myki on day two.
- Book a barista class in your first week and start trial shifts.
- Add a Victorian RSA if you want bar work too.
- Compare notes with Sydney and Brisbane and the Gold Coast before you decide where to settle.
Frequently asked questions
Which suburb should a backpacker stay in when arriving in Melbourne?
The CBD and Southbank for a first week near hostels and transport; Fitzroy, Collingwood, Brunswick or Richmond for café life and share houses; St Kilda for the beach and the traditional backpacker scene.
Do I need a myki card in Melbourne?
Melbourne's public transport uses myki. Contactless bank card payment has been rolling out across the network, so check Public Transport Victoria for what is accepted on your route. The CBD has a Free Tram Zone.
Is Melbourne good for café jobs?
It is the best city in Australia for café work, but also the most demanding. Managers expect real espresso skills. A short barista course plus a few trial shifts is the usual route in.
How cold does Melbourne get?
Winters (June to August) are grey and often single digits in the morning, and the weather can change several times a day in any season. Pack a proper jacket even if you arrive in summer.
