- Go ice skating at the Ice
House in Docklands
- Go to the State Library - The
State Library is like a large free theme park for the thinking
person. It's air conditioned and free. There you will find numbers of
major displays, the Stawell Gallery which has art associated with the
growth of Melbourne, the Keith
Murdoch Gallery with changing displays around various topics, a
significant chess section where you can sit down for a game, activity
areas for children and, of course, books. Alternatively, check out the
library in your local suburb.
- Head for the
Ice Bar in Southbank. Get rugged up and have a drink surrounded
by real ice.
- Head off to the beach. Some of favourites close to
the city include St Kilda, Albert Park and Brighton. More information at Melbourne Beaches.
- Take a
free tour of
Parliament House - it's air conditioned.
- Go to an indoor event - There are indoor events happening
most days in Melbourne. Just go to the
White Hat Calendar of Events in Melbourne and select the appropriate
date.
- Visit Federation Square -
Fed Square, as the locals call it, contains the magnificent
Ian Potter Gallery of Australian
Art, the Australian Centre for the
Moving Image which usually has numbers of displays and film
screenings and the Atrium and
The Edge
spaces are often playing host to a display, market or performance. In
addition there are numbers of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars in
which to relax.
- In the evening head off to an outdoor cinema. You can find a
comprehensive list of offerings at
The White Hat Guide to
Outdoor Cinema in Melbourne.
- Search out a suburban swimming pool. Some close to the city
include Fitzroy Pool, Brunswick Pool and the Swimming Centre at
Albert Park.
- Cool down in a fountain
- Head off to a twilight market. You can find a
comprehensive list at
The
White Hat Guide to Twilight Markets in Melbourne.
- Getting about - remember that less than half of
Melbourne's trams are air conditioned so you may want to check your Tram
Tracker App which on hot days labels which trams have air con.
- Head off to an air conditioned Museum. The
Melbourne Museum has more
than enough to keep you cool and interested for several hours. You can a
selection of museums at The
White Hat Guide to Museums in Melbourne.
- Go fishing at The Warmies. With peak electricity load you
know the Newport Power Station will be operating which means the fish
will be biting and all the regulars will be there. To find out why, go
to The White Hat Guide to The
Warmies.
- Watch the sun set from the Melbourne Star Ferris
Wheel. The cabins are air conditioned and the atmospheric conditions
of a really hot day often ends with a spectacular sunset and/or a
lighting show. As a historical footnote, we remind you that it was in a
particularly hot spell several years ago that cracks appeared in said
wheel and it had to be closed down and repaired. That should add to the
excitement.
- Get out of the concrete jungle. Tall city buildings allowing
little space for airflow when surrounded by concrete and asphalt create
their own microclimate which can raise the temperature by several
degrees. On a really hot day, a short tram trip from the city to
Docklands will drop the
temperature by up to three degrees because Docklands has lots of space
between the highrise for the air to circulate, plenty of non-concrete
open space including parks and rooftop gardens to dissipate the heat and
is surrounded by water. Similarly a tram trip will take you to the
waterfront at St Kilda or a
train trip will take you to the waterfront at
Williamstown.
What's on in Melbourne