59 Travel Hacks To Save Money In Australia's Capital Cities

We tramped our capital city streets in search of seriously cheap entertainment.

While we didn’t sleep under railway bridges or jeopardise any moral codes, we found sightseeing on the cheap is not only viable but also strangely satisfying.

The results are in. Here’s proof that some of the best sights and things to do in Australia’s capital cities are free – or if not free, at least within the budget of travellers once attracted to four cents a litre off petrol, frequent flyer points and no-deposit mortgages.

Many of these places to see and things to do are my own preferences, and as such they’re only representative. Testing and approval of kids’ things has been completed by my fun-loving nine-year-old daughter, and with one or two exceptions further details can be found via a quick Google. Happy budget trails!

Melbourne

The City Circle tram is free, encircles the CBD and main city sights.
Scienceworks is free for kids, $15 adults; special exhibitions cost extra. Location in Spotswood is difficult on public transport. Focus is on kids here.
The Melbourne Museum has improved. Go if it’s raining or 40ºC, or both. Kids free, $15 adults.
Melbourne city tourist shuttle, free bus tour of major city sights like Victoria Market, museum, Botanical Gardens, Shine of Remembrance. Every 30min, 90min round-trip.
For under $7 day ticket, less at weekends, ride Melbourne’s trains, trams and buses. Go to famed St Kilda Beach, walk the pier, swim in the bay.
Take your bike, or hire one, and take the bike path along the Yarra River, or the track from St Kilda along the foreshore.
The historic Victoria Market brings the taste of cosmopolitan Melbourne to all who visit. Free, unless tempted…

Adelaide

Travel free on the City Loop Bus. Two routes around Adelaide’s CBD, for shopping and sightseeing. Stop at the excellent museum or art gallery on a hot or rainy day. Adelaide markets have cheap food.
Popeye Motor Launches is a 40min cruise along the River Torrens. $10 adults, $5 children.
Free bikes to ride around Adelaide from the Bicycle SA office, or the Rundle Street Market on Sundays, and see all the sights from the saddle.
Stroll the Botanic Gardens’ impressive collections of palms, endangered cycads and culinary herbs on display. Free, and free guided walks are available too.
Take the Tram to Glenelg a 20min ride from the city to beachside suburb Glenelg. $4.20 adults, or $8 for a day-trip.
Taste Haigh’s Chocolates – a free 20min tour and tasting of SA’s iconic choccies shop. Mon-Sat, 5min from the city.
Watch an Indigenous performance at Tandanya – the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute . Free entry to the gallery, dance performance $5.
Tour Adelaide Oval’s cricket ground, Sir Donald Bradman Collection. Tours Mon-Fri (non-match days), tickets $10.

Canberra

Into politics or not, Old Parliament House is a great experience just for the Australian history enacted here. $2 adults, $1 kids.
The current Parliament House on the hill has free entry, but we’re all paying for it.
Questacon is not free and not cheap, but your kids will love this fantastic scienceworks experience. $49 family ticket. Most expensive item on this whole list.
The Australian War Memorial is free.
BYO bike for a ride (or a long walk) around Lake Burley Griffin.
National Gallery and National Museum have free general entry.
CSIRO Discovery Centre gives kids some educational hands-on science information. $6 adult, $3 kids.

Sydney

A firm favourite is the Old Sydney Observatory , between The Rocks and Darling Harbour. Free entry to museum. Tours $7 adult, family $20.
The Powerhouse Museum adjacent to Darling Harbour, hours of exploring for the family. $10 adult, $25 family.
At Darling Harbour there’s cheap eats, buskers, boats and a few dollars for the ferry under the Harbour Bridge to Circular Quay.
Sydney Ferries travel to all parts of the Harbour. Be sure to include the Manly Ferry and Jet Foil.
The iconic Opera House is open for tours $74 for a family, but it’s free to admire from the outside.
See historic houses (Historic Houses Trust) in Sydney – Vaucluse House for a picnic and harbour views. Most entry or tours cost $8 adult. Government House visit is free.
Instead of an expensive bridge climb, walking across Sydney Harbour Bridge is free.
Instead of a spa package, take a dip at the iconic Icebergs Ocean pool. Salt water is Mother Nature’s penicillin, isn’t it? They also have a sauna which can be used at your leisure. $8 for adults. $5.50 for kids
Harbour waterfront camping on Cockatoo Island. $45 byo tent, or $75 for tent package, plus ferry from Circular Quay.

Perth

Kings Park, the world’s largest inner city park, has views of the city and picnic spots. The Botanic Gardens have spring wildflowers, and Federation Walkway Swan River views. Free walking tours of the park.
Swim, snorkel, surf or relax on one of Perth’s 19 metropolitan beaches.
The Cultural Centre, home to Perth’s art gallery, museum, state library and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA). Free.
Mountain Bike the Munda Biddi Camping shelters provided free for those enthusiastic riders wanting a weekend escape.

Brisbane

Queensland Museum and Art Gallery both have free entry.
Brisbane Powerhouse has free music and comedy every Sunday. Moonlight cinema here too.
Free films at Harry Kirby Park, Apsley, Sept-May.
Southbank precinct has BBQ areas, picnic spots, sandy beach, bike track, water playground for kids. Free.
Mt Coot-tha lookout and botanic gardens, on bus route 471, views of city and river.
Free downtown bus loops encircle the CBD.

Darwin

Hire a bike and ride the Esplanade. Or hire a motor scooter, about $25 for two hours.
Free tours of Parliament House , Wed and Sat.
Follow history trails through Darwin, visit Lyons Cottage, free.
See WWII storage tunnels, images of war in the Top End, $5.
See a movie at the Deckchair Cinema , $12.
Fish feeding at high tide, the Esplanade, $6.
Self-guided tour of Fannie Bay Gaol, free.
Darwin’s City Shuttles cost $2 per ride.
Mindil Markets, Thurs and Sun evenings during dry season; food and craft.

Hobart

Salamanca Place market on Saturdays are free. Local produce just picked from Tassie’s green thumbs or greenies, crafts, busker-type entertainment – for kids too.
The Tassie Museum (free entry and tours), see the Tassie tiger, comprehensive Antarctic exhibit. Art Gallery for a rainy day, but the Maritime Museum is small and not free.
Mt Wellington overlooks Hobart and the Derwent River – a worthwhile view from the top. Free, but getting there isn’t.
Walk the hilly streets of Battery Point to Sandy Bay, colonial cottages and history. Free if self-guided. Tours $15.
The Hobart docks – commercial fishing boats and restored heritage vessels reflect perfectly in tranquil waters. Free.
Mure’s, dockside, has waterfront views and great seafood (cheaper fish ‘n’ chips downstairs).
Cascade Brewery tour costs $20 adult.
Heritage sailing ship, Lady Nelson, cruises the Derwent. From $15/adult, $5 kids.
Red double-decker bus, city tours from Brook Street pier. Costs about $14, all-day ticket.

We round up the luxe, the lovely and the latest places to stay in regional Victoria.

1. Hotel Ernest, Bendigo

Settle into this artful lodging in the city centre for a boutique stay with heritage roots dating back to 1864. Each of the 10 suites in this former bank is elegantly styled and furnished with covetable works by Australian artists. Ernest is also home to the much-lauded Euro-style Restaurant Terrae, so be sure to book into the two-level diner during your visit.

2. Norsu Cabin, Macedon

a look inside Norsu Cabin, Macedon — Settle into this Scandi-inspired abode. (Image: Nick Skinner)

Country cabin dreams come to life under the sweet timber A-frame of Norsu . Sleeping eight guests, this Scandi-inspired abode is so meticulously styled it’s received knowing nods from The Design Files and is everything a modern log cabin should be, including cosy fireplace, fire pit, modern appliances and French linens. Perfect for logging out of daily life for a moment.

3. Islay House, Woodend

the bedroom at Islay House, Woodend — Bed down at the gorgeously restored heritage Islay House. (Image: Tiffany Warner)

Lean all the way into a country luxe state-of-mind with a stay at the gorgeously restored heritage Islay House . This bed and breakfast sleeps up to nine guests and is just a short walk from town, but you’ll want to spend most of your time curled up fireside in the elegantly styled rooms as you admire the collection of antiques.

4. Nerissa Rye, Mornington Peninsula

This Rye beach pad is just a 10-minute walk from 16th Beach, and while a morning walk is lovely, returning to the barefoot luxe vibes of this four-bedroom escape is just as enlivening. Bright, open and welcoming, this is the place to settle in for endless cups of tea and a good book between beach jaunts.

5. Hotel Vera, Ballarat

a close-up of the bed at Hotel Vera, Ballarat — Modern meets bygone elegance.

This Ballarat beauty set in a 1900s mansion is all bygone elegance edged with modern style. Just seven boutique suites, each with its own distinct personality, makes it a singularly luxe stay. Sister to Bendigo’s Hotel Ernest, Vera is similarly bequeathed with a stand-out fine diner, Babae, which plates up the best of the region’s produce.

6. Hotel Sorrento, Port Philip Bay

The historic and iconic clifftop Hotel Sorrento at Port Philip Bay is mid-refurb and will reopen 1 December 2025, just in time for Amalfi-style beachside stays.

7. The Idle Lake House, Lakes Entrance

Enjoy a ripple of serenity when you step aboard this water-top abode on the Gippsland Lakes. Once a Chinese restaurant, this spacious and stylish two-bedroom stay offers unbroken gazing of the shimmering surface in a beautifully private bay. Lounge on the deck and enjoy the onboard bathhouse; come evening, sit by the sleek suspended fireplace.

8. The Monty, Anglesea

the bedroom at The Monty, Anglesea — Bed down at the vintage motel, The Monty.

Palm Springs makes an entrance on the Great Ocean Road with the opening of The Monty in October 2025. Its vintage motel meets modern muse at this playful boutique stay complete with pool and a vibrant Mexican cantina. You’re just a stroll from the beach here, which tells us it’s ripe for summer vacays this season.

9. Trentham Waters Resort, Mildura

vibrant bedroom wall and pillows at Trentham Waters Resort, Mildura — The bright and retro-style bedroom at Trentham Waters Resort.

Another new property lands in regional Victoria in time for an endless summer with Trentham Waters Resort expected to open by February 2026. Breezy, subtly retro and brightened by the big Mallee sky, this river’s-edge escape is perfect for settling in for a spell with one-, two- and three-bedroom villas. There’s a lagoon-style pool, riverside hot tubs and onsite dining for all your relaxation requirements.

10. Crowne Plaza, Geelong

the Trattoria Bar in Crowne Plaza, Geelong — Sink a cold one at the Trattoria Bar.

Geelong is getting its own Crowne Plaza in 2026. Its arrival on the waterfront will make it the city’s largest (and newest) hotel with 200 contemporary rooms and suites, a Skybar, all-day dining, indoor pool and gym, and event spaces. Keep it on your radar.

11. Re’em, Yarra Valley

a private tub with lush views at Re’em, Yarra Valley — Sip and soak in tranquillity.

With verdant Yarra Valley views that take in the linear beauty of tended grapevines, the 16 suites and rooms at Re’em are set amid the Helen & Joey Estate and invite sipping and sitting in tranquillity. The onsite restaurant deftly balances Chinese and Australian flavours and if you’re staying over the weekend, be tempted out of your stylish room for yum cha that features delicate handmade dumplings and vineyard vistas.

12. Arapiles Clubhouse and Crash Pad, Grampians

the yard front door of Arapiles Clubhouse and Crash Pad, Grampians — Spend an overnight stay in the Natimuk stone house. (Image: Bianca Jackson)

These 1880-era mountain-adjacent digs have been tenderly restored to provide rock climbers and Grampians country wanderers a chic place to rest. You’ll find four bedrooms in the Natimuk stone house, as well as a heated pool out the back and plenty of luxe embellishments. There’s also a two-person ‘Crash Pad’ in the confines of the Clubhouse with its own separate entrance.

the lounge at Arapiles Clubhouse and Crash Pad, Grampians — The Crash Pad offers a resting place for rock climbers and Grampians country wanderers. (Image: Bianca Jackson)

59 travel hacks to save money in Australia’s capital cities