Best photography spots in Melbourne

I have been making photos in this city for the last 15 years to famous iconic places and hidden gems, with rain and sun.

In this guide, I have summarized my best photography spots in Melbourne, a few of which very instagrammable.

As a matter of principle, I always wanted to attach the map where the photo was made. I thought that any photographer or traveller, new to the city could benefit from that.

I started this post with 5 sites. I kept extending it with new findings on a regular basis.

Some of these photography places in Melbourne are great for sunset, others for sunrise or a rainy day. And why not a great city viewpoint, like from the rooftops.

In this guide you will see

You can read also

• Where to stay in Melbourne (the best areas and what to avoid)
• Melbourne Photo Gallery
• Best places to visit in Melbourne (including some real hidden gems)
• Great Ocean Road Drive
• How to get from Melbourne to Sydney, all the possible options (with photos)
• Best photography locations in Sydney

Selecting great locations is not an easy task. There are many spots to take a picture in Melbourne and I keep finding new ones every week.

This is to say that this post keeps growing on a monthly basis with new findings

It has been hard to select just the below locations.

There are iconic ones as well as some unknown sites. In the end, I decided to include also famous places although always trying to have a different corner.

I have included a map at the end of the post.

I visit a few of these sites in the workshops I usually run every second Saturday or on-demand (private one-to-one sessions). I love this city and I can’t stop myself exploring it alone and with over fellow photographers. If you are interested, you can check here more information on when and what we will do

Check the workshop dates

Best photography spots in Melbourne for sunset & sunrise – in a nutshell

These places for sunsets are tremendous not only for your photography but also to enjoy as such, maybe with a drink or two 😉

You can keep following the links for an extended description or a Google map.

All of these Melbourne sunset locations may change based on the time of the year.

• St Kilda Pier : this is THE place to be, especially in summer. You will not be alone though, because of the many tourists around and also because you may have some penguins too :). Overall a great spot to be
• St Kilda West Beach: great location for a photo but not only. This is the kite surfing beach, just expect that chill out feeling. On a mild/warm evening I suggest stopping for drinks at the Pavilion, sometimes they have also a beach party and open fire on the sand. A real Aussie way to celebrate the sunset.
• Princes Pier: this is my favourite place for a photo session, especially when cloudy. You can reach this place using the 109 tram (end station in Port Melbourne). On a warm night or for dinner you can try the Mr Hobson cafe/restaurant
• Harbour Esplanade in Docklands: you will have the sunset just right in front of you for most of the year. The great thing here is the fantastic selection of pubs, bars and restaurants you may want to go for the last drink of the day. The Watermark Docklands has usually happy hour half price till 7pm
• The Bolte Bridge viewpoint, you need to walk a fair bit to go there but well worth the effort. September and October are the best months
• The Birrarung Angel site: beside seeing the Deborah Halpern’s Art Sculpture, this location is perfect for a great sunset on South Gate. I usually walk here during my photography workshops (I never had anyone disappointed)
• The Rooftop bar on Swanston Street: I believe this is the best rooftop bar for a Melbourne sunset, right on the top of an 8 floors building. There is a small drawback, you need to walk up there as the lift usually does not work or it is locked up. 360 degrees view so take your camera but no tripod, too crowded. If windy, take your jacket too, it can be quite cold up there.

By the way, if you are after travel photography tips, compositions, tutorials and much more then why not reading and, if you prefer, downloading for FREE (no need to pass your email, no worries) this ultimate guide for travel photography. Over 70 pages that may change your way to make(not just take) photos when travelling.

FREE (no email required) Reference Guide to Travel Photography

Best photography views in Melbourne – in a nutshell

How many times did I get asked where is the best view of Melbourne?

A lot.

With the years I have built a great list of sites which can be useful for both photography and enjoyment.

• The Rooftop bar on Swanston Street : I have to start where I left the last list because doesn’t matter the time of the day, this is still the place to be
• City Panorama: just on the other side of the Yarra River where all of the rowing clubs are.
• The William Barak Bridge: with a view to Melbourne city and to South Gate too
• The Docklands Library viewpoint: for a fantastic photo of this relatively new area of Melbourne
• The Wurundjeri Way bridge: view of Melbourne from over the river
• The top of the DFO Parking: for the South Gate area, great at sunset too
• The toilet on the 35th floor: this is a secret and hidden place of Melbourne. Just go to the bar area of the Sofitel Hotel on the 35th floor. This must be the best view of Melbourne from a toilette 🙂

These are just a few. This list is growing on a regular basis.

Great rooftops for photography in Melbourne

View to China Town

No, you do not need a helicopter.

You just need to climb up the stairs of a multi-storey car park or take an elevator to a bar on top of the building, grab a beer and make a few photos.

This second option does not work on the weekends because of way too busy with people, especially on warm nights.

This multilevel garage in China Town offers a great view of this multicultural area.

Entrance is from 180 Russell Street, almost at the corner with Little Bourke Street

The Observation Wheel

This is another favourite location of mine.

Walk up to the top floor of this multilevel garage for an unusual view of the Observation Wheel on the front of the building.

On the back of the building, you have a fantastic view of the city.

Both amazing views.

Entrance to this garage is at 440 Docklands Dr.

Maps of the rooftops I visited for my photography

If you are interested in more rooftops for photography in Melbourne, have a look to the map below

City Panorama

I love this side of the river for a long panorama shot of the CBD.

The Yarra river gives that lovely mirror effect to the foreground.

The right time is at dusk with the city lights on their best.

The wheel on the right corner is usually there for the Moomba Festival, around mid-March

Come here one hour before sunset for some photography of the busy rowing clubs area.

Interesting portraits and lifestyle shots.

The rowing life on the Yarra

You can also plan your day for the sunset on the other side of the river (better for the light).

This is the place where you can probably get the best photos of the rowing life in the Yarra

Great bridges for photography in Melbourne

Here below the bridges that I love the most in Melbourne.

The list below starts from docklands and follow the river towards the city

Bolte bridge viewpoint

This is quite a unique spot, a bit hidden from the city.

It is 700 meters walk from Docklands and you will experience a beautiful view of the Bolte Bridge and the Observation Wheel.

The Webb Bridge

This is really one of the most famous and photographed places in Melbourne I believe. Surely very popular on Instagram

Best time for a shot is at dusk when the sky becomes all orange and the lights of the units, from the nearby buildings, give a real futuristic effect.

You add also the white light around the bridge net and you have the full picture

Walk around to shoot from different corners.

Can you find a unique angle?

Hard but you never know!

City view from Wurundjeri Way bridge

Great Melbourne spot on sunrise.

In saying that I had my best photo made on sunset when the clouds over the CBD had a fantastic orange-red colour.

You can walk up the bridge from the north side of the Yarra River or from South Gate. It’s a busy road. Check the map at the end for the exact location

Princes Bridge

A famous spot for photography in Melbourne, very instagrammable

Walk down St.Kilda Road from Flinders Station, just a few hundred meters

The best time is during and after the blue hour, with great night lights from the city and South Gate

You will need a tripod.

Try to shoot when you do not see trams coming/going as the bridge tends to move slightly and your photos may come out not as sharp as you think.

Birrarung Pedestrian Bridge

From here you have one of the best cityscape photos of the Melbourne CBD.

It works best at night, especially after a rainy day, with the city lights reflecting in the puddles and the wet bridge.

William Barak Bridge, the light trail

This is my favourite spot in Melbourne CBD for light trail photography.

The light trails work fantastically well as lead-in lines to the city and usually, there is enough traffic for some cool effects.

William Barak Bridge, view to South Gate

I found this spot quite late in my Melbourne exploration.

The main reason is that I never looked back to the South Gate direction when walking around the area, crazy isn’t it.

Morell Bridge – The Paris feeling

This pedestrian bridge deserves a visit after sunset for some night photography.

You suddenly feel like you are in France on the Seine river.

It works best in black and white.

Hoddle Bridge

I love this location, as most of the Yarra river up to the CBD.

Stay on the south side of the river for the most scenic photos of the bridges, as in the case below.

Sunset is the best time to enjoy and photograph this side of Melbourne

The green city contrast point

This is a fantastic point to highlight the contrast between the city skyline and the Birrarung Marr park

It’s just next to the ArtPlay in the Birrarung Marr (have a look to the below map).

Best time to visit is during the blue hour, just after sunset with still some light for the grass and the first city lights.

The Nylex view

If you are looking for an iconic view of Melbourne then you can walk along the Yarra River to shoot the famous Nylex clock building (malting storage silos).

I have just printed this photo on a 1.3m wide canvas and it works so well.

Best time to visit this spot is on a cloudy sunset.

Heavenly Queen Temple viewpoint

This is a lovely Buddhist temple in Footscray, just 2-3km from the CBD.

Best time to visit is at sunset.

Best location is from the opposite bank of the Maribyrnong River

The Docklands Library viewpoint

This is a secret point to visit at night.

Fantastic view from the back of the library to the Observation Wheel with the Docklands pier in the foreground

This view is now limited by a new building, unfortunately

Southern Cross Station

This is my favourite spot for street photography in Melbourne.

It’s also a great spot for architectural photography, being the building as unusual as fantastic to explore.

Walk to the 1st level for the best view, as in this photo below

333 Collins Street

Probably my favourite building in Melbourne, together with the Victoria Library.

333 Collins Street is a real hidden corner, almost impossible to see it from the street.

Step in without hesitation

This building is now closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

State Library of Victoria

This is the most impressive dome I have ever seen.

Go to the 6th floor for the best view (there is a lift once in the building, on the right side).

There is also a less formal reading room at the end of the building that you should not miss.

Rodda Lane

Here is another hidden photography corner of Melbourne, Rodda Lane.

The entrance looks a bit dodgy however I have been there so many times and I have never experienced a single problem.

It is the RMIT University area in the Melbourne CBD.

Have a walk around the buildings, it’s a big pedestrian area.

Some interesting architectural and street photography

Best locations for Graffiti photography Melbourne

Centre Place

One of the best lane of Melbourne CBD to visit during the day, for lunch or dinner.

It can actually be quite busy.

In the night is an amazing place for graffiti photography.

Rutledge Lane – the graffiti must visit

Most of the people visit Hosier Lane for the graffiti.

It’s quite incredible that just a small number adventure the extra meter into Rutledge Lane, a dodgy alley off Hosier lane.

In the night all these graffiti give the best, so much better than during the day

Sunset Reflection on Albert Park

Best time to visit this place is again at sunset.

The reflection of the sun on the buildings on the Northside is just amazing, the buildings look almost on fire.

Best photo spots Melbourne beach

St.Kilda Pier

There are plenty of nice places in St.Kilda.

However, I believe the pier is the most iconic one.

Avoid going there on the weekend. Far too many people.

My favourite time is at sunset

It can be really windy and wavy here so plan to arrive with a good tripod.

Don’t give up on a cloudy day as, by experience, you can achieve great results.

See the top 6 sites to make a photo in St.Kilda

City View from St.Kilda Pier

With the new marina, there is now a new view of the city which is absolutely magnificent.

The best time to visit is after sunset to have all the night lights from the city.

Here I suggest using the highest focal length (zoom) you have to compress distances.

The St.Kilda marina

The marina in St.Kilda can be a fantastic spot for sunset photography, besides an awesome place to just enjoy the last hours of the day.

The best location for this photo is from the deck, on the right side on the cafe pier

St.Kilda West Beach

I love to use lead-in lines in my travel and landscape photography. I find it to be a great composition rule

I discovered this elevated walking path on the west beach.

Visit this area in summer and you will have the sunset just in front of your eyes

Princes Pier at Sunset

Plan it on a cloudy day, better in Autumn when the sunset is more dramatic with the sun just in front of you.

And that’s it for today.

Now scroll down and you will see also the map with every site discussed in this post

Enjoy your travel photography!

Don’t miss these guides for Melbourne

• Top 6 sites to take a photo in St.Kilda
• Top 7 sites in Docklands to make a photo
• Top 20 Melbourne bridges to make a photo

Full Map of the top sites to take a photo in Melbourne

Docklands is one of the newest area in Melbourne and the city architects opted to go for high density, which means high rise building.

In saying that, do not think that it is an ugly area.

On the contrary, many special landmarks and attractive design building have been erected, making Docklands an unusual side of the city.

It’s still a young area but it is growing in popularity.

This article is focusing on 7 sites to visit and the time when you can have a nice photo, considering sunset and sunrise time.

Enjoy !!

# 7  View of the New Quay Promenade

I like the view of the New Quay, however, unless you have access to any of the high rise building on Bourke Street this is a difficult photo to take. I was lucky enough that I knew a person that could guarantee access to one building. One hour after sunset is the best time to start shooting. You can still see the clouds in the sky and the Dockland lights are all on. Go for a full moon night for the best result.

# 6  The shifting Channel 9 building

I was impressed by this unique architecture. Each floor shifting by one meter to look like a kid construction, a sort of Lego. This is definitely one of my favorite building in Melbourne. It is indeed one the most beautiful design you can find in this area. Visit it during the day with the sunlight, or at sunrise for the best reflection. The sun rises on the right of this picture.

# 5  The Southern Star Observation Wheel

The wheel is a great subject itself for few cool photos. For the best panoramic view walk on top of the garage in the Waterfront Way. Beside the view to the Wheel you can do a great panoramic of the city from here.

# 4  Seafarers Bridge connecting the Convention Center to Docklands

This is a new pedestrian bridge named after the Mission to Seafarers, an international organization which cares for the practical and spiritual welfare of seafarers. The design is quite impressive and having the Convention Center on the background helps to have great pictures. The night is a perfect time so that you can use the yellowish in the background against the concrete color of the bridge. Alternatively try a black and white photo from the side, see this post to have an idea.

# 3  Parachuting a cow in docklands

What it makes this one a great subject is the lovely location on a typical Melbourne sunset. Do not bother coming here during the day, the cow will come out washed out. The Bolte Bridge in background add that final touch.

Do you want to know more about the Cow up a tree, have a read here. Did you know that this sculpture is actually one of the three in the edition! 😮

# 2 West Gate Freeway view from the South Wharf DFO parking area

This is a real interesting spot. Clearly you need to come in the night otherwise the parking area is full and you would loose the interesting view of the arterial roads of the freeway. I rode my bicycle here to have an easy and quick access, however you can also park your car in Munro Street and walk few hundreds meters. Another possibility is to walk through the DFO from the Yarra river.

# 1  The Webb Bridge

As you see there are many interesting places to visit in Docklands for a photo. The one I like most is the Webb Bridge. I went there already three, if not four, times to look for a different corner, different view, unusual site. The internet has a considerable amount of photo of this subject and I believe it well deserves it. Come here on sunset as the sun comes down straight at the end of the Yarra river (in summer).

Full Map of the top 7 sites to take a photo in Docklands

View Top 7 sites in Docklands to make a photo in a larger and interactive Google map

In the previous weeks I talked about the top spots to take a photo in Melbourne. Today I want to focus on a single area, St.Kilda.

It is one of my favourite area for sunset photography. The light can change from an intense red to a mild orange, based on season and clouds. I feel like in winter I can always get the best colours, but it may be just a personal feeling.

Beside landscapes head to Fitzroy street for some documentary or street photography.

St.Kilda was well known for drug and prostitution although, in the last decade, the area has been improved and gentrified. Few of the best events are the Pride March and the St.Kilda Festival, both usually in February.

There is a place for some action sports photography with both kitesurf and windsurf, on the west side of the beach. You will not get bored.

Enjoy

#6  East side of St.Kilda beach

You need to plan this photo, it will work only with low tide, and coming from high tide.

The BOM website is my main source for the best timing.

A multitude of small little creeks take shape and it’s easy to play and use the water as a mirror.

Beside the tide the clouds help a lot as well, just think above picture with a clear blue sky.

The photo would not be quite the same.

Complicated planning but the end result can be awesome.

Winter is the best time in this place as in most of the summer the wind can be quite strong and, when not windy, there are many tourists and visitors around.

Check the full post here

#5  The St.Kilda Luna Park

It’s free to enter therefore do not hesitate to step in and take some shots.

Unfortunately, there is one big restriction, you cannot use a tripod.

I was kindly asked to disassemble it just after my first photo, above.

There are some lovely colours in the dark and it is just a real pity to miss a stable base to use.

Whatever, let’s try to do our best with the available tools always having fun of course.

A classic photo is the clown face at the main gate, I still need to find an unusual corner myself 😀

Check the full post here and a view from outside.

#4  The little pier on the main beach

The best time for this place is spring when the sun is setting just at the end of the pier.

It can be very busy here in the summer and, unless you want to include people in the photo, you will not be able to have a clear shot.

This pier has now been demolished

#3  St.Kilda Pavilion

It was not too long ago that the landmark of St Kilda burnt down. It was 2003.

I found this old photo on a forum with an interesting reading.

It has been rebuilt with many people liking the new pavilion and others not happy for the new layout.

Besides all the comments, this place is great for a photo.

Come here on the sunrise for the best colours.

Another awesome result can be achieved in foggy day when the pier is almost hidden, giving a lovely nostalgic effect.

#2  A walk to the sun

Walk to the west side of the beach, where the new West Beach Pavilion is.

There is a bush with a walking path and a bench.

The sun is setting just at the end of it, but only in the summer.

Hard to miss it. The composition can be a winner here.

Check the full post here.

#1 The pier on a cloudy and stormy day

It can be quite wavy in St.Kilda on a stormy day, 1 or 2 metres swell are not unheard of.

A long exposure of 30 seconds can give a smooth and milky foreground in these cases.

A real nostalgic effect.

The biggest problem is the rain that may come at any time.

I was able to take below photo between rainstorms, checking carefully the weather radar on my mobile, a great help for modern photography 🙂

View Top 6 sites to take a photo in St.Kilda in a larger and interactive map

How to come to St.Kilda?

In Melbourne take either tram 16, 96 or 12.

From Chapel Street there is tram 79, but only at the weekend.

A taxi can cost you between $20 and $30 from the CBD