Four things to see and do in Melbourne

1. Eat

There is no shortage of good food in Melbourne.

Chinatown is most visible and in the legendary category is the Cantonese cuisine at Flower Drum at 17 Market Lane in the city.

It's open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday. Our pick from the dinner a la carte menu was the stuffed eggplant with spicy salt, slow-braised brisket of Flinders Island saltgrass lamb, followed by Peking toffee apple with cinnamon ice-cream.

2. Catch a show at the last minute

We hadn't planned on going to a show but then we noticed that Wicked was still showing at the Regent Theatre so we popped into the Halftix office in Melbourne's Town Hall and picked up discounted tickets.

It's cash only, in person at Halftix. Tickets are generally for that day only. Visit halftixmelbourne.com for daily listings.

3. Markets

Queen Victoria Markets are a dangerous place. I'm talking about the waistline.

Bustling with foodies, they boast fresh produce, delis with mouth-watering morsels such as figs filled with honey-flavoured mascarpone, and stores selling sizzling bratwurst sausage rolls.

Then there's the American jam doughnut kitchen, a little white van with a long queue. The markets are closed Mondays, Wednesdays and public holidays. Summer night markets (Wednesdays) resume on November 5 and run until March 25.

4. Phillip Island for the penguins

If you want to escape the city for a night or two, hire a car and head to Phillip Island to see the world's smallest penguins waddle across the beach in their natural habitat. It's about a 90-minute drive.

Each night, hundreds of little penguins (or fairy penguins) emerge from the water on the way to their burrows. There is an entrance fee to view them.

We bought the Penguins Plus package ($46 adults, $23 child). Visit penguins.org.au/buy-tickets for more information.

Get stories like this in our newsletters.