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Things to Do in Richmond, Melbourne: The Local Guide

A practical Richmond base for gardens, historic landmarks, inner-suburban parks, escape rooms and bigger outings beyond Melbourne’s centre.

By Melbourne Spots · 19 June 2026

# Things to Do in Richmond, Melbourne: The Local Guide

Richmond is a useful base for seeing Melbourne because it sits close to the city while putting several distinct kinds of outing within reach: riverside gardens, historic parkland, inner-suburban green spaces and a few genuinely good group activities. The catch is that Melbourne’s attractions don’t fit neatly inside one suburb. This guide treats Richmond as the starting point, then follows the places that make sense for a half-day wander, an active afternoon or a trip beyond the inner city.

There are no grand claims to make about Richmond being a self-contained sightseeing precinct. Its advantage is proximity. From here, you can move between the Yarra, the CBD, South Yarra, Fitzroy North, Brunswick and Hawthorn, choosing an outing based on the weather and your energy rather than forcing every plan into one strip.

For an easy green escape near Richmond

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria – Melbourne Gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens are the most substantial nearby option for a slow, open-ended walk. South of the CBD and along the riverside, the gardens combine sweeping lawns, ornamental lakes and themed plant collections. It is free to wander, which makes it easy to drop in for a short circuit or give it several hours without needing to justify the visit.

The gardens work particularly well when your group wants different levels of activity. You can take a quiet walk among the plant collections, settle on the lawns or make the perimeter part of a longer outing on the Tan Track. The gardens are also the kind of place that rewards returning: the scale and variety mean you do not have to repeat the same route every time.

Alexandra Gardens

Alexandra Gardens sit beside the Yarra on Boathouse Drive, close to the CBD. Their appeal is less about a single landmark and more about the setting: open lawns, leafy paths and views across the river towards the city skyline. They are a natural choice when you want fresh air without committing to a full day away from central Melbourne.

Use them as part of a riverside walk or cycle, or simply pause by the water before continuing into the city. Their location makes them particularly practical for combining with other central sights, rather than treating the gardens as an isolated destination.

Fawkner Park

Fawkner Park is a broad, much-loved park in South Yarra, with sweeping lawns and avenues of mature elms. It feels like a communal backyard for the surrounding inner suburbs, and that is precisely why it is worth visiting: it offers room to move and a less formal atmosphere than the city’s ornamental gardens.

The park suits a low-key afternoon, whether that means jogging, a picnic or a casual kick of the footy. It is a good choice when your group wants a proper patch of open space rather than a sightseeing checklist. The mature trees also give the place a strong sense of age and permanence, despite its inner-city location.

Historic gardens and city landmarks

Fitzroy Gardens

On Wellington Parade in East Melbourne, Fitzroy Gardens offer a more formal and historic style of park. Sweeping lawns, elm-lined avenues, fountains and ornamental features create a distinctly grand Melbourne setting, while the gardens’ position on the edge of the CBD makes them easy to fold into a city day.

The best-known feature is Cooks’ Cottage, a relocated English cottage that gives the gardens an obvious point of interest. Even without making it the focus, the cottage adds a historical layer to what is otherwise a pleasant walk through mature gardens. Fitzroy Gardens are free to wander and work well for visitors who want greenery with a clear connection to Melbourne’s past.

Carlton Gardens

Carlton Gardens, just north of the CBD, are worth choosing when you want your park visit to come with architecture and heritage. The gardens are World Heritage-listed alongside the Royal Exhibition Building at their centre, and the grounds remain a carefully preserved example of 19th-century landscape design.

That combination makes the visit feel more purposeful than a generic green-space stop. Take time to look at the formal layout and the relationship between the gardens and the exhibition building, then let the walk become a quieter break from the nearby city. It is a particularly strong option for visitors interested in how Melbourne’s public spaces were designed, not just where to sit outdoors.

St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne

St Paul’s Cathedral stands opposite Flinders Street Station and Federation Square, on one of Melbourne’s most recognisable corners. Its Gothic Revival exterior, soaring spires and detailed stonework make it a landmark even before you step inside.

The interior is the reason to allow more than a quick photograph. Stained glass and ornate detailing give the cathedral a different kind of atmosphere from the surrounding CBD, and the contrast is part of the experience. It is a useful stop on a central-Melbourne itinerary: visually significant from the street, but with enough interior detail to reward a proper visit.

Flagstaff Gardens

On William Street at the western edge of the CBD, Flagstaff Gardens is Melbourne’s oldest public park. Its elevated position brings views towards the city skyline, while mature trees and lawns make it a welcome retreat from the surrounding streets.

The park is worth visiting for the mix of history and everyday usefulness. It is not presented as a formal attraction in the same way as Carlton Gardens; instead, its value comes from being a genuinely old public space that still works as a place to sit, walk and reset during a city day. Choose it when you are exploring the western side of the CBD and want a green pause close at hand.

Inner-suburban parks with a local feel

Edinburgh Gardens

Edinburgh Gardens on Alfred Crescent in Fitzroy North are one of the city’s most loved communal parks. The generous lawns, mature trees and open space function as a giant backyard for the surrounding suburbs, with enough room for picnics, weekend gatherings and unhurried time outside.

The reason to go is the atmosphere rather than a formal attraction. It is a place to see how locals use inner Melbourne’s public space: casually, socially and for all sorts of ordinary outdoor plans. If your ideal afternoon is a picnic or a relaxed gathering under established trees, Edinburgh Gardens are a stronger fit than a manicured garden built mainly for sightseeing.

CERES Community Environment Park

CERES in Brunswick East is a different kind of green destination. Set beside the Merri Creek on land transformed from a former tip, it combines an urban farm, environmental education centre and sustainability hub. The site’s interest lies in that working, community-minded purpose: it is not simply landscaped open space, but a place built around environmental practice.

The organic farm and nursery are central to the experience, while the Merri Creek setting gives the site breathing room. CERES is worth choosing when you want a park visit with something to look at and think about, particularly if the group is interested in urban sustainability rather than only lawns and gardens.

Group activities when the weather turns

Rush Escape Game – Escape Room South Yarra

On Toorak Road in South Yarra, Rush Escape Game offers a ready-made plan for a group that wants more structure and energy than dinner and a drink. The experience is based on teamwork under pressure: your group works through clues and puzzles inside a themed room while trying to beat the challenge.

It suits friends, families or colleagues who enjoy solving problems together, and it gives the afternoon a clear beginning, middle and end. Its position near the shopping strip and train line also places it within a busier inner-suburban setting, so the escape room can be the main event rather than an activity stranded away from everything else.

Rush Escape Game – Escape Room Hawthorn

The Hawthorn venue is on Glenferrie Road, near the shops and train station. It offers the same fundamental appeal — a polished, collaborative escape-room experience — but in Melbourne’s inner east. Choose this location when Hawthorn is more convenient for your group or when you want to make an outing of the Glenferrie Road area.

The format is straightforward: enter a themed room, divide up the clues, communicate and work towards solving the puzzles. It is a good rainy-day option because the activity itself provides the plan, rather than leaving you to improvise around the weather.

Virtual Room: Virtual Reality Escape Game Adventure

On Peel Street in West Melbourne, Virtual Room takes the escape-room idea into a shared virtual-reality world. Instead of searching a physical set, the group cooperates inside an immersive digital environment, solving puzzles and progressing through the adventure together.

This is the pick for people who have already tried conventional escape rooms or simply want something less familiar. The appeal is genuinely collective: everyone has to communicate and work through the virtual challenges as a team. Its position just on the edge of the CBD makes it a practical central option for a group looking for an activity rather than another meal.

If you are prepared to go further out

Point Ormond Lookout

Point Ormond Lookout is at Elwood on the bay, so it is not a Richmond stop in the strict sense. It is worth considering when you want to trade the inner suburbs for an easy coastal outlook. A short stroll and gentle climb lead to a wide view over Port Phillip Bay, with the distant city skyline visible on clear days.

The attraction is the simple ritual: walk up, take in the panorama and continue along the foreshore. It is a good choice for a clear day when the view matters more than a packed itinerary.

Kokoda Track Memorial Walk

The Kokoda Track Memorial Walk, better known as the 1000 Steps, is also a substantial trip beyond the inner city, in the Dandenong Ranges near Ferntree Gully. It combines a memorial to Australians who fought along the Kokoda Track in the Second World War with one of Victoria’s best-known fitness walks.

The trail climbs through mountain ash and tree ferns, making the setting part of the challenge. Go for a more demanding outing and for the memorial significance, not as a casual Richmond add-on. It is the clearest option in this guide for a day where the walk itself is the main event.

Practical tips for planning from Richmond

Start by choosing the shape of the day. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Alexandra Gardens, St Paul’s Cathedral, Fitzroy Gardens, Carlton Gardens and Flagstaff Gardens can all support a central-Melbourne itinerary, while Fawkner Park, Edinburgh Gardens, CERES and the two Rush venues suit a more local, activity-led plan.

Keep the weather in mind. Gardens and lookouts are at their best when you can comfortably spend time outdoors; the escape rooms and Virtual Room provide more reliable structure when rain changes the plan. For the 1000 Steps, allow for the physical effort and the distance from Richmond rather than treating it as a quick stop between inner-city venues.

Finally, check current opening details and booking requirements before leaving, particularly for the ticketed or timed experiences. The parks and gardens are the flexible part of this guide; the group activities are easier when your session is arranged in advance.