Free Things to Do in Melbourne Every Day of the Week

In partnership with

When cash is running low (or when payday is far off in the horizon), first survival instinct tells us to curl up at home, eat rice and watch a movie. Every day. But this tactic gets old quickly, and after a while you start craving some budget excitement. They say the best things in life are free. Sometimes that's true.

In collaboration with Bank of Melbourne, we've come up with three handy guides that will help you save some money while living in the world's most liveable (but expensive) city, Melbourne. Here's your guide to the best free activities and events. Hopefully it will tide you over until payday.

MONDAY

Monday is definitely the worst day of the week. Don't let it consume your hard-earned dollars. Maintain that sombre mood with a trip to the Shrine of Remembrance – tours kick off each day from 11am and 2pm (they last around 55 minutes), and will walk you through every section of the Shrine. After the tour, take a lush walk back towards the river and Federation Square, you can lighten the mood with some people watching and some free wifi.

TUESDAY

Tuesdays are the universal "Help me, I'm poor" day. Jump on the City Circle Tram and make a day of cruising the city and people watching. The rickety old tram does a loop of the CBD and will usually deliver a mix of bizarre and cool folk to keep you entertained for hours. From around 7pm on a Tuesday, trivia nights kick off around the city. Most venues offer free team entry and, if you're so inclined, cheap eats and drinks. You might even make money on the night by winning prizes or bar tabs. Some of the funniest trivia nights are hosted by Quizmeisters at locations around the city, you can check them out here).

Photo by Rexness

WEDNESDAY

It's mid-week and it's time to get out of the house. Head down to Fitzroy Gardens for a morning stroll and stop by the Conservatory, a quaint Spanish-colonial building with free horticultural displays that rotate throughout the year. The miniature Tudor village is also worth a look, if only so you can imagine what it's like to be giant.  While you're on a park roll, head over to Carlton Gardens. There's always free entertainment in the form of buskers, street performers, skateboarders and rollerblade clubs and hordes of Pokemon Go players. If dog spotting is what you're after, Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North is always overrun with puppies during summer.

THURSDAY

One of the best free activities unique to Melbourne is the swathe of art galleries on offer, with no entry fee and internationally renowned exhibitions. The National Gallery of Victoria is an obvious one, and should be on your to-do list anyway. It's the perfect place to spend a morning strolling through a free exhibition (their permanent collection is always free). Only a hop, skip and a jump away is ACCA (the Australian Centre for Contemporary Arts) with their unbelievable (and unbelievably free) public talks program. It's worth a visit even just to experience the bizarre, brutalist architecture of the site, but pre-plan and stop by for a talk if you want to get schooled in the nuances of contemporary art. ACMI is another must-do. They are regular, free exhibitions and film screenings throughout the month.

FRIDAY

Fridays are best spent in the CBD, where everyone is fizzling with excitement about the week's end and party-goers swarm the streets. On Friday afternoon, street performers come out in force on Bourke Street Mall and put on prime-time shows. Many of them are professional musicians, some are performers who busk for the hell of it. Park yourself on the steps outside GPO and take it all in. For a little more free entertainment, make your way over to Jankara Karaoke Bar on Russell Street. They host public karaoke every night of the week so it's always weird, entertaining and (as the night progresses) awful. If you want to participate, grab a drink from the bar – each drink gets a song ticket which, frankly, is a flawless system.

SATURDAY

Saturday is the perfect day to take it slow and rejuvenate after a big week. Take a walk or a cycle along the Merri Creek trail and on the way, stop in at Ceres Community Environment Park. Ceres is a magical place to wander through, with their community gardens, free range chickens (all outrageously plump) and beautiful grounds. There's always something going on at the community hub, including workshops and classes. From Friday to Sunday you'll find a group of cycling enthusiasts fixing and rebuilding bikes at the Bike Shed.

You could also head over to the Abbotsford Convent. The beautiful gardens give way to a children's farm full of bossy animals who love to play. Melbourne establishment Lentil as Anything is housed in the convent itself. They serve food on a pay-what-you-can basis which is great for leaner weeks but make sure you head back when you can and pay it forward (or risk being haunted by a ghostly lentil forever).

SUNDAY

Sunday is traditionally a market day which is great for everyone on a budget because markets are traditionally free. The Queen Victoria market in the CBD is the best place to start as the markets themselves are large and chock full of interesting weirdos. Wander the permanent market stalls and you might just come across some free cheese samples. In the CBD, check out the Docklands Sunday Market, a flea market where you'll come across anything and everything – it's fun to browse.

Bank of Melbourne has collaborated with the National Gallery of Victoria to bring ancient art to life via interactive water projections. Watch the Wishing Well experience here.