Melbourne/South-Eastern suburbs

The southeast of Melbourne is an eclectic mix of multicultural suburbs offering flavourful Asian and European foods and quaint seaside towns in which to relax.

Understand
Black Rock, a well-off bayside suburb, boasts many popular beaches, but is most notable as the home of Royal Melbourne Golf Club, whose West Course is consistently rated the best in Australia and one of the top 5 to 10 worldwide.

Brighton is a popular beach suburb amongst both Melburnians and tourists alike. During the Summer, finding somewhere to lay down your towel on the beach can be a difficult task, as thousands flock to the suburb on hot days. In addition, Brighton Beach is known for its famous, brightly-coloured bathing boxes which line the beach for hundreds of metres.

Caulfield is the location of the Caulfield Racecourse, home of some of Australia's most iconic horse races, and a satellite campus of Monash University dealing particularly in the creative arts. It's also a hotspot for Melbourne's flourishing Jewish community, with about 40% of the population answering Judaism as their religion at the 2016 Census.

Clayton is a student neighbourhood, hosting the home campus of Monash University -- the largest in the country, and one of the most prestigious. With 35,000 students at the Clayton campus compared to around 20,000 residents of the neighbourhood, the university serves as a gravity well for the rest of the area's community and lifestyle.

Cranbourne is a booming growth area, and the site of Melbourne's other Royal Botanic Gardens.

Dandenong is a thriving multicultural city, often considered Melbourne's second CBD. It is home to strong Afghan, Indian and African communities, which are reflected in its variety of shops and restaurants.

Mordialloc is a beachside suburb where the Mordialloc Creek flows into Port Phillip Bay. You can follow the creek further inland through the Mordialloc Creek Trail. It is home to a vibrant palm tree lined main street full of restaurants, shops, bars and surf shops for the beach just across the road. The pier is a popular sport for local fishing and the nearby sailing club often holds and organises community events. The beach becomes very popular in summer and finding space can sometimes be difficult. The suburb is serviced by Mordialloc Station, just a thirty second walk from the main street.

Pakenham is another fast-growing suburb, and a gateway to the nearby Gippsland region.

Springvale is a multicultural suburb renowned for its Vietnamese culture.

By bus

 * 901 bus from Melbourne airport connects with Dandenong.

By train

 * Cranbourne line, Pakenham line (to Pakenham East), and Frankston line from Melbourne.

Get around
There are trams and buses in the area if you want to use public transport. There's also the M3 and M11 toll free freeways with exits for most suburbs. Additionally, there's the A50 Nepean Highway which goes up to Mornington, but a nice coastal route while in the South East.

Do

 * Golf: Royal Melbourne Golf Club, +61 3 9599 0500, Cheltenham Road in Black Rock is the country's oldest club, with two courses. It opened near the city centre in 1891 and moved to its current Sandbelt site in 1931. The West Course is universally regarded as the country's top course, and the East Course regularly makes Australian top-10 rankings. The club has hosted numerous major events in Australian and international golf, most notably the Presidents Cup in 1998, 2011, and 2019. While it is a private club, it has reciprocal agreements with many clubs around the world, and tee times for visitors who are members of a golf club are available on most Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
 * Golf: Royal Melbourne Golf Club, +61 3 9599 0500, Cheltenham Road in Black Rock is the country's oldest club, with two courses. It opened near the city centre in 1891 and moved to its current Sandbelt site in 1931. The West Course is universally regarded as the country's top course, and the East Course regularly makes Australian top-10 rankings. The club has hosted numerous major events in Australian and international golf, most notably the Presidents Cup in 1998, 2011, and 2019. While it is a private club, it has reciprocal agreements with many clubs around the world, and tee times for visitors who are members of a golf club are available on most Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
 * Golf: Royal Melbourne Golf Club, +61 3 9599 0500, Cheltenham Road in Black Rock is the country's oldest club, with two courses. It opened near the city centre in 1891 and moved to its current Sandbelt site in 1931. The West Course is universally regarded as the country's top course, and the East Course regularly makes Australian top-10 rankings. The club has hosted numerous major events in Australian and international golf, most notably the Presidents Cup in 1998, 2011, and 2019. While it is a private club, it has reciprocal agreements with many clubs around the world, and tee times for visitors who are members of a golf club are available on most Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.

Connect
Most good network providers have 5G in the area, with a few occasional patches of 4G.

Go next

 * Dandenong Ranges
 * Frankston - take the 901 bus.
 * Phillip Island - take the bus.
 * Melbourne - by train.
 * Melbourne Airport - 901 Bus or Airport Shuttle - a much faster more expensive option than the 901 bus.
 * Mornington Peninsula