Victoria (Melbourne Region)
Western suburbs of Melbourne
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Docks and industry dominate the area west of the city centre, reached by suburban train, by the ferry Williamstown Seeker from the Southbank jetty at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre (departures 11.10am, 1.10pm and 3.10pm), or by heading out on the Westgate Freeway across the huge Westgate Bridge. A good reason for visiting Spotswood, the first suburb across the Yarra, is Scienceworks, at 2 Booker St (daily 10am–4.30pm; $9). Inside the Space Age building, set in appropriately desolate wasteland, the displays are ingenious, fun and highly interactive. 
Part of the exhibition consists of the original Spotswood Pumping Station, an unusually aesthetic early industrial complex with working steam pumps. The new Planetarium, open as part of Scienceworks in 1999, features state-of-the-art digital technology to take visitors on a (virtual) journey through the galaxy (hourly shows daily 10am–3pm and on one night a week; tel 03/9292 4800).

Williamstown
On a promontory at the mouth of the Yarra, Williamstown is a strange mix of very rich and very poor, of industry, yachting marinas and working port. Expensive cafés ring Nelson Place, but the down-to-earth Yacht Club Hotel here offers the cheapest meal in town – prices have been fixed since the 1970s and it’s always packed on Sunday, especially when the Williamstown Market is held along the waterfront (third Sunday of each month). The most enjoyable way to get to Williamstown is by boat from St Kilda, or you can take a trip into the city with Williamstown Bay and River Cruises ($10).