Left: with ‘Kenny’ (Shane Jacobson) on the Melbourne Dunny Outcasts Tour
Melbourne Walks was founded in 1991 as a family company which promotes and preserves our history and environment. Our children have grown with us in the company to be Melbourne tragics like us: crazy about our city, our environment and our country.
Our first tour has evolved into over one hundred plus fifteen history books. Our clients include 2000 students a year. They and others ask us to research learning adventures that no other company undertakes. We offer our walkers rich personal experiences of the unseen world around us and view each walk as a once-only theatre of the street with its unique interaction between participants, place and memory. The miners dug for gold, we dig endlessly for hidden stories in the landscape.
We have partnered with traditional custodians of our sacred landscape to express our commitment to reconciliation and social justice. We are also supporters of Melbourne Heritage Action fighting to protect our built heritage with the support of the National Trust. Join up – it’s free!
We are passionate about sustainability. Walking sustains your health, our environment (no petrol!), local business and community connections. Our office is on the street. Our transport is discarded bikes. Bushtucker for our tours is harvested weekly from parks, wastelands and roads. Sustainability is promoted to thousands of participants through tours such as Sustainability, Indigenous Landscapes, Sust Architecture, Social Justice and Liveability.
Meyer Eidelson and traditional owner Carolyn Briggs at the St Kilda Ngargee Tree
Melbourne Walks is accredited with the Professional Tour Guides Association of Australia and with Guides of Australia. We maintain public liability insurance, Working with Children Check, First Aid Certificates and adhere to Covid guidelines.
In 2015 two of our books won awards at the Victorian Community History Awards. The judges described Melbourne Dreaming: A Guide to Important Places of the Past and Present as ‘a finely crafted example of a historical guide that provides inspiration for other guide writers.’
See Our 15 books
1991 Successful submission to the government creating St Kilda Breakwater Penguin Sanctuary – now thriving, Go look from the pier!
1997 ‘ Australian Sister City Award: ‘Alfreda the City Penguin’ (children’s book in English and Japanese)
2001 Australian Centenary Medal: ‘contribution to community tourism‘
2002 Victorian Community History Awards – Best Walk/Tour Commendation
2007 Civic Project of the Year Award – Port Phillip (Coordinator St Kilda Children’s History Project)
2007 Citizen of the Year nomination – Port Phillip
2010 Port Phillip Business Excellence Awards: finalist in three categories ‘Tourism’, ‘Environmental Sustainability’ & ‘Service Excellence’
2011 Indigenous Victorian Home and Community Care Award (VICAAD)
2011 Immigration Museum Exhibition ‘Fighting for Equality’ (six-months) – ADEC Coordinator
2011 Civic Project of the Year Award – Port Phillip (Publishing Coordinator of MPHG book & film ‘The Heart of Middle Park’)
2012 St Kilda Film Festival: Our film ‘A Century of Lunacy: The Story of Luna Park’.
2014 Finalist: City of Port Phillip Business Excellence Awards – Tourism
2015 Lonely Planet votes Melbourne Walk’s Literary Tour as one of the ten best in the world.