Shoutout to Australia!

You know the kind of traveller who believes a city reveals itself best when you step into its everyday rhythms—by walking its streets, running its trails, eating where locals eat, and pausing long enough to absorb its stories. That Neha Dhupia lives by this philosophy came through clearly during her family holiday to Australia, particularly Melbourne and the state of Victoria, which she explored with husband Angad Bedi and their two young children.

For Dhupia, Melbourne was not just another international city break but a place that felt layered and lived-in. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) topped her list of experiences. And not just as a sporting venue but as a cultural landmark. She attended the India-Australia Test Series here and, on Boxing Day, wore her father-in-law, the late cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi’s iconic Test cricket sweater as a tribute to him to the match. Walking around the boundary and soaking in the scale of the stadium gave her what she describes as a fuller understanding of the city’s relationship with cricket. “Nothing beats the MCG,” she admits, even as she reels off a long list of other favourites that made the trip memorable.

Among those was the Puffing Billy Railway, the century-old steam train winding through the Dandenong Ranges, which offered both nostalgia and a gentle immersion into Victoria’s natural beauty. Equally fun was a visit to Ballarat Wildlife Park, where Dhupia’s love for the outdoors and wildlife found a natural outlet. Close encounters with native animals and open spaces made the experience especially rewarding for a family travelling with children. Rounding off her Victoria highlights was a visit to a local orchard, which allowed her to slow down and reconnect with nature—something she values deeply while travelling.

Melbourne itself left a lasting impression. Dhupia describes the city as cosmopolitan yet deeply rooted, global yet grounded. What stood out to her was the sense of collective movement and shared purpose: crowds walking together towards the stadium on match days, or gathering en masse for New Year’s celebrations and fireworks. Despite its scale and cultural buzz, she found Melbourne surprisingly peaceful. 

The city’s famed “four seasons in one day” weather didn’t deter her either; instead, she found joy in its unpredictability, seeing it as part of Melbourne’s charm.

What truly excites Dhupia are the city’s laneways and bylanes—spaces that quietly tell stories through street art, tucked-away cafés and restaurants that source ingredients from across the world yet remain faithful to their own narratives. Melbourne’s thriving arts and food scenes, with exhibitions and cuisines representing distant cultures, made her feel that the city offers encouragement and inspiration to everyone who visits.

Her travel style, she says, is a careful balance between exploration and rest, shaped in part by travelling with children aged three and six. Jet lag can slow her down in the first couple of days, but once she adjusts, she prefers a rhythm of alternating packed sightseeing days with slower, unstructured ones. Recommendations play a big role in her itineraries—she gathers suggestions from multiple people and follows the few places that consistently overlap, trusting there’s a reason they’re universally loved.

Travelling with children, while challenging, is something Dhupia embraces fully. She considers her kids seasoned travellers, comfortable with long flights and new routines. While some experiences—like the MCG—were adult-focused, others were planned entirely with the children in mind, including visits to family-friendly attractions. 

An avid runner, Dhupia also experiences cities on foot. She believes in lacing up her sneakers and running through a new city to truly understand its layout and energy. Melbourne, with its runner-friendly paths and scenic routes, fit perfectly into this philosophy, much like other cities she has explored at dawn while the rest of the world slept.

Though widely travelled within India—from the Northeast to Rajasthan and Kerala—Australia, and Melbourne in particular, left Dhupia feeling that one trip was not enough. Even after nine days, her list of places to see remained unfinished. For her, that lingering curiosity is the surest sign of a destination worth returning to.