Welcome back to Two-Night Minimum, a series of city guides for those who want to get to the heart of a place in a ... warm weather. But Melbourne, poised to become Australia’s most populous ...

The best times to visit Melbourne are between March and May and September and November. These shoulder seasons feature moderate temperatures and tourist crowds, plus lower airfare rates.

Airfares to Melbourne were still available over the weekend from $279 with Qantas from Sydney, and $379 from Brisbane. Virgin Australia fares started from $170 for travel on Sunday or $374 for a ...