Melbourne is known as a tourist mecca. From the laneways to the Docklands to the Southbank, there is plenty to do on and off the beaten tourist path. This week, though, I found five things you’ve probably never done.

TRAVEL: Photos around Melbourne City

Etihad Stadium tour

Victoria is a state of sports fans. AFL rules the roost, with rugby, league, tennis, cricket and football all having their own significant fan bases in the city too. Etihad Stadium is possibly the most technically impressive of the city’s stadia - it seats 60,000 yet has a retractable roof. It’s product of the massive investment in infrastructure made in the state of Victoria in the early 2000s, and really is an incredible public building.

740 Bourke Street. Tours depart three times daily weekdays apart from event days and public holidays.

Costco Dockands

Costo is a huge American warehouse retailer - think Walmart but on steroids. Everything’s in bulk and, to those of us from little old enzed, it is mind-bogglingly large. A couple of years ago the chain expanded into Australia by way of a monster store at the Melbourne Docklands, next to the Harbour Town outlet centre. As it is a membership warehouse you need to either be a member or be accompanied by a member to get it, but if you know or can find someone it’s worth it just for the jaw-dropping size of the place, and quantity of everything.

301 Footscray Road. Open 9.30AM-6.30PM daily.

Melbourne Star

This is the big ferris-wheel looking thing also at the Docklands, just across the way from Costco. You might have heard of it as the Southern Star, which opened to much fanfare in 2008 but closed just 40 days later due to a faulty structure (inadequate bolts were apparently a big part of it). After that we didn’t really hear much about it, but more than five years later it’s finally reopened (December 2013) and taking visitors up for a different, rather impressive perspective on Melbourne. And if the thought of structural issues concerns you, the wheel now is apparently a completely new one. They rebuilt the wheel, but kept the original cabins and ground structure.

101 Waterfront Way. Open 10.00AM-10.00PM daily.

Southern Cross Station

People watching over a cup of hot something can be one of the best ways to get a feel for a different place. It’s relaxing, you see a lot, and you’re getting a coffee out of it. Southern Cross Station is another product of that big infrastructure push last decade, and is Melbourne’s main station for city and country trains. There’s a number of places on both the lower and upper levels to get a coffee or a donut and sit and enjoy the bustle. Some tourist areas, like the Docklands or the South Bank, can feel a bit empty in the middle of a weekday, but at Southern Cross you’re reminded that this really is a city alive.

Corner of Spencer Street and Collins Street. Most stores open from first train to late.

Chill on Ice Lounge

I told myself I wouldn’t put a bar on this list, but after checking out the Chill on Ice Lounge I had to make it number five. This is a seriously cool bar - pun intended. Ice bars are nothing new, but this one is another level - they’ve taken the best things about a chic Melbourne club and then made it from ice.

3 Southgate Avenue, South Bank. Open 10.00AM to 10.00PM.

And if none of that tickles your fancy, just get out of the hotel and have a wander. Melbourne is an incredibly easy city to walk, and it almost seems there's a surprise around every corner.

Josh White travelled to Melbourne courtesy of Jetstar.