I've just returned from a really great trip to Melbourne. I primarily went down to see the Tutankhamun exhibition at the Melbourne Museum as well as the two ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Federation Square on the river) exhibitions "Screen Worlds" and "Star Voyager: Exploring Space on Screen", but was blown away by the sheer number of people in the city for the weekend.
Grand final or not, Melbourne proper was FULL of humans from side to the other, top to bottom. The cafés were full, the side streets and alley restaurants were buzzing, the river walks were chokka and the museums and art galleries were bursting. I lived there years ago but never have I seen an Australian city so full of life - it almost felt like another New York. What a great week end.
http://www.acmi.net.au/exhibitions.htm
Well worth the trip down.