Secrets of the City - Melbourne
Description:
Melbourne can be tough for the tourist. Not one to wear its heart on its sleeve, Melbourne gems are for those in the know and the cream is generally reserved for locals. But if you’re not scared of a few dark alleys complete with dumpsters overflowing with unwanted pig parts from neighboring Chinatown, or legging a couple of fire escapes, you will find the real Melbourne; the edible kind. Don’t be fooled by the nonchalant exterior; a lot of effort has gone in to looking so derelict, and it’s an aesthetic that Melbournians pride themselves on. So don your tightest jeans with your vintage garb, and take it to the streets for some hole-in-the-wall bar action and chow that’s so authentic and right, you’ll see why we don’t need beaches.
Author: Nicole Muir
Day 1 - Melbourne
Start your day early and make for Degraves Espresso on Degraves Street. Standard breakfast fare applies, poached fruits, French toast, eggs the just way you like them, but there's a European feel to this cobbled alley that can't be reproduced at other city cafes. Your right in the thick of it now, and it's easy to head up to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) to spend a couple of hours lost in the wonderful world of moving pictures. Make like a Spaniard and take your lunch on lots of little plates at Movida for the best tapas this side of Barcelona. Eat as much as you wish, you will easily walk off the extra grease on the Walk-to-Art Tour, for an insight into Melbourne's thriving art scene. It's also a good way to get your bearings so you can find your way back to Little Bourke Street for a quick and cheap dinner in Chinatown. Don't be afraid to head upstairs or meander down a side alley for your meal. It's hard to put a foot wrong in this hood for succulent pork dumplings or spicy Schezuan. By now it should be dark and you can definitely justify a cocktail. Double Happiness has an Espresso Martini with your name all over it. The small space jams in Melbourne’s kids looking for some great hip hop, pretty people that don’t look like they’re trying in a room as comfortable as your parents’ living room.
1
Adelphi Hotel
Location:
view in google maps187 Flinders Lane
3000 Melbourne, AU
Phone:
+61 3 9650 75552
Degraves Street
Location:
view in google mapsDegraves Street
3000 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
613966335963
Australian Centre For The Moving Image (ACMI)
Location:
view in google mapsFlinders Street
Federation Square
3000 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
+61 3 8663 22004
Movida
Location:
view in google maps1 Hosier Lane
Melbourne CBD
3000 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
61 03 9663 30385
Walk-to-art-tour
Location:
3000 Melbourne, AustraliaPhone:
+61 3841504496
Chinatown
Location:
view in google mapsLittle Bourke Street
(Between Swanston and Russell streets)
3000 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
+61 (0)39 658 9658 (Visitor Information Centre)7
Double Happiness
Location:
view in google maps21 Liverpool Street
Off Bourke St
3000 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
61 3 9650 4488Day 2 - Melbourne
Brunswick Street Fitzroy offers some of Melbourne's finest cafe culture and local fashion designers. Those in the know head straight to Babka Bakery. Don't mind the queue; it's well worth the wait and the friendly staff don't care if you block the doorway. The bustle just adds to the atmosphere. If you're too desperate for a coffee, head to Mario's where it's slightly easier to get a table. Work off breakfast browsing shops up and down this strip. Turn off down tree-lined Gertrude Street for more cafes and little boutiques boasting NZ and Australian designers. Only a few blocks away is Melbourne's 'little Italy', Lygon Street. Easily the best and quickest pasta is at Ti Amo, where punters fall in love with the good looking wait staff and shovel down a quick Napoli and carafe of red wine before heading across the road to Cinema Nova. Readings bookstore next door makes waiting for a table a pleasure, stocking local and international independent publishers and zines. Take the back-streets back to the Evelyn Hotel for some live music and get a feel for how the Melbourne University students live; tree lined streets boasting stunning Victorian terraces make this area perfect for a twilight stroll.
1
Babka Bakery Cafe
Location:
view in google maps358 Brunswick Street
3065 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
61 3 9416 00912
Mario's Cafe
Location:
view in google maps303 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy
3065 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
61 3 9417 33433
Fitzroy
Location:
view in google mapsFitzroy
3065 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
+61 3 9658 9658(Tourist Information)4
Tiamo
Location:
view in google maps303 Lygon Street
Carlton
3053 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
61 3 9347 57595
Evelyn Hotel
Location:
view in google maps351 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy
3065 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
61 3 9419 5500Day 3 - Melbourne
Get up at the crack of dawn and join punters at the Queen Victoria Market. No time for naff clip on koalas, head straight to the food hall and get yourself a cheap, and often deep fried, breakfast on the go. Four hours of the Melbourne Lanes and Arcades walking tour will be enough to entice an afternoon of shopping and gallery gazing, but if the included morning tea and lunch have left your tummy grumbling, head to Cookie for some fragrant Thai and an afternoon beverage in the afternoon sun. Whilst your there, head a few floors up and buy your tickets for the Rooftop cinema that night. For a quick, pre-dinner feed, Pellegrini's is a Melbourne institution. The service may be slightly too familiar (you might wonder if you're supposed to serve and cook for yourself), but the food is simple and authentic, and generally sitting in front of you thirty seconds after you order. With the Melbourne skyline and Rooftop Cinema behind you, head downstairs to the ritz of The Toff in Town for some first class service and the perfect nightcap.
1
Queen Victoria Market
Location:
view in google maps513 Elizabeth Street
Btw. Peel, Victoria, Elizabeth, and Therry sts. on the northern edge of the city center
3000 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
+61 3 9320 58222
Melbourne Lanes and Arcades Walking Tour
Location:
Melbourne, Australia3
Cookie
Location:
view in google maps252 Swanston St
CBD
3000 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
03 9663 76604
Rooftop Cinemas
Location:
view in google mapsLevel 6, 252 Swanston Street
3000 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
613966335965
Pellegrini's
Location:
view in google maps66 Bourke St
Melbourne CBD
3000 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
61 03 9662 18856
The Toff in Town (The)
Location:
view in google mapsLevel 2, 252 Swanston St
CBD
3000 Melbourne, Australia
Phone:
03 96398770