Why go?

Ask any Melburnian and they’ll tell you their beloved city is the culinary, cultural and coffee capital of Australia. Given a chance they’ll probably add sporting to that list too (they host F1, Australian Open, cricket and all varieties of ‘footie’). Melbourne’s skyline reflects its colonial British roots and modern love for art and design. The spires of St Paul’s Cathedral rise up alongside the Edwardian neo baroque Flinders Street Station, while across the Yarra River, The Arts Centre screams for attention from its Eiffel Tower-esque top. Even the skyscrapers add to the culture vulture feel with splashes of block colour and slick architecture. Melbourne is also a very green city, with gardens, tree-lined streets and parks at every turn, while trams add to the Victorian charm.

What to do

Melbourne’s grid system means it’s easy to navigate but you should still make every effort to get completely lost amid its laneways. These side streets are packed full of cafés, bars, quirky independent shops and all things bohemian. The city’s ‘tolerance zone’ policy of street art (aka graffiti) has transformed the lanes into vibrant galleries. Visit the Campbell Arcade and you’ll find the Sticky Institute (stickyinstitute.com) where you can put your own ‘zine’ up for sale if you’ve got ten copies. Or head to Degraves Street for Florentine paper shop Il Papiro (ilpapirofirenze.com.au), which shares a narrow lane with urban honey stockist Clementines (clementines.com.au). When you eventually emerge from the laneways, you’ll stumble across history at every turn, from Parliament House to the Old Treasury Building (oldtreasurybuilding.org.au), whose vaults once bulged from the gold rush of the 1850s. For art, head to Federation Square, home to the Ian Potter Centre (ngv.vic.gov.au), a national gallery – the international one is across the river – and The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (acmi.net.au). Look out for street performers, artists and musicians along the restaurant-laden southbank of the Yarra.

Where to stay

Built within the historic Airlie Mansion, The Blackman’s (00 61 39039 1444, artserieshotels.com.au) colourful design embraces the city’s creative edge. Like its sister hotels – The Cullen and The Olsen – each is inspired by a different Australian artist. Should you want to splash out and go for something unashamedly high-end and luxurious, head for Crown Towers (00 61 39292 6868, crowntowers.com.au). It’s got some of the best restaurants in town, roof-top tennis courts, a ridiculously good gym and a swimming pool, and offers unique spa treatments. Or escape the CBD and stay at the Mansion Hotel at Weribee Park (00 61 39731 4000, lancemore.com.au), 30 minutes from the city core. Set among acres of immaculate gardens, this 91-room heritage hotel boasts a spa, and a nice bar.

Where to eat and drink

Thanks in no small part to its Italian population, Melbourne has become Australia’s (some say the world’s) coffee capital. Every local will have a favourite, be it Satchmo’s Den (00 61 39663 8003) in the CBD, the Auction Rooms (00 61 39326 7749, auctionroomscafe.com.au) in the north of the city, or St Ali (00 61 4084 48816, stali.com.au), which is based in a former ambulance station in St Kilda. Baristas move though, so ask around. On the food front, the no-booking, modern Chinese restaurant Chin Chin (00 61 38663 2000, chinchinrestaurant.com.au) is worth the wait. Local chef Adam D’Sylva’s Coda (00 61 39650 3155, codarestaurant.com.au) with its French/Asian crossover cuisine is another must.

Time running out?

For a true perspective of the city’s layout, head for the Eureka Tower’s Skydeck (eurekaskydeck.com.au), the Southern Hemisphere’s highest viewing platform. Part of it juts out from the tower with a glass floor. Not for the faint-hearted.

Travel Information

Travel Information

Currency is the Australian dollar. Melbourne is 10 hours ahead of GMT and is 22 hours and 30 minutes travel time from London.

Getting There

Qantas (qantas.com) flies from London Heathrow to Melbourne via Singapore.
Emirates (emirates.com) flies from London Heathrow to Melbourne via Dubai.

Resources

Visit Melbourne (visitmelbourne.com) offers general information and useful suggestions for visitors to Melbourne.