Deep layers of history have given Melbourne a cultural cohesion that is incomparable. Waves of British, Irish, Mediterranean and the Balkans and Asian immigration have created a place of such intrigue that it will have you plotting your return as soon as you touch down.
“I acknowledge the elders of the eastern Kulin Nations, as the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we now stand,” says our tour guide as a group of us strangers gather on Federation Square to begin a walking tour of Melbourne. “All this seems a little performative,” whispers a lady behind me. I disagree. “It’s new to us. But in a few generations, it will be normal and the story will have been restored. I applaud the effort,” I smile back.
STAY
The Ritz Carlton, Melbourne
The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne
By day, views of Victoria Harbour and over the Marvel sports stadium rolled out right from our suite on the top floor at The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne. By night, the skyline twinkled all the way to the edge of Port Phillip Bay. It’s a view of Melbourne that will surprise even a veteran Melburnian. “Wow, I’ve never seen Melbourne like this,” gasps my friend, a Melburnian for 30 years, as she peered over the sofa and pressed her face against the window. The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne opened in March 2023. By the time of our visit, it had been open for just 14 months. Yet, you wouldn’t know it. The hotel is a well-oiled machine of great service and sky-high standards – a formula perfected by the brand. From the outside, light falls in through glass windows all around. Inside, rooms offer the quietest luxury: electric blinds, soft lighting, walk-in wardrobe and colossal bath with city view. Ritz Carlton, Melbourne is a haven. The Ritz-Carlton Spa on Level 64, arguably, offers the hotel’s most iconic view. A panoramic infinity pool looks out to the city through floor to high-ceiling glass towers. Loungers line the window, along the edge of the pool for anyone wishing to detach from the bustle and simply breathe for a moment. The adjoining steam room, sauna, and ice fountains are the perfect indulgence before breakfast. Alternatively, if you wish to roll over and fall asleep to the gentle sound of water, day beds around the pool are a great place for it.
The Ritz-Carlton Lounge, on Level 80, serves scrambled egg roses with bacon-topped buttered bread; the breakfast of your wildest fantasy. If you wish for anything else, simply ask for it. Any wish at The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne is granted. Atria, the hotel’s in-house restaurant serves seasonal Australian cuisine for lunch and dinner. You will find late-night cocktails at Cameo bar which remains open until 11pm Wednesday to Saturday.
Le Méridien Melbourne
An Art Deco facade and a prime location makes Le Méridien Melbourne an obvious choice in the city. Federation Square, Parliament House, the National Gallery of Victoria, Yarra River and achingly trendy restaurants are all just a short walk away. But it’s the hotel’s mid-century interiors, and wonderful service that will bowl you over. Expect to spend most of your stay at Le Splash, pool deck and bar on level seven. A steady stream of cocktails and bites around the heated pool feels just right. Apart from the spacious, bright rooms and suites, the only other reason to tear yourself away from Le Splash is Dolly Restaurant and Bar which serves French food worth writing home about. After dinner, head to the 50s-inspired Intermission Café and Wine Bar for a night cap.
Laneways by Ovolo
Check-in to Laneways by Ovolo for a buzzier, more boutique experience. The hotel’s 43 Memphis-themed rooms and suites give rockstar vibes in Melbourne’s historic Chinatown. Step outside to feel the unmistakable beat of late-night Melbourne. Thousands of visitors walk the streets where neon lights, cafes, supermarkets, book stores and bars burst with people. Queues for BYOB noodle bars stretch along crowded pavements and it feels euphoric like placing the last piece of a jigsaw. Suddenly, Melbourne makes perfect sense. The main entrance to Laneways by Ovolo opens directly onto the heady traffic and kerbside of the edge of Chinatown. Yet, inside, a lift carries you up to suites which are quiet and peaceful for a long and restful night of sleep. Chinatown on one side and the theatre district on the other, both within walking distance, makes Laneways by Ovolo a gem.
EAT + DRINK
Mabu Mabu
Mabu Mabu (Help Yourself) is the jewel in the crown of Nornie Bero from the Komet Tribe of the Meriam people in the Torres Strait. In a colossal clash of old and new, Indigenous art decorates wooden tables, pink neon signs hang on walls and jars of native ingredients, of 60,000 years, stack atop a blue tiled bar. Dirty Malu, made of Seven Seasons native yam vodka, is a smooth, sippable cocktail served here. However, the Green Ant-tini, made of Seven Seasons Green Ant Gin and served with real green ants, delivers the sting. Riberry, wattleseed, cassava and Narrm (Melbourne) mushrooms are used generously on the dining menu. Then there is also terpa (oysters), borom (wild boar), kami (emu) and kodal (crocodile) tongue. These less familiar ingredients are crafted into very familiar plates. Borom arrives as chorizo with warrigal greens chimichurri, kami steak is served with macadamia matcha and charred kodal tongue on skewers covered in tea grass red curry. Cassava rosti, wattleseed popcorn, Narrm mushroom parfait and nettle pesto makes this a feast. End on a high note with jackfruit ice cream or wattleseed caramel.
Victoria by Farmer’s Daughter
Farmer’s Daughters
Federation Square is once again the setting for this awarded restaurant by Executive Chef Alejandro Saravia who is credited with introducing Peruvian cuisine to Australia. Victoria by Farmer’s Daughters celebrates the state by paying homage to Gippsland producers, growers and artisans: Victorian wine, Mallacoota sea urchin, Pyrenees lamb, foraged mushrooms and olive oil from local groves. Fried chicken milk buns, pork skewers, lamb skewers with black garlic glaze and an entire spectrum of cheese and seafood are on the menu which changes seasonally. All of it should be tried and tasted if any visit to Melbourne is to be complete. The outdoor terrace bar, which overlooks Yarra River, serves cocktails, local wines and beer alongside a full dining menu. It opens seven days a week, and you can arrive without a reservation. So if you’re unable to secure a reservation at the restaurant, grab a table on the terrace.
Yakimono
Yakimono shines bright like a diamond at the heart of Melbourne’s fashion district. Reflections of its neon lights stretch beyond the corner of Collins Street that it occupies. The Japanese welcome at the entrance, normally symbolised with water, is acknowledged with a digital fish tank; a jelly fish swam away as we stepped in. A staircase lit from all sides leads to the bar above. Around it, tables are set to showcase the street below. Food is prepared over open fires, the theater of which is visible from any angle around the bar. As part of the intentionally surreal experience, music beats against the sounds from the kitchen, magically, without imposing on conversation. When such emphasis is placed on style, you’d expect less substance. But Yakimono achieves the rare feat of delivering both in equal measure. It’s exceptional in affirming the diversity of Japanese food. Barbecued king salmon, black sesame green beans, togarashi duck rice were standout dishes in a menu crammed full of standout dishes. Finger lime ponzu oysters, smoky soy-glazed wagyu beef, barbecued corn ribs and cocktails and sake to match were hard to forget.
What To Do
Learn About Aboriginal Victoria
What is now Federation Square, on the bank of Yarra River, was important for south-eastern Australia’s First Nation which thrived here. That heritage continues to be honoured in Melbourne. The Koorie Heritage Trust, based on Federation Square, is an organisation which connects living Aboriginal culture with visitors. The Trust organises public walking tours each day (excluding public holidays). They start at 1pm and last 60 minutes with the aim of educating the public on the importance of the landscape: the Yarra River, which the Kulin Nation called Birrarung (ever-flowing), Birrarung Marr (river of mists and shadows) and also Yarro Yarro (it flows), the Lower Yarra Delta (now the Docklands) as a gathering place for trade and celebrations and the surrounding marshes and rivers which were a significant source of food. Tickets for walking tours can be booked in advance at the Koorie Heritage Trust.
Take A Tour
Hidden Secrets Tours offers a choice of walking tours around the city for anyone from foodies to history buffs. Our bespoke walk, led by a Melburnian guide, was a riveting insight to buildings, cafe culture, architecture, street art and Melbourne’s famous Lanes. A mixture of historic facts and anecdotes made it invaluable for appreciating what makes Melbourne so marvellous.
Emily Godfrey | 2015
For a self-guided experience, the tram service in the city is entirely free. You may hop on and off anywhere without tapping in and out. The free tram zone covers the Central Business District and extends to the Docklands and Victoria Harbour – great for dining and shopping. Melbourne is also fabulously walkable and you will be richly rewarded for doing so. An unmissable treat is the East End Theatre District, perfect for anyone who loves opera, musicals or comedy on stage. Alternatively, admire the district’s glittering facades: The Princess Theatre, Her Majesty’s Theatre, the Comedy Theatre, the Regent Theatre and the heritage-listed Athenaeum Theatre.
Take A Road Trip
Emily Weaving
If you have longer than 48 hours in Melbourne, hit the open road. The capital is well connected to Victoria’s great outdoors where you will see a great many kangaroos but never tire of the experience. Grampians National Park is just over three hours away and renowned for having the largest number of Aboriginal rock art and shelters in southern Australia. Get Lost Travel Group can curate your trip and get you there. Make a pit stop at Halls Gap Motel where you will see wild kangaroos basking in the sun. A bushwalk with Grampians Personalised Tours and Adventures will bring you as close to kangaroos and emus as you could hope to get. Every trudge through piles of kangaroo droppings will be worth to get within three feet of a grazing, wild kangaroo.
Ben Savage – We Are Explorers
For an overnight stay, Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist Park is a perfect first experience of glamping. Wake up to peachy hues casting dreamy shadows over mountains. Stags saunter through the dewy morning mist as you sip coffee. Rub your eyes and watch kangaroos hop by with their young and birds perch on nearby trees. It’s just an ordinary day in the Grampians. To see more, Absolute Outdoors will guide you through the spectacular setting of the park from 360 degree look out points, waterfalls and hiking trails. Savour Royal Mail Hotel, Mount William Station and Hotel Vera Ballarat on your return journey. Each experience is uniquely historic and adds to what makes Australia such a special place to visit.
All image credit: Visit Victoria
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