managing melbourne
first published in 2008….last revision November 2024
getting around
Melbourne has enviable public transport that makes getting around blissfully easy….the MYKI card can be purchased just about everywhere, download the app to your mobile and it’s simple to find your route and advise is amazingly punctual. The card can be topped up on-line or in the many stores [almost on every corner] that work with MYKI….click here for full details.
vintage
Melbourne is the best Australian city for vintage, and it comes at prices that overseas visitors will be buying another suitcase to get their loot home. Luckily, most are located on Brunswick Road in quite close proximity, and there’s plenty of lunch options and bars that open late afternoon. It can be quite a fun girl’s day out..favourites Mazi and Olga de Polga, but there’s a whole lot more.
antiques
There’s also a lot of antique and collectable heaven in Melbourne, my favourite because you can spend a day there and even a small amount of money can buy you something interesting and beautiful…the Chapel Street Bazaar, 217 Chapel Street, Prahan VIC 3181…especially good selections of now highly collectable costume jewellry to go with that vintage cocktail dress you pruchased the day before…LOL!! The Chapel Street Bazaar is the most fabulous jumble of just about everything. The bonus is there are lots of excellent old fashioned pastry shops in the vicinity where one can find a proper vanilla slice that hasn’t been sitting in the fridge for a week.
st kilda akka the beach
Sundays are big in St Kilda with absolute beach front restaurants like Donavan’s and The Stokehouse…for my liking, it is a day to avoid in either of these restaurants. The poor wait staff are dodging children running around the restaurant, my Sunday dining experience at The Stokehouse was ruined by these badly behaved brats.
Good for late afternoon and pre-dinner drinks The George Lounge, and The Prince are excellent choices and snacks are good.
Expensive and been there for ever, Di Stasio, classic old-school Italian restaurant fine dining…excellent, if very cheeky service, the waiters will shamelessly flirt with your 100-year-old granny; a wine list of tome excellent proportion.
Di Stasio…image copyright © Di Stasio, click on the image to see more
montsalvat artist
community
AN ECLECTIC GROUP OF BUILDINGS, MOST WOULD LOOK MORE APPROPRIATE IN A EUROPEAN SETTING, BUT THE OVERALL FEELING IS ABSOLUTELY CHARMING IF ONLY FOR ITS CRAZY RANDOM ASSEMBLAGE OF BUILDINGS
You do need a car to get there but this is an absolutely charming thing to do if you have an interest in the arts and the history of arts communities in Australia. There are always interesting exhibitions and artists with onsite studios…click here for details.
Montsalvat is filled with ghosts, the ghosts of avante garde artist communities. By the exquisite pool, sadly now enveloped in safety glass, but, you can envision beautiful naked bodies casually lounging, the muses of artists long gone.
ALWAYS INTERESTING EXHIBITIONS THAT DO NOT KOWTOW TO THE ORDINARY CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE FOR EXHIBITION NOTICES AND THEY ALSO DO EXCELLENT WORKSHOPS IF YOU HAVE THE TIME
They have a restaurant, and we enjoyed a late brunch in their pleasant outside dining area. Pictured above Eggs Benedict, washed down with a couple of great glasses.
city street art
Every city has street art, but Melbourne has more than most, mainly, because the Melbourne City Council realised its tourism potential. When other jurisdictions were wasting money washing it off on a daily basis, it was encouraged in Melbourne.
To be fair it’s everywhere but the lanes off of Little Collins Street are some of the best examples and located in close proximity and even if you’re pushed for time a quick wander is well worth the effort.
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something quirky
late night
Absolutely nothing fancy, old-fashioned Italian home cooking, generous portions, inexpensive….The Italian Waiters’ Club Melbourne, upstairs 20 Meyers Place, Melbourne VIC 3000
Open Tuesday – Friday lunch 12 pm – 3 pm : dinner 5.30 pm – 10 pm, Saturday dinner only 5.30 pm – 10.30 pm
PICTURED LEFT LINA VERILLI PATLIN GARDENS
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