..strange name for a little touch of Italy in bayside Hampton. And more curiously, this new eatery has been set up by Alastair Dobbs, previously the sommelier at the Church St Enoteca.
OS presents a classic simple Italian menu accompanied of course with an excellent wine list. Bookings are advised as OS has become very popular

www.oskitchenandwinebar.com.au/
531 Hampton Street, Hampton 3188
+61(0)3 9533 192
Google map: bit.ly/zEjmw7

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There are some interesting ways to travel in Melbourne. It has the largest tram network in the world with more than 1700 tram stops. It is a good way to view many parts of the city quickly and up close. For a more feets on approach, Melbourne has a shared cycling system as well. Rent a bike and explore the city at your own leisure!

www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/

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You could easily miss the lanes in Melbourne. Melbourne is a beautifully laid out city with a grid of wide streets.
However, in between these, in the original service lanes, has developed a unique city culture - really what makes Melbourne special.
This is where the coffee culture small local shops are located, from cup cakes to shoe maker, from barbers to fashion designers and artists.
They are great to stroll through, have lunch, coffee, or find some unique artisan wares.

The most attractive Melbourne lanes are located between Swanston and Elizabeth and Bourke and Flinders Street. You will find them on either side of Flinders Lane. Check www.we-love-melbourne.net/melbourne-lanes.html
The most attractive Melbourne lanes are located between Swanston and Elizabeth and Bourke and Flinders Street. You will find them on either side of Flinders Lane. www.visitmelbourne.com/Regions/Melbourne/Destinations/City-precincts/Laneways.aspx
Google map: bit.ly/pHV1nT

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Although it's a very hefty book and not necessarily one to take with you when travelling, if you are planning a big adventure this book is brilliant for suggesting places to go and things to see when you get there.
I was travelling to Australia and was keen not to just do the tourist trail.
This book recommended places to visit to view art in Melbourne and it was a brilliant springboard to make me think about places to go and things to see.
When I'd had enough of artistic viewings I wandered a little further out of Melbourne to St Kilda and spent some time watching the kite surfers on the beach, then headed off for some fun at Luna Park just off the boardwalk at St Kilda.
In need of something yummy to eat after a hard day viewing art and having fun I wandered along St Kilda High Street and struggled to select from the unbelievable number of cake shops!

buy the book from Amazon (or better still buy the e-book and you can carry it with you). A great place for art in Melbourne is the National Gallery Of Victoria. 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne.

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Garden Tuscany is a cafe in Moonee Ponds situated down a quiet laneway and it's beautifully designed. Lance's coffees and hot chocolates are some of the best in the area! Highly recommended to those visiting Melbourne.

www.gardentuscany.com
32 Young Street Moonee Ponds, Melbourne 3039
+64 (0)3 9375 2896
Google map: bit.ly/jpQ2JD

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Excellent coffee!!
And that's about all that needs to be said. Smooth, creamy, rich, lush. A tiny place pumping out some seriously good coffee in a city that knows its coffee.

brotherbababudan.com.au/
359 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000
+613 9606 0449
Google map: bit.ly/lPDzhA

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It's a mouthful, but that seems to be what it's called on the Flipkey page where my wife found it. However I grant it this indulgence as it is truly a hidden gem and a find that were I to visit Melbourne more often I would not be so keen to share with my Guardian friends. Fear of never being able to get in again would arouse my selfish gene. Fortunately for you Melbourne is a long way from home and not somewhere I visit regularly.
So, it's essentially a serviced apartment/ short stay accommodation in the centre of the city that isn't outrageously overpriced and has style and comfort way above its price tag. Leather couches, stunning artwork, polished concrete flooring, aesop products. Ticks all the boxes.

Boutique Melbourne Short Stay Apartment - Alkira
apartmentalkira.com.au/
18 Queen Street, Melbourne
Google map: bit.ly/kprRmP

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Middle eastern restaurant in the basement of one of the coolest apartments in Melbourne. Local foodie, George Colombaris is part owner of this very swanky bar/restaurant which does terrific middle eastern fare with slick modern twists. Style and substance - quite a coup.

www.mahabg.com.au/
21 Bond Street, Melbourne 3000
+61 (3) 9629 5900
Google map: bit.ly/klaory

In basement of Boutique Melbourne Short Stay Apartment - Alkira
apartmentalkira.com.au/

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These relatively new gardens (opened in 2006) are both a visual delight and an uplifting educational experience at any time of the year. A firm commitment to the environment and the Aboriginal heritage of the land is evident as clearly marked walking tracks take you on a journey of discovery of Australian landscapes such as 'the red sand garden','the rock pool waterway', 'the arid garden' or 'the eucalypt walk'. Each area portrays the the subtle beauty and diversity of Australian native plants. A number of themed exhibition gardens show clever ideas for a suburban garden and expert volunteers are available to answer questions. Add a native orchid house, excellent visitor centre, garden shop, cafe, picnic and barbecue areas, bush walks to discover birds and wildlife as well as helpful information guides, you have a full-day visit that leaves you inspired and appreciative of the rugged natural beauty of Australia.

1000 Ballarto Road, Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia 3977
+61 3 59902200
www.rbg.vic.gov.au
Google map: bit.ly/iP6IKf

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"I want some culture / Never mind the cheese / I just wanna hear music / And originality / I want some culture / Never mind the TV / Just wanna hear music / Down at the 303..."

And so with these lyrics began my quest to track down this must-see live music venue in trendy Northcote, north Melbourne. These are the opening lines of a song called "Down at the 303" by Melbourne's most famous sons, The Cat Empire, a band who my Australian wife had introduced me to over here in grey old England when we were a-courtin'. And I fell in love with her, and with the band. And with Melbourne, though I'd never been there. No matter, my wife and I arranged our wedding and honeymoon so I could see it. We got married in Australia, on the Gold Coast, then flew down to Melbourne for the honeymoon. And I fell in love again. It was July, winter time, totally out of season, but I loved it. The sun shone, it rained, it hailed, all on the same tram ride through town. And on our last night in Melbourne, we made it down to the 303.
Barely noticeable on High Street, Northcote, they don't really even have a sign outside, but it's identifiable as being next door to the Northcote Social Club.
We walked in, my heart pounding. An intimate, cosy bar upstairs, low lighting, and conspiratorial chats between young lovers. We got a drink. We moved downstairs to the venue. It was heaving, and sweaty. Some of the quietest, most beautiful live music I've ever heard was being played by a band I've now forgotten the name of. But there was no hustle or bustle, no angry, angsty pushing and shoving. Everyone was sat cross-legged on the floor. My wife and I joined them, rubbing knees with smiling strangers. It was a beautiful evening.
The Cat Empire's song (see youtube link below) is about the joy of seeing a local band in a small, local, intimate venue. It's about getting out there and finding the girl of your dreams at the gig of a lifetime, not sitting at home watching TV, not listening to cheese.
"Music is for living/ Yes, music is essential/ Music should take risks and be experimental/ In the cultchaaaa!!!"

Go check it out, go find the life of your dreams.

303 High Street, Northcote, Victoria, 3070
+61(0)3 9482 4577
www.303.net.au/
Google map: bit.ly/jUwxA0
youtu.be/bqONT9gzbLc

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This place is an amazing little gig venue.
Genuinely intimate and and acoustically excellent, you will be able to get up close and personal with your favourite artists.
The best thing about it is that often up and coming British bands will gig here before they've really cracked Australia so you get a chance to see a band you love in a room barely bigger than your front room.
Oh and stay at the Prince Hotel too - it's fantastic.

www.princebandroom.com.au/
29 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda Victoria 3182
+61 3 9536 1168
Google map: bit.ly/kk3Un9

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Interesting restaurant. Vegetarian only, and you pay what you feel your meal was worth. All food is organic and locally sourced, and despite the unusual - and potentially bankrupting - ethos, the food is absolutely delicious and the atmosphere warm and friendly. Highly recommended!

www.lentilasanything.com/
There are three restaurants in Melbourne: St Kilda, Fitzroy and Footscray

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Attica is superb, unbelievable, different, wonderful and challenging.

In a quiet suburb, south east of the city (better known for its majestic National Trust mansion), Attica is breaking the ground rules for dining in Melbourne and gaining a very good reputation and two or three hats in local dining guides.

Attica presents food that is challenging - their after mains course called 'Terroir' consists of beetroot, limes, berries and flowers and is a prelude to various desserts, one of which blows you away - a tumbler of sauternes custard berries and toffee.

The service is exemplary and professional beyond belief. Attica hands the diner a wine list of great length with a selection of wines, local and international.

The degustation menu (on Friday and Saturday evenings) presents diners with two entrees and seven mains and a dessert dish, presented and explained over three hours of dining.

An astonishing dining experience
not cheap but absolutely worth it

74 Glen Eira Rd
Ripponlea
ph 9530 0111

www.attica.com.au/

Google map: tinyurl.com/yl5bk65

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First constructed in 1866, the Vue Grand is a superb historic hotel in Queenscliff about 90 mins from Melbourne. With very good accommodation in modernised old rooms, the Vue Grand is the place to stay while looking over the sights of Queenscliff or visiting the Historical Museum or discovering the local area of Bellarine. The Vue Grand has a number of cafes and eating areas as well as bars but the highlight is the Grand Dining room.
Just a nice place to stay in provincial Victoria.

46 Hesse St
Queenscliff VIC 3225
phone 5258 1544
www.vuegrand.com.au/

Google map: tinyurl.com/yd6uhwj

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One of Australia's best rural restaurants is Athelstane House in the historic maritime village of Queenscliff. The dining experience we had was superb, with amazing food backed up by a very good list of local and regional wines (as well as imports from France etc) and very very good service. Dining can be done in the restaurant or on the balcony or in front of the fire. Athelstane House also provides high class accommodation as well as a very good food store. Athelstane House is the winner of many dining and good food awards. We were impressed.

4 Hobson Street,
Queenscliff 3225,
Victoria, Australia.
phone 5258 1024
www.athelstane.com.au/

Google map: tinyurl.com/y8rmd69

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On the Mornington Peninsula about an hour from the centre of Melbourne are a lot of natural hot springs and pools and 'Peninsula Hot Springs' has built a resort over some of them. With this they provide special private treatments (massages, spa treatments etc) as well as public swimming areas in the thermal pools. Rich in minerals, the warm waters (around 36-42°c) soothe and caress.

140 Springs Lane
Rye, Mornington Peninsula
Victoria
ph 5950-8777
www.peninsulahotsprings.com/

Google map: tinyurl.com/yajwb2b

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Melbourne is the place to be in Australia for clubbing. I spent a bit of time in Sydney but Melbourne is a thousand times better in my opinion.

The best places in Melbourne can be found at www.barsandnightclubs.com.au

Google map: tinyurl.com/ybehz6f

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Woodapple is in Hampton and gets its name from a strange Sri Lankan fruit of the same name (the fruit being hard skinned like a coconut but with an inner pulp like apple and berry pie filling according to our host)
So Woodapple serves Sri Lankan cuisine and does so superbly. There is a reasonable list of entrees but for mains the best choice is the hoppers (bowlshaped rice flour pancakes) filled with your choice of whatever curries are on the constantly changing menus. These are fantastic and come with some amazing chutneys. The coconut roti (bread) is also great. One thing we noticed is that vegetarians are well catered for with a surprisingly good choice of authentic dishes. The service was good, done by the either the lady owner and/or the chef.
Best of all, the prices are very nice and there is no corkage if you bring your own drinks.

Shop 1
427 Hampton St
HAMPTON 3188
ph 9598 7800

Woodapple is in the setback Hampton Village area of Hampton st shops and is about 200m north of Hampton station. Parking out front is free.

Google map: tinyurl.com/yfufnkk

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A new name, a new owner, a new chef and newly renovated is the setup for what was the 'Middle Brighton Baths'.
'The Baths' encompasses a very swish restaurant upstairs with superb views across the bay, a lounge deck and a separate cafe and bar downstairs.
We dined at the newly renovated upstairs restaurant and came away impressed with a new a la carte menu, a very interesting wine list of local and imported wines, beers and liquers topped with very good service! Overall a very nice evening out.

251 the Esplanade, Brighton
next to Royal Brighton Yacht Club
ph 9539 7007

www.middlebrightonbaths.com.au

Google map: tinyurl.com/yzqhadn

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Led by the diminutive Bernadette Alibrando, Walk to Art takes tourists to the creative front line of the most artistic city in Australia, if not the southern hemisphere. Whereas the city centre's Ian Potter Centre and the National Gallery of Victoria hold a few thousand finished works between them, this tour is more about the artistic processes going on in unnamed buildings and clandestine alleys around Melbourne. Over the course of the day you’ll visit everything from airy studios to lane installations, talking to the artists as you go.
Mostly it involves keeping pace with the little Italian as she buzzes from one place of artistic interest to another, loaded with Melbourne’s best coffee. As one of the top six cities in the world for street art, there’s also plenty of high-end graffiti, which is tolerated (though not openly encouraged) by the local council. Less welcoming of the attentions of Banksy were local artists who doused one of his works with silver paint; you can see what’s left on this tour too. It’s breathless, brilliant and unlike any other art tour in the city.

www.walktoart.com.au

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