http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33585 OS presents a classic simple Italian menu accompanied of course with an excellent wine list. Bookings are advised as OS has become very popular]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33585 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33213 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33213 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32417 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.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32417 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32244 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!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32244 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31310 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31310 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30923 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.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30923 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30922 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.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30922 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30921 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30921 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30783 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30783 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30691
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.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30691 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30687 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.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30687 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/29837 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/29837 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26308 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26308 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26307 There’s an old fashioned glamour to the place, evoking Paris of the 1920s, in particular the partitioned section of the venue which has private booths, a bit like an old fashioned railway carriage.
Superb wine and nibbles, ideal for a midnight encounter.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26307 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26304 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26304 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25705
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]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25705 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25437 Just a nice place to stay in provincial Victoria.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25437 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25436 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25436 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25435 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25435 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25160 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25160