Low lights and a crumbling interior give this cramped basement drinking den a nostalgic feel. Sangria is sold by the jug and the juke box plays an eclectic range of old pop records. An authentic left-bank experience.

10 rue de l’Odéon, 75006. Telephone: 01 43 26 66 83. M° Odéon.

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This is a super luxurious five hotel in an international style. A great bar, restaurant, day spa, tennis court and business centre mean you will want for nothing during your stay. From around $300 per night, room only.

melbourne.park.hyatt.com

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Great value for money, and in the heart of St Kilda, this boutique hotel features retro 60s design and a great bar and restaurant. From $AUS115 per room per night.

42 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, 03 9537 0200

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Consistently voted Melbourne’s best, this Chinese restaurant was first opened in 1975. A combination of traditional Cantonese cooking, modern innovation and the finest ingredients has to make this one of the best Chinese restaurants in the world. Honestly! Wine list is also excellent. Main course around $A40

17 Market Street, City

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Home of one of Australia’s best loved chefs and author of the classic cooking tome ‘The Cook’s Companion,’ Stephanie Alexander’s café is currently only opened for breakfast and lunch. You can also buy a huge range local and imported deli goods and hand-made local cheese from the adjoining larder and cheese shop. Main dishes around $A15.

48-50 Bridge Rd, Richmond www.rhcl.com.au

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Generous servings and moderately priced, this superb Japanese restaurant specialises in ramen/noodle soup dishes and has an extensive herbal tea menu too. Two courses for $A25 or less.

Federation Square, City

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This novel, about the aftermath of nuclear war, is set in the imagined future of 1964 where Australia is the only country to survive a nuclear war. It was made into a film in 1959, starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner.

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Set around the University of Melbourne, in the city’s north, this minor indie flick captures a version of mid-90s cool which may look dated but gives a good feel for what makes Melbourne unique. Starring Australian actresses like Frances O'Connor (actually British by birth) and Radha Mitchell, who have since gone on to forge Hollywood careers, this lo-fi production reflects Melbourne’s laid back charm.

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Fifteen minutes outside Melbourne is the former home of John and Sunday Reed, now open to the public. From the 1930s onwards their home, once an old dairy farm, was a centre of the Australian modernist movement. The couple were passionate supporters and patrons of the leading Australian artists of the day. Sidney Nolan painted his famous Ned Kelly series in their dining room.

7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen 3105; www.heide.com.au;
For more news on the gallery's redevelopment, see www.theage.com.au/news/arts/new-heides-bigger-picture/2006/07/10/1152383621295.html

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Around 90 minutes from Melbourne is the Yarra Valley, one of Victoria’s loveliest wine and cheese producing regions. There are lots of tours to guide you around the vineyards or you can simply hire a car and travel at your own pace.

www.yarravalleytourism.asn.au

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The ultimate cheesy tourist attraction has to be a visit to the Neighbours set, and the patrons are almost exclusively British. Take a tour of Ramsay Street, see Madge’s grave, maybe even catch a glimpse of Dr Karl Kennedy.

www.neighbourstour.com.au

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Like Britain, the closest Australia comes to an indigenous style of cooking is modern fusion, but thanks to a proximity to South East Asia oriental-influenced styles are particularly good. The local produce is amongst the freshest and cheapest in the world, making it almost impossible to stumble upon a bad meal. Europeans will find the prices hard to believe.

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Stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens and you’ll quickly forget your in the middle of a city of more then three million people. A good place to see a concentration of native flora and landscapes.

www.rbg.vic.gov.au

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In Hosier Lane, central Melbourne, and the lanes surrounding it, you will find street art of all descriptions.

Hosier Lane

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St Kilda pier stretches out into Melbourne Bay. Stroll to the end and look back along the beach front towards the historic laughing face façade of Luna Park funfair.

St Kilda

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Melbourne is known as Australia’s fashion capital, so make sure you spend some time (and money) on one of the many shopping strips, the most famous being Chapel Street, South Yarra.

Chapel Street, South Yarra

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The National Gallery of Victoria is split between two sites, the Australian collection in Federation Square and the international collection, housed in St Kilda.

www.ngv.vic.gov.au

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To truly understand what makes a Melbournian tick you should make sure you include a trip to an AFL game during your stay. ‘Aussie rules,’ as it is known, is a Victorian obsession and the smallness of the players shorts have to seen to be believed.

www.footballvic.com.au

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Currently Bust-a-nut, DJ Kano's night Saturday night is a highlight.

393 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

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A Fitzroy institution, this is an eclectic bar, good for long afternoons and even longer evenings.

The Black Cat, 252 Brunswick Street

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