NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

MELBOURNE’S OLDEST SUBURB IS ALSO ONE OF ITS HIPPEST; CREATED IN 1839, THE INNER-CITY ENCLAVE OF FITZROY HAS AN ALTERNATIVE VIBE AND A CREATIVE POPULATION WHO MAKE THEIR WAY PAST COLOURFUL STREET ART TO EAT AND DRINK AT ITS PLENTIFUL RESTAURANTS AND BARS, AND SHOP AT INDEPENDENT BOUTIQUES ALONG BRUNSWICK STREET. EAT STREETS

It is not a stretch to say that Melbourne is the culinary capital of Australia. No other city in the country has such a passionate relationship with food or takes so much pleasure in the pursuit of its next meal. Little wonder then that it’s crowded with a rollcall of quality eateries, from award-winning fine diners – we’re looking at you MONDE, VUE DE and – to tried and true ATTICA CUTLER & CO neighbourhood joints that survive and thrive from their loyal local patronage. And then there are the foodie haunts that the city is famous for, like where the CHINATOWN iconic has been serving up its FLOWER DRUM classic fare for decades and crowd favourite was saved from permanent LONGRAIN closure last year with the intervention of celebrated restaurateur and SCOTT PICKETT; CARLTON, Melbourne’s Little Italy, with its concentration of eateries on STREET. LYGON

But it is inner-city that is FLINDERS LANE ground zero for culinary cachet, with CHIN and the CHIN, MRS SINGH, CODA, KISUMÉ trio of ANDREW MCCONNELL CUMULUS INC, and CUMULUS UP WINE BAR SUPERNORMAL crowding the streetscape here.

MUST DO

Riding a tram is a classic Melbourne experience. The service CITY CIRCLE TRAM makes its way past all the major sights, and riding its heritage W class trams is completely free. There’s also no need to pay when travelling in the in the FREE TRAM ZONE city centre. If you want to go further afield, say to or get yourself a ST KILDA PRAHRAN, myki to tap on and off to pay for your ride.

WALK THE WALK

The long and the short of walking in Melbourne: the self-guided 2.5-kilometre WALK, curated by the ARCADES AND LANES City of Melbourne, navigates its way through the heart of the city via its charming arcades and colourful graffiti and street-art daubed laneways; meanwhile, the CAPITAL CITY TRAIL charts a 30-kilometre loop around Melbourne via the inner and northern suburbs, from and to HAWTHORN CARLTON and DOCKLANDS. However far SOUTHBANK you walk, there’s good coffee to be had absolutely everywhere along the way; this is Melbourne after all.