City embraces its kooky and quirky
With shrines to Elvis and AC/DC, cacti gardens and a German bar, you can’t help falling in love with Melbourne, writes
Visiting Melbourne doesn’t have to be all laneways and navigating awkward hookturns while driving next to a tram. There is a growing list of out of the ordinary things to do that will keep you on your toes.
You can pay homage to ‘‘the King’’, wander through a cactus wonderland, get up close to a possum that hasn’t been turned into a pair of socks, look at a cupboard full of meteorites, pass through Checkpoint Charlie, and fight off a cyborg invasion – all in one day.
Visit a memorial to Elvis Presley
Despite never setting foot in Australia, let alone Melbourne, Elvis Presley has one of the most outstanding memorials in the Melbourne General Cemetery – an unlikely place for a shrine to the King of Rock and Roll.
Elvis’ shrine is the most visited memorial in the cemetery – surpassing those of former prime ministers Malcolm Fraser and Sir Robert Menzies, and even famed Australian explorers Burke and Wills (which for more than 100 years had drawn the most visitors).
The 1977 memorial is believed to be the world’s first memorial erected after the legendary singer’s death, and the only official one outside the United States. It is worth a visit – whether you are a fan of Elvis or not.
Zero Latency
Put on a virtual reality headset and be transported into one of seven virtual worlds. Singularity is one of the games, and it is the ultimate race against the machine.
In the science-fiction shooter game set on a station stranded in space, you will take on killer robots as you navigate narrow, treacherous corridors, lifts and zero-gravity environments.
Though you know you are standing firmly on concrete ground in a North Melbourne warehouse, this simulation is so realistic you will feel like any misstep will send you plummeting into space.
Arid Garden
The Arid Garden – opened at the end of 2020 – is a haven in Melbourne’s botanic gardens for succulent and cacti lovers.
Framed with sweeping views of the city skyline, you can walk through more than 3000 cacti and succulents from 400 species.
The plants were sourced in South America and Arizona in the US, and some weigh up to 250kg and are 80 years old.
Created by landscape architect Andrew Laidlaw, from an aerial view the garden was designed to reflect the molecular pattern of a splayed leaf aeonium (tree houseleek succulent).
The garden is spread out, but split into small spaces linked with pathways to wander through.
Wunderkammer
Wunderkammer is your one-stop shop for all weird and wonderful things taxidermy, with cabinets filled with insects, taxidermy, skulls, meteorites and fossils.
It is likely you will resist bringing another possum back to New Zealand, but you might want to bring back a framed and sealed set of dead scorpions, a megalodon tooth, a campo meteorite found in 1576 in Argentina, or a tiny vesper bat.
Though before splashing out on a prized piece of taxidermy, it is recommended checking in first with the Ministry for Primary Industries to understand the strict biosecurity requirements for bringing ornamental animal products into New Zealand.
Test your co-ordination skills at Million Life Arcade
You can experience a slice of Japan at an arcade near the Target Centre in central Melbourne.
These arcades are everywhere in cities such as Tokyo.
In Melbourne, there are a few and they are the perfect opportunity to unleash your inner child.
You can test your co-ordination on one of the claw machines and win Japanese Gudetama cartoon plush toys, Pokemon key chains and luxury brand items.
You can also have a go on capsule toy machines, known as Gacha Gacha.
Visit AC/DC Lane
This lane has gone through what is possibly the best name change in history.
Formerly known as Corporation Lane, the Melbourne City Council voted unanimously to rename it after the raucous legendary Australian rock band, AC/DC. Now, the area is a mix of hipsters and suited professionals.
Between Exhibition and Russell streets, the lane is now a favourite selfie spot next to an image of AC/DC lead vocalist Bon Scott looking like he is busting through the wall with a microphone in his hand.
The lightning bolt on the wall references the band’s iconic logo.
You can take a tour down the Australian musical memorial lane with this ode to AC/DC and other rock heroes. It is also home to the rock’n’roll venue, Cherry Bar.
The rock band’s members lived in Melbourne early in their careers, writing their early hits in Lansdowne Rd, East St Kilda.
At the end of the lane is Pastuso, a Peruvian street food restaurant with the most delicious pisco sours.
Berlin Bar
This bar should be on everyone’s list, and it is the best way to wrap up a day of the unusual. Berlin Bar is semi-hidden in one of Melbourne’s laneways near Chinatown, close to Little Bourke St.
To enter, you ring a doorbell and, once cleared through an initial checkpoint, you are transported into Cold War Germany.
East, or West – that is the question? Will you opt for capitalist opulence, or communist austerity?
You can start in the West – it is glowing and welcoming. You can choose between three areas – the booths with room for up to six people, a main area, and a top-deck ‘‘Ich bin ein Berliner’’ area that is plush and can seat up to 10.
In the East, there is no extravagance, aside from the occasional cheese platter. The room is darker, filled with communist propaganda and has larger communal tables.
Giant paintings of Stalin and Lenin by Kyle KM occupy opposite ends of the space, reminding you that you are being watched.
On the menu in Berlin Bar are the soldiers of the Cold War – some fictional, some real. The professional liars and the spies make up the cocktail menu, which is entirely created in-house, with all drinks being unique and exceptional.
Old-fashioned table service makes the bar special and relaxed.