What's happening in Melbourne
The best things to do this week
Join the Astor on an epic journey through the entire Potter saga, from Philosopher's Stone to Deathly Hallows, plus Fantastic Beasts
Science meets art at the Melbourne Planetarium for this year's Melbourne Festival
It's hard to believe, but a decade has past since Andrew McClelland first started hosting monthly dance parties. Mr McClelland's Finishing School...
Go on a treasure hunt across the city at Australia’s biggest annual garage sale
The latest news
Competitions and announcements
Ladies and gents, suit up at this custom tailor in Richmond and enjoy a discount on your first order
We finally come to understand the girl behind the Dragon Tattoo
Bob Hawke is Australia’s newly elected prime minister. Gary Ablett Sr has just signed with Geelong.
Become the popular one in your peer group, the San Telmo way
The best of Melbourne
This is it: the definitive list of the people, the places and the things that make our city so great
Expert tips for exploring the city's best attractions for zero dollars
From world-beating cocktail lounges to down-and-divey saloons, here's everywhere worth drinking in Melbourne
Behold, our eat-and-destroy list – a guide to Melbourne's best restaurants, from fine dining to cheap eats
When you think Melbourne, some of the words that come to mind surely must be 'coffee', 'laneways' and 'street art'. Street art covers almost every nook and cranny of our creative, colourful city, but there are more highly concentrated clusters than others. These are the street art hotspots that any self-respecting 'grammer should be snapping: the city's ten best street mural hotspots, in all their spray-painted laneway glory. Continue your art journey through Melbourne at these free galleries, or purchase your very own piece of art at one of these weird and wonderful shops.
If you know where to look, you can get by in Melbourne for a lot less than you'd think
If you're looking for a break from the inner-city grid, there's no better cure than a day trip from Melbourne.
Melbourne area guides
The heart of the city, home to Chinatown and some of Melbourne's best restaurants and arts institutions.
Exceptional Italian food, gelato and coffee, plus an excellent museum and theatre.
Kensington has northwest charm in spades: there are wide, tree-lined streets, plenty of public transport and green spaces aplenty.
Inventive bars, geek girl boutiques and envelope-pushing eateries. Plus live music institutions.
Multicultural hub, with dining options from all over the world and a thriving food scene.
Our guide to casual dining in Melbourne with American Express
Melbourne’s vibrant food scene has no shortage of treats that won’t bust your weekly budget. From tasty Mediterranean and Asian classics to Middle Eastern and American dude food, these are all excellent dishes by chefs at the top of their game. All these venues take American Express. Would you like a complimentary side with your meal? Check out these Side with Amex venues.
We love a good rooftop and a pub will always earn an extra special place in our heart if it’s got a great beer garden – so it’s agreed by almost everyone – dining in the sunshine is always a good idea. With that in mind, we scoured the city for the best terraces, balconies, rooftops and gardens, where you can enjoy an alfresco snack and a brew or two. Then, when it comes to getting the cheque, you can pay in confidence knowing these venues welcome American Express.
Creative sushi chefs and excellent produce make Melbourne a great place to explore the magical combination of rice, seaweed and protein. The fact that it makes for a swift, filling and inexpensive lunch makes sushi an irresistible siren song to busy workers and students, who flock to the hundreds of restaurants that fill every corner of the city. To make things even easier, at all these venues, you’ll be able to dine in confidence with the knowledge that these venues welcome American Express.
Twirling spoons at the ready? We’ve scoured Melbourne’s many Italian restaurants to find these Nonna-approved pasta dishes, from pillowy soft gnocchi to tangy pesto just made to be sopped up with bread. The best part? You’ll be able to dine in confidence with the knowledge that these venues welcome American Express. Buon appetito!
Melbourne is home to excellent Chinese restaurants that serve up dim sum with serious style. Whether you're after an elegant banquet, a hangover-soothing repast or some steaming hot dumplings, these restaurants have some seriously great dim sum dishes. At all these venues, you’ll be able to dine in confidence with the knowledge that they welcome American Express.
You can find something cheap and delicious on almost every street in Melbourne – the city has never had an issue in feeding the masses for less than a tenner. It's not all dims sims and jam doughnuts either: in the world's most liveable city, $20 will get you treats like goat's cheese churros, pillowy xiao long bao, and pear and black pudding tarte tatin. And when it comes to the bill you can pay with confidence, knowing these venues take American Express.
A good stir-fry is all about the breath of the wok – that magical combination of heat, impeccable timing and squeaky-fresh produce that transports you straight to the backstreets of buzzy Asian cities. Whether it’s a smoky char kuey teow, crunchy Laotian noodles or an upgrade on the classic beef and black bean, we’ve sought out the best stir fries in Melbourne. Check out the diverse range of dishes that come alive in the wok, and pay in confidence knowing these venues welcome American Express.
Plant eater or not, the thrill of landing a plate of crunchy, just-fried falafel is the stuff of every food nerd’s dreams. These deep-fried balls of goodness can look and taste slightly different depending on which country they come from. Syrian and Lebanese falafel tend to have a chickpea centre, while Egyptian ones are usually made of ground fava. Use our cheat sheet to track down your favourite version in Melbourne, and pay in confidence with American Express.
You might also like...
If you're an arts lover, an adventure seeker or constantly on the hunt for new experiences, then October is one of the most exciting months to be in Melbourne. The Melbourne International Arts Festival (Oct 3-21, 2018) is a feast of world-class dance, theatre, music, visual arts, outdoor events and more. While you're planning your perfect Melbourne International Arts Festival, it pays to take advantage of the Festival Feasts program, which gives you a special offer of a complimentary beverage with feast partners. The offer is available every day during the festival, and all you need to do is show a valid ticket at the venue when making a purchase. If you are booking online, select the Melbourne International Arts Festival promo. The offer is redeemable only when you make a purchase; check each venue for details. There is nothing like a drink to get the party started. Check out our Melbourne International Arts Festival 2018 highlights hit list.
This is the first solo Australian exhibition of the Irish-born artist who's set to represent Ireland at next year’s Venice Biennale. For her illustrious two decade career, she’s used just about every material imaginable – concrete, leather, jesmonite, fabric and plastic – to create striking but minimal sculptures. She draws her inspiration from the minimal art of the 1960s and '70s, as well as classical architecture and pop culture. The exhibition at ACCA brings together recent work from the past decade with brand new commissions.
There's a good chance you use it in your kitchen every day, but there's also a good chance you don't know how to unlock its potential. Moro Olive Oil is stepping in to change this with a series of masterclasses on olive oil. Each class will show you how to transform your cooking and appreciate different types of EVOO in your everyday cooking, with help from some talented chefs. Each Moro Masterclass will comprise a cooking demonstration led by a partner chef and a hands-on olive oil appreciation session run by a Savantes accredited olive oil expert. After you get to enjoy each of the delicious dishes paired with a glass of wine, you'll get a Moro Extra Virgin Olive Oil to take home, plus a gift bag with recipe cards, merchandise and selection of other Moro products. Check out the classes below and book in for your olive oil-focused cooking adventure!
Mercedes me is welcoming botany maestros The Plant Society for its very own venue residency this month, which will be complemented by both a custom installation and a super fun DIY workshop. The Plant Society is made up of some of Melbourne's coolest green-thumbed, interior-focused legends, spearheaded by founder Jason Chongue. First up, the greenery collective will be flexing their skills, installing a custom piece of greenery in Mercedes me's CBD café which will be the focal point of the weeklong residency. You'll also get the chance to learn from Melbourne’s coolest interior horticulturalists when The Plant Society host a hands-on workshop on Monday October 15 at 6pm. Tickets are $30 and you'll learn all about all the ins and outs of taking care of indoor plants. Founder Jason Chongue will also be back in on Wednesday October 17 for an in-depth in conversation at 6pm. If you want to take a piece of the plant action home, the Plant Society will also have a pop-up shop so you can browse through a selection of succulents, ferns and indoor plants. Whether you're a proud plant mum or a professional fern killer, the Plant Society's pop-up at Mercedes Me will have tips and tricks, plus take-home fun that'll no doubt enhance your knowledge of plants. Grab your tickets to Jason Chongue's in conversation here and find out more about Mercedes Me x Design featuring the Plant Society here.
As the weather warms up, regional Victoria also heats up with plenty of adventures. Planning an itinerary is the best way to ensure you make the most of your time, so you can see beautiful natural landmarks, historic towns and national parklands. There are also art galleries, regional cultural events, bustling food markets and historic precincts to explore. We’ve planned out the perfect three-day itinerary to ensure you can take in all that regional Victoria has to offer during November. Friday November 16First up head to the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, where you can spy native wildlife and flora. You can also seek out the Goldfields Track – a point-to-point 210km track – that takes you through both historic towns and tranquil forests; or the 60-kilometre Bendigo Bushland Trail. You can also visit Castlemaine’s Botanical Gardens, which has trust-listed trees, a sprawling playground and plenty of bushland. After all this exploring you’ll be hungry so head to Barker Street for noodles, or if you feel like getting a little fancy try Bistro Lola. You can also try a local craft beer at Shedshaker Brewing Company before heading to a show at the Theatre Royal or Phee Broadway Theatre. Saturday November 17Start out with a fresh water swim at the Golden Point Reservoir before getting breakfast at an excellent local café, like Fig, Saffs or Togs. Make sure you save some room so you can graze on pastries and cakes at the Wesley Hill Market, then head from Castlemai
Following the yellow brick road led performance artist, actor and lip-sync master Dickie Beau past Judy Garland and on to a murder of Hamlets in Melbourne Festival highlight Re-Member Me. Beau’s interest in lip-sync was sparked by a chance meeting with the impeccably-named San Francisco drag queen Suppositori Spelling. He says he was, “quite blown away by the virtuosity of what she was doing,” expanding on the traditional lip sync territory of power ballads and torch songs with spoken word performance. At the time, Beau had been wrestling with how to use the witty, and infamously cranky, tapes made by Garland in preparation for a memoir she never wrote. “It seemed inconceivable to do that and not use her voice, so [Blackout] was the first lip sync show that I did,” he says, chuckling. “Since then I’ve developed quite a heady artistic rationale as I’ve carried on for about ten years now.” Blackout shows featuring the vocals of Marilyn Monroe and Amy Winehouse followed before Re-Member Me, which is haunted by the ghosts of tragic princes past. Beau inhabits the dulcet tones of Sirs Ian McKellen, Kenneth Branagh, Daniel Day-Lewis and others as he explores the irresistible – occasionally egotistical – pull of Shakespeare’s most-sought after male role. “There’s this academic called Andy Lavender who talks about how behind every production trails this army of ghosts,” Beau says. “Actors do it because then you know you’ve really made it. Directors do it because of the gravit
Oh boy, this is a fantastic prize for anyone who loves grilled meats and South American wines. Time Out and San Telmo are giving away a lunch at the restaurant for eight (!) guests featuring all the San Telmo best-selling menu items – empanadas, vacío (flank steak), chorizo, morcilla, and other traditional dishes and dulce de leche desserts. This lunch comes with a wine tasting of four Argentinian wines and an information session hosted by Emilia Flotts – an Argentinian-born Melbourne wine expert. If you win, the lunch can be redeemed any day from January to March 2019 (Saturday to Tuesday only), bookings subject to availability. Winning is simple: just sign up below before October 25, 2018. Want to increase your chances of winning? Why not share this link with seven friends and you can all enter? Good luck! ENTER HERE
A huge, immersive Halloween festival is coming to Melbourne for the first time this October. Hauntville is a festival celebrating all things spooky, scary and macabre, and it's popping up at Burnley Circus Park in the lead-up to Halloween. Scaredy cats are advised not to come – Hauntville isn’t for the faint-hearted. At the festival you’ll find two hair-raising haunted houses, creepy performers, carnival games, food trucks, the ‘Fright Night’ bar and a haunted graveyard (tread lightly lest you wake the dead). Scared of clowns? You will be. Hauntville’s Cirque du Slay haunted house is crawling with demonic clowns and creatures summoned by dark forces. Make it through alive and you’re ready for the Yarra River Coffinworks, a dank and musty haunted house infested with snakes, spiders, rats and the screams of the undead. If you need a breather after that, drop into the haunted food festival, where you can grab a bite from food trucks like Bavarian Bangers, Poke Time and 196 Below. Want to imbibe? The Fright Night Bar has just your poison, plus Halloween-themed brews like pumpkin ale and spooky Sangria. Throughout Hauntville you’ll run into zombies, circus freaks and other performers there to make sure you stay scared. Try out the Halloween carnival to play Angry Crows, Zombie Head Ring Toss and to score a peck at the kissing booth (careful – there’s a nasty twist). Brave guests can also take a stroll through the haunted graveyard and hear freaky stories. Despite the fear
Melbourne’s music scene is one of the best in the world (no bragging but we’ve more live music venues than milk crate-seats at cafés). To celebrate the beating musical heart of Melbourne, we suggest heading along to one of the city’s most famous live music venues, the Corner Hotel, every Sunday afternoon for Girls to the Front. Head up to the Corner Hotel’s rooftop bar every Sunday for Girls to the Front, a chilled-out afternoon sesh featuring tunes programmed by some of the hotel’s fave female and gender non-conforming local musos. Each week features a different guest DJ spinning tracks that celebrate the music of women and GNC artists. When they say girls to the front they mean it – this Sunday sesh isn’t pinned down by any one decade, destination or genre, with each guest DJ simply seeking to showcase some of the best new and established women and GNC artists. Girls to the Front has more than just a killer line-up of music. During the weekly event, the rooftop bar is also kicking things up a notch with $15 Campari and Aperol spritz specials so you can relax in style. No summer Sunday hang is complete without a bit of grub either, preferably cooked al fresco. Hence why the Corner Hotel hosts their Sunday barbecue, with a different nationality featured each week. Grab a plate, grab a seat and say goodbye to the weekend in style. Girls to the Front is on every Sunday from 2pm to 6pm at the Corner Hotel. Entry is free.
Melbourne Festival artistic director Jonathan Holloway set himself a big task following up last year's festival. Taylor Mac's 24-hour popular music spectacular is already been described as one of the defining artistic events of the decade, so all eyes are on Holloway to see what he pulls out this time around. Has he found the appropriate follow-up? "I don’t think the equivalent work exists at the moment," Holloway told Time Out. "And I don’t think there are many of those anywhere in the world. I think it was a watershed moment that did something even we couldn’t imagine it would do." Holloway's third festival (he'll be stepping aside at the end of his fourth in 2019) mightn't have one massive central event, but it does have a stack of significant highlights. If you're looking for a big public spectacle, French artists Compagnie Carabosse will be taking over the Royal Botanic Gardens with Fire Gardens, a series of huge fiery installations that will light up Melbourne for three nights. On the other end of the scale is Flight, a tiny theatrical experience from the UK, crafted out of miniature figures and a giant rotating diorama. There'll also be a performance involving one man and 100 cheap plastic keyboards, an evening of work by contemporary dance master William Forsythe, a three-week run of a circus show from one of the UK's leading circus arts companies called Lexicon, and the already announced Middle Eastern dance-opera Layla and Majnun. "I approach a festival a bit
