Max your summer in Melbourne

What’s better than gorging yourself on scones, finger sandwiches and Champagne at a regular high tea? Gorging yourself on piles and piles of cheese at the Westin’s un-brie-lievable High Cheese event, of course. Yes, the insanely successful event is back at the Westin's Allegro Restaurant for another year, and we turophiles couldn't be more thrilled. The idea for High Cheese first crystallised a few years ago when the Westin's executive chef at the time, Michael Greenlaw, teamed up with Anthony Demia from Maker and Monger to bring a series of cheeses together in both sweet and savoury dishes. Years later, the much-loved tradition continues. In 2025, the indulgent menu has been curated in collaboration with renowned cheese masters, brother-sister duo the Studd Siblings and vino legends Zonzo Estate. Ellie and Sam Studd, both members of the International Guilde des Fromagers and Certified Cheese Professionals, have joined forces with the Westin's executive chef, Apoorva Kunte, to curate an enticing three-tiered selection of dairy-licious treats. We're listening... Each creation showcases the finest quality cheese from around the world, with each tier crafted to highlight bold flavour, balance and technique. Highlights from the menu include Aphrodite Barrel aged organic fetta with tomato and lychee tartare, Woombye triple cream brie with pickled beetroot and raspberry almond pesto, and a shared baked Le Conquérant camembert with thyme and garlic. Yum! And a high tea wouldn't...

The Mornington Peninsula, Great Ocean Road and Yarra Valley Chocolateries are famous for their month-long festival dedicated to hot chocolate in all its irresistible forms, and this year’s no different. A total of 31 limited-edition flavours will be available to try throughout August, with decadent options loaded with everything from boozy truffles to choc-lined ice cream cones. Some of the flavours already revealed include Sweet Berry Tacos, a berry-infused hot chocolate accompanied by a sponge taco filled with white chocolate ganache and fresh fruit for dunking; and Dubai Sphere, which features a pistachio marshmallow sphere filled with Dubai chocolste crème that can be dropped into your steaming-hot bevvie. Heaven! Each steamy creation is barista-made with a shot of either dark, milk, white, ruby or caramelised warm couverture chocolate, and served in a large glass with a giant fluffy marshmallow and a selection of artisan ingredients.  “Our annual Hot Chocolate Festival has become a real feature on the calendar for our three Chocolateries, and we’ve loved coming up with even more over-the-top creations and experiences this year,” says head chocolatier, Allan Grandjean.     Can’t decide on just one hot choccie? Then the tasting sessions have your name on it. At $28 per person, it’s an opportunity to sample eight different flavours. You'll also get the chance to flex your culinary chops by choosing from 50 different ingredients to make three bespoke creations....

Melbourne's favourite illuminated event is back again for a fourth year, with more than 20 dazzling new light installations to meander through in wonderment. From June 20 to August 10, take a nighttime stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens and experience luminous pathways, lit-up tree canopies, soothing soundscapes and more spectacular sights. For the upcoming season, you can expect a reimagined 2.2km trail accompanied by stunning lakeside reflections, large-scale illuminated sculptures and other wonders, with more than 100,000 tiny lights on display. Expect 2025 highlights to be huge illuminated canopy of flowers and the mesmerising 'lawn of light'. Most importantly, you'll also be able to grab a bite to eat and warming drinks, like hot chocolate and mulled wine, at the Welcome Zone or along the trail. They say that Melbourne is at its best in winter and events like Lightscape, where you can rug up and join friends for a magical experience, are a big reason why. Adult tickets start at $36 and are available through the website – be quick as they tend to go fast.  Want more? Check out the best things happening in Melbourne this week.

Update July 24: To celebrate the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter: The Exhibition is offering witches, wizards and muggles $11 tickets on July 31 in honour of Harry's birthday. (In case you forgot, he was 11 when he received his Hogwarts letter). Visitors on that day can expect some very special birthday surprises and a dose of nostalgic magic... Get your wands at the ready, because Melbourne is set to play host to the Australian premiere of Harry Potter: The Exhibition. This behind-the-scenes extravaganza will leave Potterheads spellbound, and features interactive recreations of famous film scenes, props and costumes from the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a multimedia experience featuring the Whomping Willow, dementors, the Marauder's Map and the chance to conjure a Patronus charm. Budding witches and wizards will be sorted into Hogwarts houses and earn points as they explore the exhibition – it could be through a potions class, predicting the future à la Professor Trelawney in Divination or defeating a boggart in Defence Against the Dark Arts. There will also be opportunities to practice spell casting and Quidditch skills, plus win golden snitch medallions to become a model student. Each experience comes with plenty of photo ops and, of course, magical interactive moments. There's even a recreation of the Great Hall for visitors to enjoy in all its splendour, complete with floating candles.  This official Harry Potter exhibition is part of a...

You might think water parks and winter don't mix (especially down here in Victoria). But Geelong's Adventure Park isn't letting a little cold weather stop it from providing Victorians with a good time – in fact, it's provided a little inspiration.  Adventure Park's Winter Glow event is bringing lights, fire, ice and snow to the amusement park this winter. The festival (which is running until August 9) features fire twirling, ice sculptures and 3.3 million lights that will twinkle all around the park along a two-kilometre trail. While real snow might be a rare sight in Geelong, there will be a huge snow play zone (the largest outside of the ski resorts) where kids can make snowmen and snow angels  –warm gloves, gumboots and jackets are recommended!  Eight theme park rides are included in entry, including the Tea Cups, Air Balloons, Crazy Coaster, Wave Swinger, Grand Carousel, Red Baron, Little Buggy Speedway and Ferris Wheel (what a way to see the park all lit up). Face painting and marshmallow toasting will be on offer for the kids, while adults can enjoy a spiked hot chocolate, mulled wine or spiced cider. And lots of delicious novelty food items available to dine on, too. Winter Glow is on at Adventure Park until August 9. Find out more here. Keen for more winter fun? Here are the best things to do in July.

What’s better than gorging yourself on scones, finger sandwiches and Champagne at a regular high tea? Gorging yourself on piles and piles of cheese at the Westin’s un-brie-lievable High Cheese event, of course. Yes, the insanely successful event is back at the Westin's Allegro Restaurant for another year, and we turophiles couldn't be more thrilled. The idea for High Cheese first crystallised a few years ago when the Westin's executive chef at the time, Michael Greenlaw, teamed up with Anthony Demia from Maker and Monger to bring a series of cheeses together in both sweet and savoury dishes. Years later, the much-loved tradition continues. In 2025, the indulgent menu has been curated in collaboration with renowned cheese masters, brother-sister duo the Studd Siblings and vino legends Zonzo Estate. Ellie and Sam Studd, both members of the International Guilde des Fromagers and Certified Cheese Professionals, have joined forces with the Westin's executive chef, Apoorva Kunte, to curate an enticing three-tiered selection of dairy-licious treats. We're listening... Each creation showcases the finest quality cheese from around the world, with each tier crafted to highlight bold flavour, balance and technique. Highlights from the menu include Aphrodite Barrel aged organic fetta with tomato and lychee tartare, Woombye triple cream brie with pickled beetroot and raspberry almond pesto, and a shared baked Le Conquérant camembert with thyme and garlic. Yum! And a high tea wouldn't...

The Mornington Peninsula, Great Ocean Road and Yarra Valley Chocolateries are famous for their month-long festival dedicated to hot chocolate in all its irresistible forms, and this year’s no different. A total of 31 limited-edition flavours will be available to try throughout August, with decadent options loaded with everything from boozy truffles to choc-lined ice cream cones. Some of the flavours already revealed include Sweet Berry Tacos, a berry-infused hot chocolate accompanied by a sponge taco filled with white chocolate ganache and fresh fruit for dunking; and Dubai Sphere, which features a pistachio marshmallow sphere filled with Dubai chocolste crème that can be dropped into your steaming-hot bevvie. Heaven! Each steamy creation is barista-made with a shot of either dark, milk, white, ruby or caramelised warm couverture chocolate, and served in a large glass with a giant fluffy marshmallow and a selection of artisan ingredients.  “Our annual Hot Chocolate Festival has become a real feature on the calendar for our three Chocolateries, and we’ve loved coming up with even more over-the-top creations and experiences this year,” says head chocolatier, Allan Grandjean.     Can’t decide on just one hot choccie? Then the tasting sessions have your name on it. At $28 per person, it’s an opportunity to sample eight different flavours. You'll also get the chance to flex your culinary chops by choosing from 50 different ingredients to make three bespoke creations....

Melbourne's favourite illuminated event is back again for a fourth year, with more than 20 dazzling new light installations to meander through in wonderment. From June 20 to August 10, take a nighttime stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens and experience luminous pathways, lit-up tree canopies, soothing soundscapes and more spectacular sights. For the upcoming season, you can expect a reimagined 2.2km trail accompanied by stunning lakeside reflections, large-scale illuminated sculptures and other wonders, with more than 100,000 tiny lights on display. Expect 2025 highlights to be huge illuminated canopy of flowers and the mesmerising 'lawn of light'. Most importantly, you'll also be able to grab a bite to eat and warming drinks, like hot chocolate and mulled wine, at the Welcome Zone or along the trail. They say that Melbourne is at its best in winter and events like Lightscape, where you can rug up and join friends for a magical experience, are a big reason why. Adult tickets start at $36 and are available through the website – be quick as they tend to go fast.  Want more? Check out the best things happening in Melbourne this week.

Update July 24: To celebrate the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter: The Exhibition is offering witches, wizards and muggles $11 tickets on July 31 in honour of Harry's birthday. (In case you forgot, he was 11 when he received his Hogwarts letter). Visitors on that day can expect some very special birthday surprises and a dose of nostalgic magic... Get your wands at the ready, because Melbourne is set to play host to the Australian premiere of Harry Potter: The Exhibition. This behind-the-scenes extravaganza will leave Potterheads spellbound, and features interactive recreations of famous film scenes, props and costumes from the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a multimedia experience featuring the Whomping Willow, dementors, the Marauder's Map and the chance to conjure a Patronus charm. Budding witches and wizards will be sorted into Hogwarts houses and earn points as they explore the exhibition – it could be through a potions class, predicting the future à la Professor Trelawney in Divination or defeating a boggart in Defence Against the Dark Arts. There will also be opportunities to practice spell casting and Quidditch skills, plus win golden snitch medallions to become a model student. Each experience comes with plenty of photo ops and, of course, magical interactive moments. There's even a recreation of the Great Hall for visitors to enjoy in all its splendour, complete with floating candles.  This official Harry Potter exhibition is part of a...

You might think water parks and winter don't mix (especially down here in Victoria). But Geelong's Adventure Park isn't letting a little cold weather stop it from providing Victorians with a good time – in fact, it's provided a little inspiration.  Adventure Park's Winter Glow event is bringing lights, fire, ice and snow to the amusement park this winter. The festival (which is running until August 9) features fire twirling, ice sculptures and 3.3 million lights that will twinkle all around the park along a two-kilometre trail. While real snow might be a rare sight in Geelong, there will be a huge snow play zone (the largest outside of the ski resorts) where kids can make snowmen and snow angels  –warm gloves, gumboots and jackets are recommended!  Eight theme park rides are included in entry, including the Tea Cups, Air Balloons, Crazy Coaster, Wave Swinger, Grand Carousel, Red Baron, Little Buggy Speedway and Ferris Wheel (what a way to see the park all lit up). Face painting and marshmallow toasting will be on offer for the kids, while adults can enjoy a spiked hot chocolate, mulled wine or spiced cider. And lots of delicious novelty food items available to dine on, too. Winter Glow is on at Adventure Park until August 9. Find out more here. Keen for more winter fun? Here are the best things to do in July.