Things to do in Melbourne this weekend

During lockdowns one through four, who among us didn't ambitiously attempt to take on several new hobbies that we ended up letting fall to the wayside? But don't lose hope; lockdown five could be your chance to find something that actually sticks. Here are five hobbies that we tried out and have kept up with. The best part? Some of them are completely free. 

You can sample East 33’s winter collection, including oysters from the Clyde River, Wapengo Lake and Port Stephens. You'll find distinctive tasting notes for each on the East 33 website along with the fascinating local history of the farmers who supplied them – order your preferred pick or opt for a three-dozen serve of all three varieties from the winter collection. East 33 even offers a subscription service, so you can set and forget your order and have oysters delivered to your doorstep on the reg.

Read 35 fun facts about Melbourne that you probably didn't know. 

The purveyors of the luxe fungus are now delivering fresh truffles direct from the farm in Manjimup in Western Australia’s southwest right to your door. They're carefully cleaned, graded, sealed, cold-packed and shipped via express post within 48 hours (in most cases).

The box comes with all the right fixings including savoury treats like roasted butternut pumpkin and sage tarts, caramelised onion and Yarra Valley Persian feta quiches, egg and mayo mini rolls, cucumber ribbon sandwiches and chicken Waldorf ribbon sandwiches.

How well do you know Melbourne? The Time Out Melbourne team wants to put your local knowledge to the test, so we've compiled some trivia questions about our beloved city. 

You can choose from 12 weekly dishes, including things like gnocchi with ragu bolognese; saffron tagliatelle with mushroom ragu; and slow-braised ox cheek cappelletti. Each box comes with freshly made pasta and a matching sauce, which are easy to reheat. Just boil the pasta for a few minutes and heat the sauce in a saucepan and you're good to go.

Moon Dog's ‘Pub in a Box’ is a box (duh) that’s filled with all your fave pub memorabilia: there are two pot glasses, a bar mat, house-made bar nuts, two 440ml and eight 330ml beers, including core Moon Dog brews like the Old Mate Pale Ale as well as specialty beers like the Drew Berrymore Summer Berry Sour Ale and the Bánh Mì, Bánh Mì, Say That You Love Me Cucumber, Chilli and Coriander Gose. Moon Dog are even throwing in a few of its Fizzers (alcoholic seltzers).

Once lockdown ends and you're free to leave your 5km bubble, book a stay at one of the five most bookmarked Airbnb locations in regional Victoria. From luxury homes nestled in acres of private bushland to cosy yurts where you can feel at one with your natural surroundings, these eye-catching retreats all make for a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. 

We’ve gotten creative/stir-crazy and devised a series of extremely low budget ways that you can recreate some of the “most Melbourne” experiences at home. Do these solutions hold a candle to their real-life counterparts? Absolutely not. Are they a good way to kill some time? Absolutely yes. 

Whether it's with someone new, a partner who you don't live with or someone you do live with and are itching for inspo for home dates, we're here with some ideas. Read more for ideas on how to spice up your romantic life in the time of 5km radii and physical distancing. 

The big bikkies are the work of Thicc Cookies, and the chocolate-chip stuffed marvel is soft and fudgy inside, with the right amount of chunk (a lot). These dense cookies come in a foil tray ready to pop into the oven, and there's even a mouthwatering YouTube video showing you how to ensure the cookies come out perfectly hot and gooey. They can be delivered Australia-wide.

As Victorian premier Dan Andrews has continually told us, if we want life to return to normal without the possibility of lockdowns, our population needs to get the jab. And the good news is that there are now several ways to do it. Read more to find out if you're eligible and where you can get your vaccine.  

Mr West, one of Footscray’s coolest bars and bottle shops, is selling 1.5-litre “bagnums” of Espresso Martinis, Negronis, and even a wine blend once again. Each bag costs $99 (‘cept the vino rainbow, which is $54). Mr West also delivers to you – check out the website to see what else they’re delivering (there's a heck of a lot of good booze). 

Grabbing a bubble tea might not feel like an essential reason to leave your house, but fear not, the team at Naröcha have got you covered. The CBD-based tea room is now selling DIY bubble tea packages for you to concoct and sip on at home.

Unfortunately, the early events of the eighth annual Leaps and Bounds festival have been postponed due to lockdown. But on the bright side, the team behind the festival have put together some fun things you can do from home. Bop along to some tunes by DJ Andrew McClelland, listen to a podcast with Rich Moffat about the importance of live music in Yarra and stream two films for free. If Brunswick Street is in your 5km radius, take your daily walk there and check out their projections lighting up the area.

If your kids are bummed about being cooped up at home during lockdown, gather the family and try out some of these fun online and at-home activities. Pretend you're going on an excursion to one of Melbourne's zoos with cute animal live streams and zoo talks or try your hand at some science experiments and arts and crafts activities. 

Parrwang Lifts the Sky is based on a traditional Wadawurrung tale about a magpie – Parrwang – who hatches a plan with his new human friends Tjatjarrang (Big Sister) and Koki (Brother) to raise the sky from the ground and lift the world out of darkness. 

With gyms being closed yet again in Melbourne and rainy winter days making it hard to get outside for a run, we've compiled these handy online workout classes and apps you can access from home. Many of them are free and exercise is great for the heart and the mind, so scroll down and get ready to sweat from the comfort of your living room. 

Get hands-on with a new hobby at home with ClassBento, an online platform for livestreamed workshops and classes taught by local experts. What's more, they'll deliver you a kit to get started. There are arts and crafts like painting your pet, calligraphy, Turkish mosaic, and kokedama (Japanese moss balls) as well as cooking classes and DIY cocktail hours.

Ladder Art Space in Kew is offering online paint and sip sessions for $25 per person. Find a well-lit space in your home to set up your painting station, gather some painting materials and give yourself a generous pour of vino. 

Were your plans to head to your local cinema disrupted this weekend? They need not be. Melbourne's Lido, Classic and Cameo Cinemas have been running an on-demand film service for a while now, but in light of Melbourne's fifth lockdown, they're hosting a movie lockdown sale with more than 20 films available to stream for just $3.

Need some entertainment while at home? Luckily for you, Melbourne’s zoos have decided to live stream their animals so you won’t miss out on a second of all that cute creature fun. 

Zoos Victoria set up live streams at some Melbourne Zoo and Werribee Open Range Zoo enclosures, including giraffes, snow leopards, penguins, zebras and adorable otters. 

You can choose between the summery Ginger and Mango Spritz using Geelong-made Anther Gin, the creamy Soda Highball using Melbourne-made NED Whisky and the refreshing Strawberry and River Mint Spritz using local Grainshaker Rye Vodka. All you need is a glass of ice, and if you’re feeling fancy you can add a fresh garnish. 

If you’re looking for a walking track near Melbourne that you can complete in a couple of hours, we’ve got you covered. The following trails show off sides of Melbourne’s inner city and close-by suburbs that you may not have explored yet, so lace up your comfy shoes and head out on these great Melbourne walks. Just make sure it's in your 5km bubble!

It's time like these you need a drink, but not just any drink, something that involves the premium ingredients or artistry you can't easily mimic at home.

Try one of these delivery services so that you can enjoy a glass of vino or a beer with your delivery lunch or dinner. With next-day delivery or wait times, we advise you get on to ordering now so you can get on the beers later.

Abunch of ceramics studios have adapted their businesses so you can get busy moulding your own mugs, vases and assorted sculptural vessels at home.

Go on, allow the tactile task of rolling clay between your hands to remind you of the sensation of human touch as you re-enact that classic scene from the 1990 romantic hit Ghost. 

For when you feel like the days are all bleeding into one, hopefully these streamable movies help you feel just that little bit better. Even if it feels like we’re living Groundhog Day over and over, at least we don’t have to dunk our feet into puddles and bump into that annoying Ned Ryerson every single day. 

Here are some of our favourite movies featuring time loops. 

In a time when things are so up and down, getting a little surprise in the mail can mean the world to someone else. Whether there’s a birthday on the horizon or maybe you’ve noticed a friend has been feeling a little down, one of the below gift packages might be just the pick-me-up they need. And hey, there’s no one saying you can’t send one to yourself, too! 

There’s a reason we awarded Romeo Lane our Bar of the Year and Best Cocktail Bar for the 2020 Time Out Bar Awards. It’s a must-visit bar in this fine city of ours, and while we’re not exactly allowed to “visit” it IRL, we can still enjoy its products from home. Romeo Lane is currently mixing up pre-made cocktails for Melburnians to enjoy at home, with a menu filled with Disco Martinis, Old Fashioneds, Passionfruit Daiquiris, Peach Negronis and Baby Driver cocktails. 

Maybe you've had to keep pushing back that reservation at a fancy restaurant, or maybe you just want to pretend you're out on the town. Being home doesn't mean you can't have a luxe dining experience, so here are some of Melbourne's best premium diners to order from when you're feeling fancy.

At this point, you might have scrolled all the way to the bottom of the page on both Netflix and Stan. It’s not your fault – we do have a lot of free time on our hands right now. Binge is Australia’s newest streaming service, coming from the same hands as Foxtel and Foxtel Go. Here are some of our favourite TV shows currently streaming on Binge.

The State Library of Victoria’s physical doors may be shut for the time being, but it doesn’t mean you can’t explore the best parts of this mega library online. Everyone now has access to the library’s massive digital collections, which includes thousands of photographs, personal manuscripts, magazines, journals, newspapers, comics, theatre programs and advertisements – even video archives. You can also access more than 19,000 ebooks, music and a huge range of journals and articles if you’re a member of the library (sign up for free here).

Believe it or not, you can now receive small-batch artisan cheeses delivered straight to your door which have been perfectly turned, aged and portioned for your enjoyment. 

Here is a list of the best services available in Melbourne so you don't have to live by the mercy of what's available at the supermarket deli.

YouTube is our world's eternal source for all kinds of energy-level content, but it's at its most potent when mined for relaxing gems. ASMR communities have (quite literally) quietly been setting up camp in this corner of the internet for years now and many satisfying spin-offs have popped up all over. Here, let us guide you through the chillest channels and most surprisingly blissful videos. 

Because they don’t have the overheads of regular retailers, they can sometimes offer better value for money, especially when it comes to premium and organic produce. Some offer access to things that aren’t easily found in the big supermarket chains, like items from smaller producers and specialty goods that usually go to restaurants. And others allow you to put your money where your values are by buying locally, ethically and sustainably.

Whatever your fancy, here are eight grocery delivery services in Melbourne worth checking out.

Netflix has a lot of good movies that we'd watch any day – more than 70 by our count – but in terms of the sheer escapist bliss you need in your life right now, there are a handful of clear winners. There's nothing here to get you down: just nostalgia, hilarity, heart and a good dollop of hope. So order in, raid the fridge for ice cream, and settle in. 

The service lets you listen to – and watch – the MSO perform live and online with new concerts added monthly. There's also talks, family performances and content, and audio recordings from archives. 

The service is largely available via a subscription model, with prices starting at $12 a month for a yearly subscription. A small amount of content is available for free. Or you can opt for pay-per-view or one month passes. 

The team behind pretzel stand chain Pretzel Australia have created a kit that contains baking instructions, 2kg of pre-mixed Pretzel flour, Pretzel salt, yeast, ghee and browning solution for $40 a pop. The kit makes up to 12 pretzels which you can top with whatever you desire.

Did you know you can access almost all of your local library’s resources online? Maybe that means it’s time to finally catch up on all those books you’ve been meaning to read.

Read more to learn how to access this content. 

Experios offers a variety of themed experiences you can tackle online with your friends, fam or colleagues. Solve challenges together over video chat or gather your housemates around the computer for some stimulating puzzles, excitement and off beat fun. There are options for two to six players and different levels of difficulty to choose from.

Cakes, doughnuts, pretzels, chocolate… there’s something to be said about getting sweet treats delivered to your door, rather than slaving over a hand mixer and an hour or two in the oven. Plus, when you get these things delivered, it’s infinitely easier to clean up. So here we are – some of Melbourne’s finest desserts that can be delivered right to your doorstep. 

Melburnians are notorious coffee snobs. We are proud of our coffee culture, the quality and standards that we have set for ourselves and the rest of the world recognises that. It is not unusual to come across a commercial set up in someone's home or be served coffee out of an Aeropress in an office. Thankfully, along with the gadgets, quality beans in whatever form designed for your ideal preparation is always available to be delivered to you – these are the cream of the crop. 

The gaol is an infinitely interesting place to visit, and while we can’t do it in person for now you can experience it virtually. 

You’ll be able to explore all three levels of the gaol and spend time in an old cell. It’s completely interactive, so you can toggle through the building like you would on Google Maps. You can read the text panels on the walls and learn about the many felons and convicts who spent time there, including Ned Kelly. 

If you're at home, bored, alone, with a partner or two... whatever you're up to right now, there's a sex toy for that. In the spirit of supporting local, we've put together a list of some of the best sex shops and sex toy stores in Melbourne (and beyond) to support right now. Not only will you find high-quality toys, but tools and outfits for any occasion.

Take a look at our ultimate bucket list: 101 fun things to do in Melbourne, plus what makes the city great, from the food to the festivals and everything in between.