Steven Otani

Melbourne is growing and developing at a rapid pace, but how much do you really know about it? Now you can learn about some of the state’s most influential people, events and icons. Velvet, Iron, Ashes is an exhibition located in the State Library's newly refurbished Victoria Gallery. The exhibition will showcase more than 200 items from the Library's own collection plus additions from other major institutions and private collections. It gives visitors an opportunity to learn some illustrious stories about Ned Kelly, the Ashes Urn, Yalloum Power Station and even Nappie Wash.  Visitors can learn how fairy floss is linked to fancy dress, how the Freddo Frog is tied to one of the greatest air races in history, and what the Ashes Urn and Ned Kelly’s armour have in common. A retro-style Map-o-matic device allows visitors to print out a map, opening up a world of storytelling to a new generation of Victorians. The exhibition is open to all ages and runs from October 24, 2019, until July 12, 2020. It is free to attend. The Ashes Urn is exclusively loaned from Marylebone Cricket Club in London and will be displayed from November 2019 until February 2020, so don’t miss out on seeing it in the flesh.

Remember being told as a kid that you could be anything you wanted? Interaxcity is a new children’s museum where your little rascals (and their wild imaginations) actually run the show.  Creator Melissa Blumenthal got the idea for Interaxcity after visiting children’s museums in the United States – the calibre of which impressed her. She says Interaxcity is about “taking it back old school by learning through play – the only tears we have is when it comes time to leave”. The 200-square-metre space is designed to resemble a city. Within this mini metropolis, kids can take (imaginary) flight and land at the city’s airport before delving into the many activities. There’s a construction site, florist, medical centre, service station and supermarket – each exhibit is as real as possible to maximise the fun.  Tykes can learn how to take orders at a restaurant, make change with pretend money at the supermarket or construct the Eureka Tower or Forum Theatre using blocks and their own imagination. There’s even a post office created in collaboration with Australia Post where children can write and deliver their letters throughout the city. The tasks were designed in collaboration with early childhood educators and feature prompts on the wall for any young ’uns who get stuck. Through games and make-believe, kids can garner a better understanding of letters, numbers and pictures as well as interpersonal skills like sharing and compromise.  Visits take place over 90-minute sessions (booki

Bottomless brunch culture has officially blown up in Melbourne, with many of us enjoying nothing more than a day of drinks and dishes while catching up on the latest with our mates. So why not also throw a little astrology into the mix? Two Wrongs is taking bottomless brunching to a whole other level, or should we say astral plane. Now, you can still do your two favourite things (drink booze and pig out) with the stars – not celebrity stars, but astrology stars.  The Chapel Street bar is running Bottomless Brunching with the Stars every weekend. For $69 per head, you can enjoy 90 minutes of unlimited drinks plus three tacos from the Two Wrongs menu. Drinks on offer include Espresso Martinis, Aperol Spritzes, Stripper Martinis, Mimosas and selected beers.  Photograph: Supplied Each brunch is themed to the current star sign (so on November 17 it's Scorpio-themed, but on September 9 it's Virgo). To get budding astrologers into the spirit there will be quotes and characteristics of each star sign screened above the bar, plus more relevant zodiac paraphernalia on each table. Guests can attend regardless of whatever star sign you are plus a tarot reader will be present to perform readings.  So why not start your week with a little extra insight? Bottomless Brunching with the Stars is on every Saturday and Sunday at Two Wrongs. Walk-ins accepted but bookings are recommended and can be made via Two Wrongs' Facebook or Instagram. Check out the nine new holes at Holey Moley on Little

Snack Tracker is the latest app making waves in the Australian food industry. It offers customers an interactive experience by live tracking any mobile food vendor registered through the app. Taking out all the hard work with a touch of a button, you no longer need to chase down the elusive Mr Whippy ice cream truck dropping your bum change as it turns the corner.  Already having huge success in Western Australia, Snack Tracker has now launched in Melbourne. Snack Tracker’s founder is Francie Jones who developed the app in the aftermath of a toddler tantrum following a day spent waiting for Mr Whippy. Jones is an avid supporter of small, local businesses so naturally food trucks and mobile coffee vans are included on the app.  Visit the website for more information or download the app for free from Apple or Google Play stores. Here are some of our favourite food trucks in Melbourne.

Hot off the trail of being named the second most liveable city in the world, Melbourne, we’ve done it again. Melbourne is now Australia’s most innovative city ranking 11th place in the world thanks to the annual 2thinknow Innovation Cities Global Index.  The index ranks 500 cities from around the world and is now in its 12th year. 2thinknow was established in Melbourne in 2006 with its headquarters here in the city. The index is the world’s longest-running and most comprehensive report of its kind.  Melbourne has climbed a long way since 2015 where it ranked at a disappointing 33rd in the world. By 2018, Melbourne jumped up to 16th place. In 2019 it's sitting comfortably just outside the top ten, strengthening Victoria’s reputation as a leading hub in the Asia Pacific region. With its booming start-up ecosystem, vibrant creative industries and world-leading enterprise in fields ranging from medtech and pharma to advanced manufacturing, foods, fibre and sport it’s no wonder Melbourne is a force to be reckoned with. The top ten innovative cities according to the 2019 index are:  1. New York2. Tokyo3. London4. Los Angeles5. Singapore6. Paris7. Chicago8. Boston9. San Francisco/San Jose (Silicon Valley) 10. Toronto  Cities are rated on 162 different indicators including start-up economy, mobility, sustainability, neighbourhoods and technology. Sydney dropped five places from 10th to 15th and Brisbane entered the top 50 for the very first time at 48th spot. Speaking of Melbourne,

Caviar has been known to fetch big bucks in the culinary world. But what if we told you that premium caviar is now being produced in our own backyard by common garden snails?   Escargot caviar is the newest food craze to hit Melbourne. This bizarre product is produced in a small purpose-built facility in Lakes Entrance by Gippsland Pearls. Available in Australia for the first time, each snail lays only four grams of eggs every couple of months (if conditions are right and they are content). The eggs are then collected, sorted, cleaned and processed delicately by hand.  This peculiar product is demanding a premium price on the international market. At $300 per 40 grams, these tiny pearl eggs are second only to Beluga Caviar in cost.  Gippsland Pearls was founded in 2018 by Cheryl Jakobi and Sara Bailey. "[Farming escargot caviar] is a very labour intensive process," Jakobi says, "but we see it as an environmentally sustainable business that can employ people, draw interest and people to the area. We can help make Lakes Entrance a destination for people to come to experience something different."  "It’s crazy when you think about the humble garden snail producing something so super elite – but it’s great being part of the process for something so new and exciting for Australia and East Gippsland." The pair are currently trying to get the product on the market but expect to be selling escargot caviar from their farm gate in coming months and shipping internationally within 12 mo

What kid (or adult) doesn’t like sliding down a giant waterslide? Waterslide enthusiasts are in luck this summer because Adventure Park Geelong has a brand new (sort of amazingly terrifying) waterslide. The $4 million waterslide is Victoria’s first triple funnel water slide of its size and is only one of two in Australia. The Tsunami stands at a mighty 7.5 storeys high and is 172 metres in length, with four guests per raft taken up the slide through three mega funnels. Thrill-seekers then experience huge waves and raging waters akin to rapids before being sucked down a series of high-speed water tunnels and funnels.  The Tsunami is part of the park’s second stage of an $8 million expansion, following the opening of the Tornado waterslide in 2017. The slide is custom-designed by Proslide, one of the world’s top waterslide designers (what a job).  Adventure Park is located just over an hour from Melbourne on the Bellarine Peninsula near the Great Ocean Road. The park re-opens November 1 and for more information visit the website.  More adventure parks and playgrounds in Victoria to check out.  Discover how to have the ultimate getaway to Geelong.

Homelessness is one of the burgeoning issues Melbourne is currently facing. Now you can do your part for local charity the Big Issue by bringing a little mindfulness into your life.  Inner-city lifestyle and retail precinct St Collins Lane is launching its very own Wellness Hub in partnership with personal training studio Ashley Faithfull.  The Hub is offering daily yoga and meditation classes which is perfect, if you’re looking to get zen before the morning madness or want to escape on your lunch break. Head down for a yoga and meditation class at 7.30am or 12.15pm. The classes are running every week day until the end of November and you can sign up for a spot online.  You can also win a 12-month membership to Ashley Faithfull Training Studios for those wellness warriors who attend five or more classes. Book your mat for $1 yoga by visiting the website.  Stretch your buck further with more cheap activities around Melbourne.