Insider Guide to: Melbourne

So far, we’ve been exploring a lot of the Northern Hemisphere with our staff, but now it’s time to take a trip down under – Catherine shows us what makes Melbourne shine.

Catherine, Head of Marketing

I’m originally from Melbourne, Australia – it’s what I still consider home. Even though I am currently living it up at our Spacebase headquarters in Berlin, not a day goes by where I don’t think about the beautiful city that I’ve left behind for the time being. I’m keen to tell you about some of my favourite parts of the city!

Neighbourhoods 

• Generally the inner north is all pretty wonderful, but Collingwood in particular has always been my favourite neighbourhood. I love walking down Smith St for the fantastic mix of restaurants, bars and stores.

• The best in the west, Footscray has really made a name for itself in recent years for the cool and creative. Also, it has some of the tastiest Vietnamese food in all of Melbourne.

Going out

• For a top glass of wine, you can go to Marion, located on one of my favourite streets – Gertrude St in Fitzroy. In summer, the terrace seating is amazing and the menu is just as impressive. If you’re looking to have a fancy and romantic date night, this is the place to go.

• I lived in Northcote for a year and there were so many good food options on High St. A solid choice was always Tahina – an Israeli restaurant with a completely vegetarian menu. I loved the green falafel pocket, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you could always try the vegan hot dog (which is actually a caramelised carrot!).

• I’d be remiss not to mention somewhere to go in the city centre, but there’s so much to choose from it’s hard to pick a favourite. In any case, Magic Mountain Saloon has some incredible cocktails, great Asian fusion food, and if you’re up for a boogie, head next door to Boney, where the tunes go all night.

Things to do

• Melbourne has the National Gallery of Victoria which is kind of a no brainer, but if you really want to have a special day surrounded by art, I think a trip to Heide Museum of Modern Art is the way to go. There’s a beautiful garden and sculpture park that’s connected to the gallery, so it’s the perfect place to have a picnic as well.

•  It’s kind of hard to put into words how amazing Melbourne’s live music scene is. It’s incredibly diverse, super supportive, and there really is something happening every night of the week. If you are keen to go to a gig, a couple of great venues to check out are Northcote Social Club, The Gasometer, and the iconic Tote Hotel.

• Similar to the live music, Melbourne’s fashion scene is superb. There are lots of independent designers and wonderful boutiques. A couple of my favourite designers are VERNER and Kloke, and as for boutiques, I like Shifting Worlds and Slow Waves in the CBD, or for homewares, Mr Kitly in Brunswick.

Spaces

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