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By now, the third installment of our winter guide to Melbourne, we expect you’re itching to flee your homes for the rollicking chills of Melbourne. Cocoon in the following spots, selected again with the help of a handful of local personalities, and emerge as a significantly more relaxed, culturally enlightened, well-dressed butterfly… or something.
COME FOR: Lucy Folk
Lucy Folk’s food-inspired jewellery smokes Cosmo Kramer’s “Fusilli Jerry” pasta sculpture in every way, from her crab claw necklaces to pretzel brooches. Spice and pepper bracelets and taco necklaces will provide some yummy warmth to your pulse points, placebo effect or not, and literally add some flavour to your wardrobe.
STAY FOR: Alpha 60
From the plate to the palette, sibling design duo Alex and Georgie Cleary of label Alpha 60 are stimulated by Melbourne’s art scene, subbing fashion magazines for galleries to get their creative cogs churning…
Melbourne winters give us the perfect chance to explore the city and trawl through the galleries. If we had half a day, then we would be walking this trail:
Start at ACCA in Southbank. The rusted steel building is a highlight on its own. Then walk across the river to Anna Schwartz, home to one of our favourite artists, Callum Morton.
Take a short wander then to Chinatown and the artist-run space TCB. This is one of the breeding grounds for Melbourne’s artists and whilst not to everyone’s taste, it is certainly interesting.
Now, to the opposite end of the spectrum, the excellent Tolarno Gallery. Typically, the gallery exhibits more established artists such as Bill Henson and Patricia Piccinini. However, the last show we saw was by Brendan Huntley, who is also the singer from Eddie Current Suppression Ring, and it was awesome!
The last stop would be Bourke Street’s Neon Parc gallery, followed by a wine at Von Haus in Crossley St. You’d probably deserve it after looking at all that art!
COME FOR: Borsari Cycles
Rubber tubes, bells, spandex, decorated cane baskets and icy beverages are essential for 1) a major crafternoon session and 2) a cruisy bike ride around Melbourne. Yo dawg, Borsari Cycles have been pimping rides since 1941 and heard you like to hire bikes and bike gear so they put bikes and bike gear for hire in their bike shop.
STAY FOR: Melbourne Museum
Melbourne born illustrator and graphic designer Beci Orpin is to crafts what Xzibit is to rides: a pimp. With the kids in tow, Beci balances good times for both sprogs and olds without going dead set cray cray…
We are always on the hunt for indoors and child-friendly places during winter, and our favourite is the Melbourne Museum. I think I love it as much as the kids (I’m a big fan of natural history), especially trying to spot tawny frogmouths in the outdoor area and of course the taxidermy collection. A trip to the Melbourne Museum is usually followed by a visit to Baker D Chirico for some cake type treats, and some book browsing at Readings.
COME FOR: Oriental Tea House
Whilst wearing woollen gloves can complicate some activities, sipping aromatic teas and slithering dumplings down ones throat they do not. With over 60 teas to pair with their fluffy folded dumplings, you’ll leave like a teabag (yeah, we did) wonton more (yeah, we did again).
STAY FOR: Hell’s Kitchen
What would Pedestrian’s guide to Melbourne in winter be, if we didn’t check in with our very own Melbourne-based Fashion Editor, Sam Sidney…
Tucked away up a tiny staircase in one of the CBD’s most photogenic alleyways (Centre Place) hides Hell’s Kitchen, a wine bar slash café that is perfect for a cheeky drink (or 2) at night or for some seriously good people-watching while chowing down a tasty lunch. They play good tunes, offer an array of yummy drinks and food and you’ll find it’s the perfect hole-in-the-wall bar when you want to impress a first date (or an interstate visitor who really wants that “Melbourne experience”).
For more ideas on how you can make the most of Melbourne this winter head to City of Melbourne’s official website.
