The Hidden Laneways of Melbourne
Meandering down a dark graffiti-painted laneway, I fall behind the others in our group. Drawn to these ugly but somehow beautiful works that cover entire walls, I pause to grudgingly admire the back end of buildings daubed with artwork. Stumbling a little on the cobblestones underfoot while trying to catch up, I finally reach everyone just ahead waiting outside an unmarked doorway. An inviting rectangle of light spills into the darkness that beckons us inside. While not our destination, and not even on the regular tour, our guide Katherine ushers us past the aged stairwell with old, worn timber boards and distressed plastered walls. Akin to stepping into a private home that’s hosting a party for 20 or so friends with a friendly conversational buzz rising into the rafters, it’s one of those unnamed hole in the wall bars you often hear about from Melbournians, but never quite know how to find.
It turns out to be just one of the many delightful surprises on the Sommelier’s City Walk, one of the intriguing options with Melbourne’s Hidden Secrets Tours. Trotting down laneways and dodging city workers as they trudge homeward is just one part of the tour. As the disappearing sun casts long shadows across City Square, I decide to meet up with Katherine and two fellow guests at La Vita Buona Wine Bar and am surprised later to find myself jumping on a tram many hours after the tour has ended having lingered over nightcaps with my newfound friends. We visit three city establishments by foot, all of which are chosen for their quality of food and presentation, but more importantly for their attention to wine. This is a Sommelier’s tour after all. Over a span of two and a half hours we enjoy nine wine tastings accompanied by nine menu tastes: a fulfilling sample of each restaurant’s best dishes. Greeted by each establishment’s sommelier I learn that food and wine harmonizing is taken very seriously.
At least it is, initially. Soon, our small group of four is getting on like a house on fire. We’ve come together through a common interest in discovering some of Melbourne’s hidden gourmand secrets but after awhile it feels as though I’m dining out with old friends. It helps to have an accomplished guide such as Katherine to fast track us to the best that each restaurant has to offer. For example, the standout dish at Verge turns out be squid ink sorbet, something that I would normally have bypassed on the menu. Surprisingly, at our last venue, Seamstress, sandwiched in an old brothel in Lonsdale Street between an elegant lounge bar on the top floor and a cocktail bar in the basement, we finish the night imbibing mojitos and gin & tonics late into the night promising to stay in touch (we do). Unlike any other tour you’re likely to try, Hidden Secrets really does take you on an intimate journey into the concealed treasures of Australia’s favourite city.
Melbourne is a walking-friendly city both by day and by night. Perched on the banks of the Yarra River, city leaders have done a terrific job preserving gorgeous Federation era architecture interspersed with vast historic gardens right in the heart of the city. One of the best walks is the leisurely wander from the inner urban suburb of South Yarra to the Central Business District. Along the way you’ll encounter no less than eight parks. If you have a little time to spare, you can encounter many more, plus the countless unofficial reserves and recreation areas along the banks of the Yarra River. Early morning is the best time to capture the sights and sounds of a city awakening. Just board the #8 tram from the city centre, hop off at Toorak Road and walk back to the city centre.
Taking approximately an hour, this walk starts from Fawkner Park on Toorak Rd, where elegant turn of the century mansions have been converted into boutique hotels. On warm afternoons you can hear the sound of tennis balls being batted back and forth but in the early morning you are more likely to see joggers exercising their excited dogs. Walking briskly north toward the Botanical Gardens, you’ll soon hear bats screeching as they jostle for sleeping perches after their night time explorations. If you can, walk straight past the wonderful aromas of the usually packed Domain Bakery and veer down Birdwood Ave, underneath the gnarled old Moreton Bay figs. On the right are the historic and majestic Gardens. Duck quickly through the wrought iron gate for a glimpse of the treasures inside. Immediately make plans to pack a picnic lunch and come back to spend an entire day exploring historic cottages, lakes and acres of gardens. If you’re fortunate enough to be here in summer, the night can be spent at the Moonlight Theatre where you can snuggle up in a beanbag and watch classic and new release films on an outdoor screen.
Back out on Birdwood Avenue you’ll now find yourself on what’s called “The Tan” where joggers and power walkers will be whizzing past you in both directions. Pick up the pace a little and enjoy this Melbourne fitness institution. Looking straight down the tree-lined St Kilda Road on the left is the Shrine of Remembrance. You might want to pause a moment here to gaze into the eternal flame and reflect on lives lost in wartime. Up ahead is the Queen Victoria Gardens with its elaborate gazebo, fountains and impressive sculptures scattered amongst ancient rose gardens. Check your progress here on the floral clock, radiant with seasonal blooms.
Leave the joggers behind and detour across the manicured gardens of the Kings Domain where you’ll peek through the tall gates of Government House. If the flag is flying, you’ll know the Governor of Victoria is in residence. Admire the ever-changing flowerbeds as you pass the Myer Music Bowl then wind your way past the overgrown path beside the waterfall before rejoining the Tan on the banks of the Yarra River. Plan to bring family or friends back at sunset with your BBQ ingredients and utilise the free BBQs overlooking Melbourne Park, Olympic Park and the MCG (all iconic Australian sporting institutions) across the river. Now you will see your destination up ahead, the city buildings rising above the river, peeking out through the early morning fog. But first you must pass through the tree-lined avenue of Alexandra Gardens housing the rowing sheds, always a hive of activity early in the morning. Cross over the Yarra at the historic Princes Bridge, and pause to admire the architecture and the intriguing patterns of the Kimberley sandstone paving of Federation Square.
Stop for coffee and muffins at one of the plethora of hole in the wall coffee shops in Degraves Lane. This is a great spot to reflect on your leisurely stroll as throngs of office workers whiz past you on their way to the office towers beyond bustling Collins St. Oh, and it also has some wonderfully clever graffiti-painted walls tucked away at the grungy northern end.
Melbourne, the Capital of the State of Victoria, is Australia’s most diverse, multicultural city, regularly named on Best Liveable Cities lists. The city has a strong arts, food and fashion culture, attracting its’ own fashion style amongst local fashionistas known as ‘very Melbourne’
The area code for Melbourne is 61.