Mini Guide on Exploring Melbourne
Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport can be reached from Singapore direct with Emirates, Jetstar, Qantas and Singapore Airlines. From Kuala Lumpur, fly with Air Asia X, Emirates or Malaysia Airlines. Melbourne’s airport is 15 miles from downtown: travel into the city by shuttle bus (US$17 to Southern Cross Station) or taxi (about US$40.75). The public transport system (trains, trams and buses) is privatized: the myki ticket is a smartcard that can be used across the network. A daily ticket for Zone 1, sufficient for most visitors, costs US$6.80. Where to Stay?
Complete with a bistro, bar and roof top retreat, South Melbourne’s The Coppersmith has just 15 beautifully appointed rooms. You can even customize your mini bar upon booking. Visit coppersmithhotel. com.au; 435 Clarendon Street; rooms from US$161.65. The Olsen on Chapel Street, South Yarra is one of four Art Series hotels in Melbourne. Featuring art by the hotel’s namesake, Dr John Olsen, The Olsen even has its own in-house art curator. Visit artserieshotels.com. au; 637-641 Chapel Street; rooms from US$182.95. Tucked away in a leafy residential street in South Yarra, the Lyall Hotel’s spacious accommodation features little luxuries including underfloor heating in the bathrooms and private terraces visit thelyall.com; 14 Murphy St; from US$356.50.
Where to Shop? Emporium Melbourne. Open for just a little over a year, Emporium Melbourne is the city’s latest shopping mecca, featuring more than 150 fashion, lifestyle and beauty specialty stores. Located in the heart of the city, the precinct houses local and international designers, concept and flagship stores (emporiummelbourne. com.au; 287 Lonsdale Street; 10am-7pm Sat to Wed, 10am-9pm Thurs & Fri). Melnournalia. You’d be forgiven for running a mile from a souvenir shop, but at Melbournalia, you’ll find everything from apparel and jewelry to books and artwork made by the city’s freshest design talent. A jar of Melbourne City Rooftop Honey and W Class Tram prints are just the beginning of what’s on offer (melbournalia.com.au; Shop 5, 50 Bourke Street; 10am-7pm Mon to Thurs, 10am-8pm Fri, 11am-6pm Sat & Sun). Chapel Street. Stretching from the suburbs of Windsor to South Yarra in Melbourne’s south east, Chapel Street offers an eclectic mix of designer labels, high street stores and second hand sanctuaries. Don’t miss Bromley & Co for avant-garde art, homewares and a sprinkling of fashion (chapelstreet.com.au). Where to Eat? Attica. In 2015, Attica in the suburb of Ripponlea was the only restaurant in Australia to make it into San Pellegrino’s The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Owner and Executive Chef Ben Shewry curates a modern Australian degustation menu, specializing in native ingredients such as salted red kangaroo and bunya bunya (attica.com.au; 74 Glen Eira Road; dinner Tue to Sat; US$161.50 or US$102.87 for Chef’s Table menu on Tues). Botherambo. In recent years, modern Asian cuisine as exploded in Melbourne. New to Richmond, a stone’s throw away from the MCG, is Botherambo, which nails its south-east Asian brief in a distinctly Melbourne setting. Enjoy pre dinner drinks in the bar on one side before moving into the restaurant on the other (botherambo.com.au; 65 Swan Street; Sun to Thurs 12pm11pm, Fri & Sat 12pm-1am; share plates from US$8.82). Entrecote. Entrecote in the inner city suburb of South Yarra is inspired by Paris’ Le Relais De L’Entrecote that serves just one dish – steak and frites. Sitting pretty across from the Royal Botantic Gardens, the Parisian steakhouse and café is also open for breakfast and is the ideal spot for a glass of Mumm and Croque Monsieur (entrecote. com.au; 131-133 Domain Road; daily 7am-midnight; steak and frites US$29.32). More travel tips and destination at www.vacation-now.com