A comprehensive guide to the attractions of the Australian city, covering sights, hotels, restaurants, entertainment, history and culture.

This book can be purchased online from Amazon.com.

A comprehensive guide to the attractions of the Australian city, covering sights, hotels, restaurants, entertainment, history and culture.

This book can be purchased online from Amazon.com.

A comprehensive guide to the attractions of the Australian city, covering sights, hotels, restaurants, entertainment, history and culture.

This book can be purchased online from Amazon.com.

"Then it’s time to hop aboard the most impressive train of all: the Indian Pacific. A two-night journey west to Perth includes top-quality dining, stark desert scenery, and dinner in a remote ghost town. It’s a fitting finale to an almost 8000 kilometre rail odyssey..."

Detailing how to catch trains from Far North Queensland through NSW, Victoria and South Australia, all the way to Western Australia.
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"Melbourne’s CBD laneways are its pride and joy, but some are more famous than others. The hole-in-the-wall eateries of Centre Place appear frequently in the media, and Hosier Lane is always packed with tourists eyeing its street art. At the other end of the scale, however, are laneways where tourists seldom tread..."

"The Melbourne CBD’s network of arcades, lane­ways and alleys has been described as a 'city within a city'. Add to that its rooftop venues, and there’s plenty to interest the visitor at ground level and above. Lesser known than these attractions are Melbourne’s underground secrets. Tucked beneath street level, often reached by anonymous-looking stairs, are shops, galleries, entertainment venues and eateries that are worth stepping into..."

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"Shopping has long been one of Melbourne’s big attractions. Since the 19th century, visitors with money to spend have found plenty to interest them in the cluster of shops both big and small at its retail heart. The opening of Emporium Melbourne, however, took this precinct to a new level. Covering six floors, this shiny mall sits within the grand facade of the 1926 Myer department store building on Lonsdale Street. The result is a distinctively 21st century shopping experience..."

"Over the decades, the festival has attracted the talents of a vast array of comedians, even those used to larger audiences via radio and TV. One of these is Dave O’Neil. Why does he think Melbourne is the natural home of comedy? 'It’s the weather!' he says. 'It keeps people indoors. People in Sydney are outdoors on their rollerblades in bike shorts, whereas in Melbourne you’re sometimes forced to go indoors. That’s why good music and comedy comes out of Melbourne...'"

"Once a no-nonsense area of light industry and postwar brick houses jostling older weatherboard stock, the north-east has blended the traditional with incoming hipsters to produce a vibrant region of live music, great coffee and reinvented cuisine. Add long-overlooked natural attractions, like the trails along Merri Creek and Darebin Creek, and you start to see why so many people are drawn to live and visit here..."

Investigating the attractions of the inner-northeast suburbs of Melbourne, Australia.

"As I follow the curve of the wall into the darkened room, I pass little windows in which are mounted pieces of blue cloth. Bathed in soft light, it’s as if they’re holy relics. Which in a way, they are. As I round the corner I’m confronted by the Eureka Flag, behind glass and resting on an incline to catch the room’s low lighting to best effect. It really is a magnificent specimen – at a vast 4m by 2.6m, it dominates the semi-circular space..."

"For decades now, those coming to central Melbourne in search of the latest cool bar or quirky boutique have been peering down iconic, dark and sometimes dingy alleyways. The city’s laneways have become justly famous, but now the action is heading upwards to the very tops of the buildings surrounding them. Here are just a few of the many ways to enjoy rooftop Melbourne..."

Investigating attractions found on the city centre rooftops of Melbourne, Australia.

"This part of the year can be cold, but so what? Regional Victoria shines in the crisp cool days and nights. Victoria offers invigorating walking and cycling trails, spectacular scenery, and plenty of great locally-produced wine, beer and food..."

Detailing the attractions of five towns and cities across regional Victoria, Australia.
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"Melbourne is renowned for its active performing arts scene, from the regular events at the city’s sprawling Arts Centre to the big-budget commercial productions within its grand 19th century theatres. However, one vibrant element of the city’s culture often missed by visitors by is its lively independent theatre scene. Across Melbourne, small venues present drama, comedy, cabaret and music..."

Exploring cutting-edge arts venues & companies in Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart & Alice Springs.

"We’re moving along the Esplanade past the choppy expanse of Port Phillip Bay on a cool grey Melbourne morning, when we hear Chopper Read speak. It’s a chilling extract of him talking lightly on the subject of cutting off toes, one of his favoured methods of persuasion in his former life of crime. It’s preceded by a snippet from the film about the notorious criminal’s life, Chopper, spoken by Eric Bana..."

Investigating the underworld history of Melbourne via an intriguing crime tour.

"The story of Clunes, north of Ballarat, is that of the little town that could. From a thriving gold rush settlement of 30,000 residents in the Victorian era, it had subsided to a sleepy hamlet of 1000 souls and empty shopfronts a century later. Then some forward-thinking townsfolk had an idea of how to best utilise those dusty-but-attractive shops, staging a one-day book festival in their interiors..."

"We're not in Kansas any more, baby - or at least not in the Healesville of quaint old pubs and shopfronts. Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander is housed in a lofty angular space of steel, glass and smooth mood music. Everything is open plan, with tables scattered among sofas and pot plants on a pebble-dash concrete floor next to an open kitchen. Through a glass wall, diners can see the winery operation..."

"In a sense, Power’s Lookout embodies all the attractions of the High Country, in Victoria’s northeast: its nature-based activities, history, and great food and wine. The lofty view reveals the outdoor allure of the region, the bushranging connection is a reminder of its colourful history, and the glimpse of the fertile land below is a tempting entree to the region’s great produce..."

Profiling the attractions of the High Country region of Victoria, Australia.
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"If there was ever an unlikely spot for a Sunday lunch, it’s this quiet corner of Geelong West. As Narrelle and I walk from North Geelong Station, we pass light industrial sites and faded weatherboard houses. Suddenly here’s the Telegraph Hotel, with its late-Deco lines. Within, it’s a big airy space with dark timber furniture, tiled walls, and a wood-panelled bar..."

"Beyond having a drink in the sort of towns you'd never spot from the Hume Freeway, tour members learn about the historic and social nature of these watering holes. 'No poker machines, no TAB and most of them are over 100 years old,' McPherson says. 'In these little places they're the centre of town - if you want to know something, you go to the pub.'"

"'All the world’s a stage,' wrote William Shakespeare, but he might as well have said 'All the world’s a beach.' Through Asia, Australia and the Pacific there are beaches of every type, hosting every attraction. Whether you’re after a rest, a meal, a party or a spot of retail action, there’s a sandy shore out there for you. Here’s a selection of the best..."

Detailing a number of fine beaches, including one in Victoria.
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"I've only recently watched the movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes, so I'm understandably unnerved to discover a giant bust of a chimpanzee in bushland on the edge of Melbourne's suburban sprawl. A minute before, I was strolling across neat lawns behind the McClelland Gallery, admiring a gold-faced statue of Dame Joan Sutherland. Now I'm following a narrow track through native trees and things have taken a more primal turn..."

"The star exhibit of this Depression-busting style was the Manchester Unity Building, which gave much-needed work to labourers as it was swiftly constructed in 1932. Within its foyer there's a collection of grand ornamentation; one frieze depicts an Aboriginal man carving a canoe while being watched by a kangaroo..."

"Suddenly the machine opens up and I have a rush of freedom as I zip around the open space, becoming ever more confident over the rougher patches of ground. My comeuppance happens in the next zone we traverse, a beautiful wetlands area of ponds and gum trees, in which the tour's designers have inserted some mild hazards - log bridges, minor obstacles and small hills..."

"I've often wondered if the good 19th-century burghers of Queenscliff made a deal with some nether spirit for their town to remain untouched by the march of progress. The Grand Dining Room of the Vue Grand hotel is one of the town's many survivors from the past, looking jaunty in its reinstated Victorian-era colours of pale blue and yellow..."

"Pizza Verde, on Kyneton's foodie strip Piper Street, is a welcoming destination on a cool but sunny Sunday. Narrelle and I step through its doors to find a large, split-level space packed with retro laminex-topped kitchen tables. There are no fine-dining hushed tones here, more the friendly buzz of groups who flood in at 1pm for the Sunday lunch ritual..."

"The poem, set after the arcade closes at night, has a bunch of ornaments breaking out of fashion boutique Corky St Clair and running the length of the underpass. It's an amusing poetic romp, a light-hearted urban fairytale that provokes chuckles at the antics of the newly animated objects and their very Melbourne artiness..."

"This US publisher offers apps covering specialised topics for destinations around the world. my own app, Melbourne Historical, is one of its australian guides; its ‘offbeat’ section includes such oddities as the 19th century urinals on Flinders Lane..."

"'Hal's Wigs, Merrylight Wigs, Di'Napoli Men's Hair Pieces,' I murmur, reading the labels on a column of cardboard boxes that reaches from floor to ceiling. Each title is stencilled in an old-fashioned font that suggests a commercial enterprise of the 1950s or '60s. I catch myself reaching up to check the status of my own hairline, as the artist might have expected me to do..."

"I get the feeling long-term Sassafras resident Brian Storrie is in two minds about the transformation of his Dandenong Ranges town into a full-blown tourist destination. 'Up here at weekends it's a rat race, so I just hide,' he says, before adding that the place is much quieter during the week. 'It's got a village atmosphere and you get to know the people. It's not like living in the suburbs, where you don't seem to know anybody.'"

"There are many big events on the Melbourne calendar, so much so that it has become an attraction itself. In March you can choose between (or combine) the Grand Prix, the Fashion Festival, the Food and Wine Festival, the Queer Film Festival, the International Comedy Festival, the International Flower and Garden Show, and the decades-old Moomba Festival. However, one exciting element of the city’s cultural offerings that often eludes visitors is its vibrant independent theatre scene..."

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"'Nothing succeeds like success,' goes the old saying, and it could well work as the
motto for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Since its inception in 1987, the festival has become one of Australia’s biggest arts events - with over 400,000 tickets sold last year. Now the Comedy Festival is turning 25. What accounts for its extraordinary success?"

Revealing the highlights of the 25th Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

"I'm sitting outside a bakery on Woodend's main drag, eating an award-winning sausage roll, to be followed by an award-winning vanilla slice, while soaking up the award-worthy autumn sunshine. Gazing along High Street and its numerous shops, fairly free of chain stores, I can sense why this has become such a popular destination for tree-changers."

"When they nudged their flimsy aircraft into the air near Kitty Hawk on 17 December 1903 to make the first-ever powered flight, Wilbur and Orville Wright couldn’t have known how quickly their invention would develop. Over a century later, commemorations of milestones in aviation history have been coming thick and fast..."

Previewing the attractions of this year's Australian International Airshow.

"Stepping through a door surrounded by leadlight windows into a room of polished timber floorboards and old fireplaces, there's an impression of being a guest in someone's home as we select a table at Daylesford's Perfect Drop..."

"Within hours of arriving in Castlemaine, I've spotted Persian feta on a cafe menu, wandered through chichi boutiques within an old hotel building and admired the authentic French antiques in my accommodation. Is it my imagination or is the practical old gold-rush town becoming a bit glamorous?"

"Goat's cheese, Italian-style wines and fine dining restaurants are synonymous with the High Country region of northeast Victoria. It’s hard to imagine what the poor Irish farmers who worked on smallholdings here in the 19th century would have made of this modern plenty. Or, for that matter, what their bushranger hero Ned Kelly would say about it all..."

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"This flashpackers’ hostel is located on the edge of the established backpackers’ paradise of St Kilda, with easy tram access into the central city. It’s within walking distance of the popular Acland Street dining strip, with its Central European cake shops. The hostel also offers a number of regular free events, including pancake mornings, evening barbecues, and walking tours of the Melbourne CBD."

Detailing upmarket 'flashpacker' hostels across Australia and New Zealand.
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"Why is Melbourne such a readers’ paradise? It might be something to do with the weather. As summer fades and balmy autumn nights signal the shift toward chilly winter, there’s nothing more comforting than the thought of settling down with a book next to a log fire in a St Kilda cafe. Here are five of the city centre’s best booksellers."

"In February, as Victoria’s bushfires reached the edge of Yarra Glen, the small Yarra Valley town was apparently nearing its darkest hour. It survived, but the smoke seemed to linger for a while as visitors avoided the region out of respect, while the locals rebuilt. When I ask the co-owner of Mandala Wines, Charles Smedley, if Yarra Glen has a strong sense of community, he nods an affirmative. ‘What happened through the fires enhanced it, if anything,’ he says."

A guide to the town of Yarra Glen, in the Yarra Valley east of Melbourne.
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"This focal point seems the right place to begin an exploration of Melbourne’s renowned alleyways and laneways. Over the last decade these once-neglected sidestreets have become populated with bars, cafes, restaurants, music spots and art galleries. Today I’m taking a trip from the macro world of sprawling Flinders Street Station to the attractive micro world of Melbourne’s alleys."

Wandering the vibrant alleys and laneways in the heart of Melbourne.
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"I’m having coffee with an enthusiastic man from the 19th century. At least, it looks that way. Tour guide Colin Mockett is dressed in a black top hat, bright red cravat and riding boots, and looks like nothing less than a wealthy Victorian gentleman out on the town. Geelong was certainly rich in those days; and the symbol of its 21st century renewal is its once decaying waterfront, now restored to vitality."

"Where to next? I’m standing high on a slope, and the walking track I’ve been following is blocked by fallen trees. This sort of thing happens every time I visit Olinda. Having left the concrete jungle, I get excited by the prospect of bushwalking, neglect to obtain a proper map and end up on a walk that’s more difficult than I’d expected. But the good thing about this national park is that you’re never far from a craft shop."

A guide to the town of Olinda, in the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne.
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"I’m fortunate to arrive at the lake as the sun is about to set. There’s no traffic on the water this time of day, so its surface is almost still, rippling slightly as a cool breeze blows into the town. Aside from a few pink-tinged clouds, there’s a clear sky, and as it fills with the orange glow of the disappearing sun I feel myself starting to relax."

Enjoying the wineries and natural attractions of Nagambie, Victoria.
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"From the dawn of powered air travel in 1903, people have been enthralled by aircraft and their pilots. Whether it's because air travel still seems miraculous, or simply because an aircraft aloft is an impressive sight, we're drawn to the sight of what a movie once called 'those magnificent men in their flying machines'."

Taking to the skies to cover the Avalon Airshow in Victoria, Australia. 

"The 1880s were the glory days of Marvellous Melbourne - the city was booming, the British Empire was at its mightiest, Queen Victoria was approaching her Golden Jubilee and it was time to create a body devoted to the most famous English writer of all time..."

Discovering the secrets behind Melbourne's oldest societies.
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"Dressed in a black robe and hat, Sinton cuts a startling figure seemingly from a bygone age. He’s standing on the steps of a Gothic monument to colonial pioneers in the chilly darkness, as some bats pass theatrically above his head. 'The State Library is the most haunted building in Melbourne,' pronounces Sinton as we continue the walk."

Delving into the paranormal via ghost tours across Australia. 

"Right at the end of Kelly Street is a tumbledown timber house built by Ned’s dad, 'Red' Kelly. Ned’s childhood home is derelict, but I feel warmly toward it, thinking of the brave young boy growing up here; admiring his dad, loving his mother. His life is an undeniably fascinating story, but I keep coming back to the same question: was he hero or villain?"

A journey through Victoria's High Country in search of the spirit of Ned Kelly.
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"“Everybody said ‘You can’t do it in Australia’,” recalls David Baker, owner of the Bakery Hill Distillery. But such negativity only made Baker more determined. Evoking the spirit of the 1854 Eureka Stockade uprising in the Victorian goldfields, he swore to uphold his right... to make Aussie whisky. Which explains the crossed pick and shovel on the label of each bottle, as well as the distillery’s name."

Revealing the artisan distillers of Australia, from rum makers to sake brewers. 

"All good things must come to an end, as the saying goes, and even Melbourne’s much-loved trams run out of track eventually. But that needn’t be the end of the journey. Near the scattered tram termini, there are interesting attractions worth hanging on to the end of the line for - sometimes humble, sometimes intriguing, and sometimes picturesque."

A profile of attractions near the termini of Melbourne's tram lines.
Available for republication (print only).

"It must be some sort of record – this privately-owned railway closed after running just one train in 1888. Ross’ dream was to build a sugar beet factory on the edge of the city, with a dedicated railway to transport the resultant sugar to its eager sweet-toothed inhabitants. However, the project was a white elephant from the moment construction began in 1883."

Traces the walking trails along former railways in and around Melbourne.
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"When Indiana Jones grabbed the golden idol out of that lost temple back in 1981, young Andre Bishop mistakenly thought it was fashioned in the shape of a monkey. Decades later, Bishop helped preside over the opening of Golden Monkey. 'I just imagined the sort of Shanghai bar that Indiana Jones would walk into, meeting some dodgy antique dealer.' And it’s not the only city bar with an Asian theme..."

Profile of five cool inner-city bars with an Asian theme.
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"The only question that occurs to visitors in this oh-so-cool Fitzroy bar is 'Am I cool enough?' There’s a certain studied nonchalance about the regular clientele that perfectly matches the dressed-down loungey aesthetic..."

A journey through Melbourne's vibrant bar scene, from grunge venues to glam premises.
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"How often do we stick to the prescribed list of attractions in the guidebook, ticking them off while more interesting unplanned experiences wait just around the corner? Starting from Flinders Street Station, I’m going to take each successive left turn, then right turn, down streets and arcades, until I can go no further. Or decide to cheat, as long as it makes the experience more interesting."

Exploring central Melbourne via an experimental travel technique.
Available for republication from June 2007 (print only).

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"What if you’ve been to Melbourne a million times and have 'done' all the tourist sights? Here’s a different approach: trainspotting without the trains. A number of railway reserves, remnants of unsuccessful rail lines, have been turned into routes for walking, cycling and riding. These 'rail trails' pass through attractive greenery or by interesting architecture, and allow a certain amount of stickybeaking into back yards along the way."

An investigation of four walking trails along former railway lines, in and near the city.
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"Melbourne has a Tank Museum on the edges of its suburban sprawl. We’re not talking about corrugated iron water receptacles here. Rows of tanks, artillery pieces and heavy vehicles lie undercover, tended by John Belfield, a wiry 72 year old who has been collecting tanks for five decades. Belfield’s wife, Pat, is obviously supportive of the museum, though she does say: 'I sometimes wish it was stamp collecting'."

Ranges through the world's oddest museums, exhibiting everything from sulphur to Spam.
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"Although I'm concentrating on where my feet are, avoiding muddy patches and keeping to the track, I can't ignore the forest around me. It's dense and green, but with dramatic shadings of light and dark, so that it seems comforting rather than oppressive. And when I pick my way up a difficult slope and find myself on a small wooden bridge over a creek trickling its way down the hillside, I feel like I'm at the top of the world."

Escaping from the big city, into the leafy Dandenong ranges east of Melbourne.
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"Ballarat is that exceptional thing: a regional location whose main attractions are historic rather than natural. The city is haunted by the ghosts of colonial Victoria, and its story is showcased in original, interesting ways. If you’ve ever felt you should know more about Australian history, this is the place to spark your interest."

A look at the attractions and tumultous gold rush history of Ballarat, Victoria.
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"Melbourne was once known as a city of conservative morals, early closing hours, and uninviting, rainswept streets. But times change. Those streets now lead to alleyways lined with fashionable boutiques, cool cafes and cutting-edge bars: quietly fashionable, architecturally quirky and deliberately off the map."

An exploration of Melbourne's vibrant alleyway bar scene, with short reviews of several bars.
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"In the shadow of these structures lie a number of hidden treasures. Some are historical curiosities, others the forgotten debris of the past. These forgotten gems are reminders of the city’s eternal diversity, and the way it piles up new examples of the present without ever quite clearing away its history. Here are ten places to get you looking at Melbourne in a different light."

Investigation of ten little known places of interest in Melbourne. 
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"Every museum has it. No matter how dusty the displays, how misspelled the cardboard labels, there's at least one unexpected item which makes you say 'cool'. A look through the specialist museums of Melbourne doesn’t disappoint. Each confirms this city's story is as complex as its people; just when you think you know it all, Marvellous Melbourne springs another surprise."

A look at a range of lesser-known Melbourne museums, including the Tank Museum and Chinese Museum. 
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I also have a selection of high-quality digital images available, depicting a variety of international locations. 

If you'd like to republish one of these pieces, or would like a new piece written about the same location, please get in touch via the contacts below:

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email:
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