what if we went to Melbourne?
Long travel days of Google maps, list curation and dopamine-drenched discovery can often lead to a slow fade of that intimate shorthand you develop in years belonging somewhere. The kind where a street name is no longer referred to by its actual name but ‘the street with that place on it’ or ‘the spot where that thing happened’, as layers of place accumulate, both collective and personal.
It’s not homesickness but a recognition that no matter a trip’s length the need for community always crops up, the wish for a local hand—to cut corners and see and do best.
If one city in Australia is to be marked as ground zero for artful expression and belonging, it should probably be Melbourne. And what better way to find friendliness abroad than inside the medium of creativity…
Art has long been the vector through which all themes of humanity can be shared. From our frailty and foibles to delusions and delights, art and the spaces that hold it do their utmost to extend a welcome of ‘come one, come all.’
Heide Museum of Modern Art holds this philosophy in high regard. As it was one of the foundational creative spaces in Melbourne, shared vision and collaboration are the juice it has run on since becoming a haunt for young modernist artists in 1934 (when the property was home to John and Sunday Reed). Back then, the pair opened their home to a progressive cultural community and, in doing so, fostered a mode of living and loving that inspired the antipodean avant garde. The spirited hub, sprawling 6.5 hectares of parkland and five gallery spaces just outside of Melbourne, is now one of Australia's most important cultural institutions.
So where does Heide’s Head Curator, Kendrah Morgan, go when she’s not at work? To start with, just a couple of skips from her desk…
Heide Kitchen, the museum’s on-site café, is a farm-to-table restaurant that specially sources its produce from founder Sunday Reed’s original kitchen. From there, as you inch your way back into the hustle and bustle of the city, Kendrah recommends a stop at Vinoshis Beverage Shop in Ivanhoe for a post-Heide wine and grazing-style snack. Once you’re back to base and feeling particularly overcome by the paradox of choice that is Melbourne’s gastronomic and cultural scene, be sure to keep the Heide staff cheat sheet in your back pocket:
EAT: “Cult favourite chef Audrey Shaw has just opened Carnation Canteen, a new wine bar on Gore Street, Fitzroy, opposite the Union Club Hotel. They serve wine bar-style Italian food, alongside affordable and delicious wines.”
DRINK: “Gerald’s Bar on Rathdowne Street in Carlton is a Melbourne institution. Order a martini, dirty and with an olive…you’ll thank us.”
UNWIND: “Sense of Self in Collingwood is a communal bath house complete with a hammam, cold plunge, sauna and massage options. It’s the perfect place to relax and regroup. Good Vibes Yoga in Collingwood and Northcote is a staff favourite for some self-care post-work. We love their Keep it Mellow classes.”
Once you’ve satiated your foodie appetite and worked up your arty one once more, start a fresh new day at The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), which is home to both local and international shows of contemporary art, or make a beeline for Sarah Scout Presents—a commercial gallery on Easey Street in the buzzing inner-north suburb of Collingwood.
Speaking of Sarah Scout…where might you find Director, Kate Barber, tapping into the creative spirit of the city? For her, spaces like Fitzroy Pool offer up vital threads linking Melbourne’s creative past: “That pool transports me back to a very specific time and place. Its heritage-listed ‘Aqua Profonda’ sign achieved icon status through Helen Garner’s 1977 cult novel Monkey Grip and the film adaptation depicting 1970s counter-cultural Melbourne and its gentrification.”
Once dried off, a more real connection to history may be sought at the Ian Potter Centre at the National Gallery of Victoria. The permanent exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander work called Wurrdha Marra is wonderful. Or head to The Johnston Collection in East Melbourne; it is filled with decorative arts and antiques.
EAT: When it’s high time to dine, Kate recommends Gimlet, located in Cavendish House, a 1920s deco building on Russell Street. “It’s glamorous and timeless, and the service is fabulous—once you are there, time disappears, and you don’t want to leave. Lunch has been known to turn into cocktails and dinner…”
DRINK: But if the night calls for a something closer to home, you might find her basking in the low light and DJ tunes at Uncle Joe’s Wine Bar in Brunswick or sipping something at Staple, “a hole in the wall bar and liquor store that specialises in local wine, beer and spirits, with the friendliest staff and DJs on the weekend.”
Sooner or later on a trip to Naarm (Melbourne), you will find yourself navigating the maze of notorious laneways in the central city. Keep following your nose to Swanston Street’s Nicholas Building. The iconic heritage-listed building is home to CAVES Gallery and, as Director Storm Gold shares, a good spot to park yourself if you want a brilliant nucleus of yum and creative places.
EAT: "Soi 38 Melbourne’s Thai street food is a definite post-opening go-to. For lunch, get some Japanese food at Onigiri Kitchen and Sake Bar close by.”
DRINK: “Our friends at Cathedral wine bar and café are directly downstairs in the foyer. They serve coffee, food and a range of unusual natural wines in a relaxed atmosphere."
UNWIND: When it comes to unwinding, or discovering lesser-known oddities in the city, Storm recommends strolling the Royal Botanic Gardens or getting lost inside the sounds of heterogeneous Naturestrip Records, the spot that helps you find music you’d never heard of but now can’t live without.
Last but not least on your friend-webbed trip around Melbourne, you’ll head to the humble and hip suburb of Northcote, where ReadingRoom Director, Olivia Radonich, and her team of curators and exhibiting artists have a creative cross-section of life on High Street. So, where do they go to fill up when they are out amongst it all?
EAT: “We have been eating at CIBI in Collingwood, a beautiful space created by our friends Zenta and Meg, since it opened 16 years ago. It’s one of our favourite places in Melbourne. It always feels like home to walk in and be welcomed by Zenta, Meg and their family! Their traditional Japanese breakfast is our favourite way to start a weekend.”
DRINK: “Napier Quarter in Fitzroy for an afternoon aperitivo…Daniel Lewis and his team are wonderful, and visiting this neighborhood wine bar is a very loved ritual for us.”
UNWIND: “Fitzroy Pool is a lovely way to start the day—with an early morning sauna in the dry steam room, followed by laps in the outdoor pool. Or take a class at Universal Practice Pilates studio. At the end of the day, it’s always nice to spend sunset at Yarra Bend Park to see the local flying fox colony. Otherwise, we like to amble along Merri Creek.” A venture out of the city to spend time in nature is also a favourite unwind for the ReadingRoom crew. “Our choice is the Mornington Peninsula. It’s an easy one and a half-hour drive from Melbourne city and has lots of beautiful ocean walks along the stretch of coastline. You can also visit the local thermal baths and hot springs in the area while you’re there.”
Rosie Fea
Words come easy for Rosie. So does exploration. Our favourite writer pal is a dreamer, a doer, and she most certainly knows how to live life. When Rosie travels, walking is the name of the game. She walks and walks and just keeps walking, taking in every last sight and sound as she goes. Armed with a notebook, a pen and a camera, Rosie hits the road and finds magical corners and captivating faraway spots. It’s almost as if she’s got a magnetic pull for hidden gems. To Greece! To Queenstown! To Ethopia! she goes. And we couldn’t be more thrilled to be tagging along with her.
