Cool stuff down scary looking alleys is just my kind of thing.

CBD-wise, I’d recommend:
- Outre Gallery on Elizabeth Street
- almost everything in Curtin House, Swanston St
- take a good look up the top end of Flinders Lane (from Spring down to Swanston St) there’s loads of gallerys and cool shops
- have a coffee in desgraves st or centre place
- check out the underpass between desgraves st and flinders st railway station, there’s generally odd art in the ‘windows’ and corky st clair is a great shop with original melbourne designed t-shirts, jewellery etc as well as more widely available stuff
- pick up a copy of “A Creative Keepsake – A Cultural Map of Melbourne” from the TIC in Fed Sq – there’s heaps more in that, and it’s one of the best maps of melbourne’s lanes
- buy your sf&f needs from minotaur
- wander down Centre Place and Hosier Lane for great street art
- go to ACMI. It is very cool.
- NGV:I on St Kilda Rd has a sneaker exhibition at the moment
- if you’re too scared to go down that alley, and then round the corner into a smaller alley, and then round another corner into an even smaller “oh my god, is someone shooting up in that doorway” alley a) you’ll miss out on the fabulous experience that is croft
b) try double happiness on liverpool st or cherry bar i think ac/dc lane (yes, down another skanky lane, sorry)
- back issues of tourism vic’s lost and found newsletter have lots of other cool suggestions for bars, shops, art and culture – http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayObject.cfm/ObjectID.A0F5D245-9BE9-4578-9E626A13ED3BA0E1/vvt.vhtml
- take a look at the three thousand e-newsletter (http://www.threethousand.com.au/) to get an idea of what’s going on in old melbourne town
- if you want to see a performance, check out http://www.theatrealive.com.au, the website has heaps of stuff from small and independent theatre groups

Melbourne isn’t quite as up-front as Sydney, there’s heaps to do here, but you have to find it! Do go down that scary looking alley – there’s probably a cool bar, exciting cafe, edgy gallery, funky shop, or fascinating installation down there.

And I haven’t even started talking about Fitzroy, Collingwood, Brunswick or St Kilda yet!

Hmmm. Melbourne Good.
Love Melbourne…

r

Thanks for this Justine. Now I owe you one.

Melbourne Park (home to the Australian Open of tennis) is also a good one.

The Comedy Festival is coming up, so maybe some comedians will be trying stuff out now so they can be at their best come Festival time.

Have a lovely day!

I also recommend checking out the echo in the newly refurbished reading room at the State Library. Wonderful stuff.