The Gen XY Lifestyle

Melbourne On The Mind

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Melbourne has been voted the world’s most liveable city – repeatedly –by The Economist Intelligence Unit Survey. In the survey pool of 140 cities, Melbourne scored top marks for healthcare, education and infrastructure.

As we reach the final third of 2014, we start thinking about holidays and festivities. To help plan your vacation, we take a look at some of the options, attractions, events and places to visit in Victoria and Melbourne until the end of 2014.

For the independent spirits, there are many resources available online to help in planning your trip according to themes. Check out the official Visit Victoria website for resources such as this handy 48 hour itinerary that explores the Cultural Heart of Melbourne or this other itinerary that brings you through an art-inspired weekend in Melbourne. One thing is for sure, you can spend as little as 2 days in Melbourne and come away with an experience worth taking home!

For the independent foodies, Victoria (the region) offers many attractions for those with a car. Locals  have been doing this for countless weekends, embarking on  gourmet junkets to places such as the Pyrenees, Grampians, Henty, Bellarine and the “Central Victorian Goldfields”. Never heard of some of these places? Fret not! You can reference and download Gourmet Food Trails guides published by the Visit Melbourne folks. The Bellarine Taste Trail map walks through and showcases local producers, restaurants and cafes along the region as well as the key food events taking place throughout the year.

Both repeat and new visitors to Victoria can consider self-drive tour routes that takes you along the Southeast Touring Triangle, the Great Southern Touring route as well as the Sydney-Melbourne Heritage Drive and a favourite, The Great Alpine Road. These routes are great in packing in some drive time, exploring the diverse Victoria region as well as discovery of new places to chill out and enjoy.

For those aiming to soak in the sights and sounds of Melbourne, check out Doyle and Blender Studios, a hub for street artists as well as the home of Melbourne Street Art Tours. They do walking tours with well-known Melbourne street artists who bring the groups through the city’s streets and lanes seeking out and explaining the art.

Doyle art

If you are looking for a foodie’s perspective to Melbourne, consider signing up with Walk Melbourne Tours. They celebrate Melbourne’s contemporary food culture through a series of walks that brings out Melbourne’s history while at the same time, indulging in many a favourite pastime – sharing food together with friends and family. Group sizes can range from 4 to 40 people.

If you have a more flexible schedule, consider timing your Melbourne visit with any of the following activities on the event calendar!

Make your way to Victoria Harbour every Friday in July and August to catch the free Docklands Winter Fireworks. Aim for a superb and “photo-tastic” view at one of the waterfront restaurants or enjoy the fireworks display from the New Quay Promenade. Fireworks start at 7pm for ten minutes.

Docklands Winter Fireworks

From 17 October to 8 February (2015), the National Gallery of Victoria will be featuring the event – The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. Expect to see everything from photographs to sketches, stage costumes, film, concert and dance performance in addition to over 140 crafted garments. According to the the website, the exhibition will feature a “spectacular overview of Gaultier’s oeuvre features the first dress created by the designer in 1971 to his latest  haute couture and ready-to-wear collections, costumes worn by Kylie Minogue and Beyoncé and haute couture dresses worn by Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett”.

From 14 – 16 November, over 15 of Melbourne’s most trendy and “trend-ing” restaurants create special tasting dishes for the event – A Taste of Melbourne. Foodie tourists can look forward to learning about mixology through a cocktail masterclass, update and refresh the inner sommelier at the Wine Theatre as well as pick up new culinary stories at the Dilmah Chef’s Skillery.

(All images courtesy of Tourism Victoria)

 

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