For those traveling to Melbourne, Australia, the city’s ambient lanes and avenues filled with hip eateries, boutique shopping and beautiful parks is also home to some quirky fare. You just need to know where to look. To make your trip to the city more interesting, here is a guide to the quirkier side of Melbourne.
Have Your Balls Topped
For a fun experience in a sultry space, head to The Meatball & Wine Bar. First, you’ll choose your balls – chicken, beef, pork, fish or vegetarian. After this, you’ll be asked “What do you want to put on your balls?” and “What do you want your balls to sit in?” While it may sound rowdy, the venue is actually a sultry wine bar serving a variety of Italian and Australian vinos to pair with your balls and classic Italian food fare.
Have A Bite In Melbourne’s Smallest Cafe
Visiting the Switchboard Cafe, located in the Manchester Unity Building, is like sipping coffee in a dollhouse. If you don’t breath too deeply, you’ll be able to fit four people in the tiny space. While not the most inviting venue, it’s definitely quirky. Moreover, they’re known for making some of the best coffee in the city as well as serving tasty sandwiches on soft, warm bread.
Sample Beauty Products In A Shop Made Of Cardboard
While Aesop sells high quality bath and body products all over the world, their Melbourne shop on Flinders Lane is particularly quirky. That’s because it’s made completely out of cardboard. Not only are the products set up on cardboard displays, but the walls and shelves are, as well. Bonus: The shop offers free samples of their exclusive line that last all day.
Be Honest At “Cup Of Truth”
Located underground at Flinders Street Station you’ll find Cup Of Truth, a tiny coffee shop that operates using the trust system. Purchase your coffee, then put the money in the giant cup and take out your change. Not only is their business model surprising, but also the fact they brew artisanal coffees behind a counter space that’s so tiny you can barely turn around.
Browse Unusual Herbs, Spices And Chocolates At Gewurzhaus
Started by two sisters, Gewurzhaus in Block Arcade is home to some very unusual herbs, spices, salts, sugars, peppers and chocolates. Their spices – some of which include Aussie Meat Pie, Salt & Pepper Squid, Sausage Roll and Venetian Gondola- are prepared onsite. Some of these blends are then sent to a local chocolatier to create innovative chocolate bars for the shop. To go along with your edibles, Gewurzhaus sells interesting vintage kitchen pieces.
Get Your Name Written Inside A Candy
Located across from Gewurzhaus is Honeycomb. Here, you’ll not only eat some of the most delicious honeycomb and candy you’ve ever tasted; you’ll also be able to have a special message written inside a “lolli.” Watch as trained “lollyologists” stretch soft taffy to create different letter shapes and sizes, which eventually become names and symbols inside hard rock candy. Bonus: Free samples of the honeycomb and rock candy are out on display.
Explore Graffiti In Melbourne’s Hidden Lanes
While graffiti is illegal in Melbourne, there are areas where it is tolerated. Walking down the city’s hidden lanes, you’ll find interesting works sprayed all over, most notably in Union Lane. Walking down this alleyway is like strolling through an outdoor art gallery. Best of all, it’s a free attraction.
Drop By The Studios Of Local Artisans
Inside the Cathedral Arcade you’ll find many shops on the ground level; however, if you take the old-fashioned lift up to the 2nd floor and higher, you’ll be able to see local artisans at work in their private studios. Many leave their doors open, although even if it’s closed you can simply knock to see if it’s okay to come inside.
See A 2,000 Year-Old Button
Also in the Cathedral Arcade is Buttonmania, where you can see over 4 million buttons curated by Kate Boulton. She has them in all colors, shapes, sizes and styles, and simply seeing how many buttons can be kept by one person is fascinating. Her most notable button is one that is 2,000+ years old and was once used to pin togas in place.
Eat At A Restaurant With No Menu
At Jim’s Greek Tavern, guests don’t decide what they want to eat, the restaurant does. Don’t be nervous, as many locals and patrons say this is as authentic as Greek food can get outside of Greece. Everything is prepared in-house, and you’ll be served dishes like chargrilled seafood and meat, golden fried cheese, eggplant dip, lamb skewers, Greek salad, octopus, baklava, galaktoboureko and more.
Visit The City’s Most Iconic Prostitute
The upstairs bar at Young and Jackson is home to Melbourne’s longest living resident, a prostitute named Chloe. A nude portrait painted by Jules Lefebvre, the piece became the focus of adoring soldiers on R&R leave during WWII. These men fell so in love with the naked woman, they would write her love letters and poems. Sadly, she committed suicide when she was 21, although you can still have a drink with her portrait today.
Get A Haircut And A Beer
At Dr. Follicles, men can relax with a free Coopers Beer before getting their hair cut. The shop is funky and has Indian-style music playing and apparently sometimes loud rock.
Walk Over A Singing Bridge
The William Barak Bridge was created in honor of Aboriginal artist William Barak. Walking or cycling over the bridge, you’ll hear Aboriginal song and music coming from the speakers on the bridge walls. It’s an immersive experience, as you’ll feel like you’re next to actual Aboriginal performers.
Have A Drink In A Shipping Container
Section 8 Container Bar is literally a shipping container that has been re-purposed as a bar. Like many taverns in Melbourne, the unassuming outside gives way to trendy, ambient inside. Even their slogan, “A bar in and around a box in a back alley of Melbourne” plays on the fact this urban venue — designed from something that is usually tossed in the trash — is actually really hip. Surrounded by graffiti, patrons sit on furniture made of recycled materials while red lanterns warm the ambiance. Enjoy imported beers, handcrafted cocktails and a few select wines.
Jessica Festa is the editor of the travel sites Jessie on a Journey (http://jessieonajourney.com) and Epicure & Culture (http://epicureandculture.com). Along with blogging at We Blog The World, her byline has appeared in publications like Huffington Post, Gadling, Fodor’s, Travel + Escape, Matador, Viator, The Culture-Ist and many others. After getting her BA/MA in Communication from the State University of New York at Albany, she realized she wasn’t really to stop backpacking and made travel her full time job. Some of her most memorable experiences include studying abroad in Sydney, teaching English in Thailand, doing orphanage work in Ghana, hiking her way through South America and traveling solo through Europe. She has a passion for backpacking, adventure, hiking, wine and getting off the beaten path.
