On my way home from New Zealand, I spent a (Friday) night in Melbourne. Peter, Donna, Andrew, and Mark, all of whom I knew from LCA 2008, came out and helped me get away from the after-work-craze that filled centre city. Thanks to them, I found (and refound) a couple of places worth noting:
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The staff of Joe Taylor, a cute bar at the corner of Victoria and Errol Streets, prepare a delicious cocktail they call “Don Quixote”: vodka, lime, basil, sugar, and ginger beer. They also have Mountain Goat on tap; their hightail beer instantly became my new Aussie favourite.
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The Hot Poppy right next door has all-day breakfast, including a fantastic housemade Bircher Müesli. Both Joel, who joined me for brunch, and I enjoyed it, so you don’t have to rely on just my judgement.
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The outdoor bar my brother and I found on our previous visit to Melbourne, fenced off from a small lane with crates and boxes to sit on, is called Section Eight Container Bar. It’s on Tattersals Lane, which is off Lt. Bourke Street between Swanston and Russell. It took me three tries to find it again, but it was worth it. They also serve Mountain Goat beers! Issue 5 of the Melbourne Pixel magazine has a review of it in the right pane.
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The Somerset Gordon Place hotel at 19 Lt. Bourke Street is a splendid location within walking distance from the centre. It’s a four star hotel, but you can get sweet last minute deals there via booking.com, it seems.
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Federation Square and Wharf next to Flinders Station are always worth a visit.
NP: The Phoenix Foundation: Happy Ending
Update: Joel points out that the “Australia on Collins” shopping centre on 260 Collins street has free wireless…
