Melbourne: the laneway city of coffee and contradiction

It’s 7:47 a.m. in Centre Place — one of the central Melbourne CBD laneways — and a café called Pellegrini’s has been open for fifteen minutes. The espresso machine is running continuously. The owner is shouting hellos to regulars by name. The narrow alley is filling with office workers stopping for a flat white on the way to their building. The light is filtering down between the four-storey buildings on either side. This is the Melbourne CBD at its most itself — a laneway city, with the social life happening in the alleys between the major streets.

Why I keep coming back

Melbourne is, by reputation, the cultural capital of Australia — the city that birthed the modern Australian café culture, the small-bar scene (an unintended consequence of a 2008 liquor-licensing reform), the AFL football mania (an entirely indigenous code), and the country’s most consistently visible contemporary art and design scene. The city was for a long time the second city to Sydney’s harbour glamour; in recent years, the comparison has flipped for many travel-aware visitors.

The city is also a laneway city. The CBD grid is bisected by a network of narrow service alleys (laneways and arcades), and the past 25 years have seen these laneways transformed from service utilities into the city’s primary café-and-small-bar zone.

Where to base yourself

The CBD for the laneway and arcade walking experience.

Fitzroy for the inner-north hipster neighbourhood with the best small-bar density.

Carlton for the Italian-immigration neighbourhood and the proximity to Melbourne Uni.

St Kilda for the seaside option with the famous beachside foreshore.

Richmond or Collingwood for the post-industrial gentrified east.

What to actually do

Walk the laneways. The famous network: Centre Place, Degraves Street, Hosier Lane (the famous graffiti alley), Royal Arcade, Block Arcade, Hardware Lane. The morning is the working coffee culture; the evening is the small bars.

Spend an afternoon at the NGV. The National Gallery of Victoria has the largest art collection in Australia. The Triennial (the contemporary survey, every three years) is the major event.

Visit the Queen Victoria Market. The huge 1878 market for produce, deli goods, and the Winter Night Market on Wednesday evenings (June–August). The fish hall.

Watch a match at the MCG. The Melbourne Cricket Ground, the spiritual home of Australian sport — cricket in summer, AFL football in winter. The MCG tour is the alternative if no match is on.

Take the tram to St Kilda. The free CBD tram zone is one of the city’s nice quirks; longer rides on the trams are inexpensive. St Kilda has the Luna Park amusement park (with its famous laughing-mouth entrance), the Acland Street cake shops, the foreshore.

Day-trip on the Great Ocean Road. Three hours west, the long Pacific-coastal drive past the Twelve Apostles sea stacks; a long day or an overnight.

See the Australian Open. Late January; the year’s first Grand Slam tennis tournament. Tickets to the early rounds are surprisingly accessible.

Where to eat

Attica — David Chang-style ambition; Australian native ingredients; one of the world’s top 50. Cumulus Inc. — All-day modern Australian café/restaurant; reliable. Tipo 00 — Pasta; the simple Italian dishes done at a high level. Chin Chin — Modern Asian, no reservations, queues are real. Flower Drum — Old-school Cantonese fine dining; the institutional choice. Embla — Wine bar with serious food. Bar Margaux — French-influenced; late-night option. Coffee at Brother Baba Budan, Patricia, Industry Beans, Seven Seeds — the canonical specialty coffee shops. Lune Croissanterie — The famous croissants; queue or pre-order.

When to come

Late September to November (spring) or March to May (autumn) for the most pleasant weather.

January–February is summer; hot, the Australian Open is the major event.

The Melbourne winter (June–August) is grey, often rainy, around 8–14°C; the small-bar scene is at its winter best.

Practical notes

• Visa: ETA.
• Money: Australian dollar.
• Transport: The myki card is the Melbourne transit card; loadable, used on trams, trains, and buses. The CBD has a free tram zone.
• Weather: Famously variable — ‘four seasons in one day’ is the local proverb and is sometimes literally accurate. Pack layers.
• Coffee etiquette: Don’t ask for a ‘tall’, ‘short’, or ‘venti’ — those are Starbucks terms and the Melbourne specialty cafés will look at you. Use the Australian terms: short black (espresso), long black (Americano-ish), flat white, latte, cappuccino, magic (a specifically Melbourne thing — a double-shot 5-oz pour).

A final thought

Melbourne has, over the past two decades, become my preferred Australian city for a longer stay. The combination of the coffee culture, the small-bar scene, the food, the laneways, and the cultural confidence — the city has fewer iconic photographs than Sydney and, paradoxically, more daily texture for the resident or long-stay visitor.

Five nights minimum. Walk the laneways. Drink the coffee. Eat at one of the ambitious modern Australian restaurants. Watch a match at the MCG if possible. Take a day on the Great Ocean Road. Melbourne is the quieter Australian success story and rewards the visitor willing to read the city’s grammar slowly.