The cheapest transport from Melbourne Airport to CBD - $4.50

SkyBus to CBD has a special at the moment. Melbourne Express $15 (usually $19.75) but if you don't mind around 20 minutes extra travel time use public transport for $4.50/$2.25 Concession - 901 bus drops you at Broadmeadows Station (Craigieburn Line - Platform 1 to City).

If you are a Senior (over 60 years) and travelling on the weekend, all public transport is FREE.

To find the 901 bus stop: 

Head past Terminal 4 multi-storey carpark, ground floor. Walk past Hanna's Cafe to Bus Bay 17 for 901 Bus.

Links:

https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/journey

https://moovitapp.com/melbourne-2803/lines/901/695069/4513783/en-gb?customerId=4908&ref=2&poiType=DeletedPage

Next Hotel - Melbourne's latest swanky 5 star accommodation

Bar area. The Barrel Room - the hotel's own wood-ageing program for spirits, cocktails and herbal liquors 

The Club Lounge

Staircase to La Madonna Restaurant Level 3

Opened in 2021, this 24 storey hotel is situated on Little Bourke Street between Russell and Exhibition Streets, close to Chinatown and the theatre precinct. During the pandemic, any hotels are closing or modifying their club lounges (e.g. no buffet areas, self-serve beverages). Thankfully this hotel is bucking the trend. 

Reception area Level 2

State Library of Victoria, Melbourne

The State Library is located on the corner of La Trobe and Swanston Street, Melbourne.
The restoration of Queen's Hall was completed late 2019. Before you visit the magnificent Reading Room and dome, turn right at the main staircase to admire Queen's Hall. Free admission.

Queen's Hall

Reading Room/Dome
There are exhibitions on Levels 4 and 5. View of the dome, Level 6

Sofitel Melbourne on Collins - room renovations, at last

Finally, this 1980's five star hotel is getting major room renovations. Goodbye shower over the bath, faded, worn upholstery and dated television cabinets. Rooms facing north (not bay view rooms) seem to be the first to be getting the treatment. There have been 'soft' renovations over the years and the 50th (top floor suites) were renovated over 10 years ago. With St Regis and Shangri-La hotels coming to Melbourne soon, the renovations are crucial.

Prestige Suite

The coolest street in Australia - Brunswick St, Melbourne

Brunswick Street, is in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, just north-east of the CBD. It is a street that doesn't try too hard to be cool, it just is.

How to get there on foot:

Just 500 metres from Parliament Station or Parliament House, pass by St Patrick's Cathedral, walk across Victoria Parade and you're at the start of Brunswick Street. 

It is a blend of inner city battlers and urban hipsters. Home to an abundance of vegan eateries (one restaurant, Smith & Daughters, call their fare: "Plant-based dining"). There is a huge range of other restaurants, from Ethiopian to Malaysian, from Basque to Mexican.

Public housing towers, welfare agencies, thrift shops mix it with antique shops, Goth clothing stores, exotic bars (e.g. "Naked for Satan") and a bondage/fetish store ("Lucrezia + De Sade"). Window shopping recommended.

Looking north

Looking south (St Patrick's spire in the distance)

First major intersection after Victoria Parade is fashionable Gertrude Street

Victorian architecture meets street art

A florist is on the ground floor

Victoria Parade, East Melbourne

Forget Melbourne's Chapel Street in South Yarra, Sydney's Newtown/Surrey Hills or Brisbane's Fortitude Valley.

The best bits of "Picnic at Hanging Rock" miniseries (2018)

1. Werribee Park ('Appleyard College') is the undoubted star of the show. The buildings are part of a museum and hotel (Werribee Mansion and Spa), 35 km from Melbourne.  Honourable mention: Ripponlea ('Lakeview House') in Elsternwick (an inner Melbourne suburb).
2. Cinematography (although I think they ODed on the fog machine).
3. Natalie Dormer is incredibly watchable, a much younger (but with more demons) Mrs Appleyard (played by Rachel Roberts in the 1975 film). Loved the mini-sunglasses.
4. Yael Stone (Lorna Morello in "Orange is the New Black") - unrecognisable as the sycophantic Dora Lumley).
5. Inez Curro (the orphan Sara) - a breakout performance -  that deadly stare!

This miniseries has received mixed reviews. The action is drawn-out and repetitive. Probably 4 episodes would have been sufficient.

White Night, Melbourne 2018

More consistent than previous years. No 'dead areas'. More performers. Excellent crowd control. 

Tip to avoid the crowds and the queuing: 

Arrive in the early hours of the morning. Trains and trams run all night. 

We arrived at 3:40 a.m. (from Parliament Station - closest to Exhibition Building) then headed south on Swanston Street, finishing at N.G.V. and Alexandra Gardens, leaving on 7:00 a.m. train from Flinders Street.

Town Hall, with opera performance from balcony

National Gallery of Victoria

"The Secret Life of Books" projections inside Reading Room, State Library

Retro projections, Forum Theatre

State Library

National Gallery of Victoria Triennial 2018

Guo Pei's cathedral-inspired gowns "White Goddess"

"Luminous Spirit"

"Manga Chairs" designed by Oki Sato

"Eternity-Buddha in Nirvana" by Xu Zhen

Yamagami Yukihiro’s installation "Shinjuku calling" Meticulously drawn in pencil, superimposed with moving image.

Ron Mueck's "Mass" Over 100 giant skulls hidden away on Level 3 amongst the European Masters Collection.

Melbourne's NGV free-entry blockbuster finishes April 15, 2018. Allow yourself at least 3 hours if you want to take in Virtual Reality installation and cinematic productions ("Incoming" and "Wilson Must Go").

Australia's best hotel club lounge?

Sofitel Melbourne On Collins has the best club lounge experience in Australia in our humble opinion. Forget The Langham, Pullman hotels or the Crystal Room in Crown - the views, choice of food and beverage are better at Club Sofitel. 

Good old Melbourne Sofitel still has the option of serve-yourself drinks (beer, cider, wine and premium spirits or staff will bring your preferred tipple to you (between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.). Evening canapes is more like a 3 course meal: 2 or 3 hot dishes, seafood (usually king prawns and/or oysters), gourmet salads, sushi, cheeses, bread, antipasto, desserts and a chocolate/Turkish Delight/nougat platter to finish.

A light lunch and afternoon tea (Le Gouter) is also complimentary. Breakfast is an elaborate affair with a full buffet as well as a la carte menu (no extra charge).

Staff are friendly and efficient without being cloying.

The lounge is on the 35th floor (hotel rooms are from level 36 to 50) with sweeping views of the city.

Sydney and Brisbane Sofitel are great, but Melbourne's club ticks more boxes.

Visit the gym after all this indulgence. Pamper yourself with the high tech massage chairs.

View from reception desk

Light lunch, dessert to follow - views toward Parliament House

Some of evening food options 

A range of premium spirits available

Lunch buffet

Chicken and king prawn salad - is this a 'light lunch' (as described by Sofitel)?

Gas fireplace

The club is L-shaped with separate rooms for meetings/reading/games. Shower facilities available

A la carte breakfast - Poached egg on wilted spinach and field mushroom, truffle sauce and rosti potato

Delicious lunch treats

Is Jetstar Business Class worth the money?

This post covers Jetstar flights on Dreamliner 787, ex Melbourne, Australia. Flights to Denpasar, Singapore, Bangkok, Osaka (Business Class ex Cairns) and Tokyo (Business Class ex Gold Coast).

Pros 

• Cost - Jetstar frequently have International Business sales (e.g. one way MEL-DPS, MEL-SIN, MELB-Bangkok for around $499). This compares favourably to 'cattle-class' for around $199.
• Small business cabin (3 rows of 7 seats) means speedy service from crew and better ratio toilet to passenger (1:21) than Qantas Dreamliner.
• Usual perks - priority boarding, express card for immigration (in Australia), handy amenity pack with skin care products, socks, toothpaste, etc.
• Surprisingly tasty and varied meals (see below). Plunger coffee with cabin attendant circulating with giant selection box of premium chocolates (weird?).
• Help yourself to snacks in the forward galley.
• Copious bottles of water.
• Champagne (Piper-Heidsieck or Henri Laurent) served in tumblers rather than flutes throughout flight - but, hey I ain't complaining - or choice of wines, beers and spirits.
• Baggage (checked) 30 kg included and generous carry-on. When travelling in Asia for 1-2 weeks, we prefer to just use carry-on only, avoiding that dreaded wait at the carousel.
• Seating perfect for medium haul/day flights. No need for lie-flat beds.
• It's "old school" business class seating, so you can chat with your partner over lunch, unlike some newer seating configurations that box you in for privacy.
• Less kids
• Champagne/water/juice served before take-off.

Cons

• "Business-lite" and more like Premium Economy on some airlines.
• Row 1 has the most legroom but you have to use in-flight entertainment stored in armrest.
• Limited but adequate range of IFE, if you don't mind U.S. television series rather than U.K.
• Avoid middle seats unless you are want to travel as a trio. Hard to exit middle seat, limited wriggle-room.
• No guarantee your baggage will come out first.

Starters for Lunch menu

Salmon steak with salsa (tastes better than it looks)

Choice of cheese platter or dessert (or both if you are lucky)

Starters on Melb-Singapore (Lunch)

Is the paper book dead? Or just creatively reused? Books become visual art

The ultimate example of style over substance? Or is it stunning visual art?

Entry staircase

A closer look at "Reader's Digest" 

With the use of e-readers, hard cover and paperback books are now being used as decorating items.

We found this wall of pre-loved books in Melbourne's QT hotel foyer. The feature was created by Sydney artists Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro. Their "Reader's Digest" combines books 5.5 metres of books, glue and MDF. Some might say the best place for Jeffrey Archer is to be tightly wedged into a wall cavity.

The Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit doesn't bother using real books. It uses giant mock ups for its decor in the club lounge.

"Kylie on Stage" Arts Centre Melbourne. Free exhibition

From Showgirls - John Galliano

Centrepiece with giant concert clips

Boy George designed piece on the left

Kyborg

The Arts Centre (the one under the metal spire) is 5 minutes walk across the Yarra River from Flinders Street Station/Federation Square. You can always rely on  Arts Centre Melbourne to come up with an impeccibly compiled (FREE) exhibition throughout the year. This one closes January 22, 2017.

Kylie Minogue has donated stage outfits, sketches and memorabilia covering over two decades of international touring. Designers include John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dolce & Gabbana. Patsy and Eddie would approve.