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Tours in Melbourne |
Melbourne is Australia's bar capital and hub of live music. With the addition of a rockin' clubland, the city covers all styles and caters to all tastes. The central business district not only serves its after-work drinkers but also attracts a young, trendy crowd of inner-city professionals. Many of Melbourne's smarter bars are tucked away in the city's numerous narrow lanes. Across the Yarra River, Southgate provides the arts precinct with a strip of bars with riverside views.
Many Melbourne venues function variously as bars, clubs and live-music rooms, depending on the night and the hour. The varied nature of the bars and clubs means that the dress code also varies enormously - generally the trendier the place, the stricter the dress code. The snooty trend of vetting customers according to style is unfortunately apparent in some parts of cosmopolitan Melbourne. Entrance to most clubs is free but a fee may be applicable on weekends.
Gay Melbourne has an established presence in the inner suburb of South Yarra, with various pubs, clubs and discos clustered around Commercial Road. Other inner-city districts, such as Fitzroy and St Kilda, by Port Philip Bay, feature further options for a city that loves to be out after dark. Very relaxed licensing hours mean that it is possible to drink through the night. The minimum drinking age is 18 years.
Free listings magazines include Inpress and Beat. Friday's Age newspaper contains the entertainment listings supplement EG. Information is available online (website: www.streetsofmelbourne.com.au or http://melbourne.citysearch.com.au).
Bars: Centrally located cocktail bars include the popular and ultra-glam Chaise Lounge, 105 Queen Street, and the very smart Hairy Canary, 212 Little Collins Street. The sumptuous Chesterfield lounges of the Melbourne Supper Club, 161 Spring Street, are also a great place to enjoy cocktails and an impressive array of wines, as is the renowned Jimmy Watson's Wine Bar, 333 Lygon Street, in Carlton, Melbourne's 'Little Italy'. Fans of the ubiquitous Irish bar should head to Bridie O'Reillys, 62 Little Collins Street, for a huge range of beers and live music most nights.
More discerning drinkers might swoon at the Thai eatery, beer hall, and slick cocktail bar found at Cookie, 252 Swanston Street, while those in their 20s will get a kick out of a tiny laneway bar called The Croft Institute, 21-25 Croft Alley, which is famous for its cocktails and collections of laboratory apparatus. One of the most popular bars in Southgate is Walter's Wine Bar, Upper Level, Southgate, noted for its fabulous wines, good food and sterling views. The beachside outpost of St Kilda is home to the Belgian Beer Café Bluestone, 557 St Kilda Road, which serves up excellent full-bodied Belgium beers in a merry atmosphere.
Clubs: Within Melbourne's CBD, the Metro, 20-30 Bourke Street, is a large venue that offers a wide variety of musical styles on different nights. Turning on smooth clubbing nights too with its curvaceous bar is The Prince of Wales, 29 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. Some of the best international and local DJs regularly spin their tunes here.
Rotating guest DJs attract the party set to Room 680, 680 Glenferrie Road (website: www.room680.com), in inner-eastern Hawthorn. The entertainment at Revolver Upstairs, 229 Chapel Street, Prahran (website: www.revolverupstairs.com.au), ranges from breakbeat and drum'n'bass to soul and funk, featuring top DJs. Many of the biggest international touring DJs play house, funk and R&B at QBH, 1 Queensbridge Street, South Melbourne. Another club making waves is Seven, 52 Albert Road, South Melbourne. It boasts four distinct rooms and serves up quality dance music and a diversity of pumping beats.
Live Music: On the city's north side, you can see alternative bands, including interstate and international acts, at The Tote, 71 Johnston Street, Collingwood (website: www.thetotehotel.com), while heavier punk-style acts often perform at The Arthouse (website: www.thearthouse.com), 616 Elizabeth Street. The Corner Hotel, 57 Swan Street, Richmond (website: www.cornerhotel.com), is another large band venue that books acts of all kinds.
In St Kilda, the legendary 'Espy', The Esplanade Hotel, 11 Upper Esplanade (website: www.espy.com.au), is probably Australia's most famous alternative and rock music venue, featuring a big line-up of bands most nights, as well as regular comedy shows. Nearby, the Prince Bandroom, 29 Fitzroy Street (website: www.princebandroom.com.au), hosts the cream of local, interstate and international acts, as well as club nights. In the CBD, Bennetts Lane, 25 Bennetts Lane (website: www.bennettslane.com), is Melbourne's prime spot for jazz artists, both Australian and international.
Many Melbourne venues function variously as bars, clubs and live-music rooms, depending on the night and the hour. The varied nature of the bars and clubs means that the dress code also varies enormously - generally the trendier the place, the stricter the dress code. The snooty trend of vetting customers according to style is unfortunately apparent in some parts of cosmopolitan Melbourne. Entrance to most clubs is free but a fee may be applicable on weekends.
Gay Melbourne has an established presence in the inner suburb of South Yarra, with various pubs, clubs and discos clustered around Commercial Road. Other inner-city districts, such as Fitzroy and St Kilda, by Port Philip Bay, feature further options for a city that loves to be out after dark. Very relaxed licensing hours mean that it is possible to drink through the night. The minimum drinking age is 18 years.
Free listings magazines include Inpress and Beat. Friday's Age newspaper contains the entertainment listings supplement EG. Information is available online (website: www.streetsofmelbourne.com.au or http://melbourne.citysearch.com.au).
Bars: Centrally located cocktail bars include the popular and ultra-glam Chaise Lounge, 105 Queen Street, and the very smart Hairy Canary, 212 Little Collins Street. The sumptuous Chesterfield lounges of the Melbourne Supper Club, 161 Spring Street, are also a great place to enjoy cocktails and an impressive array of wines, as is the renowned Jimmy Watson's Wine Bar, 333 Lygon Street, in Carlton, Melbourne's 'Little Italy'. Fans of the ubiquitous Irish bar should head to Bridie O'Reillys, 62 Little Collins Street, for a huge range of beers and live music most nights.
More discerning drinkers might swoon at the Thai eatery, beer hall, and slick cocktail bar found at Cookie, 252 Swanston Street, while those in their 20s will get a kick out of a tiny laneway bar called The Croft Institute, 21-25 Croft Alley, which is famous for its cocktails and collections of laboratory apparatus. One of the most popular bars in Southgate is Walter's Wine Bar, Upper Level, Southgate, noted for its fabulous wines, good food and sterling views. The beachside outpost of St Kilda is home to the Belgian Beer Café Bluestone, 557 St Kilda Road, which serves up excellent full-bodied Belgium beers in a merry atmosphere.
Clubs: Within Melbourne's CBD, the Metro, 20-30 Bourke Street, is a large venue that offers a wide variety of musical styles on different nights. Turning on smooth clubbing nights too with its curvaceous bar is The Prince of Wales, 29 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. Some of the best international and local DJs regularly spin their tunes here.
Rotating guest DJs attract the party set to Room 680, 680 Glenferrie Road (website: www.room680.com), in inner-eastern Hawthorn. The entertainment at Revolver Upstairs, 229 Chapel Street, Prahran (website: www.revolverupstairs.com.au), ranges from breakbeat and drum'n'bass to soul and funk, featuring top DJs. Many of the biggest international touring DJs play house, funk and R&B at QBH, 1 Queensbridge Street, South Melbourne. Another club making waves is Seven, 52 Albert Road, South Melbourne. It boasts four distinct rooms and serves up quality dance music and a diversity of pumping beats.
Live Music: On the city's north side, you can see alternative bands, including interstate and international acts, at The Tote, 71 Johnston Street, Collingwood (website: www.thetotehotel.com), while heavier punk-style acts often perform at The Arthouse (website: www.thearthouse.com), 616 Elizabeth Street. The Corner Hotel, 57 Swan Street, Richmond (website: www.cornerhotel.com), is another large band venue that books acts of all kinds.
In St Kilda, the legendary 'Espy', The Esplanade Hotel, 11 Upper Esplanade (website: www.espy.com.au), is probably Australia's most famous alternative and rock music venue, featuring a big line-up of bands most nights, as well as regular comedy shows. Nearby, the Prince Bandroom, 29 Fitzroy Street (website: www.princebandroom.com.au), hosts the cream of local, interstate and international acts, as well as club nights. In the CBD, Bennetts Lane, 25 Bennetts Lane (website: www.bennettslane.com), is Melbourne's prime spot for jazz artists, both Australian and international.
View Our Airport Guides for Melbourne:
Melbourne Airport