Melbourne

Flight Review: Emirates – Singapore to Melbourne (EK404)

In today’s flight review, we take on the second half of Emirates’ award winning service from Dubai to Melbourne, via Singapore. Airline: Emirates Route: Singapore to Melbourne, Australia – EK404 Seat: Economy, 27D, Middle Aisle (3-4-3 Layout) Aircraft: 777-300ER Scheduled Flight Time: 7 Hours On Schedule? Departed 20 minutes late and arrived about the same. In…

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Seven films not to miss at the 2016 Melbourne International Film Festival

Later this month, the 65th annual Melbourne International Film Festival will kick off an incredible season of over 345 films*, spanning 22 venues across the Melbourne CBD, from 28 July to 14 August. It’s near impossible to narrow down the list, but today, with tickets to all screenings currently on sale, we’re going to do our best, bringing you…

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New Kylie Minogue exhibition announced for Arts Centre Melbourne

A celebration of iconic Aussie musician Kylie Minogue will open at Arts Centre Melbourne in September. The free exhibition, Kylie On Stage, will focus on some of the singer’s most magical moments from concert tours throughout her career, featuring costumes dating as far back as 1989. “Touring and live performance has been such a big…

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Joel Creasey and Chrissie Swan to present variety event 4 Orlando, in support of victims of Pulse Nightclub shooting

On July 9th, Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre will play host to some of Australia’s hottest comedians, singers, and media personalities, all coming together in support of those affected by the mass shooting at gay nightclub Pulse on June 16th. Part glittering show of solidarity between the Australian and American gay communities, and part concentrated effort to…

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Flight Review: Premium Economy to London with Air New Zealand – Leg One – Melbourne to Auckland (NZ124)

While most fly to London via Asia or the Middle East, Air New Zealand offer a service that take you via Auckland and Los Angeles. It’s a longer journey, but depending on the needs of your travel could end up being a better option. Our own Jennifer Quinlin recently flew from Melbourne to London on Air…

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Eat’aliano by Pino brings classic Italian to Windsor (Melbourne)

With the opening of their brand new restaurant Eat’aliano, restaurateur Alessio Ali and Head Chef Pino Russo have decided to bring a little taste of the Mediterranean to the neighbourhood of Windsor, where Asian cuisine has dominated so far. The pair, who previously worked together at Mascalzone Pizzeria in Williamstown, aim to make their wood-fired pizzas the star…

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Event Review: Oz Comic Con Melbourne (11th-12th June – Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre)

Despite the chilly Melbourne weather pop culture fans aplenty (many of whom are in cosplay) make their way to the Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre for Oz Comic Con.  Slowly trickling into the venue the queues begin to grow as the crowds start lining up to make their way inside. Over time Oz Comic-Con has turned…

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A25 Pizzeria expands to Hardware Lane (Melbourne)

Docklands’ and South Yarra’s popular Italian eatery, A25 Pizzeria have made its way to the heart of the CBD, extending the team’s well-loved pizza place to the vigorous scene on the corner of Lonsdale Street and Hardware Lane. The new restaurant maintains a strong focus on classic Italian coffee and quick ‘on-the-go’ breakfast options for CBD…

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Restaurant reservation service Quandoo arrives in Australia

Confession time: who hasn’t ever promised their friends/partner/family the responsibility of booking dinner at a restaurant, only to completely forget (or just find the task all to arduous), and pray, to every food god in the universe, that there will be a table available for Friday night, no booking made? New dining reservations app, Quandoo, works to remedy the problem. As…

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Malthouse Theatre gives Marlowe’s Edward II a 21st century makeover this July

Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II is set for a radical makeover in a new production for Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre opening this July. Adapted by Australia’s Anthony Weigh, who is currently an Associate Artist at the renowned Donmar Warehouse Theatre in London, this Edward II speaks with a contemporary voice, referencing 21st century lust and politics. Unlike…

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Review: Freddie Wimpoles – St Kilda (Melbourne)

Sitting on the corner of Fitzroy and Grey Street, Freddie Wimpoles is the latest renovation of The George Hotel in St Kilda. It’s been given a charming hunter-lodge meets classic American diner revamp, with it’s rustic dark timber, antler chandeliers and a feature wall of beer cans perfectly framing the glowing neon signs and brightly…

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Arts Review: Songs for a New World – Chapel Off Chapel, Melbourne (Performances until June 12)

What better way to spend a wintery Sunday afternoon than at the theatre soaking up all the incredible orchestrations by the one and only, Jason Robert Brown. As you enter The Loft at the iconic Chapel Off Chapel you are wistfully calmed by the sounds of a lapping sea, as a ship with its mast…

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Brisbane’s Circa ensemble to bring festival hit Il Ritorno to Melbourne

Co-comissioned by the Brisbane Festival in 2015, Il Ritorno wowed audiences in the River City last September with its fusion of stripped back acrobatics and baroque opera. This coming August, the creators, Brisbane based circus troupe Circa, are bringing the show to Melbourne, for a strictly limited run. Headed by artistic director Yaron Lifschitz and…

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Literary magazine The Lifted Brow celebrates thirty issues

Quarterly magazine The Lifted Brow is nearing its tenth birthday, after thirty issues dedicated to showcasing young Australian literary and artistic talent. The 30th issue is both a milestone publication for the team, and also a swan song for editors Ellena Savage and Gillian Terzis, who have been with the magazine since its relaunch in 2015….

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Hotel Review: Private Rooms at the YHA Melbourne Metro & Central Locations (Melbourne, VIC)

While in Melbourne for the annual PAX AUS convention, I was given the opportunity to stay in two of YHA’s hostels. YHA are known around Australia for running popular, well-appointed youth hostels for travelers on a budget, and their Melbourne Metro and Melbourne Central locations are prime examples of this. My first night was on…

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Come Away With Me To The End Of The World to premiere in July at Malthouse Theatre

Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre is set to host the world première of Come Away With Me To The End Of The World, a visual, voyeuristic piece of theatre from award winning theatre company Ranters Theatre. Eavesdropping on conversations between three characters, audiences will be taken on a journey through their actual lives and their dreamed realities –…

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Hotel Review: Executive King Lake Room at the Hotel Pullman (Albert Park, Melbourne)

I now understand why the Hotel Pullman in the inner south Melbourne suburb of Albert Park would be highly desirable around Grand Prix time. Situated on Queens Road, the hotel overlooks the famed race track (as well as the Albert Park Lake) perfectly. If you’re a traveller making your way to the Hotel Pullman via…

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Review: Heathers: The Musical – Arts Centre Melbourne (Performances until May 22nd)

What a time to be alive and witness the magnitude of talent we have here in Australia. If you have yet to experience the incredible gifts of our young Aussie guys and girls, then Heathers: The Musical is the best way to ease you in. Amidst a sea of scrunchies, yes that’s right scrunchies, the Arts…

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Hotel Review: Two Bedroom Apartment at Ibis Melbourne, Therry Street

It’s not every hotel room that greets you with a Spiral Staircase. But it seems that selected Two Bedroom Apartments in the Ibis Melbourne on Therry Street do just that. I was lucky enough to spend a night in one such room last month. Greeted by friendly staff at the front desk, and a vibrant…

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Royal Brunei Airlines offering return flights from Australia to London from under $900

They may not be an airline you hear too much about, but Royal Brunei Airlines are offering some of the cheapest fares from Australia to London you’ll find anywhere right now – starting from under $1000 as part of a sale running for the next 11 days. And though the airline company, based out of Brunei (which can…

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Etihad Airways opens new premium lounge at Melbourne International Airport

This week marks the launch of Etihad Airways’ brand new, “reimagined” airport lounge at Melbourne’s International Airport. The lounge, accessible to premium flyers and frequent flyers of the aircraft and partners like Virgin’s Velocity Program*, features an a la carte dining room with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, sculptural showcase bar, children’s playroom, prayer rooms and shower facilities filled…

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Lunch with the man behind Melbourne’s The Meatball and Wine Bar, Matteo Bruno

When I first stumbled across The Meatball Shop in New York’s Lower East Side back in 2011, it had barely been open for a year, but the owners were already preparing to expand to two more locations – and, five years later, they now sit in six locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Things move pretty fast in New York. In…

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We enter “The Edge” of the Eureka Tower in Melbourne, Australia

Every major city has its premiere viewing platform. New York has the Empire State Building. Sydney has the Centrepoint Tower. Auckland has the Sky Tower. And never a city to be outdone, Melbourne has the Eureka Tower, which has its viewing point – the “SkyDeck” – on the 88th floor of the building. At 285…

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Kirby Shaw to headline International Singers Festivals in Brisbane and Melbourne

“Empowering through the arts.” That’s the motto of Melbourne based group the School of Hard Knocks, who aim to engage and encourage people through performance, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, boosting their confidence and offering them a place in a welcoming community. This year, the school’s International Singers Festival, already a success in Melbourne, will, for the first…

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Review: Sth Central (new breakfast menu 2016) – South Yarra (Melbourne)

Tucked away beside the rush of South Yarra Station and underneath a residential apartment block, Sth Central stands as a local gem in one of Melbourne’s most cafe and restaurant dense suburbs, catering to the locals with simple food done well, and with fresh produce. With their new schedule to open for breakfast, Sth Central…

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Bavarian Brewfest’s beer bonanza continues through April with series of parties

If you’ve been partaking in this month’s Bavarian Brewfest at participating Bavarian Bier Cafés in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, as well as Munich Brauhaus in Sydney and Melbourne, you’ll be happy to know that the month of welcoming a range of new craft and seasonal beers isn’t quite over just yet, and there are…

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Review: The Academy Kitchen & Bar – Richmond (Melbourne)

A warmly lit interior greeted us on Friday night as we arrived at The Academy Kitchen & Bar, highly anticipating their new Autumn menu. We were seated by our lovely waitress Krissy and informed that owner/chef extraordinaire Will Manning would be cooking us up a feast. It’s an instantly comforting feeling being part of the…

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Zoe Coombs Marr takes home the Barry at the 2016 MICF Awards

As the 30th Melbourne International Comedy Festival drew to a close, thoughts turned to the annual awards ceremony and the announcement of the recipient of the prestigious Barry. Named for festival patron and Aussie icon Barry Humphries, the award recognises the Most Outstanding Comedy Festival Show. The 2016 award went to Australian Zoe Coombs Marr, for her show Trigger Warning, making…

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Hotel Review: Superior King Room at The Swanson Hotel Grand Mercure (Melbourne)

While it’s fairly simple to get around in Melbourne, you want to get the location of your hotel exactly right, especially if you are down for a series of events. In this particular case, I was down in Melbourne for a music festival (Soulfest) at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and to check out the new…

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Avenue Q hits Melbourne this August for a limited time only

Award-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q will be making a return to Australia, hiting the stage at Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre for a strictly limited season from 3rd August of this year. The hilarious longtime running musical directed by Peter J Snee takes audiences on a journey into the world of vulgar and down-right outrageous puppets rubbing shoulders with humans,…

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