Melbourne

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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The Glass Menagerie: Tenessee Williams’ legendary play comes to Melbourne

Legendary production, The Glass Menagerie by Tenessee Williams hits the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne after a successful season in Sydney. Described as a ‘memory play’ by Williams herself, Eamon Flack’s production of The Glass Menagerie proves to be an intelligent, entertaining and passionate performance. His production won the 2015 Helpmann Award for Best Play and has received an impressive five star rating.  The…

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Hotel Review: King Suite at the Holiday Inn on Flinders Lane (Melbourne, VIC)

The Holiday Inn hotel chain has undergone a staggering amount of changes over the last decade, taking it from a budget hotel/motel chain that most people associated with overnight stops along highways or airport layovers, into an upmarket full service – though reasonably priced – group of hotels that focus on comfort and quality of…

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Sth Central adds breakfast hours and introduces a fresh new menu (Melbourne)

outh Yarra institution Sth Central is now open for breakfast with a fresh and innovative menu, happy to supply Melburnians with their daily breakfast and coffee fix. With this new extension to their operations, they’ve also decided to revamp their lunch and dinner a la carte menu to further highlight their quality, seasonal produce. Being…

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Royal Mail Hotel’s Robin Wickens brings Regional Victoria to Melbourne in April for two special dinners

Award-winning chef Robin Wickens will take the culinary prowess that made him so popular at the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld and showcase them at Eureka 89 in Melbourne, where he will prepare a sumptuous 5-course dinner of locally sourced produce. The dinner, to be held on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th April, will give Melbournians a rare chance to experience Wickens’…

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Madman presents their Anime Festival 2016 in Melbourne!

This year, Madman will showcase their Madman Anime Festival for two days, celebrating anime and Japanese Culture at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The festival has been organised by Madman Entertainment and AnimeLab. The festival will be held on September 3rd and 4th and will presenting all sorts of activities and presentations in hand….

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Review: Epocha – Carlton (Melbourne)

Sitting on the edge of Melbourne’s CBD, this stunning lower-Rathdowne terrace gives off an air of class, elegance and sophistication. Lined with polished dark wood, elegant crystal decanters, flickering candles, wicker chairs and imprinted silverware, this vintage setting may suggest old times, however Epocha exudes intimate, timeless class that is sure to stay. Expect generous…

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Gauchito Gil’s Malbec World Day tangos its way to Melbourne and Sydney in April

Melbourne’s popular Gauchito Gil’s Malbec World Day is making its way to Sydney for the first time, with the event set for Saturday, 23rd April. Named for the legendary, Robin Hood-like Argentine character, Gauchito Gil (who was also known as the Patron Saint of Thieves), the event is organised through Bottle Shop Concepts, who have also run events Game of Rhones and…

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Get your tea cups ready for the Melbourne Tea Festival in May!

With the growing trend of tea appreciation in Australia, Tea Festivals Australia (organisers of Sydney Tea Festival) will be bringing Melbournians a tea celebration of their own. 2016 will mark the inauguration of the Melbourne Tea Festival, to be held on Sunday 29th May from 9am-4pm. Taking place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre,…

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The Schaller Studio Hotel and Masons of Bendigo restaurant join to create a regional food and wine experience

The Art Series Hotel Group’s The Schaller Studio has partnered with the award-winning restaurant Masons’ of Bendigo to create the authentic From Market to Paddock to Plate food and wine experience in central Victoria. Mason’s international chef Sonia Anthony takes guests in groups of up to eight people on a personalised tour of the community’s…

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Get your hands dirty at the new House of Crabs in St Kilda (Melbourne)

Following the success of the original House of Crabs which rests above the Norfolk Hotel in Sydney’s Redfern, the HoC team have opened up another seafood eatery in St Kilda at The Basement within The Newmarket Hotel. Primed to open its doors tomorrow, House of Crabs St Kilda boasts an American-style seafood menu that pays…

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Flight Review: Travelling to the new Tigerair terminal in Melbourne from the Gold Coast (TT553, TT562)

Tigerair have long been known in Australia for being the cheaper alternative to other major domestic carriers. While some choose to see that is evidence of their being cut-rate in all aspects of their business, Tigerair is more determined than ever to turn the naysayers around. With a fresh new look, a shiny new terminal…

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Review: Santoni (new breakfast menu 2016) – Hawthorn (Melbourne)

Nestled on a bustling corner in metropolitan Hawthorne lies Santoni, a pizzeria known for it’s beautiful dough and laid back atmosphere. Having just released a brand new breakfast menu equipped with a mouth watering breakfast pizza, I went down to see if this lunch/dinner restaurant could add ‘trendy brunch cafe’ to its long list of…

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Hotel Review: Superior Suite at Pullman on the Park (Melbourne, VIC)

Every now and again, you’ll stay in the sort of hotel for which you, as a person, are just not classy enough. Such was the nature of my stay at Melbourne’s Pullman on the Park. I don’t mean that as a slight on the hotel, far from it. If anything, I was letting them down…

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