Entertainment

Fancy a fashionable walking tour?

Melbourne is well-known as a creative city as well as a fashionable one, and a walking tour with Fashion by Foot is the best way to uncover Melbourne’s independently created fashion gems. Hit the streets, walk the laneways and visit design studios to see a side of creative Melbourne with locals who take you to unexpected places. Meet the makers, see how some of our amazing independent fashion designers work and potentially grab yourself a wearable souvenir from Melbourne.

Fashion by Foot is owned and led by two Melbourne style specialists, Donna Cameron and Briar Jasper-Batson, who support emerging designers producing exceptional work. They introduce aspects of personal style so you can determine more accurately what will work for you. There is no obligation to buy. In fact they encourage ‘mindful purchasing’. Discover unique products that are ethically produced, quality alternatives to the mainstream, fast fashion offerings available elsewhere.

To secure your complimentary tour, email fashionbyfoot@gmail.com quoting ‘MWF ARTIST’. Redeemable for 6 months.

Music Venues

The Curtin
Classic pub and live music venue at the heart of Melbourne’s inner city.
Location: 29 Lygon Street, Carlton

Cherry Bar
One of Melbourne’s most iconic, rowdy laneway bars in the legendary ACDC Lane, Cherry Bar has everything from jazz nights to internal rock’n’roll bands.
Location: ACDC Lane, Melbourne
Opening Hours: 5pm–2am Monday–Wednesday, 5pm–4am Thursday, 5pm–5am Friday–Saturday, 2pm–2am Sunday.

The Toff in Town
Dramatic bar/club in nightlife hot-spot, Curtin House, this art deco space frequently offers live music and late-night DJs.
BONUS: In the daylight hours, The Toff also doubles as a MWF venue!
Location: upstairs of 252 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Opening Hours: 5pm–5am Monday–Sunday

Boney
A pokey, multi-storey venue tucked into one of Melbourne’s central laneway this sometimes-bar, sometimes-club hosts DJ events upstairs regularly.
Location: 68 Little Collins Street
Opening Hours: 5pm–3am Monday, 5pm–4am Tuesday–Wednesday, 5pm–6am Friday–Saturday

Theatre

Malthouse Theatre
Location: 113 Sturt Street Southbank, VIC 3006

Melbourne Theatre Company
Location: 252 Sturt Street, Southbank VIC 3006

La Mama
A short tram ride to Carlton takes you to Melbourne’s home of independent theatre.
Location: 349 Drummond St, Carlton VIC 3053

Museums

Melbourne Museum
Opening Hours: 10am–5pm
Location: 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton
Mandela My Life
The world premiere of this new travelling exhibition, this new show at the Melbourne Museum coincides with the 100th anniversary of Mandela’s birth and commemorates his life and times through memorabilia, artefacts, and audio visual materials.
Date: opens September 1st
For Country, for Nation
Through art, dance, music and text, this temporary exhibition explores the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to the WWI effort and the ensuing ANZAC legend.
Dates: 10th August – 7th October

State Library Victoria
The State Library is Victoria’s premiere public library and Australia’s oldest. As well as being our fabulous home, the beautiful old building is a combined museum/gallery/library and hosts temporary historical exhibitions throughout the year.
Opening Hours: Monday–Thursday 10am–9pm, Friday–Sunday 10am–6pm
Location: 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne

Galleries

National Gallery of Victoria: International
The National gallery of Victoria is the largest gallery in the state and offers an extensive collection of art from around the world.
What’s on? In a dual presentation of Chinese art and culture past and present, the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series at the National Gallery of Victoria presents China’s ancient terracotta warriors alongside an exhibition of new works by one of the world’s most exciting contemporary artists, Cai Guo-Qiang.
Location: 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Opening Hours: 10am–5pm daily

Ian Potter Centre NGV Australia
The Ian Potter Centre in Federation Square holds the National Gallery’s permanent collection of Australian art by indigenous and non-indigenous artists spanning the years since Australia’s colonising to the present day. The gallery is launching a special exhibition on iconic works by twentieth century Australian artists George Baldessin and Brett Whiteley from the 31st of August.
Location: Federation Square
Opening Hours: 10am–5pm daily
Admission: general entry is free, special exhibition is ticketed

Buxton Contemporary
Melbourne’s major new art museum draws upon the Michael Buxton Collection as a springboard for exhibitions, events, research, publishing and ideas.
Location: Cnr Southbank Boulevard & Dodds Street Southbank, Victoria, Australia
Opening Hours: 11am-5pm, Wednesday to Sunday

Gertrude Contemporary
One of Australia’s most esteemed gallery spaces, this not-for-profit organisation is a proud exhibitor of up-and-coming successes in the country’s artistic community. Their satellite space, Gertrude Glasshouse (44 Glasshouse Road, Collingwood) houses a two-year artist residency that emphasises the development and production phase of an artist’s work.
Location: 21-31 High Street, Preston
Opening Hours: 11am–5.30pm Tuesday–Friday, 11am–4.30pm Saturday

Heide Museum of Modern Art
Probably Melbourne’s most affectionately regarded art spaces, the farmhouse now known as ‘Heide’ was the home to John and Sunday Reed who converted the space into an artistic commune that housed Australia’s most renowned modernist painters such as Albert Tucker and Sidney Nolan. Slightly outside of Melbourne’s Central Business District, the sprawling outdoor property puts the natural landscape on show as much as the art it houses.
Location: 7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen
Opening Hours: 10am–5pm Tuesday–Sunday

ACCA
The Australia Centre for Contemporary Art is located in the city’s arts precinct in Southbank. Renowned internationally for its curatorship and programming, the space is dedicated to curatorial and education programs that includes talks, lectures, symposia, performances, screenings, and cultural events alongside its contemporary art program.
Location: 111 Sturt Street, Southbank
Opening Hours: 10am–5pm Tuesday–Friday, 11am–5pm Saturday–Sunday

CCP
The Centre for Contemporary Photography is the one of the city’s most exceptional venues for contemporary photo art. Its external Night Projection Window features a hole in the wall street-side viewing point for after-dark works.
Location: 404 George Street, Fitzroy
Opening Hours: 11am–5pm Wednesday–Friday, 12-5pm Saturday–Sunday

Anna Schwartz Gallery
A high-end contemporary art gallery tucked into Melbourne’s most famous laneway.
Location: 185 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Opening Hours: 10am–6pm

Blindside
A volunteer-run space dedicated to specifically Melbournian contemporary art, Blindside fosters the development of art writing and criticism as much as it does the production of mutli-media art and performance pieces. This community-facing space focuses on developing and showcasing a local contemporary art community with a diverse and inclusive range of artistic form and artist representation.
Location: Level 7 Room 14 Nicholas Building, 37 Swanston Street
Opening Hours: 12–6pm Tuesday–Saturday

Cinemas

The Astor Theatre
This beloved, art deco St. Kilda institution is perhaps the last one-screen cinema left in Melbourne. Boasting an eclectic program of old-school classics and cult hits, the Astor’s double-features and eccentric marathons it is a touchstone in one of Melbourne’s most vibrant artistic suburbs.
Location: Corner of Chapel St & Dandenong Road
Contact: (03) 9510 1414

Cinema Nova
Located in one of Melbourne’s most vibrant hubs, the Nova is one of the biggest independent cinemas in the southern hemisphere. Featuring exclusive screenings, eclectic arthouse features, director Q&As, and screenings of National Theatre Live performances direct from London, the Nova is more than just a big screen. Book ahead if you’re planning on going on $9 Mondays, tickets for these sessions sell out days before to throngs of university students that spill out from the nearby campus.
Location: 380 Lygon Street, Carlton

Palace Kino
Located conveniently to Sofitel On Collins, the CBD delegate of Melbourne’s small-scale independent theatre group, Palace Cinemas, the Kino shows local, international, mainstream and independent cinema alongside documentaries.
Location: 45 Collins Street, Melbourne
Opening Hours: 10am–10pm Monday–Sunday

Want to wander?

Other cultural precincts:

Queen Victoria Market: Open from 6AM-mid afternoon, everyday except Mondays and Wednesdays
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Royal Botanic Gardens
Arts Centre Melbourne

Best Streets for walking, coffee, bars and shopping:

Smith Street, Collingwood
Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
High Street, Northcote/Thornbury
Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Rathdowne Village, Rathdowne Street
Chapel Street, Windsor
Acland Street, St Kilda
Coventry Street, South Melbourne
Flinders Lane, Melbourne CBD