Find yourself stuck wondering what to do while in Melbourne? Have a Dawdle. It’s the best way to explore the city and suburbs. Pick somewhere to start, pick a direction, and wander. Find cool shops, new café’s, interesting bars, awesome graffiti, and much, much more.
Today is a perfect day for one, so if you find yourself bored, try the following-
Take the 112 Tram from Urban Central to Johnston Street (cross street of Brunswick Street, Fitzroy). Grab yourself a coffee or hot chocolate from one of thousands of coffee places (well, okay, not thousands, I love hyperbole, but there are at least 10 that I can think of within 5 minutes of this intersection), and turn right onto Johnston Street.
Slowly meander down this street, stopping wherever you see fit. There are lots of interesting Bars, Café’s, Shops and more (‘The Tote’ for example, Melbourne famous rock/punk/metal venue. It’s shabby, it’s dirty, it’s awesome). If you want to speed it up, grab a bus going down Johnston. Stop at the end before the bridge, and turn right. You’ll see a couple of signs for ‘Abbortsford Convent’.
The convent is a beautiful building with an art gallery inside, free for entry. The grounds are amazing, and perfect for a relaxing read, journal entry, or just to soak in the sun. If you find yourself hungry, there is a wonderful café, and the brilliant ‘Lentil as Anything’. Lentil as anything charge you whatever you can afford, and feed you very well. It’s 100% vegetarian and vegan, and wonderful quality food.
Once you’ve had your fill of food, bus or walk back to Smith Street, where you’ll find millions of excellent shops (including lots of discount warehouse stores, and some awesome op shops), café’s, restaurants and funky little bars (Kent Street and Grumpy’s are two of my favourites). If you’re doing this today (Thursday 28th) or for the next few days, you’ll find Keele Street near the top, where there are at least 3 new art exhibitions for your free enjoyment.
Near the bottom of Smith street, you’ll find Gertrude Street. If you get there after dark today (and every day up until the 31st) you can enjoy the ‘Gertrude Street Projection Festival’. A brilliant exhibition of local artists work projected into windows, the sidewalk, and in some cases, entire buildings.
That should just about do you for the day.
Remember, don’t worry about sticking the a certain path. Wander around, check things out, explore. The best parts of Melbourne are hidden away, down alleyways, behind car parks, above houses. Don’t be afraid to talk to the locals and see what they know. We love this city, and we always want to show you why.
stay.play.enjoy
Marku
