Melbourne

This was a comprehensive guide I made for a cute boy in my life.

Enjoy!

Alrighty mister I’ve put down a bunch of my favourite spots (that I can remember, eeep). It’s ordered by location and coded by activity to help you browse through. I’ve put a particular focus on clothes shops cause I know you’re in the market 🫶

Fitzroy

• 🍕Afghan gallery restaurant - such tasty food and great vibes. Highly recommend.
• 🍕Sonido - I liked this little spot for cheap Colombian food for lunch and then you can walk down Gertrude Street to the cute shops
• ☕️ Lune - touristy but cool, cafe selling croissants around a big cube kitchen you can see into while they make them. Go off peak cause there will be a line
• ☕️ CIBI - cute japanese cafe where they also sell amazing japanese homeware products ($$$)
• ☕️ Aunty pegs - if you wanna try some expert coffee in a wine bar style
• ☕️ Chai Shai Fitzroy - omg such great chai and a really cute little garden
• 🎭 Night cat - good for some gigs (and hey you can see where I live opposite the road at 272 Johnston Street 🥲)
• 🎭  Brunswick Street Gallery - nice little spot where they have free exhibitions to pop into
• 👕 Rose street market - nice to wonder down on Sat/Sun 10am-4pm and they have loads of second hand clothes
• 👕 Goodbyes for slightly more upmarket second hand clothes (where I got my blue and grey jacket)
• 🚶‍♂️ I used to love walking from the corner of Carlton St and Nicholson St, behind the Melbourne Museum and down to the Royal Exhibition building and Carlton Gardens, especially around dusk. There’s this incredible view of nature framing these giant towers and people out and about skateboarding by the museum. Then wander into the CBD.

CBD

• 🍕 Miznon - they did the best falafel in this open kitchen yummmm and the area is a vibe at night
• 🍕 Gopals - cheap and tasty veggie food if your budget was getting tight, Hare Krishna style
• ☕️ Manchester press - used to really like this cafe because it’s light and airy and it shows you some interesting side streets when you get there
• ☕️ Koko Black in the Royal Arcade - nice spot for some hot choc and the arcade is beautiful
• 📚 Metropolis bookshop - great curated selection of books and in a cool building with other neat shops
• 📚 Theosophical society bookshop - for your spiritual fix of reading material
• 🛍️ Nicholas Building - cool to check out with some random little shops on the different floors (there was a witchy shop in there if you fancied a tarot reading, just sayin…)
• 🎭 Butterfly Club - really cool bar with amazing decor and they have a stage with comedy shows and the like
• 🎭  State Library - suuuuch a beautiful library, make sure to go to the back and climb the stairs for a view down the main reading hall. A nice refuge from the bustle of the city. Sitting out front on the green was a great people-watching spot for the crazies and peculiars
• 👕 Melbourne Central Shopping centre (across the road from the State Library) - a very modern mall with loads of clothing shops

Northcote

• 🍕 Yuni’s Kitchen - tasty indonesian food in a really cute venue
• 🎭 Wesley Anne - converted church now pub with live music
• 🚶‍♂️ Walk along High St to Thornbury and check out all the cute shops and cafes

Thornbury

• 🎭 Go to Higher Existence meditation group on Sunday 4.30pm. I’ll hook you up with my good friend Sana who runs it, such a nice experience (she’s a really lovely human)
• 👕 Retropolis - huge second hand shop with really cool layout. I got couple of my jackets from here

Miscellaneous

• 🚶‍♂️ CERES community environment park - check this place out for a cute cafe, community gardens, and walk back along the yarra down to abbotsford (yarra bend park). I used to do this walk a lot to get my nature fix.
• 🚶‍♂️ Abbotsford convent - really cute little spot with a nice cafe. You could pop by on Sunday 8th June 8am-1pm for the regional farmers market
• 🚶‍♂️ Walk up Lygon street for your fix of mediterranean/middle eastern shops and restaurants
• 🚶‍♂️ Can’t go wrong with a day exploring Royal Botanic Gardens, Shrine of Remembrance for a great view, then the National Gallery of Victoria (god I miss huge galleries like that)
• 🚶‍♂️ If you did fancy a day trip out, take the train to Belgrave. Really nice little town and you can walk into the Dandenong ranges (1000 steps and Olinda Falls). Dress warm though brrrr
• 🎭 I reckon you’d love to do a float (if you’ve not done one). So relaxing and deeply meditative. You could go to Beyond Rest in Collingwood which was a great spot ($90 and they serve delicious tea in a soothing spa vibe)
• ❌ Avoid the Winter Market at Queen Victoria Market. It may sound appealing but my god it was the busiest damn thing I ever went to, almost got crushed
• 👕 The best op shops are probably in Brunswick on Sydney Road (Salvos, Don Bosco, Vinnies) but it does take a lot of sorting through rubbish to find something good

Have an amazing time my handsome man ♥️