WELL TRAVELLED
MY, MY MELBOURNE
Whether you want a culture fix, a wine and dine experience or a spot of retail therapy, Melbourne is your go-to city.
WORDS RHONDA OXNAM ANYONE WHO KNOWS ME knows how much I love to travel … but with the world in the midst of a pandemic, opportunities to jump on a plane have been severely curtailed over the past couple of years. So when an invite arrived to attend a work event in Melbourne – my favourite city in Australia, and perhaps the world – I grabbed it with both hands … the added bonus being that my son lives down there so I would be able to have a longawaited reunion with him as well. Now bear with me because our three-day itinerary was jampacked, eclectic and, at times, downright indulgent. Usually we choose to stay right in the CBD but this time we mixed it up and booked an apartment in Southbank. It proved to be a very wise decision … close to all the amazing restaurants and nightlife, a 10 min
86 covemagazine.com.au
– Issue 91
walk to Flinders Station and within a leisurely stroll of the DFO where I could partake in my second favourite past time … shopping. There are any number of amazing places to eat but with Tom living in the inner suburb of Richmond, our venue of choice on the first night was Harlow Bar. An unremarkable pub downstairs, the rooftop level is a riot of neon lights, lush fake flowers and mismatched furniture. The views over the city are amazing, the food extremely tasty and the cocktail list is pretty good too. On the way home we were treated to an epic laser show on the Yarra River, just one of the free cultural offerings that often pop up throughout the city. The following day, we met up with friends for lunch at La Camera … an Italian restaurant in the
Southgate dining precinct with a spacious balcony and stunning views across the water to the CBD. We have eaten here many times before and after a delicious meal and a convivial couple of hours we headed to the nearby Damon Bradley where we indulged in an even more delicious serving of coffee and French patisseries. Thursday night was the real reason for my visit, the opening of the stunning new audio store, Focal Powered By Naim. We were promised an evening of Immersion, French gastronomy and elite visual and audio experiences, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. The highlight would have to be sitting in a soundproof space which boasted a $450,000 sound system as tunes were pumped out through speakers that were worth another $450,000. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to listen to music without wishing I was back in that million-dollar room.