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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Best of Melbourne
Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne enjoys a friendly rivalry with its larger, flashier neighbor some 700 miles to the north, Sydney. But the capital of the province of Victoria (pronounce it like a local: MEL-bin) is a vibrant city in its own right. After the 1850s discovery of gold in the surrounding hills, this city on Port Philip Bay and the Yarra River was settled by free Britons—not convicts, as in Sydney. It’s a distinction that Melburnians are proud to make and which, along with the city’s esteemed educational institutions with strong roots in the traditions of the old country, account for Melbourne’s relatively conservative, cultured reputation. But more recent immigrants have formed the city’s character, too, as large numbers from Greece, Italy, Vietnam, and other nations contribute to the increasingly diverse ethnic stew. (Indeed, this city of 3.7 million claims that a third of its population was either born abroad or has parents who were). Despite all its gentility, Melbourne is sports mad, hosting many of Australia’s biggest competitions, including the Australian Open tennis tournament, the Melbourne Cup horse race, and the finals of Australian Rules Football.
Attractions & Activities Melbourne’s center lies on a neat, Gold Rush–era grid dotted with Belle Epoque buildings and big-city high-rises. Some of the best cafés, pubs, and nightspots are hidden down side streets, so explore the unassuming lanes and the “littles,” or narrower passageways that separate the major thoroughfares. An extensive network of trams, including the free City Circle line, makes it easy to get around the city and into each of its unique “neighborhoods,” or suburbs. A great place to start is Federation Square, the city’s cultural hub, an arts center cum architectural abstraction made up of several buildings that are an array of angles, glass, and steel (61-39-655-1900; fedsquare.com). Built shortly after the turn of the millennium for the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia—a second location of the National Gallery of Victoria and the largest collection of Australian art (61-38-620-2222; ngv.vic.gov.au)—the complex also houses the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, with digital exhibitions and a lineup of films (61-38-663-2200; acmi.net.au), as well as several other venues and a good visitors center with plenty of information about the city’s attractions. On the south bank of the Yarra, the original National Gallery of Victoria has a highly respected collection of works by European masters, including Picasso, Rembrandt, and Monet (61-38-620-2222; ngv.vic.gov.au). Just to the east, the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, generally considered Australia’s best, has more than 12,000 species planted over nearly 1,000 acres in 17 major installations, which depict Australia’s various climates, as well as an extensive population of native birds (61-39-252-2300; rbg.vic.gov.au). Kids and lovers of marine life go in for the Melbourne Aquarium. On a once-blighted stretch of Yarra riverbank, the glass-and-steel complex has submerged glass-enclosed walkways passing through watery exhibits; a shark exhibit, in which visitors can scuba dive with the creatures; and the world’s only display of a giant squid (61-39-923-5999; melbourneaquarium.com.au). Part-American football (with lots of field goals), part-rugby (with plenty of unpadded tackling), Australian Rules Football is a national obsession that finds its apotheosis in Melbourne. South of the city center, the stately Melbourne Cricket Ground, a site in the 1956 Olympics, today hosts raucous “footy” matches during the April-through-September season (61-39-657-8888; mcg.org.au). The city center’s second footy venue, the Telstra Dome, is a main draw at the Docklands, a former industrial site west of the city center that’s been transformed into a big-ticket waterfront complex with residential, office, retail, and exhibition space (docklands.com). Lodging Two Melbourne hotels rank on the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List of the best places in the world to stay: the Grand Hyatt, a curved golden tower with Art Deco elements on the chic end of Collins Street; and the Park Hyatt, a modern high-rise on Parliament Square near Fitzroy Gardens, on the fringes of the Central Business District. Opened in 1883 across from Parliament House, the Hotel Windsor combines original Victorian touches with modern amenities: Every room has a high-ceilinged marble bathroom, along with a flat-screen TV and Internet access. Down a small lane in the city center is the stunning Adelphi Hotel, with a minimalist interior and, more famously, a clear-bottom rooftop lap pool cantilevered out over the street below. Just past the posh boutiques on Collins Street, the Sofitel Melbourne makes up for its somewhat staid rooms with floor-to-ceiling views of the heart of the city and high-tech details such as bedside touch pad controls for lighting, the plasma-screen TV, and the surround sound stereo. Formerly a rooms-by-the-hour hotel in the seaside St. Kilda district, The Prince, a charming Art Deco landmark, has been transformed into an elegant 40-room hotel with views of Port Philip Bay. Perhaps to atone for its scandalous past, The Prince is decorated in chaste, even severe, good taste (taupe-and-chocolate and natural woods all over), but the friendly, attitude-free staff keep the mood cheerful. Dining In a cube-like building in the buzzing center of Federation Square, done in an industrial-meets-disco design scheme, Taxi Dining-Room represents all that is ultra hip in Melbourne dining. Chef Michael Lambie’s menu blends the best of traditional Japanese with some serious mod-Oz cuisine, and the funkily attired wait staff present an object lesson in service. The sushi and sashimi are worth the visit and are well matched with the impressive saki-tasting menu, but the real stars are the eclectic seafood-heavy appetizer and main courses. Here, truffled tuna nestles against red chili salad, crisply cooked snapper arrives in a fragrant broth, and the vegetarian tasting plate is pure art. Not everything works, and there are times when too many tastes threaten the pleasure. But with views this good, both outside (of the city and Southbank) and in, it’s hard to mind (Level 1, Transport Hotel, Federation Sq.; 61-39-654-8808; entrées, $23–$36). When the owners of Jacques Reymond, a legendary restaurant in a slightly dowdy Victorian mansion, decided to modernize, they wound up tossing out not only the traditional fixtures but also the traditional menu categories: Appetizers and entrées disappeared along with the trompe l’oeil. In came a lengthy menu of one-size portions of inventive creations—and a new, younger crowd. Some dishes overreach or have cutesy names—the Soup, the Custard, and the Consommé is one example of both—but nothing’s boring and there’s much to admire in this inspired second act. Other pairings include tea-smoked kingfish with wild scallop seviche, veal medallions with yellowfin tuna and tagine paste, and Peking duck with ginger juice (78 Williams Rd.; 61-39-525-2178; prix fixes, $60–$100). An offbeat name, bizarre postmodernist architecture, absurdly melodramatic lighting, loud music, the clatter and smoke of open kitchens: Radii, in the Park Hyatt Melbourne, is way, way over the top—and more fun than a barrel of tipsy wallabies. Paul Wilson, formerly executive head chef at London’s Quaglino’s, has created an original style—robust yet refined—that goes toe-to-toe with the ambience … and clobbers it. A starter of soft polenta and warm poached egg topped with Reggiano and black truffles is a masterpiece, at once delicate and dense. Wood-roasted swordfish, accented with Moroccan spices and preserved lemon, tastes sensational yet doesn’t lose the flavor of the fish. Desserts are particularly good: The mille-feuille of Valrhona chocolate and citrus slices is impeccably presented, and throws a party on the palate (1 Parliament Sq.; 61-39-224-1211; entrées, $27–$32). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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