Seen from across the river, Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) presents a spectacular modern skyline; what you notice from close up, however, are the florid nineteenth-century facades, grandiose survivors of the great days of the gold rush and after. The former Royal Mint on William Street near Flagstaff Gardens is one of the finest examples, but the main concentrations are to the south on Collins Street and along Spring Street to the east. At the centre of the CBD, trams jolt through the busy Bourke Street Mall. A stone’s throw from these central thoroughfares, narrow lanes, squares and arcades with vibrant street art, hole-in-the-wall cafés, small restaurants, shops and boutiques add a cosy and intimate feel to the city.
Chinatown
North of Bourke Street, and running parallel to it, is Little Bourke Street, with the majestic Law Courts by William Street at the western end, and Chinatown in the east between Exhibition and Swanston streets. Australia’s oldest continuous Chinese settlement, Melbourne’s Chinatown began with a few boarding houses in the 1850s (when the gold rushes attracted Chinese people in droves, many from the Pearl River Delta near Hong Kong) and grew as the gold began to run out and Chinese fortune-seekers headed back to the city. Today the area still has a low-rise, narrow-laned, nineteenth-century character, and it’s packed with restaurants, stores and some of Melbourne’s best-hidden laneway bars and restaurants.Fitzroy Gardens
East of Parliament House, the broad acres of Fitzroy Gardens run a close second to Carlton Gardens as a getaway from the CBD. Originally laid out in the shape of the Union Jack flag, the park’s paths still just about conform to the original pattern, though the formal style has been fetchingly abandoned in between. The gardens are best appreciated on weekdays, as at the weekend you’ll spend most of your time dodging the video cameras of wedding parties. The much-touted main attraction is really only for kitsch nostalgists: Captain Cook’s Cottage was the family home of Captain James Cook, the English navigator who explored the southern hemisphere in three great voyages and first “discovered” the east coast of Australia. Otherwise, there are attractive flower displays at the Conservatory.Melbourne’s laneways
Nothing screams “Melbourne” quite like trams, four-seasons-in-one-day weather and the MCG. That is, nothing except a vibrant city laneway. Often missed by visitors, the multitude of character-filled laneways crisscrossing the CBD are one of the city’s greatest assets and the lifeblood of Melbourne’s unique culture and identity. Some of the best experiences Melbourne has on offer are tucked away in the most unassuming of lanes, so don’t be afraid to venture around corners to see what you uncover.Where to start
Bars Russell Place, Meyers Place, Liverpool Street, Tattersalls LaneCafés Somerset Place, Degraves Street, Centre Place, Somerset Place
Restaurants Hardware Lane/Street, Market Lane, Flinders Lane
Shopping and fashion Presgrave Place, Manchester Lane, Little Collins Street and Block Arcade
Street art Hosier Lane, Union Lane, Croft Alley, Higson Place