With its trendy shopping strips, superb coffee culture and fantastic array of activities, there are plenty of reasons Melbourne has been named the ‘World’s Most Livable City’ for the seventh year running in the Economist’s Intelligence Unit’s latest report.
If you’ve only got one day in this marvellous city, find out how you can live like one of these lucky locals with East Coast Car Rentals’ valuable insight!
Experience a coffee culture like no other
Not all coffee is created equal, especially in Melbourne. This eclectic city lives and breathes caffeine and there’s certainly no shortage of cafes serving up slurp-worthy brews.
For a little local hideaway, head to ST ALi – just a 10-minute drive from the CBD in the suburb of Southbank. What looks like an abandoned warehouse down an old back street actually plays host to a Melbourne coffee institution. With coffee roasting on site, artful coffee-crafting techniques and the perfect complementing brunch menu, ST ALi is a must-visit. Best part is, it’s open 365 days of the year!
Shop ’til you drop on Chapel Street
If you want to act like a local, you’ve got to look like a local, and of course that means sporting some new threads – or should we say second-hand? Melbourne is renowned for its incredible vintage shopping, especially in Fitzroy. This hip inner-city suburb is home to an array of second-hand stores, all boasting coveted collections of pre-loved retro gems.
Make your way over to Brunswick Street and keep your eyes out for Vintage Sole. This second-hand store is well known by Melbournians, but may be accidentally missed by newbies to the city. Inside you’ll find the perfect blend of vintage sportswear, seventies attire and leather goods, all displayed in an organised fashion to make for even easier shopping.
Practise your chanting at an Aussie Rules game!
Watching an Australian Football League (AFL) game is widely regarded as a must-do when visiting Melbourne due to the electric atmosphere and jaw-dropping action. As the unofficial home of ‘Aussie Rules’, Melbourne’s Cricket Ground (MCG) is the one true venue to get amongst the action. With a maximum capacity crowd of 100,000, you can bet that these games are nothing but loud, fun and full of locals cheering on their local team. The AFL season runs from March to September so there’s still time to grab a ticket for the upcoming matches.
Oct 21, 2017 at 7:14pm PDT
Dine at world-class restaurants
When in Melbourne, prepare to put diet plans on hold as the city is brimming with a diverse and exceptional food scene.
With your car hire sorted with East Coast Car Rentals, make the 90-minute drive out to Birregurra, home of Brae. With award-winning chef Dan Hunter at the helm, Brae’s focus on creating contemporary seasonal and local fare earned this established eatery a place on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017. The menu constantly changes depending on what is flourishing in the onsite organic gardens at the time, but rest assured, each mouthful is a complete taste sensation regardless.
This month for example, diners can indulge on the likes of smokey aged Pekin duck, earthy globe artichokes, succulent clams and zesty desert lime as beautifully showcased below.
Mar 16, 2018 at 7:20pm PDT
With so much to see and do in this wonderful city, be sure to lock in car hire with the team at East Coast Car Rentals to stay on top of the action. With two branches in Melbourne, finding your perfect rental car couldn’t be easier!