Cool hunting - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Book into something surprising. The Brooklyn Arts Hotel is a home away from home for artists, makers and lovers of the arts.

Little Salon

Spacecraft / Gertrude Street

Enoteca / Gertrude Street

Brooklyn is a big, old house in bohemian Fitzroy. The owner, a filmmaker, designer and public artist, has made Brooklyn an intimate place and mixed grandeur with makeshift, and mansion with country cottage.

Tinkle on the piano, settle in with a good book in the garden and listen to the birds, or head out on foot to explore the cafes and bars, independent galleries and boutiques of Smith, Gertrude and Brunswick streets.

Spend the morning meandering the city streets and laneways and going behind the scenes at one of Melbourne's favourite meeting places.

Federation Square

Hidden Secrets Tours take you behind the scenes of Federation Square, a feat of engineering and design on the Yarra River. The Beyond the Square tour offers you VIP access to the rarely seen walkways, the labyrinthine and cutting-edge cooling system, the rain garden, and back-of-house areas.

The small tour groups are led by an expert guide, who tells you all about the difficulties in construction, amazing details in the artistic design, and all the wonderful experiences to be seen and had within its walls. Stick around as lunch and coffee are included, and collect your goodie bag with further info and special offers.

Start the evening at Gigibaba on Smith Street. Perch at the marble bar and sample Ismail Tosun's superlative modern Turkish bar food.

Gigibaba / Smith Street

Northcote Social Club

Wesley Anne / Northcote

For next course meet up with friends at the nearby Gertrude Street corner and climb the two flights of stairs to the spacious Panama Dining Room bar and restaurant. Take in the views of the city in this space that is reminiscent of a New York loft, where the hip clientele play pool and sip European wine.

A performance is staged every night in Melbourne. Study the gig guide and head out of the inner city to Northcote and bustling High Street, which serves up great eating and drinking spots, and live entertainment at venues including the Northcote Social Club and the Wesley Anne.

The Nicholas Building is home to an eclectic mix of independent designers and artisans. Enter the 10-storey neo-classical facade via Cathedral Arcade, with its vaulted leadlight ceiling.

Nicholas Building

Blindside / Nicholas Building

Retrostar / Nicholas Building

Climb the stairs or take the old fashioned lift to tour this creative community, where the roll of tenants is constantly changing. Watch out for the annual open day when you can wander through studios and buy direct from the designer.

Seek out Brendan Dwyer's handmade shoes, Retrostar's vintage emporium, or one of the select jewellers, designers and milliners. And don't forget to browse the designer fashion at Alice Euphemia in ground-floor Cathedral Arcade on your way out.

Take time for a break with a latte under the heaters on Degraves Street, a great place to watch the world go by. Nearby narrow Centre Place is a slice of continental Europe with balconied apartments, hole-in-the-wall cafes and street art.

Books can change the way you view the world. See Melbourne a little differently at the annual Melbourne Writers Festival.

BMW Edge / Federation Square

Literary leanings

State of Design Festival

In recognition of its love of the written word, Melbourne was named a UNESCO City of Literature in 2008. This winter the annual celebration of ideas, words, and writers brings together more than 250 of the best wordsmiths from around the world.

Hear your literary heroes speak, or attend a masterclass, a reading, book launch or debate at Federation Square, Melbourne Town Hall, RMIT Capitol Theatre and other venues throughout Melbourne.

Or explore the city of 2040, watch the action of the Iron Designer public design battle, go behind the doors of Melbourne's design gems at the Open House program, at the the annual State of Design Festival.

Wander along the top end of Flinders Lane to Cumulus, which is open from breakfast to dinner, six days of the week.

Cumulus Inc. / Flinders Lane

Avenue Q

Housed in an historic rag-trade warehouse and one-time gallery space, Chef Andrew McConnell's 'eating house and bar' is located in what is rapidly becoming the new food precinct of Melbourne.

Find a seat in the semi-industrial New York loft-style space and order from a creative a la carte menu featuring oysters shucked to order, whole slow roast lamb to share, and a mind-boggling selection of Charcuterie.

For this evening's entertainment head to the Comedy theatre for Avenue Q, a unique show that blends Sesame Street with The Muppet Show, and adds an X rating. Performed by a weird and wonderful mix of humans and puppets, the show features full puppet nudity and risqué songs. Australian audiences will see this award-winning show in Melbourne first.

Breakfast alfresco at Riverland, overlooking the rowers at work on the Yarra, then walk the short distance to see the unique art of Salvador Dalí.

NGV International

Salvador Dalí: Liquid Desire brings together more than 200 works by Spanish surrealist Dalí. Famous for his flamboyant moustache, Dalí is best known for his strange visions that include melting pocket watches, burning giraffes, and disembodied limbs floating in empty 'dreamscapes'.

The exhibition, the sixth in the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series, is drawn from the two largest collections of Salvador Dalí in the world. See the famous Lobster Telephone, drawings, paintings and Dalí's collaborations in film with Alfred Hitchcock and other directors in the 1940s.

A prolific artist, Dalí produced painting, drawing, watercolour, etchings, sculpture, fashion, jewellery, cinema and photography, a TV ad, and the design for the Chupa Chups logo.

Hit the red carpet with the hordes of film fans that migrate to Melbourne each winter when the Melbourne International Film Festival comes to town.

Forum Theatre

Melbourne International Film Festival

This year Melbourne's iconic trams are celebrated at a special festival event. MIFF invited filmmakers to submit their short film for the Lights, Camera, TRACKtion: Melbourne Shorts presented by Yarra Trams competition. Buy your tickets and find a seat to see these original 5-minute interpretations of the world's most extensive tram network.

Or choose from over 300 music documentaries, animation, shorts, features and more from Australia and around the world. Look out for forums with filmmakers, celebrity interviews, and Premiere Fund films making their international debut.

Your flight beckons and it's time to say farewell, but what better place to bid the city adieu than at MoVida Bar de Tapas.

MoVida / Hosier Lane

Wander down Hosier Lane, past the colourful and curious street art to sample a contemporary twist on traditional Spanish food at MoVida.

Take a seat at the bar for tapas or racion (share plates) and a glass of sherry, and don’t leave without sampling the churros and Spanish hot chocolate prepared by Frank Camorra, The Age Good Food Guide chef of the year.

ARTS END OF TOWN