Fashion and fun - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Kick off your shoes and settle into Oaks on Market, your urban hideaway for the next three days. Find yourself perfectly situated for exploring the labyrinth of laneways that criss-cross the inner city.

Oaks on Market

Block Arcade / Collins Street

Choose from a luxuriously appointed studio or self contained apartment and take a moment to admire the view, but don't waste time, there's a city to explore. Grab a map and do your best to lose yourself in the laneways and arcades that cut a swathe through the otherwise grid-like CBD. Simply follow the bluestone pavers to a melting pot of designer enclaves and makeshift street art galleries.

Whether it's a Vintage Echo scarf in hunter green or a rich textured woollen Coussinet wrap, rug up for Craft Victoria's A month About Making.

Craft Victoria / Flinders Lane

Le Louvre / Collins Street

Arthur Galan AG / Little Collins Street

A dynamic winter event, the festival offers unique opportunities for the community join with professional craftspeople and amateur designers to celebrate craft as a vehicle of self expression and creativity.

Visit Craft Victoria before tackling the Paris end of Collins Street. Once home to Melbourne's artistic community it's now an enticing trap for fashion fiends. Try high-end treasures like Le Louvre and Chanel, then slip down Little Collins Street for an enclave of cool. You can't resist Arthur Galan AG, Calibre or Scanlan & Theodore.

You haven't experienced Melbourne's multicultural melting pot without sampling fusion cuisine blending east and west.

Verge / Flinders Lane

Verge is a modern Australian restaurant set on the edge of Melbourne's CBD overlooking Treasury Gardens. Chef Dallas Cuddy does a Modern Euro/Japanese union that takes its inspiration from modern French cooking with an undeniable Japanese influence.

Try signature dishes such as wagyu beef tartare, sake jelly or gyoza of quail. I know you're worried about looking your best in those tailored Calibre trousers, but be sure not to pass on the beautifully constructed desserts and petit four that complete the menu. Try the millefeuille of pear and hazelnut or Maracaibo chocolate sorbet. Chocolate may be seductively fragrant and wickedly enticing, but remember chocolate=cacao tree=plant=healthy...

Sleep in and take a stroll to Pushka Espresso Bar for breakfast. In typical Melbourne style it's hidden down a laneway, off another laneway, but it's worth the search.

Pushka / Presgrave Place

Presgrave Place

Pushka is named after the proprietor's first cat and offers an eclectic menu including a bowl of Coco Pops, toast soldiers with boiled eggs and the wrong, but oh-so-right Crazy Toast – vegemite and a thick layer of avocado on toast.

Grab a morning paper and start your day with comfort food and the latest news. You'll have to prise yourself away.

Time to explore. Take a tram or stroll through city streets to North Melbourne, an eclectic neighbourhood with some treasures you'll miss if you don't have your ear to the pavement.

Queen Victoria Market

Kids in Berlin / North Melbourne

Miss Libertine / Melbourne

The first stop today is a North Melbourne icon. The Queen Victoria Market is famous as the largest and oldest market in the Southern Hemisphere and home to a colourful array of merchants and hawkers. From organic fruit and vegies to sheepskin slippers, the Vic Market is an experience not to be missed.

Looking for lunch? Graze your way through the market or head to Errol Street which is emerging as one of the latest cool spots to sip and sup. Time for some shopping. Stop at Kids in Berlin for their winter range.

Rest your weary feet with a late afternoon riesling at Miss Libertine. Hidden in Franklin Street, the stunning two storey former bluestone pub offers comfy retro chairs while you listen to emerging and established artists. Explore the three bars, recording studio and art gallery.

Take a tram to Docklands and grab a table at Mecca Bah. Linger over a delicious mezze plate (try the Kataifi pastry filled with Middle Eastern cheeses) and finish with a Turkish coffee.

Mecca Bah / Docklands

The Toff in Town

You could make a night of it at Docklands, but you can't pass up the chance to join the roaring crowds in the winter chill as footy fans gather at one of the city's premier stadiums.

Melbourne is the proud home of Aussie Rules and with the AFL season in full swing you can catch a game at the MCG or Telstra Dome. Join the rugby union action as the Qantas Wallabies take on Ireland and attempt to avenge their 2006 defeat to the Irish and retain the Lansdowne Cup. You can see the Melbourne Victory football (soccer) team at Telstra Dome too.

Pick a team, wear the colours and feel the thrill of the on field action.

Start the day in St Kilda, the perfect base for exploring the beachside cool of Acland and Fitzroy streets.

Big Mouth / St Kilda

The Prince / St Kilda

Acland Street cakes / St Kilda

Head to Big Mouth. A St Kilda institution, the opulent art deco roots hint at its history as a ballroom and a gambling den.

Rug up and take a bracing walk after breakfast along the esplanade and moody St Kilda beach. Follow Fitzroy Street, a street that never sleeps, with its dichotomous mix of shabby and chic. In cosmopolitan Acland Street, morning brings the aroma of freshly baked European cakes and pastries. Rows upon rows of indulgent cakes line the windows of Acland Street's famous cake shops, tempting those who crowd the footpath to peer in the windows.

Rediscover your senses and refresh your spirit as you embark on a sensory journey into deep relaxation that leaves you feeling as light and peaceful as a crimson (ko) butterfly (cho).

Kocho / Centreway Arcade

Collins Street spa Kocho embraces the concept of purity and the simple use of water to cleanse the mind, body and spirit.

What better way to experience the true Japanese spa journey than by indulging in one of their Kasai Mayako bath rituals. Revive with an uplifting citrus bath of yuzu (a type of citrus fruit unique to Japan) or tangerines. This bath is commonly taken the day of the winter solstice to prevent colds for the rest of the winter.

You're in the city and there's just a little time left for souvenir shopping before rushing for your flight. But of course in Melbourne that means more than snow domes and t-shirts.

Zentini

Aesop

Betty & Ford

There's just enough time to be measured for an individually tailored Zentini shirt produced exclusively for you in Melbourne using distinctive fabrics from Italy, London, France and Germany. Browse the shelves of Aesop and select skin and hair products made from a synergistic blend of botanical extracts. Better grab that gorgeous hand crafted silk tie from Betty & Ford as well because they do not repeat designs no matter how hard you beg.

On the way to the airport take a minute to marvel at Melbourne's creativity and couture and jot down a list of 'must-sees' for your next visit.

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