1

Great stuff to know about living and

studying in Melbourne
This list is provided for students of VCA Music theatre who might be new to Melbourne, or those who
want more insider knowledge. The information below has been compiled by Margot, from tips provided
by students, so if you want more info about how to choose between multiple services offered below, ask
a student or grad. The list is updated each year and we strive to keep the info current, so if you want to
fix a link or update the info, please reach out to Margot.

Contents: (page number/heading)

2. Transport/ Navigation
2. Health
4. Markets and Cheap Grocers
5. Second-hand stuff
6. Cheap clothes
7. Uni-related stuff (best places to buy dance gear, books, sheet music etc.)
9. Dance classes
9. Performing Arts Venues/Companies
• Cabaret
• Live Theatre
• Some of the best for Jazz
• Some of the best for live music (other)
• Youth and Community Centres
14. Cinemas and drive-ins
16. Festivals
18. Best coffee near the VCA
18. Best cafés and Restaurants
24. Best bars/clubs/pubs
28. Gay Clubbing
29. Recreation (other)
30. Miscellaneous
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Transport/Navigation
- Get a myki and use it, transport inspectors are continuously travelling around in uniform and
plain clothes
- Always carry around your VIC concession card, they will fine you if you are without one or with
one from another state. They are brutal!
- Get a pass instead of topping up money, this will make it cheaper
- Buying 4 weeks at a time is cheapest, approx $70 concession price.
- Only touch off on trains. Trams and busses don’t make a difference.

ptv.vic.gov.au
Everything you need to know about public transport in VIC
-The ‘Journey Planner’ section is particularly helpful for finding the most efficient way to get to your
destination at the specific time you want.

Tram Tracker (App)

A phone app that lets you track where trams are, how frequently they run and the estimated arrival to
each stop

Train Trapper (App for Android)

Same thing but for Trains only (also reports delays)

Health

Melbourne University Health Clinic

138-146 Cardigan Street Carlton
Close to the Parkville campus, they bulk bill for Melbourne Uni students with a Medicare card, however
it gets super busy so definitely make an appointment
8.45am-5.00pm weekdays
03 8344 6904

St Kilda Super Clinic

Level 1, 156-160 Acland Street St Kilda
Bulk billing and heaps of doctors - good for quick prescriptions

Medical One
QV Building, corner of Lonsdale and Swanston Street
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Good bulk billing doctors.

Kathleen Douglas (Company 11) used to work here and so these doctors are the ones she recommends:
Dr Jon Stokes (great for mental health)
Dr Peter Edwards
Dr Margaret Elder (great for mental health)
Dr Cate Streeton (good for womens health)
Also, if you need to see a doctor but don’t have an appt, 9 times out of 10 this place will squeeze you in
if you rock up.

Physio on Collins
2nd floor, 12 Collins St, Melbourne. 9650 1347
Highly recommended physios with lots of experience with performers. They’ve serviced both the VCA
and the Australian Ballet School for many years. Also regularly work with performers in MT shows. Very
good rates.

Performance Medicine
Suite 3, Ground Floor, 3 Bowen Crescent Melbourne
Physiotherapy specializing in music theatre performers and dancers
Annie for physio and voice physiotherapy
Teegan for Myotherapy (Remedial Massage)
Say you’re from VCA to get a discount.
98201324/

Nutritionist/Dietician
Zoe Nicholson
0419585415
Consults in Malvern (Corner Tooronga Rd and High Street)

Pilates
Jodie Sheehy
0431 143 374
Minimum three people per session ($15 each) or private session (prices on request)
Great for improving strength and flexibility

Accident, Sports and Spinal Physiotherapy- Melbourne Dance Clinic

12 Collins Street
Discounted rates for VCA, Australian Ballet School and VCASS students.
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Dynamic Stability
161-165 Swan St, Richmond
Great for myotherapy.

Markets/Cheap Grocers
The best way to get great fruit, veg, meat etc is form one of Melbourne’s amazing markets. The
atmosphere makes shopping fun and you can get great produce cheap if you follow our tips…

Queen Victoria Markets

513 Elizabeth Street Melbourne
Closed Mondays and Wednesdays
Meat, fruit and veggies plus cheap miscellaneous stuff- socks, jumpers, shoes, backpacks, cooking gear
etc. Go an hour before closing to get food super cheap on the weekends. Melbourne’s biggest, most
famous market for a reason. Also has live music on Saturdays – grab a borek or a bratwurst roll, a coffee
and enjoy the vibe.
https://qvm.com.au/

South Melbourne Market

Cecil Street, South Melbourne.
Open wed 8am-4pm; Fri 8am-5pm; Sat & Sun 8am – 4pm
On a Sunday afternoon after 3pm - everything is practically getting thrown out so meat and veggies are
SUPER cheap. You have to be fast and play a bit dirty but the bargains are worth it. Best ever markets
evaaaaa.
https://southmelbournemarket.com.au/

The Inconvenience Store

562-564 High St, Thornbury, Melbourne
Pay-as-you-feel Grocery Store run by the folk at Lentil as Anything. The food has been generously
donated by growers and retailers. Great for those weeks when cash is a problem.
https://www.lentilasanything.com/the-inconvenience-store/

Prahran Markets
163 Commercial Road South Yarra.
Closed Mondays and Wednesdays but open all other days
Fruit, vegies, great deli, sushi, organic food, meat, fish and poultry.
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Pricey normally, but On Sundays go to Pino’s, you can fill a fruit box FULL of fruit and veg for only $15.
You’ll get SO much more than you’d pay that amount for anywhere else. Good for D-list celeb spotting:
Joe saw Lydia from the Real Housewives there.
https://www.prahranmarket.com.au/

Preston Markets
2/30A The Centreway, Preston VIC 3072
Open 8-3 Wednesday, 8-6 Thursday & Friday, 8-3 Saturday & Sunday
Really cheap veggies, great deli, loads of butchers and fishmongers. It’s called ‘The People’s Market’ for
a reason: Preston isn’t about polish, just great cheap food.
https://www.prestonmarket.com.au/

Cato's Frtui and Vegetables

10-12 Cato ST prahran
Farmer’s Market, behind Coles on Chapel Street have cheap fruit and vegies every day.

ALDI
Cheapest supermarket ever
The most central ones are Swanston Street, Chapel Street, St Kilda, and South Melbourne, but check
their website for your local
https://www.aldi.com.au/

The Vogue Shopping Plaza

Near the corner of Chapel Street and Toorak Road
Great big Woolworths and Big W
Parking is $20 for an hour but you get a refund if you purchase something at Woolworths or Big W.
There is a great fresh pasta shop here as well as a Liquor Land, Bakers’ Delight, $2 shops, Hunky Dory’s
fish and chips, Chocolate cafe and a great sushi place- try the Bento Boxes.

Second-Hand Stuff
Camberwell Rotary Markets
Between Burke and Station Streets, Camberwell.
Easy to get to- catch the train to Camberwell Station - less than 5 minute walk to the Markets.
Every Sunday from 6am to 12pm.
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Get there early - the best stuff goes really quickly and it usually gets really packed. Usually closer to
midday people are getting rid of things for ridiculously cheap prices so it’s worth sticking around!
Great second hand clothes, bags, shoes, bikes, furniture, books - everything under the sun!
Heaps of great hand made market stalls too!
Prices are negotiable so always try to bargain it down. You can even book your own stalls to sell
unwanted stuff!
https://camberwellsundaymarket.org/

Savers - The Recycle Super Store

Imagine a department store sized Op Shop!
330 Sydney Road, Brunswick
33 Albert Street, Footscray
https://stores.savers.com.au/

Brunswick and Swan Streets

For trendy (sometimes pricey) and fabulous vintage shopping!

Chapel Street Bazaar

An incredible emporium of vintage kitsch and miscellaneous wonder!
Worth a look even if you aren’t in the market to buy anything.
There is also a good Op Shop a few doors up.

Op Shop Listing
For Op Shops near you!
http://opshop.org/list/VIC/MELBOURNE/

Ziilch
Where people give away their old stuff for free – all you have to do is pick it up!
https://au.ziilch.com/index.php/ziilch-articles/free-stuff-melbourne

Dejour Jeans
542 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056
Custom fitted jeans for $60 or under. Select from a massive range and then have them altered to your
best fit. Find them on facebook or insta.

Cheap clothes
Outlet Shopping
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Bridge Road Richmond

From Alannah Hill to Jack London to Dangerfield

Uni-Related Stuff
Capezio Elsternwick
(Catch the Sandringham train line from the city and get off at Elsternwick station, the store is 50-100
meters walk up Glen Huntly Rd)

296-298 Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick, VIC, 3185

Dance clothing, shoes, bags etc.
20% discount for full time students (bring your student card)
-Basic tap/jazz/ballet shoes are relatively cheap with the discount and pretty good quality
- Chorus heels are more expensive but they’re real leather compared to Bloch ones which aren’t*
-Famous for their tap shoes/plates

Sansha – Ripponlea
17 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea VIC 3185
(If you catch the Sandringham train line from the city and get off at Ripponlea station, the shop is about
50 meters from the station)
- Slightly more alternative dance clothing
- They sell custom design tap shoes and heels if you’re feeling fancy ;)
- Cheaper tap, ballet & jazz shoes but they can vary in quality

The Space Dancewear

5 Carlton Street, Prahran
Dance shoes, clothing, bags and accessories.
20% off on presentation of your student card to Music Theatre students.

Bloch
Dance clothing, shoes and accessories
Good quality, this is probably the best place to get your chorus heels etc
The Southbank store (located mid-level Southgate Complex) offers a VCA student discount card upon
submission of a couple of forms available in-store.

Energetiks
166 Buckley Street Essendon
More dancewear
Less pricey than Bloch, but also slightly lower quality
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They have a store AND factory outlet in Essendon, we recommend the outlet (located at the rear of the
main storefront) for ballet tights, dance tops and leggings, then the actual store for leotards and shoes.

Lululemon
140 Bourke Street Melbourne OR 30 Rupert Street Collingwood (Factory Outlet)
Yoga and running clothing (perfect for dance)

Discount Dance Supply

www.discountdance.com
Everything on here is dirt cheap, but shipping is a little expensive, which equals it out. Orders may take a
little while to come in the mail.

The Book Depository

www.bookdepository.co.uk
Cheap books ($2.00 plus) with free shipping. Plays, books on acting, The Body Speaks, Alexander
technique, all that stuff is on there, and you’ll probably be asked to buy some of it at some stage this
year!

New Musical Theatre

www.newmusicaltheatre.com
Sheet music website for new music theatre composers who self-publish, which cuts out the middleman
and allows the artists to take full credit and profits for their work. Adam Gwon, Pasek and Paul, Joe
Iconis, John Bucchino, Ryan Scott Oliver, Jeremy Schonfeld, Georgia Stitt, Kerrigan and Lowdermilk etc

Music Notes Online

www.musicnotes.com
Great for instant sheet music downloads
Approx. $5 per song

Scribd
https://www.scribd.com
About $13.00 each month, but if you group up it can end up costing you that for a year’s supply of
Librettos and Scores at your disposability.
*It’s even cheaper if one person in your company makes an account, and shares the password with
whoever is wanting to split the fee with them, granting them access.
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Dance Classes
Circle Studios
Level 1, 36 Edmonds Rd Prahran
Some of Melbourne’s best dance teachers and industry professionals teaching weekly.
VCA discount makes most classes cheaper, ranging from $12-16
VCA 10 Class Pass $140 (show your student card for the discount).
https://circlestudios.com.au/

The Space
5 Carlton Street Prahran
$19.50 per class
$12 for a second class in the same session
$65 First Timer Pass- 6 Classes
www.thespace.com.au/dance-class-timetable

Performing Arts Venues/Companies

HOT TIP - subscribe to theatre companies on Facebook and Twitter, an easy way to find out about gigs
and promotional offers, even auditions!

Note that many theatre companies have preview prices, rush tickets and other ways to see their shows
for less, especially if you’re a student, so get to know each company’s system.

Also check out TixAtSix for $30 tickets to shows at Arts Centre Melbourne, and HalfTix, or Lasttix for
some good ticket deals on shows.

Cabaret
The Butterfly Club
5 Carson Pl Melbourne (off Lt Collins)
www.thebutterflyclub.com
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Live Theatre
The Arts Centre
100 St Kilda Road, Southbank
www.theartscentre.net.au

Chapel Off Chapel

12 Little Chapel Street Prahran
www.chapeloffchapel.com.au

La Mama
205 Faraday Street Carlton
www.lamama.com.au/

Forty Five Downstairs

45 Flinders Lane Melbourne
www.fortyfivedownstairs.com/

Malthouse
113 Sturt Street, Southbank
www.malthousetheatre.com.au

Princess Theatre
163 Spring Street, Melbourne
www.marrinergroup.com.au

Regent Theatre
191-197 Collins Street, Melbourne
www.marrinergroup.com.au

Athenaeum Theatre
188 Collins Street, Melbourne
www.athenaeumtheatre.com.au
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Forum Theatre
154 Flinders Street, Melbourne
www.marrinergroup.com.au

Her Majesty's Theatre

219 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
www.hermajestystheatre.com.au

Comedy Theatre
244 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
www.marrinergroup.com.au

Melbourne Theatre Company

Just behind VCA
www.mtc.com.au

Theatre Works
14 Acland Street, St Kilda
www.theatreworks.org.au

Gasworks Arts Park

21 Graham Street, Albert Park
www.gasworks.org.au

Palais Theatre
Lower Esplanade, St Kilda
www.palaistheatre.com

Red Stitch Actors Theatre

Rear 2 Chapel Street, St. Kilda East
www.redstitch.net
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Some of the Best for Jazz

The Paris Cat Jazz Club
6 Goldie Place Melbourne
http://www.pariscat.com.au/

The Jazz Lab

27 Leslie St Brunswick
https://jazzlab.club/

Uptown Jazz Café

177 Brunswick St Fitzroy
http://www.uptownjazzcafe.com/

The Night Cat

137-141 Johnston St Fitzroy
https://www.thenightcat.com.au/

Some of the Best for Live Music (other)

Northcote Social Club
301 High St Northcote

Corner Hotel
57 Swan St Richmond
https://evelynhotel.com.au/

Hotel Esplanade (The Espy)

11 The Esplanade St Kilda
https://hotelesplanade.com.au/

The Gasometer
484 Smith St Collingwood
http://www.thegasometerhotel.com.au/
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Howler
7-11 Dawson St Brunswick
https://www.h-w-l-r.com

Evelyn Hotel
351 Brunswick St Fitzroy
https://evelynhotel.com.au/

The Toff in Town

Lvl 2, Curtin house, 252 Swanston St Melbourne
https://thetoff.com.au/

Cherry Bar
ACDC Lane, Melbourne
https://www.cherrybar.com.au/

Vamos
Lv 1 Little Bourke ST melbourne
https://vamos.net.au/

Youth and Community Theatres

Alex Theatre
1/135 Fitzroy St, St Kilda VIC 3182
https://alextheatre.org.au/

St Martins Youth Theatre

44 St Martins Lane, South Yarra
www.stmartinsyouth.com.au

Footscray Community Arts Centre

45 Moreland Street, Footscray
http://footscrayarts.com/
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Cinemas and Drive-ins

Cinemas with great atmosphere
The Sun Theatre
8 Ballarat Street, Yarraville
www.suntheatre.com.au

Lido Cinemas (also check out their rooftop cinema and the Lido Jazz Room)
675 Glenferrie Rd Hawthorn
https://www.lidocinemas.com.au/

The Astor Cinema

The grand old cinema of Melbourne with the greatest choctops in town. Regular double features of
classic films
1 Chapel St St Kilda
https://www.astortheatre.net.au/

Thornbury Picture House

Small, locally run picture house in one of Melbourne’s coolest suburbs. Fantastic vegan choctops
https://www.astortheatre.net.au/

Other cinemas
Cinema Nova
380 Lygon St, Carlton VIC
$7 movies All Day Monday
Screens art house, mainstream and foreign films, plus the National Theatre Live series, which features
plays from the National Theatre of Britain.
www.cinemanova.com.au

Palace Cinema
$12.50 All day tuesday
‘Palace Westgarth’ (High St Northcote)
‘Kino’ (45 Collins Street Melbourne)
‘Como’ (Corner Toorak Road & Chapel Street, South Yarra)
www.palacecinemas.com.au
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ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image)

Exhibitions, festivals and film events
Fed Square, Melbourne
https://www.acmi.net.au/

Hoyts Melbourne Central

La Trobe Street Melbourne
www.hoyts.com.au

Village Cinemas
The Rivoli Cinema (Camberwell)
8 Whiteman Street (Crown) Southbank
Chapel Street South Yarra
www.villagecinemas.com.au

Moonlight Cinemas (seasonal)

Melbourne Botanic Gardens
https://www.moonlight.com.au/

IMAX Melbourne
Melbourne Museum, Carlton
https://imaxmelbourne.com.au/

Drive-ins
Coburg Drive In
155 Newlands Rd Coburg North
https://villagecinemas.com.au/cinemas/coburg-drive-in

Lunar Drive In Theatre

115 South Gippsland Highway, Dandenong
www.lunardrive-in.com.au

Dromana Drive In
133 Nepean Highway Dromana
http://www.dromanadrivein.com.au/
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Festivals
Melbourne has dozens of festivals every year – here’s just a selection to get you started (in chronological
order. All dates correct at time of writing)

Melbourne Music Week – extended

9 Dec 2020 – 28 February 2021
Three months of live music!
https://mmw.melbourne.vic.gov.au/program/

Chinese New Year Festival

9 -24 February 2021 (New Year’s day is Friday, 12 February)
Welcome in the Year of the Ox
https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/chinese-new-year-chinatown#.X-1A7ekzbSw

Melbourne Queer Film Festival

11-21 March 2021
Presenting over 100 sessions at ACMI, Cinema Nova and Village Cinemas, encompassing Australian and
international features, documentaries and shorts.
https://mqff.com.au/

Melbourne International Comedy Festival

24 March – 18 April 2021
Various Venues
Over 300 hilarious events at venues all around the city.
Includes stand up, cabaret, theatre, street performance, film, television, radio and visual arts.
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021

Midsumma Festival
19 April – 5 May, 2021
Melbourne’s annual festival of queer culture and art. It is the biggest festival in Australia of its kind. Held
in multiple venues across the city. Dance parties, pride march and live music events are just some of the
many mediums of celebration.
https://midsumma.org.au

Yirramboi
6 – 16 May 2021
Australia’s premier First nations arts and cultural events (biannual)
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https://yirramboi.com.au/

Rising
26 May – 6 June 2021
The combined Melbourne International Arts Festival & White Night: a major cultural event created by a
diverse team of local, national and international artists
www.melbournefestival.com.au

Melbourne Cabaret Festival

16-27 June 2021
Chapel Off Chapel and The Butterfly Club
Fabulous cabaret shows. Supported by the Ron & Margaret Dobell Foundation.
You can even volunteer to be an usher, which gets you in to see a bunch of shows for free!
www.melbournecabaret.com

Melbourne International Film Festival

5 -22 August 2021
https://miff.com.au/

Melbourne Writers Festival

3-12 September 2021
Featuring author talks and panel discussions about all things literary.
https://mwf.com.au/

Melbourne Fringe Festival

30 September – 17 October 2021
The Melbourne Fringe Festival is a vibrant independent arts showcase, developing, championing and
celebrating the independent arts. It’s one of Australia's largest multi-artform festivals, each year
featuring 400+ events by 6000+ artists in 160+ venues across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
https://melbournefringe.com.au/

Melbourne International Jazz Festival

15 – 24 October 2021
Great local and international jazz of all kinds
https://www.melbournejazz.com/

St. Kilda Twilight Markets

Annually Jan-Feb.
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Cool music, yummy food and hippie stores.

Also, you’re in the heart of St. Kilda with ‘Vineyard’
and other shweeet bars playing live music till the wee hours of the morning.
https://www.stkildatwilightmarket.com/

Best Coffee (near VCA)

If you want to try somewhere other than Lionels of course… (but FYI if you bring your own cup to
Lionel’s it’s only $3 which helps!)
Little Black – out the front of the VCA, on St Kilda Road
Godot – Across the road from the new MCM building. Really good roast, about 5 minutes away from the
sheds.
Script – The MTC Café/Restaurant/Bar.
Malthouse – Good coffee, also decent bar with a happy hour from 5-6:30.
Blondie’s – Next door to Script, also a bar/restaurant.
ACCA – 3 dollar coffee even SOY! Across from Malthouse, 5 min walk from school.

Best Cafes/Restaurants (including Cheap Eats)

Melbourne is a foodlover’s town! Some of our streets became famous for their cafes (Lygon St, Acland
St, Bruswick St) but these days good food is everywhere. Here are some student favourites…

Crossways
1/123 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000
$5.95 for concession, different set meals every day. One main meal + dessert but you can go back for
seconds and thirds! Vegetarian, hare krishna, lunch & dinner with vegan options. Can get crowded so go
upstairs!

Gopals
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139 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000

$9-11ish a meal, basically like crossways but with more options/food combos. All vegetarian, open for
lunch and dinner with vegan options.

Lentil As Anything
41 Blessington Street St Kilda
1-3 St Heliers Street Abbotsford
Non-profit vegetarian restaurant, they have a 'pay as you feel' philosophy. For the times where you’re
broke as hell and need a good meal.
Its delicious, cheap/free and non-judgemental.

Proud Mary Coffee

172 Oxford Street Collingwood

Degraves St
Near Flinders Street Station
Cheap restaurants and cafes
Great Italian food especially
Best breakfast near Degraves (Closer to Collins Street) - Issus Cafe - try the pancakes!

Chez Dre
Rear of 285-287 Coventry Street South Melbourne

Don Dons Japanese Restaurant

Swanston Street opposite Melbourne Library
CHEAP meals ready in about 2 minutes, not great for vegetarians

Hunky Dory
Vogue Plaza South Yarra
Clarendon Street South Melbourne
Bay Street Port Melbourne
Fairly Cheap fish and chips with healthy alternatives: Seafood options with brown rice and a variety of
salads costs around $12-$15.
The seafood salad and salt & pepper calamari are amazing!

St Ali
12-18 Yarra Place South Melbourne VIC 3205
Try the dish “My Mexican Cousin” – amazing!
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Hanoi Hannah
186 High Street Prahran
Vietnamese street food – cheap as chips!

I Love Pho
246 Victoria Street Richmond
Pho (Vietnamese soup) in all its glory

Vegie Bar
Brunswick Street Fitzroy
Vegie Bar serves all things vegetarian, with vegan, raw and gluten free options. Organic wines and beers
are available. They’re great for when you need a hearty, yet healthy, meal.
Gets VERY busy at night, especially on Friday and weekends
Beware of snobby hipsters and hippies…

The Final Step

1C Murphy Street South Yarra
Melbourne, Australia
Small coffee shop, with amazing coffee and homemade slices

Monk Bodhi Dharma

Rear 202 Carlisle St Balaclava
Specialist tea and coffee house specializing in sustainable and healing food made from scratch. TRY the
Peasant beans, or Avo Toast.

Café Rosco
407 St Kilda Road Melbourne
Delicious, moderately priced pizza and pasta, located within walking distance of uni.

Auction Rooms
103 – 107 Errol Street North Melbourne
Best brunch in Melbourne. The queue can be pretty big on weekend mornings, but it’s definitely worth
the wait.

Tusk Cafe
133 Chapel Street Windsor
Amazing breakfast and fresh juices.
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The Tapas plate for 2 is also pretty great.

Three Bags Full Cafe

60 Nicholson Street Abbotsford
Incredible breakfast! Super busy on weekend mornings but worth the wait!
Great coffee and French toast.

Dish
On St Kilda Road near corner of Toorak Road
Fancy meal for when your parents are in town!

Shanghai Dumpling House, aka The Dumps

Tattersalls Lane, Off Little Bourke Street, China Town
Cheap Asian food, hilarious service, and no tap water! Steer clear of the pork.

Time Out Cafe

Fed Square (opposite Flinders Street Station)
For the best bowl of fat chips with aioli in Melbourne - if you’re having a craving.
Also great cocktails, dinner and share plates. Massive Parmas

Tiamo or Tiamo2
Lygon Street, Carlton
Cheap and cheerful pasta and authentic Italian Pizza.
Try the Prosciutto Pizza and have dessert at Brunetti’s nearby- beautiful patisserie.

Little Cupcakes
Degraves Street
Signature Melbourne Cupcakes and delicious coffee and milkshakes.
Nice for an afternoon tea after shopping.

Lucky Coq
Corner of Chapel and High Street
$4 Pizza everyday between 7pm-10pm

Chocolate Buddha
Fed Square
For lovers of good Japanese food
Definitely for more of a splurge night but amazing
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Cafe Green
Sydney Road, Brunswick
Fantastic cheap food that is amazing!

Chin Chin
125 Flinders Lane Melbourne
Also comprises Go Go Bar.

Bimbo’s
376 Brunswick Street Fitzroy
Cheap pizza and drinks.

Chapelli’s
Chapel Street near the corner of Toorak Road
Open 24 hours

Amigo’s Mexican Restaurant

478 Chapel Street South Yarra
Great cocktails and Mexican food - a bit pricey but amazing food for a special occasion

Tasti D-Lite
Chapel Street, between Commercial and Toorak Roads
Low fat ice-cream- countless flavours- many only 70 calories per serve.

Burch and Purchase Sweet Studio

647 Chapel Street South Yarra
Desserts galore!

My Legendary Girlfriend
157 Domain Road, South Yarra

Borsch, Vodka and Tears

173 Chapel St, Windsor
Cool polish café and vodka bar. Yummy cocktails.

Manchester Press
8 Rankins Lane
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Best Bagels!!!!!!!

Krimper Café
20 Guildford Lane
Rustic warehouse café

Top Paddock
658 Church Street, Richmond

The Kettle Black

50 Albert Rd, South Melbourne
Same owners as Top Paddock

Higher Ground
650 Little Bourke St
Same owners as Top Paddock and The Kettle Black

Oscar Cooper
160 Greville St, Prahran
For the best brekky/lunch food + good coffee

Andrew’s Hamburgers
144 Bridport St. Albert Park
Comfort you can eat, basically
Ridiculously good burgers from $7.50-$12
…definitely a ‘sometimes’ food

Or browse these sites for good, cheap food…

https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/australia/articles/the-best-cafes-for-studying-and-working-in-
melbourne/
https://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/guides/best-cheap-eats
https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/restaurants/cheap-eats-in-melbourne
https://www.hostelworld.com/blog/cheap-eats-melbourne/
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Best Bars/Pubs/Clubs
Yep, we love our bars, clubs and pubs too. Definitely worth exploring the vibrant laneways and
upstairs/downstairs tucked away joints in the city itself, but again, some student recommendations:

Bars

Madame Brussels
59 Bourke Street, Melbourne
It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but go up to level 3 and you will be pleasantly surprised. Has
a great little rooftop terrace. Floral settees, astro turf and waiters in vintage tennis outfits.
Delicious cocktails in 2 or 4 person jugs- $30 for 2 or $50 for 4.
We recommend Gin Garden, Moscow Mule and Afghan Gold.
Great cheese platter and other yummy nibbles as well.

Curtin House
Swanston Street near the corner of Little Bourke
A multi leveled bar complex featuring;
Cookie- drinks, food with vintage books lining the walls.
The Toff in Town - little train compartments for a more private drinking experience. Great to take a
date!
Rooftop Bar and Cinema - the best view of the Melbourne CBD, cheap food and good drinks. They also
play movies up here at selected times.

Gin Palace
10 Russell Place Melbourne
Open super late- 3am

Double Happiness
21 Liverpool St

1806 – Cocktail Bar

169 Exhibition St Melbourne

Great bars near VCA -

The Barre (Curve Bar to some) – The Arts Centre - show your student card for a VCA discount
Malthouse – good for a Friday afternoon beverage
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Riverland – under Fed Square

Arbory Bar and Eatery

1 Flinders Walk, Melbourne
Right on the Yarra (and even more so in summer at Arbory Afloat), this is a VCA MT favourite! Not only
are their drinks good but their food is amazing. GREAT burgers. They even do breakfast here.

Ponyfish Island
Elizabeth Street Bridge, Yarra River
This awesome bar is under the Elizabeth Street Footbridge, quite literally in the middle of the Yarra
River. Limited selection of food, we highly recommend the $30 Pimms jug made fresh to order.

Cherry Bar
103 Flinders Ln Melbourne VIC 3000
Incredible on a Thursday evening, live soul music.
Usually $10 entry but worth it

Section 8
Next to Shanghai Dumplings
Goes off on a Sunday, its 90s night!

Croft Institute
(Nothing to do with Martin...)
21 Croft Alley Melbourne
Drinks served in syringes

Berlin Bar
China Town

Somewhere Bar
181 Chapel St, Prahran VIC 3181
Quite a small bar/club, can get very crowded/rowdy but if you’re into that kind of thing then go for it
They play mostly Pop and RnB sets

Lily Blacks Bar

12 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000
Cute laneway bar with great drinks and 11 inch pizzas!
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Lock and Key

34 Franklin St, Melbourne VIC 300
Open til 4am - two levels, intimate, great place for a kick ons or a chill out

B. Lucky & Sons

Level 3/11 La Trobe st, Melbourne VIC 3000 (top level of Central near Strike and Hoyts)
Pizza and Arcade Bar. Great venue to drink, play some arcade games and socialise with friends.

Pubs

The Corner Hotel

Richmond

Red Eye
Carlisle Street
Mega cheap drink on a Saturday
It's a backpacker hangout - pick up foreigners and drink buckets

Little Creatures Dining Hall

222 Brunswick Street Fitzroy

Arcadia Hotel
2 Toorak Road South Yarra
Friday 5 – 7pm is Happy Hour, $2.50 pots and $3.50 wine
Tuesday is Parma night, and Wednesday night is steak night!

Bridie O'Reilleys
Chapel Street Prahran
A trashy good time on a Saturday
Good cover bands and you can hang outside on the tables for cheap drinks before heading out
elsewhere

The Esplanade Hotel

“The Espy”
St Kilda

PJ O’Briens
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Southgate
Cheap drinks, open every night, and there’s usually a live band

The Standard Hotel

293 Fitzroy St

The Workers club

51 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Live Music Venue

College Lawn Hotel

36 Greville St, Prahran
Pops off on a Sunday arvo

Prahran Hotel
82 High St, Windsor
Extra fancy pub. Great food.

Clubs

CQ
113 Queen Street Melbourne
Saturdays
Hands down biggest dance floor in Melbourne

Revolver Upstairs
229 Chapel Street Prahran
We recommend Sunday night/Monday morning for Revs. May pick up a few under-age kids, be warned.
Googs with Boogs!!!

Survivor
Collins Street Melbourne

onesixone
161 High Street Prahran

The Night Cat

137 - 141 Johnston Street Fitzroy
Live music and great for a dance!
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Sorry Grandma
590 Little Bourke Street Melbourne

La Di Da
577 Little Bourke Street Melbourne

Seven
52 Albert Road South Melbourne
Thursdays/Saturdays

Eve
334-342 City Road Southbank
Thursdays/Saturdays

Revellers
274 Chapel Street Prahran

Factory Thursdays at Trak

445 Toorak Road Toorak
Huge club scene, massive dance floor and cheap drinks. May run the risk of picking up under-agers.

Perserverance
196 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

End of the night - Head to King Street for some live nude girls (and boys) and cross the road at Crown to
waste copious amounts of dosh.

Gay Clubbing
Poof Doof
Chasers Nightclub – 386 Chapel St, South Yarra
Only on Saturday nights. Big fav amongst the gays. Upstairs is a better to dance in than downstairs.

Thursgay
Yah Yah’s
99 Smith St, Fitzroy.
Thursday nights at Yah Yah’s are a free entry queer partay called ‘Thursgay.’ LIPSYNC FOR YOUR PINT.
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Sircuit
103 Smith St Fitzroy/Collingwood

The Peel
Corner Peel and Wellington Streets Collingwood
Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
Free entry. Sometimes can have issues with denying girls entry (pretending to be a lesbian doesn’t
work).

Love Machine
Malvern Road South Yarra
Only on Sunday nights. Expensive and trashy. Has had issues with much of the club being straight people
as the night is only marketed as "gay friendly". But if you're looking for something to do Sunday nights
and you just want to drink, you may as well.

Recreation
Catch the number 70/75 tram from Flinders Street to get to Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena, AAMI Park,
MCG, and Swan Street.

The National Gallery of Victoria

Wander through if you have a break at Uni.
There are some free sections and many amazing exhibitions to see at an entry fee.
www.ngv.com.au

Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC)

Box 1, Aughtie Drive Albert Park
Lap pool and sauna, plus water slide on request
Only $5.25 for a single visit with concession

North Melbourne Recreation Centre

Gym and pool
www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/nmrc/
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M9 Laser Skirmish
Laser Tag at Crown Complex
Lots of fun and from only $12 per person

Strike Bowling Bar

QV, 245 Little Lonsdale Street Melbourne
Drink and bowl at the same time.
Approx. $12 per game per person
Also has karaoke and laser skirmish.
www.strikebowlingbar.com.au

Charlton’s
Karaoke and Pool Hall
Level 2, 2 Coverlid Pl Melbourne
Karaoke kicks off at 10.30pm every night

Abbotsford Convent
1 -3 St Heliers Street Abbotsford
There’s always something happening here, be it a vintage clothing sale, Bollywood dance lessons, a
farmers market or a bit of moonlight cinema. Also lovely to wander around the grounds, bring a picnic to
eat under a tree, visit the Collingwood Children’s Farm (next door) or just explore the convent, which
has been converted into a series of funky studios.

1,000 steps Kokoda Track Memorial Walk

Dandenong Ranges National Park

Eureka Skydeck 88
Tallest Building in Melbourne

Miscellaneous

Minotaur (The Pop Culture Superstore) on Elizabeth Street, for any geeks in the making.

The Wheeler Centre

176 Little Lonsdale Street
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The Wheeler Centre hosts talks all the time that are reasonably inexpensive to attend. The speakers are
primarily writers, but they often have playwrights and people involved in writing for film and TV as well
which can be really interesting.
http://wheelercentre.com/about-us/contact-us