Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - St Kilda, Melbourne

For future reference for anyone seeking to know good places to visit when in Melbourne, I'd like to share some experiences of Acland St, St Kilda.

There are a few old threads here but nothing bringing all of the options together, so please add your favourites to this list.

Friends here for the Comedy Festival asked us out for dinner and Acland St beckoned.

Since my last trip around nine or ten year ago, it has only improved but still has a lot of the good stuff.

Some of the highlights:
- Easy trip from city, on Number 96 Tram (easy number for adult Aussies to remember ;))
- Plenty of cafe / bar options (http://www.citybars.com.au/Melbourne_bars/St_Kilda/name/0/0/streetname/), with nightclubby rooms upstairs
- Espy Hotel if you want some Oz Rock fun
- Euro cake shops - yum!
- Healthy juice/food bars like Falafel Kitchen
- Outdoor dining
- Tons of cheap eats like Chinese, fish & chips etc if on a budget
- Street theatre
- People watching
- Tons of good cafes not far away, ending at the St Kilda Rd end of Acland St
- Pubs and bars/restaurants on Fitzroy St (after the ones above, on the way to the beach end of Ackland St)

We had dinner at Big Mouth (http://www.bigmouthstkilda.com.au/)(which was fun, though the food took a while but was fine - and opposite the pubs on Barkley St) and a Chinese place, mid-Ackland St the following night.


Who has tried the cake shops?

How about the Fringe Cafe (http://www.eatability.com.au/au/melbourne/fringe_cafe_st_kilda.htm)? Or the one next along, closer to the Tram stop, which is buzzing?

Cicciolina (http://www.eajguide.com/?q=node/view/88)??


How is Mink these days?

- Euro cake shops - yum!

Always look forward to my visits there.
Photo 1
(http://tom911.smugmug.com/photos/149716764_Yvmdp-L.jpg)Photo 2 (http://tom911.smugmug.com/photos/149716818_DYWfb-L.jpg)
Photo 3 (http://tom911.smugmug.com/photos/149716859_9mb4E-L.jpg)

Thanks, Tom. I'll have to post some pics myself, of Big Mouth and Jackie O.

^

Vineyard was busiest of all, on Saturday & Sunday nights.
Big Mouth would still be my pick.
Some great funk and other music upstairs, lots of girls if you like 'em. :)


It's great to see these cake shops are still around, as are a variety of dining experiences.

We considered St. Kilda one of the high points of our Australia/New Zealand trip. The shops, the restaurants and the people were all fabulous.

Our travel agent had tried to book a major hotel but the town was full and there was no room at any of the inns - almost. She suggested a small B&B in St. Kilda just a couple of blocks off the main drag. We arrived there late after 14 days in New Zealand, tired and with suitcases full of dirty clothing. We asked whether we could use the washer and were told no. Our hosts insisted on taking our laundry at around 9 pm at night and had it waiting for us, clean and folder, before breakfast. There was no charge for this.

The breakfasts were wonderful. After our second night I explained that I needed to pick up a rental car for a drive into Adelaide planned for the next day and asked for directions back to the B&B. The owner said that because several streets were closed getting back would be difficult. So she drove us to the rental office some 10 to 15 minutes away, waited for us to get the car and had us follow her back.

St. Kilda is great and if you are going to spend time there I recommend that you check out the Fountain Terrace at 28 Mary Street. We stayed in the Melba suite.

The hosts are Penny and Heikki Minkkinen. Check them and the Fountain Terrace out at http://www.fountainterrace.com.au/.

I rarely recommend places to stay but this place and St. Kilda were magical for us. We spent the next two weeks exploring Australia and stayed in some super resorts, but nothing topped the warm welcome and comfort of the Fountain Terrace.

Overall, we thought our Australia and New Zealand trip to be the best we ever experienced. And we got business class tickets on Qantas for only 90,000 miles each. Guess that tells you that the trip was a few years ago -- March of 2002 to be exact. So I cannot vouch for how things are today but would bet that they have only gotten better.

One of the places I do try to hit each trip is Leo's Spaghetti Bar over on Fitzroy Street. The tram stops right out in front. Not high-end by any means, but I've always enjoyed dining there. Don't have any photos. I first went there about 10 years or more back when someone from the Compuserve travel forum suggested it for dinner.
http://www.leosrestaurant.com.au/index.php

One of the places I do try to hit each trip is Leo's Spaghetti Bar over on Fitzroy Street. The tram stops right out in front. Not high-end by any means, but I've always enjoyed dining there. Don't have any photos. I first went there about 10 years or more back when someone from the Compuserve travel forum suggested it for dinner.
http://www.leosrestaurant.com.au/index.php Leo's is BRILLIANT, I make a point of dinign there at least once every time I get to Melbourne (about eight or nine times a year). I can thoroughly recommend it, and agree with you here Tom.

Dave

So I'm probably showing my age here, but I still hold a soft spot for Scheherezade's ...

FYI, if you are planning to spend some time in Melbourne, make sure you visit some of the bars.

I just came across an article online from a previous T+L magazine edition. There is not a URL, just go to this search page and type in bars:
http://travelandleisure.digitaleditions.com.au/Olive/FileCabinet2/SEARCH/
Wishful Drinking :)

If you're in a hotel then you might have a copy of the current T+L on the desk anyway. ^

We visited a great french Patisserie & Chocolatier yesterday, Cacao (http://www.cacao.com.au/) on Fitzroy St. There is also apparently a shop in the city now...

Going to MEL next month...

How far is the drive from downtown MEL to St Kilda?

Going to MEL next month...

How far is the drive from downtown MEL to St Kilda? Don't drive, get the tram - route 96 from Bourke St, route 112 from Collins St or route 16 from Swanston St (96 is quickest).

Public transport is cheap and easy (hmmmmm......) in Melbourne - MetLink (http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/) will give you all the info you need.

Dave

On our trip (on a Saturday night) the ticketing wasn't working so Tram 96 was both free and easy (and pretty rapid). ^

Going to MEL next month...

How far is the drive from downtown MEL to St Kilda?

About 10 minutes in moderate traffic, but agree with previous posters...tramming it works better.

I didn't think the trams were that cheap in Melbourne. Isn't a single ride outside of small CBD area something like A$3.50? That's noticeably more expensive than a single ride in NYC, Tokyo, or Paris, for example. You would do OK in Melb with a day pass if you rode the trams several times.

About 10 minutes in moderate traffic, but agree with previous posters...tramming it works better.

The reason we are looking to drive is b/c I am going with my wife, daughter, m-i-l & f-i-l... even if public transit is quite inexpensive, the costs can add up when paying for so many people at the same time.

The reason we are looking to drive is b/c I am going with my wife, daughter, m-i-l & f-i-l... even if public transit is quite inexpensive, the costs can add up when paying for so many people at the same time. Even with five people, it will still work out cheaper. You can get an ALL DAY Zone 1 ticket for $6.50 each, valid on trains, trams and busses.

Dave

We really enjoyed both St. Kilda's and Fitzroy street. If I were in my 20s I would love to spend a week just hanging out at the beach there (though Bondi wasn't bad either ;) )

As for driving, we did not find it to be a hassle at all, and a car was pretty much a necessity if you want to drive down to see the fairy penguins at Phillips Island, drive the Great Ocean road or explore some of the wineries. However, I would not bother if you are planning to stay completely within city limits as the parking and tolls will add up.

We really enjoyed both St. Kilda's and Fitzroy street. If I were in my 20s I would love to spend a week just hanging out at the beach there (though Bondi wasn't bad either ;) ) *cough* *splutter*

How on EARTH could you compare an OCEAN beach (Bondi) with a BAY beach (St. Kilda)? They are like chalk and cheese, totally impossible to compare.

Dave

*cough* *splutter*

How on EARTH could you compare an OCEAN beach (Bondi) with a BAY beach (St. Kilda)? They are like chalk and cheese, totally impossible to compare.

Dave

Yeah, the ocean beaches have a tendency to swallow up Prime Ministers! :D:D