How to spend a day in the life of James Bond in Melbourne

INSPIRED by the Designing 007 exhibition, Peter Rolfe explores Melbourne as James Bond would.

YOU can almost hear the distinctive theme music moving in time with your heartbeat.

Good old 007 would nod approvingly as you perch perilously over the edge of a city building with only a rope held by virtual strangers separating you and the ground.

With your heart pounding, cars buzzing 30m below and the skyline of Melbourne's CBD all around, you dangle your left leg over the edge of a skyscraper.

Then, as you're right leg follows, the adventure begins.

The earth rushes towards you face first as you "skyfall" like Daniel Craig, stopping only to bounce on two feet from the side of the building before taking off again towards earth.

News_Image_File: Jump face first down the Urban Central building with MacKa MacKail. Picture: Matthew Bouwmeester News_Image_File: Former SAS soldier Peter 'MacKa' MacKail rap jumps off the side of UrbanCentral backpackers. Picture: Aaron Francis

It's all over in a matter of seconds, but the rush lasts much longer.

Doubts you previously had while looking down on a daunting challenge quickly turn to adrenalin and, before you know it, you're climbing the stairs of the building to do it all over again. This time faster.

Welcome to MacKa MacKail's Rap Jumping at Urban Central in Southbank.

And welcome to life as James Bond would know it in Melbourne.

If ever Australia had a city fit for swapping your everyday life for the sophisticated, exciting and stylish turn of Bond, surely Melbourne is it.

And with the Victorian capital one of the first in the world to host an exclusive exhibition celebrating 50 years of Bond - what better time to explore Melbourne through the eyes of the world's most famous fictional spy?

Rap jumping, developed by the Australian SAS, is just one way to get the heart pumping.

In basic terms it is forward abseiling with a system of ropes allowing you to free-fall as fast or slow as you like.

People scared of heights are some of the most common participants in the three-jump routine that gets easier with every try.

News_Rich_Media: Rap jumping, with James Brayshaw on the Footy Show

But it's not just those scared of heights who can conquer their fears Bond-style in Melbourne.

Feel like channelling your inner Sean Connery?

Then do as he did in Thunderball and make a splash with a shark dive experience at Melbourne Sea Life Aquarium.

As soon as you descend with a scuba tank on your back and a basic scuba lesson under your belt, a flurry of fins, colours and eyes are upon you beneath the surface. News_Image_File: Feeding time at the Melbourne Aquarium. Pic.ture: Jay Town

Sharks in the tank with you include a well-fed grey nurse named Mitchell and marine life of all shapes and sizes inside the 2.2 million litre oceanarium.

Thankfully they are a lot friendlier than the man-eaters who threatened Bond.

So too are the children on the other side of the glass, waving and smiling the whole time you enjoy a remarkable experience led by friendly, informative and reliable instructors who know how to calm nerves as well as take you to the best parts of the tank to enjoy it.

News_Rich_Media: Shark dive at Melbourne Aquarium

If life in the fast lane is more your style than flippers and fins, consider pulling on a leather jacket and riding a Harley-Davidson. Unlike Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies, the route is up to you and is a great deal more enjoyable than being pursued by gun-toting bad guys in a helicopter.

Harley Rides in Melbourne provides chauffeur services run by accredited riders armed with shiny bikes and excellent local knowledge.

News_Rich_Media: The Harley Davidson Ride Experience

Everything from one hour to full day, 10-hour tours are available, with popular paths including the Bolte and West Gate Bridges, Port Melbourne, St Kilda, past the MCG and Federation Square.

Most rides whiz you around waiting traffic, offer ripper views of the city, ocean, lakes, parkland and palm trees and, of course, turn heads in the CBD when passers-by hear the trademark roar of the Harley-Davidson.

The bearded bikies taking you on tour have helped people aged up to 90 climb on the back of their Harley to tick off a bucket list wish.

They are almost as passionate and knowledgeable about the city as their shiny machinery, and happy to play tour guide as well as chaperone.

News_Image_File: Donuts at Lui Bar at Vue de Monde. Picture: Andy Drewitt.

If food is your fancy, get set for culinary bliss.

Black tie or not, Bond would be at home at No. 8 in the Crown complex where riverside dining brings farmyard freshness to your plate sourced from Victorian producers.

Chef John Lawson, who has worked for celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in London, has launched a menu dedicated to seasonal flavours, traditional cooking techniques and a bespoke selection of carefully farmed fare such as Milawa chicken, Barwon lamb and almond mushrooms.

The wine list is also something special and all can be enjoyed metres from everything Crown has to offer in accommodation, entertainment and health spa.

For a dining experience straight out of the film Skyfall try Brooks in George Parade off Collins St where gourmet dining is done in extravagant surrounds.

Before you go, check out the extraordinary view of Melbourne with a signature cocktail at the Lui Bar, level 55 of Rialto at 525 Collins St.

And, of course, what Bond experience would be complete without a martini, shaken not stirred?

One of the best in town is at Siglo where you can even enjoy it with a cigar opposite State Parliament at level 2, 161 Spring St.

News_Image_File: A Cigar Lover's Martini at Siglo. Picture. Tim Carrafa.

For Bond fans flocking to Melbourne, options for walking in the footsteps of Ian Fleming's famous character are limited only by your imagination.

But if all that sounds like too much at least check out the exhibition.

Designing 007 - 50 years of Bond Style is on at Melbourne Museum now until February 23.

The Friday Night Bond Experience started on January 3 and will run for eight weeks with exhibition hours extended until 9pm so guests can make a night of it.

Bond would like that.

GO2 MELBOURNE

MacKa MacKail's Rap Jumping: 1800 243 868. rapjumping.com

Harley Rides in Melbourne: 1800 182 282. harleyrides.com.au

Melbourne Sea Life Aquarium: [phone]. melbourneaquarium.com.au

Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style. In Melbourne until February 23. 13 11 02. museumvictoria.com.au

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News_Rich_Media: A report into the drinking habits of the world's most famous fictional spy has found that it is James Bond who will wind up shaken and stirred, with an alcohol-induced tremor. And that's not the worst of it...