Cultural metropolis on the banks of the Yarra

WHATEVER your interests, you'll find it all and more in Melbourne, writes Sarah Nicholson.

melbourne books for cooks

WHATEVER your interests, you'll find it all and more in Melbourne, writes Sarah Nicholson.

Best for books

Melbourne might be Australia's sporting capital, but there's more to this place than a bunch of sweaty footballers belting around the MCG on a Saturday afternoon, with the Victorian capital an oasis for lovers of the written word.

It was no accident Melbourne became a UNESCO City of Literature back in 2008 - Edinburgh was first in 2004, and now there are six destinations on the list, with the others all north of the equator - and the honour recognises the fact that literature, in its many forms, plays "an integral role" in this urban community.

The State Library of Victoria is one of Australia's oldest public libraries, established in 1854 as "the people's university", and now more than one million people visit every year.

The historic building on Swanston St is also home to The Wheeler Centre, a hub for book lovers and authors to debate the practice of reading and writing, as well as The Moat and Mr Tulk which are just two of the city's more bookish cafes.

Journal Cafe near Flinders Street Station and Book Talk Cafe in Richmond are two more relaxed eateries that encourage customers to turn a few pages with their coffee.

When it comes to spending money Coventry Bookstore, Books For Cooks, Perimeter Books, Readings Carlton, Artisan Books, The Paperback Shop, Metropolis Bookshop, Hill of Content, Book and Paper, Kay Craddock Antiquarian Booksellers and the NGV Shop are all popular targets.

The Fed Square Book Market happens every Saturday, with more than 5000 new and used tomes in The Atrium outside The Ian Potter Centre, while Bookhouse and City Basement Books are two other outlets specialising in pre-loved titles.

The settlement on Port Phillip Bay is also home to a couple of respected literary events, with the Melbourne Writers Festival penciled in to happen between August 23 and September 2 this year and the Emerging Writers Festival set for a couple of months earlier between May 23 and June 2.

Best for coffee

Coffee is king in Melbourne, and deciding where to buy a hot beverage takes as much consideration for most Melburnians as their weekly SuperCoach trades.

Manchester Press - a cafe named after the printing press that once sat in this warehouse on a CBD lane - is just one CBD outlet that specialises in coffee while Patricia Coffee Brewers, Plantation Specialty Coffee, Brother Baba Budan, Cup of Truth and Sensory Lab are a few more reliable downtown options.

If you're exploring the inner suburbs be sure to linger over a latte at Proud Mary, St Ali North or South, Eugenius, Auction Rooms, Three Bags Full or Dead Man Espresso.

While most baristas will happily discuss roasting practices and frothing techniques as they prepare your brew there's also the chance to get some formal education while in the big smoke, with Market Lane, Seven Seeds, Growers Espresso and Di Bella Coffee offering a variety of brewing workshops and coffee tastings.

The Melbourne International Coffee Expo is in the diary for May 23 to 26, with the event, which will be held at the Melbourne Showgrounds, also playing host to the 2013 World Barista Championships.

Best for multiculturalism

Victoria has been welcoming migrants from around the world since the first new arrivals sailed directly from Britain to Port Phillip Bay in 1839, and now Melbourne boasts a vibrant multicultural scene with people from around the world bringing their ways to this corner of the country.

Carlton's Lygon St is the place to go for all things Italian, the CBD's Chinatown dates back to the 1850s, the intersection of Lonsdale and Russell streets has long been known as the Greek precinct, and Victoria St in Richmond is a hub for the Vietnamese community.

The culture du jour in town right now is French, with restaurants, shops, bars and cafes around the metro area bringing the best of France to Francophile Melburnians.

When it comes to food there are some fine-dining options with PM24 and Bistro Gitan two of the relative newcomers that have joined stalwart establishments like France-Soir, Bistro Thierry, Jacques Raymond and The French Brasserie.

While La Petite Creperie cooks crepes to order from a repurposed newspaper stand on Swanston St, Chez Dre serves sweet and savoury delights from a tres chic warehouse on Coventry St in South Melbourne, and Laurent Patisserie brings France to the city's famous lanes.

Bar Ampere in Russell Place has loads of Parisian ambience as well as lots of French influence on the wine list and menu, La Parisienne Pates is a charcuterie on Lygon St, The Cheese Cave is a Toorak fromagerie, The French Shop sells cheese at Queen Victoria Market, and By Josephine is the place for macarons on Sydney Rd.

Paris to Provence is Victoria's Festival Francaise de Melbourne held at Como House in South Yarra every November, Dish du Jour is a French cooking school, and Cote Provence in Rathdowne St sells old and new treasures the owner finds on regular trips back to his European homeland.

The Sofitel Melbourne on Collins is a haven of French elegance in the city - it's up the Paris End of Collins St after all. This 5-star hotel will also host a French High Tea every second weekend, starting in May, to coincide with the National Gallery of Victoria's Monet's Garden exhibition.

Best for trams

Trams are a Melbourne icon, and as much a part of this city as the Harbour Bridge and Opera House are in Sydney. Melbourne boasts the largest urban tram network in the world, with about 250km of tracks.

Locals and visitors make about 180 million passenger trips every year and, while most ride on the modern A, B, C and D-class trams, it's the old "green rattler" W-class trams that hold a special place in every Melburnian's heart.

More than 750 of these elegant vehicles were built between 1923 and 1954 and 38 are still in service, with 12 painted a snappy shade of maroon and running on the City Circle line, which is a free service to help visitors get around the CBD.

The City Circle trams do laps from 10am to 6pm Sunday to Wednesday, and until 9pm the rest of the week, and they not only pass the tourist attractions that sit on the blocks between Harbour Esplanade and Spring St but link with the other trams, trains and buses that dart around this bustling metropolis.

If you want to follow your nose, jump on any tram and you will soon find a snappy street to explore, but if you're keen on a more organised assault do Fitzroy's Gertrude St or Smith St by riding the number 86 or catch the number 48 to explore Bridge Rd in Richmond.

The number 112 is handy because it travels along Brunswick St on one side of the CBD and terminates at Fitzroy St, a gateway to the bohemian delights of St Kilda, on the other.

Those keen to explore Burke Rd, Chapel St or Malvern Rd can jump on the number 72, while the number 1 darts between Lygon St and South Melbourne Beach.

Best for markets

The term "shop 'til you drop" could have been coined to describe the Queen Victoria Market - or the Vic Market as locals know it - which sells everything from artisan cheese, fresh seafood and handmade pasta to leather handbags, sheepskin slippers and discount toys.

Gourmets will savour a stroll through Deli Hall, Meat Hall or the fruit and vegie aisles while those keen to learn more about the produce can go behind the scenes on guided walks - Foodies Dream Tour and Market Insider Shopping Tour are two enticing options.

During the warmer months the Vic Market is also home to the Suzuki Night Markets, which happen Wednesdays between 5pm and 10pm, and chefs man hawker-style stalls to prepare food from around the globe while artists sell clothes, jewellery and art.

While QVM is Melbourne's most famous food market, it's not the only one, with South Melbourne and Prahran both home to famous food halls selling farm-fresh produce and gourmet goodies.

Melbourne is also the place to find a long roster of art and craft markets with the Makers' Market at Abbotsford Convent, Fine Design Market at Manningham City Square, and Bend and Snap at Thousand Pound Bend in Little Lonsdale St scheduled to happen once every month.

The Rose Street Artists' Market is held every weekend, with some of the city's inner north's most talented artists and designers showing their creations and hanging around to talk to shoppers about their work, and The Esplanade Market occupies St Kilda's waterfront footpath every Sunday.

Go2 - MELBOURNE

Getting there: Virgin Australia flies to Melbourne from every Australian capital city, as well as a number of regional centres.

Skybus offers a regular service between Melbourne Airport and Southern Cross Station in the city centre, with the bright orange buses departing every 10 minutes during the day, costing from $17 for an adult.

More: For more information on Melbourne explore the Play Melbourne section of the Visit Victoria website.

THREE WAYS TO DO IT

1. Budget

See: The Tan is a Melbourne icon with this 3.8km walking and running track winding around King's Domain and Botanic Gardens. (Free. Start at the corner of Birdwood Ave and Domain Rd so you can have a drink at The Botanical when you finish. (onlymelbourne.com.au)

Sleep: Habitat HQ is an award-winning hostel in St Kilda that offers rooms with private ensuites or dormitories accommodating four to 10 people as well as free Wi-Fi and breakfast. (Dorm rooms from $26)

Eat: Melbourne's fleet of food trucks - there's tacos, hamburgers, gumbo, curry, barbecue - are proving popular at mealtime, with the website Where The Truck At the place to find each van's daily location. (The cheapest eats will give you change from $10)

Drink : Every Monday is comedy night at the Spleen Bar on Bourke St with some of the city's up-and-coming talents appearing beside a regular roster of surprise celebrity guests. (Free entry, cheap drinks. From 8.30pm)

2. Mid-range

See: Art Aficionados' Inside the Labyrinth walking tour explores Melbourne's lane ways to see what's happening at the city's commercial galleries, public spaces, and artist-run initiatives. ($80 a person. Departing Pellegrini's in Bourke St at 2pm Friday and Saturday)

Sleep: Fraser Place Melbourne is an apartment hotel in the heart of Melbourne's entertainment quarter - close to theatres and restaurants and only a short walk from Bourke Street Mall - and each room features a handy kitchenette. (Rooms from $125)

Eat: Some of Melbourne's W-class trams have been converted into mobile restaurants, with guests on The Colonial Tramcar restaurant enjoying dinner as they travel along city streets. (Dinner from $77. Departs tram stop 125 on Normanby Rd).

Drink : The Boatbuilders Yard, a pub on South Bank Promenade, is a great place to find nourishment of the food and drink variety before attending a match at Etihad Stadium. (Tap pints from $4.50)

3. Luxury

See: Join Global Ballooning for a sunrise flight over Melbourne, which is one of the few big cities in the world that can be traversed by hot air balloon. (Flights from $350)

Sleep: Hilton Melbourne South Wharf sits on the bank of the Yarra River - near South Wharf DFO and in one of the city's hottest dining precincts - with the stylish rooms enjoying river or bay views. (Rooms from $219)

Eat: Cutler & Co in Fitzroy's trendy Gertrude St is Andrew McConnell's only fine-dining restaurant in Melbourne, with the menu reflecting the acclaimed chef's "passion for exceptions and often unusual produce". (Mains from $39)

Drink: Prohibition bars are all the rage in Melbourne right now and Eau De Vie in Malthouse Lane is one of the best, but there are no signs to tell you if you're in the right place so look for the solid brown door below the single light bulb. (Cocktails from $18)

"Like" Escape.com.au on Facebook

Follow @Escape_team on Twitter