This is the one new hotel you need to visit in Melbourne

Very much at the other end from the city’s Paris end, 1 Hotel has opened its doors on Melbourne’s Yarra River, bringing its sustainable luxury ethos and some glamour to a site already rich in maritime history.

Located on the north bank, the heritage-listed Goods Shed No. 5, a busy cargo processing site until the 1970s, has been reimagined and rebuilt using more than 2000 repurposed items from the original structure, including bluestone pavers and steel trusses, and is designed for guests to linger far longer than at the usual in-and-out stay.

The new 1 Hotel on the north bank of the Yarra.Credit: Mikkel Vang

Biophilic principles rule with more than 7000 plants on site and guests are encouraged to connect with themselves and others; its Happenings schedule includes sound-bathing, morning river runs, and wine, cheese and tarot card sessions in the vast Crane bar and lounge area.

The hotel taps into the state’s landscape artworks, including Portuguese artist Vanessa Barragao’s depiction of Victoria’s rugged coastline and marine life. It was made from 60 kilograms of textiles destined for landfill and features above the check-in area. Elsewhere, hundreds of hand-blown glass eels by Indigenous artist Yhonnie Scarce are suspended from ceilings.

The pool area features a sauna and steam room.

This stylish home-you-wish-you-had-away-from-home has floor-to-ceiling windows in its 277 rooms and 36 suites that include views of the Yarra to Seafarers Bridge and the historic Polly Woodside, the three-masted cargo vessel built in Belfast in 1885, now laid up on South Wharf.

Preserved moss adorns guest-room door numbers that are displayed on salvaged piers, while each room features filtered water on tap, more plants and not a piece of plastic in sight.

Dining room at From Here By Mike, the new restaurant from chef Mike McEnearney.Credit: Mikkel Vang

Next to the day spa, the indoor pool, sauna and steam room are low-lit and surrounded by loungers; the high-tech gym is positioned for early birds to see the sunrise with yoga and group fitness on the schedule.

In keeping with the rise of Australia’s restaurants in hotels, as opposed to hotel restaurants, Sydney chef Mike McEnearney of From Here by Mike is dedicated to local produce which is mapped on your menu, from Skull Island prawns right down to Spud Sisters potatoes. Standout Victorian wines comprise about 40 per cent of the wine list.

The Crane Bar and Lounge.Credit: Mikkel Vang

The group’s first hotel in Asia Pacific, 1 Hotel is set to open in Tokyo’s Akasaka district by year’s end.

The hotel is a 10-minute walk to Southern Cross Station and a free tram ride up Collins street to the Paris end. For an area that could always do with more love – and people – 1 Hotel might just be the tonic.

1 Hotel Melbourne is at 9 Maritime Place, Melbourne. Rooms from $350 a night. See 1hotels.com

The writer stayed as a guest of the hotel.