What’s on offer?

 

The nightlife

Melbourne night life is like no other. People visiting Melbourne come with the notion that Melbournians know how to party. You won’t just find dirty nightclubs for single men to find an intoxicated female to take advantage of - the nightlife is mostly classy. Melbourne has a huge variety of nightspots to suit everyone: from Cloud Nine to extravagant roof top garden bars.

 

To complement the nightlife, Melbourne’s food and drink offerings are sensational. Some highly recommended eateries from the Klementine team are Naked For Satan, Misschu, Ichi Ni, Chinta Blues and Pantry.

 

The fashion

Fashion in Melbourne is accessible and provides for all incomes. From top fashion designers (think Louis Vuitton, Prada, Kenzo, Chanel, Miu Miu) to more affordable stores (like Sportsgirl, Cotton On, Zara) and department stores David Jones and Myer. Recently I travelled through Hong Kong. I found that in the main tourist areas, everything is high end fashion. Obviously these stores are not easily accessible for most. Some visitors, depending on their circumstances, may not feel comfortable in that environment but luckily for them Melbourne’s got them covered.

 

In the city you can find them all at Melbourne Central, DFO Southwarf or the new Melbourne's GPO.

 

The atmosphere

Melbourne is a busy city. Anyone staying in the city can agree that, like New York, the city never sleeps. However, even with all the hustle and bustle of peak-hour lunch breaks and afternoon coffee runs, there is still a relaxed vibe. Everyone is calm and chilled. Melbourne’s layout is carefully planned and orchestrated so all roads run parallel or vertical to each other. It is an organised chaos - unlike some cities that are overpopulated and have roads in all kinds of directions, so if you take one wrong turn you’ll never get back in time for that 3 o’clock meeting.

 

We aren’t perfect

Melbourne’s biggest downfall has to be its public transport system, Metro. They just never get it right. Whether it’s trains delayed by up to half an hour or the billion dollar Myki card that refuses to touch on, it definitely boils every local’s blood. Getting around Melbourne can be quite difficult if you are left to your own devices.

 

It’s not all bad! Melbourne City has a heritage ‘City Circle Tram’ that circles the CBD and stops at all main tourist destinations. It is a free, easily accessible service. I have never seen a service like this in another city. I find it is always a struggle, especially in non-english locations, to figure out which bus you need to catch, where you need to get off or where the train station is.

 

There’s something for everyone

Finally, Melbourne is so diverse that it caters for everyone's needs and wants. For family activities, there’s Melbourne Zoo, Scienceworks and the Melbourne Museum. Arty people can check out the Art Centre Melbourne and the many theatres. Sports people have the National Sports Museum and plenty of AFL! Foodies have plenty of alternative brunch/breakfast, lunch and dinner hotspots to try. Lastly, for fashionistas, Melbourne is the home for many international luxury brands and Australian designers.

 

How good do we really have it? Us Klementine girls agree that we are all extremely lucky to live in a city like Melbourne, as it is one the most cultured, diverse and amazing cities around the world. Share your thoughts in the comments!