relaxMany locals are making the short trip in from the suburbs to be tourists in their own town by combining a night out with an overnight or weekend stay at a city hotel. For many it’s a rare chance to experience the cosmopolitan city apartment lifestyle and an opportunity to enjoy the city in a new light. Treat yourself to indulgences such as spa packages, high tea and browsing the many public and private art galleries Melbourne has on offer.

Aurora Spa Retreat

2 Acland St, St Kilda
03 9536 1130

St Kilda’s own world-class day spa provides indulgent experiences ranging from half-hour manicures to heavenly two or five-day spa retreat programs which include wet and dry treatments, luxury in-house accommodation at The Prince hotel, …

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Birrarung Marr

Princes Walk, Melbourne

If you’re looking for a relaxing chill-out space in the middle of the CBD, Birrarung Marr is your answer. The 8.3 hectare native garden along the Yarra River between Federation Square and the MCG was Melbourne’s newest major …

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Bloomfield Hotel

Cnr Toorak Rd & Millswyn St, South Yarra
03 9866 4485

This converted 1890s Victorian mansion was a musicians’ hangout in the 1970s, but today no such riff-raff exist inside its magnificent walls, though it is styled on a music-meets-fashion theme. The …

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Brooklyn Arts Hotel

48-50 George St, Fitzroy
03 9419 9328

You’ll feel right at home in this gracious old house enjoying renewed life as the Brooklyn Arts Hotel. The perfect blend of mansion and country cottage, this guest house is tucked away in residential George …

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Collingwood Children’s Farm

St Heliers St, Collingwood
03 9417 5806

A rural retreat in the heart of inner Melbourne, the Collingwood Children’s Farm is set on 6.5 hectares of land just 4kms from the CBD. Open daily from 9am-5pm, city kids can get a taste …

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Docklands Art Journey

Docklands
03 9658 9658

Art Journey is a self-guided tour of more than 30 public artworks across the Docklands precinct, including the sculptural delight of Webb Bridge, Cow Up A Tree, and the wind powered Blowhole – an eye-catching 15m high beacon …

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Heide Museum of Modern Art

7 Templestowe Rd, Bulleen
03 9850 1500

Just 15 minutes from the CBD, and set on 16 serene acres, Heide cleverly intertwines its indoor and outdoor space as it celebrates both contemporary art and design as well as artistic representations of Australia’s …

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Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia

Federation Square, Flinders St, Melbourne
03 8620 2222

The largest collection of Australian art in the world is on display in all its glory here. Touring and permanent exhibitions range from Indigenous art and collections from the Colonial period to the present …

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