issue-18

4pm: A visit to the beach. Catch the 96 tram from Bourke Street to Acland
Street in St Kilda and grab an ice cream from Seven Apples before taking a
stroll towards Luna Park fairground and the beach. This is a great spot to take
some photos and kick off your shoes, let the sand run through your toes and
go for a paddle.
Luna Park
7pm: Dinner time. Take the 109 tram from Collins Street to Victoria Street,
Richmond, to the street of cheap eats! There are plenty of hidden gems here.
The bargain meal is the $6 phở at Thy Thy 2 – a big bowl of beef stock, beef,
noodles, lime, herbs and chili and a complementary thermos of tea. Another
option is a doner kebab at Alasya Bakery, which will set you back around $10,
take the number 19 tram from Elizabeth Street.
Thy Thy 2, 116 Victoria Street, Richmond, +61 3 9428 5914
Alasya, 555 Sydney Road, Brunswick, +61 3 9387 0713
9pm: Sample the nightlife. Visit Fitzroy and witness what happens in
Melbourne after dark. A favorite venue with both locals and tourists alike is the
Night Cat. Fully loaded with live music and great crowds this is a great place to
get your groove on. Catch the 112 to Brunswick Street, get off at Johnston Street
and look for the building rocking back and forth to the beats. Sample a Carlton
Draft and kick back, it may tip you over the $30 mark but you’ve earned it.
The Night Cat, 137-141 Johnston Street, Fitzroy 3065,
thenightcat.com.au, +61 3 9417 0090
…ON $300
An extraordinary day awaits you in Melbourne, for no more than the
cost of a single low stakes cash game buy-in.
9am: Breakfast time. Get things moving with a visit to Degraves Espresso
on the iconic Degraves Street. Jump on the 75 tram at the corner of Degraves
and Flinders Street and head out to Richmond. Your destination is OST, a
new café-style venue boasting friendly staff and a reputation for the best
morning nosh. Locals flock here for the one pan brekkie, a cast iron skillet
loaded with bacon, fried eggs, chorizo, kipfler potato and mushrooms served
with a slice of Noisette sourdough ($17.50). Wash it down with a Bloody Mary
dosed with horseradish and celery ($12). Tram, brekkie and beverages come
in at $40 total.
Degraves Espresso, 23 Degraves Street, Melbourne, +61 3 9654 1245
OST, 306 Bridge Road, Richmond, ost-bar-diner.com.au, +61 3 9429 6724
10:30am: Wander back down Bridge Road to work off the breakfast calories.
The array of shops and discount warehouses offer up bargains galore, making
the eyes bulge as much as the tummy. Heading back to the city center, cut
through the luscious green Fitzroy Gardens, a paradise in the middle of
metropolitan madness.
11:30am: Culture time. Your next destination is the National Gallery of
Victoria. Exhibitions are seasonal but consistently impressive no matter your
preference. Only the best of the best are shown here with past exhibitions
including Dali, Monet and Van Gogh. Guaranteed to knock your arty socks
off, entry is around $25.
National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) St Kilda Road,
ngv.vic.gov.au, +61 3 8620 2222
1:30pm: Let’s do lunch. Directly out the front of the gallery jump on the
number 16 tram to Fitzroy Street and hop off at stop number 133. Seek
out the new addition to the burgeoning restaurant scene, Golden Fields.
Dishes of note are the shredded chicken in sesame paste with housemade
cold rice noodles and chilli oil ($15), New England lobster roll with
a hot buttered bun, cold poached crayfish, watercress and Kewpie ($15),
duckfish with avocado and fresh horseradish and dried sea lettuce ($12).
Top it off with a carafe of 2010 Jose the Rose, Yarra Valley ($36). Lunch with
love for around $80.
Golden Fields, 157 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda,
goldenfields.com.au, +61 3 9525 4488
2:30pm: Let lunch settle with a wander down Fitzroy Street all the way to
where the beach lines The Esplanade in St Kilda. Make your way down to
Luna Park and enter the world of carnival madness and jaw-dropping thrill
rides with an unlimited pass for $41.95.
Luna Park, 18 Lower Esplanade, St Kilda,
lunapark.com.au, +61 3 9525 5033
5:30pm: Take in the view. Tram it back to the city on the 16 and jump off
at Southbank. Wander along the riverside and head towards the Eureka
building. You can’t miss it, it’s the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Skydeck offers the best panorama this gorgeous city has to offer
and a ticket to the best view in town costs $17.50. Grab a photo of your
high altitude adventure and savor the moment. Sky-high experience
around $30.
Eureka Skydeck 88, 7 Riverside Quay, Southbank,
eurekaskydeck.com.au, +61 3 9693 8888
7pm: It’s so “Melbourne” to put a restaurant, bar or shop in a place no one
thought possible and Ponyfish Island is a classic example. A must-try when
walking back from Eureka across the bridge, you will not get a closer view of
the Yarra River than when you’re floating at the Pony sipping on a beverage.
Southgate Pedestrian Bridge, Melbourne, ponyfish.com.au
7:30pm: Grab some laughs. Tram or walk your way back to Collins Street
and head for the Comedy Club. Melbourne is on the international map when
it comes to funny guys and gals and a mix of globe-trotting gagsters are
often on the bill. Tickets are $40 for dinner and a show.
The Athenaeum Theater, 188 Collins Street, Melbourne,
athenaeumtheatre.com.au, +61 3 9650 6668
#18 WSOP 2012 SPECIAL ISSUE
47