Nightlife
Melbourne is Australia’s bar capital and hub of live music. With the addition of a buzzing clubland, the city covers all styles and caters to all tastes. The central business district not only serves its after-work drinkers but also attracts a young, trendy crowd of inner-city professionals. Many of Melbourne’s smarter bars are tucked away in the city’s many narrow lanes. Across the Yarra River, Southgate provides the arts precinct with a strip of bars with riverside views.
Many Melbourne venues function variously as bars, clubs and live-music rooms, depending on the night and the hour. The varied nature of the bars and clubs means that the dress code also varies enormously – generally the trendier the place, the stricter the dress code. The snooty trend of vetting customers according to style is unfortunately becoming apparent in parts of cosmopolitan Melbourne. Entrance to clubs is free but a fee is often introduced after 2100 at weekends. Gay Melbourne has its base in the inner suburb of South Yarra, with numerous pubs, clubs and discos clustered around Commercial Road. Other inner-city districts, such as Fitzroy and St Kilda, by Port Philip Bay, feature further options for a city that loves to be out after dark. Very relaxed licensing hours mean that it is possible to drink through the night. The minimum drinking age is 18 years. The average price for a beer served in a bar is A$5, while in a nightclub it is more likely to be around A$6.
Free listings magazines include Inpress and Beat. Friday’s Age newspaper contains the entertainment listings supplement EG. Information is available online (website: www.streetsofmelbourne.com.au and http://melbourne.citysearch.com.au).
Bars: Centrally located cocktail bars include the popular Gin Palace, 190 Little Collins Street, and the very smart Hairy Canary, 212 Little Collins Street. The sumptuous Chesterfield lounges of the Melbourne Supper Club, 161 Spring Street, are also a great place to enjoy cocktails and an impressive array of wines, as is the renowned Jimmy Watsons Wine Bar, 333 Lygon Street, in Carlton, Melbourne’s ‘Little Italy’. Hidden away in the CBD lanes, the city’s bright young things can be found in Honkytonk, Duckboard Place, and Misty Place, 3-5 Hosier Lane, both of which feature arty interiors and transform into clubs later at night. One of the most popular bars in Southgate is Walters Wine Bar, Upper Level, Southgate, noted for its fabulous wines, good food and great views. The inner-city neighbourhood of Prahran has a string of inviting bars, ranging from the lively Blue Bar, 330 Chapel Street, to the cosy La La Land, 134 Chapel Street.
Casinos: Crown Casino, in the Crown Entertainment Complex, Southgate, is open 24 hours a day and offers blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat and poker machines. Dress is smart-casual, although a jacket and tie is required for some areas. Players must be 18 years and over – a driver’s licence, birth certificate or passport are all acceptable as proof of age.
Clubs: Within Melbourne’s CBD, Tatou, 377 Little Collins Street, is a bar/restaurant that becomes a nightclub playing progressive hard house, every Saturday, while Metro, 20-30 Bourke Street, is a large venue that offers a wide variety of musical styles on different nights. The funk, jazz and dub beats of The Laundry, 50 Johnston Street, Fitzroy, attract a regular crowd. Rotating guest DJs attract the party set to Room 680, 680 Glenferrie Road, in inner-eastern Hawthorn. The entertainment at Revolver, 229 Chapel Street, Prahran, ranges from breakbeat and drum’n’bass to soul and funk, featuring top DJs as well as live acts every night. Many of the biggest international touring DJs play house, funk and R&B at QBH, 1 Queensbridge Street, South Melbourne. The white cocoon shape of the Glow Bar, 422 Queen Street, attracts a groovy young crowd for soul and Chicago house, as well as film and performance nights during the week.
Live music: On the city’s north side, alternative bands, including interstate and international acts, can be seen at The Tote, 71 Johnston Street, Collingwood, while heavier punk-style acts often perform at The Arthouse, 616 Elizabeth Street. The Corner Hotel, 57 Swan Street, Richmond, is another large band venue that books acts of all kinds. In St Kilda, the legendary ‘Espy’, The Esplanade Hotel, 11 Upper Esplanade, is probably Australia’s most famous alternative and rock music venue, featuring a big line-up of bands every night, as well as regular comedy shows. Nearby, the Prince Bandroom, 29 Fitzroy Street, hosts the cream of local, interstate and international acts, as well as club nights. In the CBD, The 9th Ward, 298 Flinders Lane, features a wide variety of bands and DJs, while Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, 25 Bennetts Lane, is Melbourne’s prime spot for jazz artists, both Australian and international.
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Nightlife