Melbourne Holiday

[ZinZan]

G'day Gents,

I'm planning a holiday in Melbourne around the Chinese New Year around the 14th till the 21st February. Was wondering what you guys suggest ie. what to do; where to go and what to eat and most importantly where to smoke? I've been to Melbourne a couple of time maybe the most recent was in the last 5 years but that was for work so didn't get to do much touristy things and prior to that was as a student so as you can imagined spend most of the time at the clubs getting hammered didn't do much touristy thing as well.

This time around, i intent to do things differently, this time around would like to get Phillip Island, not a big fan of penguins but yeah why not. And also at the top of my to do list is to visit a wineries, would be very appreciative if any of you gents can recommend a great wineries with a nice restaurant and great food. I do plan to rent a car for the outskirt excursions.

Additionally, I remember Australia has very strict tobacco regulation. Can i bring any of my cigars or do i need to purchase at the B&M. If i can whats the limit and if i cant any recommendation on a good B&M. I dont intent on smoking the whole trip but having 1 or 2 with a bottle wine would be nice.

Cheers

Zain

[Ken Gargett]

wineries are seriously easy from melbourne with a car.

head up into the yarra. you can stay overnight or there and back in a day. there are many wineries be happy to see visitors - it will be hot but should be prior to harvest by a few weeks.

also, mornington peninsula. same deal. there and back or stay. not as many wineries but plenty.

or macedon - usually a bit cooler but need an overnight stay. also the wineries tend to be smaller and not always open.

or geelong. ditto etc etc.

[jayceskinner]

For where to smoke:

RA Lounge (in the rear of Collins quarter). Address: 88 Collins Street, Melbourne

Siglo/Supper Club (top level of the European). Address: 161 Spring Street, Melbourne

Tuscan Bar (rooftop smoking area). Address: 79 Bourke Street, Melbourne

I have only been to the RA Lounge and that is where the Melbourne guys usually meet up every month.

Yering Station in the Yarra Valley is a nice place. I have been there 3 times, the food has always been good, i enjoy their wine and they have a great balcony area with a beautiful view to enjoy a nice cigar at the end of your meal.

Here is a website for the Chinese new year festival held in Box Hill. http://www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/Chinese-New-Year-Festival.html

[El Presidente]

Additionally, I remember Australia has very strict tobacco regulation. Can i bring any of my cigars or do i need to purchase at the B&M. If i can whats the limit and if i cant any recommendation on a good B&M. I dont intent on smoking the whole trip but having 1 or 2 with a bottle wine would be nice.

Cheers

Zain

Some great info above.

In regard to bringing in cigars the legal limit is 50 grams or roughly 2 cigars.

let's say you are bringing in 25.

Put 5 in your carry on and 20 in your check-in. Declare the 5 in your carry on and generally they will wave you through.

Worse comes to worse they find them all and you will be up for around $150 AUD

[ZinZan]

Thanks Ken, Jayc and Prez for the recommendations.

[markyeo]

http://www.theurbanlist.com/melbourne/a-list/100-of-melbournes-best-cheap-eats-to-try-in-2015

Check this out brother.. Have a great time in Melbourne ️

[ZinZan]

Thanks a lot Mark, will probably need the cheap eats with where the ringgit is going

[stigmata]

actually the ringgit and aussie dollar have been tracking each other on par.

[Bill Hayes]

Melbourne has a pretty lively bar and restaurant scene if you are into that. When you think of Melbourne then think of it as a series of precincts/villages all surrounding the city centre in an arc. The Yarra river separates north and south. To the north you have Fitzroy and Brunswick that have some good bars, pubs and restaurants. These suburbs have a hipster cosmopolitan feel to them with a mix of different nationalities from Greek, Italian, Spanish and middle eastern plus Asian cuisine. Some cheap and some not so cheap. There is also a bit of a live music scene as well. Richmond is very close to the city and has a south east Asian influence plus a Greek influence to the food on offer. That being said, it is the home of the MCG so cricket and football fans are also catered for with good old fashioned pub meals etc. February will be the world cup of cricket so a lot will be going on at this time. I live slightly to the south in St Kilda which is a haven for backpackers and travellers. Lots of bars and different restaurants of all types plus a bayside beach. Chapel Street South Yarra is to the south east and has lots of shopping, restaurants and theatres. All of Melbourne can be accessed easily by public transport, mostly trams and trains. You'll need to purchase a MYKI card for around $6 and put money on it to travel on tram, bus and train. It's the easiest way to get around. The city itself has a good Chinatown with some fine restaurants and hidden bars in laneways. My favourite restaurants include - Luxembourg on Fitzroy Street St Kilda, Cicciolina on Acland Street St Kilda, Claypots fresh seafood on Barkly Street St Kilda, and in the city you'll find Movida, Chin Chin, Flower Drum, Dainty Sechaun. You'll need a car to get to the Mornington Peninsula. That time of year will still be busy but not crazy busy like during the Christmas period. It will be scorchingly hot at times. There you can find wineries like Stumpy Gully, 10 minutes by tractor plus hot springs, golf courses, ocean and bayside beaches for surfing, fishing, boating. Maybe go and swim with the seals from Sorrento or Portsea. You can also catch a ferry to Queenscliffe on the other side of the bay and put your car on for a fee. From Queenscliffe you can continue your journey down the west coast of Victoria to the Great Ocean Road and surfing meccas like Bells Beach and Torquay. I prefer to avoid the Great Ocean road though (but I'm a local) and travel to a nice seaside town called Port Fairy. They may be a festival on at that time. I love the pub there called The Stump. A real restaurant destination is about an hour drive from Port Fairy in Dunkeld called the Royal Mail. Daylesford is also a good destination for an overnighter with hot springs and a great restaurant called the Lakehouse but it is more north. Phillip Island is an odd place really. It's hard to get around if you want to have a drink because you need to drive. Cowes is the main town but the restaurants are a little flaky. It's more like a surfing, beach house destination with a big MOTO GP and touring car race track. Seal rocks is a good visit though and you can do a trip from Cowes to see the seals on the rocks by boat and you never know you might see one get chomped up by a great white shark. Anyway, good luck. Hope this helps a bit.

[stigmata]

As above.. and more.

But if you love your cigars and you love smoking in public places. This must be up there as one of the most smoke unfriendly places in the world..( im from Melbourne.)

Youre going to be ostracised .. tarred and feathered if you pull out a cigar and commit the ultimate sin (light and smoke)in public place...

We are few and we are underground...

As for the rest... probably right up there as the most livable city ive ever been to .. (i might be biased or might not be)

So much to do in Melbourne and just outside this great city...

[sengjc]

...This must be up there as one of the most smoke unfriendly places in the world..( im from Melbourne.)

Youre going to be ostracised .. tarred and feathered if you pull out a cigar and commit the ultimate sin (light and smoke)in public place...

Just light up in a Lygon Street or Collins Street alfresco cafe, they'll think you have links to the Mafia or are a rich banker/stock broker/fund manager and leave you be.

Too bad you are not going to Canberra, you can light up near any government building. They will think you are a politician and it will be ok.

Jokes aside, RA Lounge at Collins Quarter, Siglo Bar at the Melbourne Supper Club and Tuscan Bar are cigar friendly places in the CBD as many would have mentioned.

Bring your own smokes as they charge an arm and a leg in those venues. Otherwise, there is always the La Casa del Habano at the Grand Hyatt on the corner of Russell Street and Collins Street where you can get some for an arm...or a leg...depending.

If you are into whisky, Siglo Bar at the Melbourne Supper Club has a good range to go with your smoke. Otherwise check out these venues.

- Whisky and Alement

http://www.whiskyandale.com.au

- The Nant Whisky Bar

http://www.nant.com.au

- Heirloom (Japanese Izakaya)

http://www.heirloom.com.au

[ZinZan]

actually the ringgit and aussie dollar have been tracking each other on par.

I didnt realise that, the ringgit usually free falls on it's own.

Melbourne has a pretty lively bar and restaurant scene if you are into that. When you think of Melbourne then think of it as a series of precincts/villages all surrounding the city centre in an arc. The Yarra river separates north and south. To the north you have Fitzroy and Brunswick that have some good bars, pubs and restaurants. These suburbs have a hipster cosmopolitan feel to them with a mix of different nationalities from Greek, Italian, Spanish and middle eastern plus Asian cuisine. Some cheap and some not so cheap. There is also a bit of a live music scene as well. Richmond is very close to the city and has a south east Asian influence plus a Greek influence to the food on offer. That being said, it is the home of the MCG so cricket and football fans are also catered for with good old fashioned pub meals etc. February will be the world cup of cricket so a lot will be going on at this time. I live slightly to the south in St Kilda which is a haven for backpackers and travellers. Lots of bars and different restaurants of all types plus a bayside beach. Chapel Street South Yarra is to the south east and has lots of shopping, restaurants and theatres. All of Melbourne can be accessed easily by public transport, mostly trams and trains. You'll need to purchase a MYKI card for around $6 and put money on it to travel on tram, bus and train. It's the easiest way to get around. The city itself has a good Chinatown with some fine restaurants and hidden bars in laneways. My favourite restaurants include - Luxembourg on Fitzroy Street St Kilda, Cicciolina on Acland Street St Kilda, Claypots fresh seafood on Barkly Street St Kilda, and in the city you'll find Movida, Chin Chin, Flower Drum, Dainty Sechaun. You'll need a car to get to the Mornington Peninsula. That time of year will still be busy but not crazy busy like during the Christmas period. It will be scorchingly hot at times. There you can find wineries like Stumpy Gully, 10 minutes by tractor plus hot springs, golf courses, ocean and bayside beaches for surfing, fishing, boating. Maybe go and swim with the seals from Sorrento or Portsea. You can also catch a ferry to Queenscliffe on the other side of the bay and put your car on for a fee. From Queenscliffe you can continue your journey down the west coast of Victoria to the Great Ocean Road and surfing meccas like Bells Beach and Torquay. I prefer to avoid the Great Ocean road though (but I'm a local) and travel to a nice seaside town called Port Fairy. They may be a festival on at that time. I love the pub there called The Stump. A real restaurant destination is about an hour drive from Port Fairy in Dunkeld called the Royal Mail. Daylesford is also a good destination for an overnighter with hot springs and a great restaurant called the Lakehouse but it is more north. Phillip Island is an odd place really. It's hard to get around if you want to have a drink because you need to drive. Cowes is the main town but the restaurants are a little flaky. It's more like a surfing, beach house destination with a big MOTO GP and touring car race track. Seal rocks is a good visit though and you can do a trip from Cowes to see the seals on the rocks by boat and you never know you might see one get chomped up by a great white shark. Anyway, good luck. Hope this helps a bit.

Thanks Bill, this will prove useful. I do plan to do Great Ocean Road, I'm still tourist after all. I've gotta figure out how to get wineries without driving. I'm sure there's tour buses from CBD. If i cant make it this time for some of your recommended to do list, i will do it the next time by the looks of it I'll be going Melbourne more frequent.

As above.. and more.

But if you love your cigars and you love smoking in public places. This must be up there as one of the most smoke unfriendly places in the world..( im from Melbourne.)

Youre going to be ostracised .. tarred and feathered if you pull out a cigar and commit the ultimate sin (light and smoke)in public place...

We are few and we are underground...

As for the rest... probably right up there as the most livable city ive ever been to .. (i might be biased or might not be)

So much to do in Melbourne and just outside this great city...

I know, tell me about it. On my last trip to OZ i didnt manage to smoke in Sydney or Melbourne but I did manage to have a cigar at Adelaide,

Just light up in a Lygon Street or Collins Street alfresco cafe, they'll think you have links to the Mafia or are a rich banker/stock broker/fund manager and leave you be.

Too bad you are not going to Canberra, you can light up near any government building. They will think you are a politician and it will be ok.

Jokes aside, RA Lounge at Collins Quarter, Siglo Bar at the Melbourne Supper Club and Tuscan Bar are cigar friendly places in the CBD as many would have mentioned.

Bring your own smokes as they charge an arm and a leg in those venues. Otherwise, there is always the La Casa del Habano at the Grand Hyatt on the corner of Russell Street and Collins Street where you can get some for an arm...or a leg...depending.

If you are into whisky, Siglo Bar at the Melbourne Supper Club has a good range to go with your smoke. Otherwise check out these venues.

- Whisky and Alement

http://www.whiskyandale.com.au

- The Nant Whisky Bar

http://www.nant.com.au

- Heirloom (Japanese Izakaya)

http://www.heirloom.com.au

Cheers Seng, will definitely check out some of the places on the list especially RA Lounge. Im staying on Collins so RA Lounge would definitely the first place to go.

[Bill Hayes]

Mate, you may struggle to get a bus as an individual and not a group. But a quick google search shows a couple of options for the Yarra Valley and the Mornington Peninsula - they are both reasonably close to Melbourne. If you struggle with that then the peninsula explorer bus might be an idea. http://peninsulaexplorer.com/ It does a circuit to major attractions around the mornington peninsula. But it would have to be boarded from the mornington peninsula, most probably in Rye. Rye can be accessed from the city centre by first train then bus. But it would take a good 2/3 hours perhaps. First take the train from the city on the Frankston line. Get off at the end of the line at Frankston then take the 788 Frankston to Portsea bus from right next to the station as you walk out which will stop in Rye. I did it the other day and got the train and bus. All the best. Another option might be to book some accommodation on the peninsula - I would most probably try Sorrento because you have shops, bars, restaurants, pubs and beaches within walking distance. But that's why Sorrento is quite expensive. All the best.