Melbourne Patron

Spice Temple  Neil Perry's Fine Dining Chinese Restaurant at Crown, Southbank, Melbourne It's considered an institution in Melbourne, and with a chef to its name like Neil Perry , a location like Southbank , and an existence of six years in the Melbourne restaurant scene (when staying power is notoriously elusive), it's no wonder. Spice Temple's name is a pretty accurate description of the restaurant: food heavy in spices and spiciness; a dim space with a sort of hushed reverence. A line-filled eating den The quiet tone of Spice Temple (Shop 7, Crown Complex, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank) could well be due to its design. With lots of dark wood and more traditional red and gold carpet, one might be forgiven for thinking it's a little dated. What keeps it current is the symmetrical and perpendicular fittings, creating neat squared-off eating nooks, and the dark, felt-like soundproofing material spaced out overhead, muffling any white noise. Over...

In the winter months, everyone's thoughts seem to turn to holidays. What could be better than relaxing somewhere in the sun, rather than working somewhere in the cold? It's almost as though, to survive the cold and grey, we need a goal of warmth and light to work towards. Even if it's just a temporary sojourn. Low tide at Surfer's Paradise Beach This year, my parents and I met for a June long weekend in the Gold Coast . Uncharacteristically, the region was experiencing fairly consistent rainfall - so it wasn't exactly the sunny paradise we'd anticipated. Nonetheless, the temperature was a solid 10 degrees warmer than in Melbourne , so I was still happy. And, as it turns out, moody weather makes for better beach photos. We mainly wandered between Surfer's Paradise , Broadbeach and the Nerang River , at one point ascending the popular SkyPoint building to visit its observation deck. Inviting walkway to Surfer's Paradise Beach View t...

We arrived at Port Arthur after a ridiculously early flight to Hobart and a lovely, albeit windy and therefore attention-demanding, scenic drive along some Tasmanian coastline. (Get up-to-date here .) Despite being full, even the car park felt eerie, although I initially allowed that this might have been due to the wintery weather. All I really knew about Port Arthur is that it was a protected tourist site where a significant amount of people were killed during a massacre by a madman in the '90s. While this is true, it seems the Port Arthur Visitor Centre focuses - appropriately - on the site's original history as a convict settlement, now an 'open air museum' and Tasmania's top tourist attraction. The Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority, which runs the joint, knows its popularity, too: innocent tourists (like us) drive there specifically, only to be whacked with exorbitant ticket prices, the cheapest of which is the Bronze pass at $35.00 per adult...

A few weeks ago, Melbourne was abuzz with talk of MONA Hobart 's major winter event, DARK MOFO . Sadly it is over now, but I hazard a guess that a good 50% of attendees were Victorian, being such avid lovers of culture and all. (CLEARLY arts and culture don't exist anywhere else in Australia. We're so CULTURIST.) Part of MOFO's publicity drive was a rather exciting competition  with QANTAS , offering $100,000 worth of free return flights to Hobart for the exhibition. All you had to do was enter your details and divulge what you were like after dark. Since "I am your worst nightmare" (ahem), it made total sense that I was a lucky recipient of flights. Housemate was happily rung in for Hobart-ing, and interstate trip was born. Can I just say, I totally understand the appeal of red-eye flights when you are buying your own, or want to have more time in your destination, or are doing a fly-in-fly-out day trip, or are an early riser (weirdo), but I never, EVER c...