Daily Detours to Help You Get Out and About
Featuring a visit to one of Melbourne's most stunning conservatories.
Daily Detours to Help You Get Out and About
in partnership with
Featuring a visit to one of Melbourne's most stunning conservatories.
When your nine-to-five plays out like a well-oiled machine, it can sometimes feel like each week is a little same-same. But Melbourne is brimming with a fine bounty of things to experience and explore each and every day. So aside from casual laziness and a little lack of inspiration, there's really nothing stopping you from squeezing some adventure and spontaneity into your schedule.
We've teamed up with Mazda3 to help you celebrate the little things that bring a sense of adventure to life. Shake things up, as we give you seven different detours to take each week in Melbourne. From Monday to Sunday, enrich your everyday with one completely achievable activity that inspires you to take the scenic route as you go about your daily routine.
This week get out and about — run into the sunset, learn to tap and celebrate Melbourne's 24-hour nightlife. Plus, we've got your future detours sorted for the new few weeks here.
All require no more effort than a tiny break from the norm — what's your excuse for not trying them all?
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Melbourne’s Royal Park is an oasis of green space nestled blissfully close to the CBD. With a tradition of relaxation and sport since it opened in the 1850s, the stretch of parkland forms the perfect antidote to all that city hustle and bustle with 170 hectares, plenty of wildlife and fresh air galore. Knockoff on time, stick a few of your favourite tunes in your ears and watch the sunset work its magic while you run some heart-pumping kilometres along Royal Park’s winding, tree-lined running tracks. Trust us, you’ll be reaping the benefits all week long.
Image: cafuego via Flickr.
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What better way to counteract all that CBD hustle and bustle than by partaking in some serious park time? Just a quick stroll beyond Parliament House, East Melbourne’s Fitzroy Gardens are not only an oasis of rolling green grounds, they’re also home to The Conservatory, an iconic Melbourne tourist attraction filled with greenery and some of the city’s most attractive examples of nature. Kicking on since 1930 and hosting five displays each year, this is the place of your plant-loving dreams. Right now, head in to live an endless summer, as you feast your eyes and nose on the tropical poinsettia collection, and gain some inspiration for your at-home conservatory (you’ll no doubt be hankering to build one after your visit).
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Tap dancing is a great excuse to make heaps of noise in a musical, art-approved way — it’s also stacks of fun and very skilful when it comes down to it (although it’s an activity that ticks the harder than it looks box). This Tuesday night, head down to East Richmond’s Dance Factory, they offer classes for tap beginners, working on technique and musicality and making satisfying amounts of foot noise. Also, you’ll have a beaut party trick if you’ve got your shoes on, you old Fred Astaire.
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Salute the sun with Snoop Dogg this Thursday morning. Hip Hop Yoga has landed at Richmond’s Yoga 213 to bring a funky twist to the tired silence of traditional yoga practice. Thursday’s early morning session is Hip Hop 1, a smooth vinyasa flow set to a soft soundtrack of acoustic, electronic, reggae and R&B. This morning session of breathing to Biggie and holding your downward dog to Drake will awaken the senses and set you up for the day ahead. Early morning sessions begin at 6.30am, meaning you can get an hour of practice in before work.
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Melbourne’s 24-hour nightlife is held in high regard, and without those pesky lockout laws that have befallen other cities, you can keep dancing (or eating) until dawn. Gaze upon the sprawling city from the rooftop bar at Fitzroy’s Naked For Satan, before catching a band at The Worker’s Club, an intimate live music venue only metres away. If you’ve caught the boogie bug, stick around for their resident DJ, Cassette Walkman, who’ll be spinning rock and roll tracks until 1am. Round off your night with a burger and some chilli fries at Le Bon Ton, Collingwood’s late-night eatery that serves food until 3am, and showcases flavours from the American South. And when that second wind kicks in, head to Nieuw Amsterdam for a drink and a sneaky snack — they’ve got a 24-hour license, and will be more than willing to serve you a beverage alongside some late-night eats.
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Nothing leaves you feeling quite as accomplished as greeting the world early on a weekend morning, especially if it’s for an activity that’s way more fun and more delicious than your usual Saturday snooze session. To find yourself simply fizzing with Saturday morning good vibes, haul yourself out of bed nice and early so you can beat even the most eager crowds to the Queen Victoria Market. Behind the storied yellow facade of Melbourne’s largest 19th century market, the produce sections open as early as 6am, with the specialty shopping stalls following suit at 8am. Hit the deli hall for a strong latte from the masters at Market Lane Coffee (who are also on Collins Street), teamed with a breakfast of warm borek, courtesy of market favourite, The Borek Shop. That should leave you sufficiently fuelled for a morning spent perusing Queen Vic’s many varied treasures. Image: Alpha / Flickr.
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Finish off your weekend with a casual cycle through Melbourne’s northern suburbs, and do it without even crossing a road by following the Merri Creek Trail. 21 kilometres long, the trail extends from Dights Falls and the Capital City Trail in the south, to Western Ring Road in the north. Follow the creek and pass the Coburg Lake Reserve, the Brunswick Velodrome and CERES Community Park, as well as garden spots, horse paddocks and sports ovals. An afternoon of cycling is a surefire way to build up an appetite, and luckily there a number of charming picnic spots along the trail — why not throw down a rug at the northern end, near the lush greens of Coburg Lake?
Image: Brook James.
Personalise your next adventure via The Playmaker, driven by Mazda3.
