Overview
Winter might not be your favourite Melbourne season, but it doesn't have to be all gloom, doom and nights spent hibernating on the couch. Once again, a collection of bookable private igloos are popping up at bars and pubs across town, inviting you to embrace the chilly season in style.
Making their home at four Australian Venue Co haunts across the cooler months, the Winter Igloo Gardens feature a series of translucent domes, with each pod decked out like a dreamy winter wonderland. With space for up to six or eight diners (depending on igloo sizing), they're kitted out with snuggly furnishings and twinkling fairy lights, offering a cosy private space for a romantic winter date or that group catch-up over dinner and drinks.
Menus and packages vary between the four Igloo Gardens, though whichever you choose, all food and drink orders are made via the Mr Yum app, so you can avoid pesky trips to the bar and stay happily ensconced in your private winter cocoon.
So where can you find these domed winter oases, you ask? The first batch has already landed beside the Yarra at Studley Park Boathouse in Kew, where they're available to book for two hours at a time. On offer here is a winter high tea, serving an assortment of sweet and savoury bites with unlimited tea or coffee for $52 per person. You can even add on bottomless spritzes and mimosas for an extra $25.
Over in Footscray, the Station Hotel has unveiled its own Igloo Garden, taking two-hour bookings for groups of two to six. Here, you can settle in over a three-course feed — think, wagyu tartare with truffle and black garlic mayo, and a 150-gram scotch fillet with lashings of bearnaise — matched with a welcome drink for $75.
The Station Hotel
From Saturday, May 21, the CBD's Wharf Hotel is joining the igloo party, with its pods boasting views across the river. This one's ideal for snackers and grazers — you can order a loaded share platter (meat or plant-based) teamed with the likes of mulled wine or a couple of hot toddies, for $59 per person.
And Hawthorn's Auburn Hotel will unveil its igloos from Tuesday, May 24, serving specialty winter cocktails and a shared menu option. $69 will get you a three-course spread, a cocktail to kick things off, and exclusive use of your igloo paradise for 2.5 hours.
Find the Winter Igloo Gardens at Studley Park Boathouse in Kew, the Station Hotel in Footscray, the Wharf Hotel in the CBD (from May 21), and the Auburn Hotel in Hawthorn (May 24). For further details and to book, see individual venue websites.