Overview
The Victorian house remains one of the most coveted fictional addresses in cinema, cocooned by wild botanicals and a 19th-century wraparound veranda. Antique treasures and witchy kitsch sit all around the house, while midnight margaritas are mixed in a rustic country kitchen. A dreamy glasshouse is the cherry on top of the gloriously moody confection.
For those craving a dose of cottagecore charm, the city has its share of bewitching spots. From candlelit wine bars and historical mansions to antique stores and cosy cafes, these are 18 of our favourite whimsical, witchy and gothic places in Melbourne.
Montsalvat
7 Hillcrest Avenue, Eltham
Hidden in the leafy hills of Eltham, Montsalvat is Australia's oldest artist commune. Exhibitions are held in the French Provincial stone buildings and gardens, and working studios dot the grounds, including a glass workshop, sculpture studio, and a cottage with resident peacocks. Guided tours wind through the historic complex, and come winter, hot mulled wine is brewed in the local cafe.
Abbotsford Convent
1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford
There's always a sense of peace — or eeriness — in Abbotsford Convent. The grounds boast sun-soaked courtyards and heritage gardens shaded by oak trees, but it was also once home to Magdelene Asylum, where 'wayward girls' of Melbourne attended the grounds' industrial school and worked in the laundries.
The sprawling site is a vibrant arts and culture precinct these days, and its utilitarian buildings have since been adapted into studios, galleries and cafes. Still, it's easy to find quiet pockets to move slowly and sit with history.
Cam's Kiosk
1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford
Cam's Kiosk has been serving pastries from Austro Bakery and rustic pasta plates in the old nunnery at Abbotsford Convent for 17 years. The moody cafe-wine bar hybrid is decked out with timber booths and a sleek bar, but the best seats in the house are underneath the gothic arches of the outdoor terrace. They look out onto a gorgeous leafy courtyard, making long summer lunches and $20 pasta on Sunday and Monday nights extra magical.
Old Man Drew
359 Mount Alexander Road, Ascot Vale
Old Man Drew stitches six worlds into one gloriously whimsical cafe in a behemoth old-world building, including a fine food grocer, a bluestone wine cellar, the delightfully twee Miss Violets Tea Rooms, and an enchanting garden with a weeping willow and a vegetable patch that supplies the kitchen with produce.
Expect bright brunch fare like banana French toast casserole or Thai-style crab omelette — we recommend dining in the floral-drenched conservatory, with hanging birdcages, vintage umbrellas and tons of maximalist charm.
Earthly Pleasures
1627 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
We don't like to overdo it with the word picturesque, but this historic 1930s stone building and its lush surrounds certainly warrant it. The landmark is home to Earthly Pleasures, a cavernous community hub on the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges.
The kitchen makes everything from scratch, including the sauces, chutneys and condiments on its Middle Eastern-style grazing boards. For a sweet work-from-cafe treat, try the home-baked pistachio tea cakes, and of course, coffee from Axil Roasters.
Peaches Wine Bar
901 High Street, Thornbury
If the Owens ran a bar in their coastal town, it would look like the "older goth sister" of Skinny's Eatery. Peaches' dark timber and terracotta surrounds are illuminated by candles lining the beer taps – one of them dispenses house-batched negronis.
Refined small plates land on the table, just like the eclectic found objects crowding the wine bar's shelves. There's lamb meatballs on a labneh spread, snapper crudo brightened by burnt orange, and potato daphin layered with whipped bottarga and a cured yolk – all pairing beautifully with a considered list of pours from lo-fi wine producers.
Rippon Lea Estate
192 Hotham Street, Elsternwick
Just seven kilometres out of the city, Rippon Lea Estate is a romantic trip back to the 19th century. At its heart, an Italianate mansion that carries centuries of design influence from its past tenants, including the '30s Hollywood glamour and '50s modernism eras.
There's a compact conservatory of exotic orchids attached to the drawing room, but it's a delicate structure compared to the estate's other glasshouse – the largest fernery in the Southern Hemisphere. While the verdant greenery alone is worth the journey, don't miss the orchard, rose gardens and serene lake along the way.
Tinpot
248 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North
With a name straight out of an Enid Blyton book, Tinpot might be the cosiest cafe in Melbourne's inner north. The cottage-like venue bursts with character, from jewel-toned Tiffany lamps and jade-green walls studded with antique mirrors and paintings to the Fitzroy North folk scattered around with a laptop or book in tow.
Order a dandelion latte and some cherry pie, then sink into one of the worn-in couches — preferably one close to the fireplace crackling through the colder months.
Willows and Wine
315 Victoria Street, West Melbourne
Willows and Wine is part library, part wine bar beside Queen Vic Market. The walls are stacked with old books organised by genre, which you're encouraged to read while sipping. One book to consult is the menu — it's got many chapters on wine (by the glass and bottle) and even one on cheese and charcuterie.
Reading salons, trivia nights, and shelves dedicated to board games bring a communal hum to the literary bar, but it's also primo for a solo evening - a frangelico-spiked hot choccy is all the company you need.
Old Palm Liquor
133B Lygon Street, Brunswick East
Loved for its wood-fired menu with South African influences and a 300-bottle-strong wine list, Old Palm Liquor's interiors are as sleek and moody as any self-assured neighbourhood wine bar. In contrast, the courtyard out back is lush with leafy foliage and ivory creeping up the walls. It's the perfect place for Saturday Long Lunch at the Brunswick local — a leisurely affair consisting of sharing plates, cheese and vino — and is brought to life in the evenings by a fireplace and a scattering of old-school light fixtures.
Caretaker's Cottage
139 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Little Lonsdale Street's Caretaker's Cottage regularly makes The World's 50 Best Bars list — coming in at number 19 in 2025 — and is one of our favourite drinking dens in the city. It might be surprising that this powerhouse lives in a pint-sized heritage cottage on Little Lonsdale Street. Dressed in simple pub-like furnishings and vinyl tunes, the walkways are narrow, the ceilings low, and the drinks excellent.
No overworked and overly theatrical bevs here — just classics done brilliantly and signature sips made with great care. Find Melbourne's coldest martinis live here, and if you're feeling it, a mean Guinness. It gets crowded, but you can sip on the stone benches outside. If all else fails, book it to Three Horses, the cottage's sister venue.
Apartment 26
26/321 Chapel Street, Prahran
Antique lovers, enter a Parisian salon frozen in time. Hidden in a former Love and Lewis building along Chapel Street, Apartment 26 specialises in fine French antiques from the 17th to 19th centuries. Baroque and Rococo wares fill the space: gilded mirrors in ornate gold frames; elaborate clocks adorned with mythical gods and cherubs; and a pink harp-shaped sofa.
Grazing stations and canapés can be arranged for high tea and cocktails in the studio's dining room. For dinner soirées, consider a trip through France through a four-course food and wine pairing.
Fitzroy Gardens
Wellington Parade, East Melbourne
Watching the leaves turn in Fitzroy Gardens is grand, but there are a handful of secret spots that make it feel extra special. Look out for anything out of the ordinary, like a red gum known as the Fairies' Tree, embellished with a colourful coterie of woodland figures like elves, gnomes, imps, fairies and animals, or a miniature Tudor village amongst the shrubery.
If you prefer your architecture to scale, check out Cook's Cottage, a rustic 18th-century home originally built for Captain James Cook in England. Yiaga, one of the hottest restaurant openings last year, is another magical experience in the gardens.
Smith St Bistrot
300 Smith Street, Collingwood
The black wrought-iron gates of Smith St Bistrot open into an elegant dining room with gothic flourishes, like brass chandeliers, antique mirrors, and a spiral staircase curling up to the mezzanine.
Helmed by renowned chef Scott Pickett, the bistro opens at noon for chic lunching or sips and snacks. The rotating dinner menu du jour stars finely tuned European dishes like seafood gratin with champagne velouté sauce and steak au poivre made with Sher Wagyu cuts.
Spellbox
17/331/339 Bourke St, Melbourne
24 Block Place, Melbourne
Dive into modern-day occult at one of Spellbox's apothecaries, which operates as a supply store for crystals, herbs and other magickal objects. Affordable spell jars are "created with the inner child in mind" to fulfil any desires. For example, The Song of the Undine bestows the gift of understanding animals, while Feather of the Sylph breeds a sharper mind. Luck and love charms are also available, alongside tarot readings and even bridal blessings.
O3
268 Barkly Street, Brunswick
87 Queens Bridge Street, Southbank
Popping up on both sides of the river, these giant Ghibli-themed study spaces are essentially 24/7 libraries. The offbeat concept exudes the cosiness of a Studio Ghibli movie, featuring picnic-like elements such as lanterns, park benches, indoor trees, beanbags and even an adorable tent setup. Plus, a cafe in a train car serving up matcha and coffee drinks.
There's plenty of quiet seating — the options are beanbags, couches or proper tables — and access to power plugs all day, every day. The business operates on a subscription model, but everyone gets 3 free hours weekly.
Como Lane
20 Como Avenue, South Yarra
Much like the Owens' mansion and just as charming, South Yarra's Como House and Garden was a sisterly sanctuary. The four girls of the Armytage family lived in the centuries-old dwelling well into adulthood, during which they undoubtedly hosted a number of fabulous tea parties. That tradition carries on at Scott Pickett's Como Lane today.
Converted from the ground's former garden sheds, the quaint cafe offers sweeping views of the gardens. Pull up a pistachio-green rattan chair in the breezy alfresco area for a hearty breakfast — classic chilli scramble comes with Longrain's signature XO sauce — or a lunchtime toastie.
South of Johnston
46 Oxford Street, Collingwood
The high ceilings in South of Johnston — Sojo, for short — hint at its industrial bones, but it has all the makings of a relaxed countryside cafe. From the fruit trees at the entrance (picking is encouraged) to branches draping over a large communal bench lined with more plants, botanicals fill the warehouse space. At the centre of the room, a massive cast-iron fireplace surrounded by plush couches – the perfect spot to curl up with some brekkie and a book.
Gigi
143 Greville Street, Prahran
Down a bluestone laneway, Parisian-inspired Gigi captures the romance of Practical Magic (sans tragic curse). Playful hand-painted walls by artist Melissa Macfarlane meet antique chandeliers, vintage art sits beside a flirty lipstick-scrawled mirror asking 'Your place or mine?'
The cheekiness carries over to the cocktail list. Get a signature gin, elderflower and sweet pea tipple or a tea-based pandan fizz, paired with snacks like prawn cocktail'ettes and mini versions of Entrecôte's famed cheeseburger.
Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground Newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.