FAREWELL AND HELLO

If you’re a regular or a semi-regular or a very semi-regular you might have noticed it’s been a little quiet around here lately.

That’s because I’ve been busy working on a brand new project which I am super excited to announce!

www.localchatter.com.au features the people behind some of Melbourne and Victoria’s best local businesses. You’ll meet designers, chefs, florists, writers, artists and more!

We’re always looking for stories so if you know a great local business get in touch at katie.chatter(at)gmail.com.

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Otherwise – thank you for reading A Melbournite! 

FLEMINGTON FARMERS MARKET

I love a good Farmers Market. Where the stallholders are locals, everyone knows each other and there’s at least one sausage sizzle.

MELBOURNE SURVIVAL KIT

I get asked by a lot of friends what to pack when visiting Melbourne – I assume it’s in anticipation of our well known temperamental weather and not just because they don’t know how to pack. So in an effort to answer all their questions in one hit here’s my Melbourne Survival Kit.

WEEKEND WANDERINGS: SEPTEMBER 4TH & 5TH

How’s your week been? I went to two Melbourne Fringe Festival shows – Chest of Wonders & Snap.Catch.Slam. Both were excellent and I recommend checking them out before the festival finishes. Otherwise it’s been visits to Raw Trader, avoiding the gym,  late nights at the office and brownies for dinner (oops). Here’s to a slightly healthier weekend and week ahead…

• Utopia Wellness Festival on Saturday.
• Brunching at Bear Cafe.
• Another Melbourne Fringe Festival Show from my list of random picks.
  – North-South ‘city hike’ to the Shrine of Remembrance (check out this weeks post on ‘city hikes’).
• Combining my love of craft beer, live music and pizza at Foresters Hall in Collingwood.
• Continuing my search for the perfect picnic basket in time for summer!

Have a great weekend!

Spotted on last weekend’s city hike.

CITY HIKE: ABBOTSFORD CONVENT & YARRA MAIN TRAIL

City hikes are becoming a bit of a habit for me. When the weather’s nice I set aside an afternoon on the weekend to go for a long walk around Melbourne. I usually base my hikes around places to eat that I wouldn’t normally visit, i.e. it takes me approx 1.5 hours to walk to Mister Nice Guy Bakeshop so I ‘hike’ there, eat delicious things and ‘hike’ back.

WEEKEND WANDERINGS: SEPTEMBER 27TH & 28TH

I just realised I start nearly every ‘Weekend Wandering’ with comments about the weather…. #sorrynotsorry. I suppose I can call myself a true ‘Melbournian’ now. So avoiding commenting on the weather too much (hooraythesunisback!) this weekend is all about GRAND FINALS FEVER.

If you’re new to Melbourne and not a fan of AFL I suggest you leave town for the weekend. Otherwise find a pub Saturday arvo and pick a team! Sydney Swans v Hawthorn Hawks – should be a good one. Although I’m a born’n bred West Coast Eagles fan I’ll be barracking for Hawthorn out of loyalty for my new home state.
Aside from watching the footy and drinking beer for most of Saturday here’s what else I’ll be up to this weekend:

• Long walks, or ‘city hikes’ as I like to call them, are becoming a bit of a weekend habit and this Sunday I’m hoping to make it up to the Abbotsford Convent and loop around the gardens.
• Got my tickets booked and most spangly outfit prepared for Fringe Festival’s Who Killed MamaShak? on Sunday night. I’ll be putting up a review on Monday so keep an eye out for it!
• More active activities: rock climbing. It’s been a while since I did any indoor climbing but my inner monkey has been calling.
• Trying to recruit ‘volunteers’ for the Royal Melbourne Show (on until Wednesday October 1st) – mostly so I can pat/admire all the show dogs.
• If I haven’t drunk enough beer on Saturday, there’s always Oktoberfest at the Melbourne Hophaus.

Go Hawks!

I’m hoping this picture of a Pina Colada drunk last weekend at The Rum Diary Bar will encourage more tropical weather.

WEEKEND WANDERINGS: SEPTEMBER 6TH & 7TH

So I didn’t achieve anything on my list last weekend. I spent most of it making the most of the sunny weather and meeting friends for coffee/juice in parks, which isn’t too bad a trade.
Did anyone go to the Chocolate Festival? I stayed a little more local and stopped by Vegan Day Out at the Cruelty Free Shop. Amazing vegan baclava.

So this weekend, here’s hoping I cross some off my list.

– Riddle Me This? Batman Exhibition at ArtBoy Gallery and as I’ll be in the area another visit to Pana Chocolate 
– I’m heading to Healesville on Sunday to release my inner kid and take a ride on Puffing Billy
– Strawberry Fields Launch Party on Saturday night
– Brunching at Breakfast Thieves, don’t leave without trying their lamingtons!

Was anyone else freezing cold this morning? 6 degrees on the fifth day of Spring?? What is this Melbourne!

All the bacon at Breakfast Thieves

 

FULL OF GOODNESS: GOODNESS ME BOX

I’m not a super healthy person. But, as you might have noticed in my last few posts, I’ve been trying to be healthier and make conscious decisions about what I eat.
Having said that I polished off a tub of Ben & Jerry’s for dessert- dinner on Monday night after several wines and dumplings so clearly I have some way to go.
Baby steps…

WEEKEND WANDERINGS: AUGUST 30TH & 31ST

The hardest part about working full time is when spring slowly begins – mornings are cold and drizzly but by lunchtime the sun is out in all its glory and you’re stuck inside an office with only a brief lunchtime to get some Vitamin D. It’s these weeks when the weekend seems to arrive even slower. Not to waste mine indoors here’s what I’ll be up to this weekend.

• Last weekend I made the most of Saturday’s sunshine and did a mini cross-city hike from Collingwood to Ascot Vale to go to Mister Nice Guy Bakeshop. I’m thinking this Saturday I might walk south for another visit to Pana Chocolate Shop.
• Also tomorrow you’ll find me from 10am-4pm at Aunt Maggie’s Chocolate Festival in Brunswick. I hear it’s going to be terrible with absolutely no tasters and nothing worth seeing or eating so please don’t go… please.
• Chowing down on some crab at Katie’s Crab Shack. If it’s called Katie’s it must be great and if it serves crab even greater.
• Batman is my second favourite superhero so there’s no way I’m missing the Riddle Me This? Batman Exhibition at ArtBoy Gallery.
• And laundry. That’s not exciting but I ran out of time last weekend and we’re now in dire times of crazy coloured costume tights and clothes that don’t quite fit.

What are you up to this weekend?

One of the treats from my last visit to Pana Chocolate Shop.

WEEKEND WANDERINGS: AUGUST 23RD & 24TH

Hello sunshine! I’m planning on making the most of the warmer weather this weekend – it’s so long overdue! Let’s hope the temperature stays over 20C for a few days…

• Sunny weather = long walks and Mr Nice Guy Bakeshop is an excellent end point to any stroll. I’ve been having mad cinnamon bun cravings all week.
• TimeOut have featured some of the new stores that have opened at Emporium and I can already feel my bank account going down…
• Melbourne Writer’s Festival has just begun! I’m planning to check out some of the free sessions this week and next.
• I’m heading out to the Great Ocean Road on Sunday to show some friends around. It’ll be my third visit in a year but I still haven’t tired of the view!
• I’ve got a Brothl date tonight – a phrase I never thought I’d utter. I’ll post about it next week and let you know if my super high expectations were met (I still miss Silo).

Just looked at Sunday’s forecast – rain and thunderstorms. Sigh.

Make the most of the sunshine while it lasts!