In the Know: Melbourne Travelogue

Cultural Capital

By Enya Moore • Originally published in AN Interior Fall 2019 (October 2019)

Melbourne is constantly pitched as Australia’s cultural capital. With its world-class museums and enviable food scene, the designation rests easily on the city. Events like Open House Melbourne and Melbourne Design Week continually attract a broad public of locals and tourists interested in exploring the city and its hybrid identities through the lens of design.

(Mark Roper)

Jackalope Hotel

Located an hour’s drive from Melbourne’s central business district, Jackalope is a boutique hotel nestled in the vineyards of Mornington Peninsula. Its dramatic interiors act as a moody backdrop for an impressive art collection, including works by Emily Floyd, Tatsuo Miyajima, and Random International. In 2020, a second iteration of the hotel, designed by March Studio, will open in the city center.

166 Balnarring Road
Merricks North
In 2020:
175–181 Flinders Lane

(Courtesy Robin Boyd Foundation)

CIBI

CIBI offers a place of refuge in the bustling suburb of Collingwood. Owned by Meg and Zenta Tanaka, the CIBI concept store mixes food, design, and foliage with a Japanese sensibility. When you’re done perusing the carefully curated collection of kitchen tools, porcelain, and textiles, tuck into some wholesome, unfussy Japanese fare in the pared-back cafe.

33–39 Keele Street
Collingwood

(Courtesy of Yhonnie Scarce and Edition Office)

Walsh Street

Tucked away on a leafy street in the suburb of South Yarra, Australian architect Robin Boyd’s residence is unassuming. Yet upon stepping inside, visitors discover that the home he built in 1958 and shared with his wife and two children is one of the architect’s masterworks. Today it houses the Robin Boyd Foundation, which this year celebrates the 100th anniversary of Boyd’s birth with a series of talks, tours, and exhibitions.

290 Walsh Street
South Yarra

(NGV Photographic Services)

NGV International

It’s rare that a museum this large can maintain its local flavor, but the main site of the National Gallery of Victoria manages well. Perhaps it’s the dramatic rain wall at the entrance, or the lure of the generous public garden, or maybe it’s the inventive curating. In Absence, the 2019 NGV Architecture Commission by artist Yhonnie Scarce, who belongs to the Kokatha and Nukunu peoples of South Australia, and architecture studio Edition Office, invites visitors to unravel the myth of Terra Nullius—whereby Australia was declared unoccupied by colonizers—by celebrating the histories of Indigenous communities.

180 St. Kilda Road

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