Melbourne News

Chris Lucas has built some of Melbourne's most celebrated restaurants, but the latest addition to his arsenal feels like the most personal yet. 

Restaurateur Chris Lucas is the brain behind some of Melbourne's favourite venues, and he's just announced his next big venture: an all-day diner inspired by eclectic Hong Kong kitchens.

If West End Girl has taken over your headphones, the group chat and a concerning amount of your emotional energy, your moment is coming. Lily Allen is bringing the album to Melbourne.

Live Nation has announced plans for a purpose-built, 5,000-capacity music venue in North Melbourne, with more than 100 events expected to fill the room each year.

After a record-breaking debut in Dandenong South, Wendy’s is coming back for seconds—and this time, Seaford’s getting the goods.

Australia’s dining scene has officially entered its Michelin era, with arguably the world's most prestigous restaurant guide unveiling its first-ever Australian restaurant selection in South Australia.

The Commons Bar has launched a new menu at its Collins Street and Martin Place locations, bringing modern bar snacks, seasonal wines and cocktails to the after-work drinks rotation.

This Indonesian-inspired spot puts share-style dining, family recipes and lesser-known regional dishes at the centre of the table.

Wood-fired Greek-inspired cuisine, Athenian DJ sets and lots of ouzo. Helios Hotel brings the Aegli touch to Glenferrie Road dining.

If you spent the noughties losing your nut to indie rock at various festivals, you’d probably like to know that The Strokes are coming back to Australia early next year.

Tucked on a Brunswick side street, Itera brings take-home sourdough, bakery treats and a dine-in menu putting a twist on brunch as you know it.  

Julien Moussi is no stranger to Melbourne's hospitality scene. Having opened his first venue in 2011, he's now officially worked on 43 venue openings across the city—but his latest venture feels a little different. 

With five venues brew houses across Melbourne, including one existing Wild West venue in Footscray, Geelong is set to mark the brewery's first location outside of the city. 

Looking for somewhere new to eat in Melbourne? The city is brimming with new restaurants, from special occasion cocktail bars in the CBD to unfussy Italian with moody lighting primed for date night in South Yarra. 

The NFL is hosting its first-ever regular-season game in Australia on Friday 11 September, and it's set to be huge. Though if we're being honest, we might be a little more invested in the halftime show: The Jonas Brothers have been announced as the official headliners, and the supporting lineup of Aussie acts is burnin’ up, too. 

Dominique Crenn is one of the world's most decorated chefs. This October, she's officially bringing her French cooking to Melbourne. 

The overhaul will more than double the current drop off and pickup capacity and put an end to the chaotic congestion along both Arrival Drive and Departure Drive.

The CBD shopping centre and entertainment destination has officially commenced construction to deliver new dining, entertainment and retail offerings. 

There’s a growing push within Melbourne’s sports and entertainment industry for a major new 20,000-seat arena. 

It's official, and it's looking like a 16-show mega tour across the country.

Australia’s own pop princess Kylie Minogue will take to the stage this September, headlining the pre-game entertainment at the 2026 AFL Grand Final.

The new venue from the Navi team brings fire and smoke to the bustling heart of Yarraville, with a Brazillian grill and 70s-inspired fitout.

Opa! Melbourne's favourite floating bar is coming back for its eleventh season, and this year it’s had a full Greek Island-inspired makeover.

After a two-year refurbishment, Melbourne’s iconic Ian Potter State Theatre will reopen this October, and Victorians are invited to celebrate with Housewarming, a free four-day celebration of some of the state's best performing artists.

With a 170-person capacity, The Freehouse is a true local: part dining room, part public bar, with pool and private event spaces. All of that, and the entire venue also just happens to be gluten free. 

Taking over the former Morris Jones site on Chapel Street, The Frog Club is a new late-night restaurant, grill and bar from hospitality veterans Jamie McBride and Marc Gurman. 

UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski is hosting a free Aussie-style tailgate in Melbourne with Airbnb. Here’s how to join the September event.

Her first Australian shows since 2024 will hit Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne next November.

In a city as culturally rich and diverse in venues as Melbourne, it’s not often we get an opening that truly feels like something we haven’t seen before, but that might be about to change with the opening of Flair. 

Velocity is offering up to 20% bonus Velocity Points on eligible bank rewards transfers this month. And with some pretty major RBA payment reforms kicking in from 1 October, pointsmaxxers might want to make their next move sooner rather than later.

Meredith Music Festival is returning for its 34th instalment, bringing three days and two nights of live music, camping and late-night revelry to the Supernatural Amphitheatre this December.

If your next overseas holiday has been discussed at length in the group chat but never quite made it past the “we should book something” stage, Virgin Australia has just supplied the necessary push.

Carlton's King & Godfree precinct, home to Johnny's Green Room, Garfield Pizzeria and Pidapipo, has officially welcomed Italian restaurant and wine room Delmonte to its iconic Carlton corner.

Whether you're a seasoned BTV camper or a first-timer ready to enter your festival era, here’s everything you need to know before packing the car and hitting the road.

The group chat can officially stop speculating—Spilt Milk is back, and its 2026 lineup is one of the festival's biggest yet.

The team behind Australia's best pizza have found a new southside home.

Melbourne’s best birria has a new northside home, bringing the playful spirit of its food truck to the comfort of bar seating. 

Expect a relaxed public bar pouring tap beers and natural-leaning wines, a Mediterranean-inspired dining room primed for long lunches, and a cocktail bar promising a speakeasy feel.

One of Melbourne's most beloved bandrooms has been given a second life as a live music venue, pub and dining room. 

Set to open later this year, Masia is Saravia's most ambitious project yet—and you can watch the whole thing unfold on Instagram.

After more than two decades at its enviable perch above Federation Square, Transit Rooftop Bar is finally getting a renovation to match the uninterrupted city and Yarra River views. 

Beauty-lovers, this one's for you. After treating us to the opening of the incredible MECCA Bourke Street Flagship last year, Australia's favourite beauty retailer has done it again, with the announcement of a major new beauty destination at Chadstone. 

After more than a decade of being Melbourne's go-to for plant-based food in Collingwood, Shannon Martinez has expanded Smith & Deli with a CBD location.

Three of Melbourne’s coolest Japanese restaurants are taking a detour from their usual menu this June—here's why. 

From 1 June, public transport will run at half price until the end of the year. Here's everything you need to know. 

With restaurants in Mordialloc, St Kilda and Hampton, the Frankston location marks Bang Bang’s largest venue—with capacity for over 130 guests. 

London’s cult golf and social club Pitch Golf is heading to Aussie shores, with Melbourne set to be home to the first venue. 

Popping up for a limited run is Little Rose, a joint project between Rosheen Kaul and Joe Jones.

It’s time to start planning your next trip over the West Gate, because Geelong’s popular waterfront precinct is getting a new wave of food and entertainment experiences. 

Armed with a pasta-led menu and warm, unhurried approach to neighbourhood dining, Julietta is a cosy new Italian restaurant that’s right at home in South Yarra. 

In its 2026/27 Budget, the Victorian Government has committed a record $1.04 billion investment in road maintenance. That’s more than ever before—here's what it actually means for road users. 

Some of Melbourne's most exciting top chefs are coming together for a genuinely good cause. On Thursday 30 April, Scarf Community is hosting its annual gala fundraising dinner at the iconic Potter Museum of Art in Parkville, and it's a big one.

Classy cocktails, vinyl DJ nights and a “Lankan-leaning” cuisine you’ve never tried before: Dutch Rules Distilling Co has raised the bar in Mitcham.

Grounded in somatic movement, KICStudio is built entirely around presence and connection, encouraging a deeper and more meaningful approach to health. 

Melbourne is set to get a whole lot greener, with the City of Melbourne’s draft 2026–27 Budget proposal earmarking $26 million to speed up the delivery of 13 new or upgraded parks and open spaces across the city. 

As petrol prices surge, bowsers run dry, and the cost of simply getting from A to B creeps into absurd territory, Victoria has made a bold call: free public transport across the entire state.

It’s no secret that good things grow close to home in Victoria, and Sydney Road’s newest little bar and bistro, The Forager’s Fork, puts ‘local’ in the centre of the table.

The first international flight in six years takes off from Melbourne's Avalon Airport today, following a massive $32 million upgrade.

For the first time in over a decade, global hotel group Mercure has opened a new-build in the city centre. 

Your morning commute might be about to get a whole lot easier: Victorians are finally getting a taste of contactless ‘tap-and-go’ travel on myki fares. 

The Victorian state government has announced new anti-price gouging laws requiring retailers to set a daily cap on fuel prices and publish that price in advance. 

Attention, Melbourne ARMY: it's finally your time. That's right, BTS is coming to Melbourne. Mark your calendars for February 2027 because the iconic seven-member South Korean boyband have added Aussie dates to their 79-show world tour. Here's everything you need to know. 

The latest round of the Live Music Festivals Fund has opened this week, with the state government pledging grants of up to $50,000 for Victorian festival operators. 

The Commons Health Club are opening a second location this March, and it's set to be Melbourne’s largest social wellness destination. 

Victoria’s beautiful Port Phillip Bay can look forward to over $2 million in funding after the latest round of state government grants. 

Melbourne airport has officially revealed it will drop $4.5 billion on expanding its international terminal, to be done in stages over several years.

The Allan government has officially greenlit major upgrades to the Mornington Peninsula’s iconic Arthurs Seat Eagle precinct, including a roller coaster-style luge ride. 

Boasting over 40 ultra-exclusive membership clubs across the globe, it might just be Melbourne's turn for our very own Soho House.

YoYou’re about to start finding excuses to “accidentally” wander down Elizabeth Street more often. That’s because Mondo Gelateria, Melbourne’s newest dessert daydream, is opening on Friday, 23 January—bringing with it gelato flights laced with limoncello, pastries pretty enough to live behind gallery glass and flavours that sound like they’ve been backpacking through Europe.

Melbourne is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about housing markets in the country—and not because prices are soaring.

Blue shakes, crinkle-cut fries and cult-favourite burgers—Shake Shack has landed down under for the first time at the Australian Open in Melbourne. 

Sydney Road's finally got its big-screen swagger back—over 40 years in the making. The Thornbury Picture House duo, Gus and Lou Berger, just flipped the switch on Brunswick Picture House at 510-512 Sydney Road, turning a heritage horse-stabling relic into an 81-seat indie haven with killer sound and a bar built for all-night film analysis debriefs.

Touching down on 16 January 2026, this high-voltage mash-up of elite tennis and live music is returning to Rod Laver Arena for one night only, revving up the party vibes for Australian Open Opening Week. 

Lacoste is bringing its global Le Club Lacoste experience to Australia for the very first time, and they’re doing it by building a 20+ metre floating tennis court on the Yarra.

Melbourne’s bar scene is in its vinyl era and the newest name dropping the needle is LB’s Record Bar, opening Friday 28 November on iconic Meyers Place.

Melbourne’s festive forecast is famously unpredictable (yes, even by Melbourne standards), but early signs are already giving us a sneaky glimpse at what December 25, 2025 might look like.

Melbourne’s city centre is finally getting its own true-blue independent taproom, thanks to indie legends Venom Brewery.

Melbourne, your pop prayers have been answered: Lady Gaga is bringing her MAYHEM Ball Tour to Marvel Stadium this December.

From jaunts under the sea to sensory deprivation and Village People-themed discos, this concept-dinner-show-bar-chaos with a two-month waitlist is the most fun you’ll have at the table all year.

Is it better than Christmas coming early? Not quite, but we'll take five new train stations instead.

An institution of New York’s cocktail scene is hitting Flinders Lane. Established in Manhattan’s East Village in 2006, Death & Co changed the game for contemporary cocktails, becoming a global icon and drawing hordes of discerning drinkers to its venues across the US.

Get ready for The Waterside Hotel—a seven-level Flinders Street venue with a rooftop bar, Asian restaurant, and restored 1925 facade.

Jump in the DeLorean, we’re taking it back to the 80s with this new Tokyo-vibin’ rooftop izakaya taking over the former Madame Brussels spot. 

Keen eyes watching the Prahran side of High Street will have noticed The Smith quietly shut its doors and has been amidst a glow-up (and dare we say it, a serious upgrade).

If you haven’t had the chance to catch Cirque du Soleil live yet, take this as your cue—their KOOZA tour is landing in Australia in 2026.

Summer in Melbourne is coming in hot (literally).

Fancy foie gras? The stigma long associated with what's regarded as the pinnacle of haute cuisine might have gone out the window with this lab-grown solution.

Kensington’s beloved local, the Doutta Galla Hotel has officially reopened its iconic red doors after a year-long renovation that has completely transformed the 1889 landmark.

In a matter of months, Fitzroy’s Toddy Shop, as we know it, will be no more.

If you’ve been sensing a distinct lack of excitement in Melbourne’s cookie scene, you’re not alone. While our city boasts an enviable lineup of pastry maestros and artisanal ice cream, the humble cookie has often been left as an afterthought on the cafe counter.