Mallrat’s guide to a weekend in Melbourne ft. swims, matcha and music

“People here approach their days with creativity.”

Here at Fashion Journal, we want to unearth the hidden spots in Australian cities that only the locals know about. There’s no gatekeeping here – this is a breakdown of the best bits of our cities. We want the underrated date spots, favourite restaurants, treasure trove op shops and bars people will always want to go back to.

This week, we’re exploring Melbourne with Australian musician, Mallrat (also known by her full name, Grace Shaw). Originally hailing from Brisbane, she’s steadily built up her own personal Yellow Pages of the best spots in Melbourne to eat, drink, shop and swim.

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“My favourite thing about Melbourne is that I can walk everywhere,” she tells me. “There are so many beautiful parks and although this feels very obvious to say, the coffee and food is incredible.”

For Mallrat, another key feature that sets Melbourne apart is the creativity of its people. From how locals get dressed to how they approach their days, she’s found it pretty easy to make the city her new home.

Eat and drink

Plug Nickel

 

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Plug Nickel is my go-to spot for pretty much any occasion. I had my birthday drinks here, the staff are such angels and I love the special cocktails they make with seasonal fruit. They play great music and you can sit on a little deck on the street so it’s never too loud.

@plug_nickel

Ballard’s

 

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My favourite place ever is Ballard’s in Thornbury! It’s perfect for a special occasion, but also just the right amount of cosy and casual. This place has so much personality and the food is incredible – make sure you get lots of different things to share.

@ballards915highst

Caretaker’s Cottage

 

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I only went to Caretaker’s Cottage for the first time recently! I loved it because of the beautiful old architecture you get to admire while sitting on a grassy lawn. Cam’s Kiosk in Abbotsford is also special for that reason.

@caretakers.cottage

Indulge

Luther Scoops

 

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My current obsession is ice cream from Luther Scoops in Brunswick. I love the vegan apple crumble flavour.

@luthers_scoops

Good Measure

 

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I can’t stop going to Good Measure in Carlton. It’s famous for its Mont Blanc coffee but I love the matcha in particular – it tastes like melted ice cream.

@goodmeasuremelbourne

Shop

 

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Sucker is great for local designers and Salon Archive upstairs for vintage Vivienne Westwood, JPG and John Galliano. Error404 is also fun to pop into and for vintage, I’d recommend Swop and Lost and Found Market.

@shopsucker

Live Music

The Forum

 

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The Forum is my favourite venue in Australia, as an artist and also as a music fan. I’ve seen and played some of my favourite concerts here (and especially loved seeing Caroline Polachek, Mk.Gee and Yung Lean). The ceiling looks like a starry night.

@forummelbourne

Babie Club

 

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I’m also a really big fan of Babie Club. I love going out dancing at its club nights. They’ve nurtured a really special community for a fairly niche lane of dance music. It’s not for everybody but if you’re a fan of Sophie, Bladee, Ninajirachi, A.G. Cook, Harajuku street style, happy hardcore or Hello Kitty, you have to follow them on Instagram and make your way to one of these events.

@babiecl.ub

R&R

Carlton Baths

 

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If it’s sunny, then I’m making a beeline for a pool. Carlton Baths is my favourite at the moment, because it doesn’t feel as scene-y as Fitzroy Baths and there’s a nice grassy area to have a nap on.

@carltonbaths

Edinburgh Gardens

I know this sounds cheesy but I think the Eddie Gardens are the heart of the Northside. This is where everybody has their picnics and there are lots of very happy people and dogs here.

 

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An ideal day

 

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The sun is shining, I’ll go for a little walk with a coffee in my hand and then meet up with a friend to get a vegan sandwich from Pickles. Then we get iced matcha from Good Measure and drink it by the pool, collecting friends as the day rolls along. Finally, we’ll go to Skydiver for a drink and wood-fired pizza, and our bellies will be just the right amount of full and maybe a bit sore from laughing so much.

@pickles_milkbar

Follow Mallrat here.