Tourism Victoria organised a two-day visit that let me see what the city has to offer culture vultures this winter and I got to visit galleries and museums, shops and restaurants, and even spent an evening at the theatre.
The tour started at the Melbourne Museum, where we got to explore the Tutankhamen exhibition and gaze at several darkened rooms filled with treasured collected from the tombs of ancient Egypt, before visiting three of the city’s finest jewellery galleries.
Gallery Funaki, Pieces Of Eight Gallery and e.g.etal are just some of the establishments in our CBD that blur the lines between jewellery store and art gallery, showing beautiful treasures made by the city’s best artisan jewellers as well as some of the world’s most famous craftsmen and women.
I didn’t realise there was such a market in bespoke engagement and wedding rings, and it seems that betrothed Victorians are looking for a unique piece of jewellery to wear on their finger rather than just dashing into Tiffany’s and buying the biggest rock they can afford.
It seems the option is also much more affordable, with a one-off ring featuring a precious stone costing around $3000, and the engaged couple get to work with a local artist to create a one-of-a-kind band.
That night we had seats in the front row seats at the Comedy Theatre to enjoy a performance of Rock of Ages, before spending the night in a Terrace Suite at The Langham down by the Yarra River.Day two included a visit to the National Gallery of Victoria to learn all about the treasures heading our way for that institution’s annual Winter Masterpieces expedition.
Vienna: Art & Design is set to feature 300 pieces – everything from paintings and photographs to furniture and fabrics as well as a the life-sized facade of a famous Viennese building – from early last century, an era that’s said to have played a big part in setting the boundaries of modern design.
We also made a dash out to Collingwood to visit The Compound Interest which is part gallery, with two exhibition spaces that regularly hold displays of illustrations and modern art, and part studio where local artists rent space to work.
The trip was a bit of a rush, and we were constantly running late as Tourism Victoria packed a bunch of activities into the itinerary, but it was great fun and made me fall in love with my beautiful city all over again.
We also made a dash out to Collingwood to visit The Compound Interest which is part gallery, with two exhibition spaces that regularly hold displays of illustrations and modern art, and part studio where local artists rent space to work.
The trip was a bit of a rush, and we were constantly running late as Tourism Victoria packed a bunch of activities into the itinerary, but it was great fun and made me fall in love with my beautiful city all over again.
