Food Tours · Tour

Driven Between the Tastings, Ending on a Fitzroy Rooftop

The difference here is the minibus. Most Melbourne food tours are three hours of walking within a few blocks; this one drives you between the stops, which means four hours covers the gardens, the laneways, the arcades, the market, the sporting precinct and Fitzroy. The tastings are paced to the stops. A barista coffee at a hidden lookout over the skyline and the Yarra. Dumplings in Hosier Lane, among the street art. Strawberries and chocolate on the drive through the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kings Domain and the Shrine of Remembrance. Cheese and savoury things either in the Royal and Block Arcades or at Queen Victoria Market, depending on the day. A fresh pour at a local craft brewery. Then Fitzroy, and the last stop is the best: Naked for Satan, a rooftop bar with the city in front of it, and a drink of infused vodka or a craft beer. Fair warning from the operator: there are risque images on some of the walls. The drive also takes in Olympic Boulevard, the MCG, Rod Laver Arena and AAMI Park, which is a remarkable amount of stadium for one small stretch of city and explains a good deal about this place. Ten people at most, in English, French, German or Spanish, with the guide throughout and the private minibus. It finishes at Queen Victoria Market, with a map, so you can carry on.