Besides being covered in the street art that is synonymous with Melbourne, the laneways also lead to some of the city’s best cafes, shops and restaurants, and are always worth taking time to explore.

Serves two of my favourite things in awesome amounts of excess. Platters of fried chicken (the best one is coated in chilli sauce) accompanied with barrels of house beer.

The Vodka Bar is a surprising spot for a good coffee during the day. But when the sun goes down, it transforms into a place where pierogi and absinthe are plentiful.

Free lectures held in a cosy bars around Melbourne's inner north. This wonderful organisation runs weekly courses on a range of topics, purely for the pursuit of knowledge. The perfect antidote for a post-grad like myself who often misses lectures and class discussions. Uni with a glass of red wine - yes please.

The Everleigh is a sumptuous bar hidden above a busy shopping street. A perfect place to share a leather booth with friends, while drinking gin cocktails from old-fashioned crystal glasses.