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July
2008
PIECES OF VICTORIA
In this latest edition of Pieces of Victoria you will find information
on the newest hotel openings, the key events taking place this month,
as well as…
- Eric Bana selected as ambassador for the Melbourne International Film
Festival
- Business as usual for Jamie Oliver’s restaurant in Melbourne
- Formula One Grand Prix set to stay in Melbourne until 2015
- Another distinction for Melbourne: Australia’s best city for shopping!
CELEBRITY HOTSPOTTING
Eric Bana announced as ambassador for the Melbourne International Film
Festival
The Incredible Hulk star Eric Bana has taken on the role of ambassador
for this month’s Melbourne International Film Festival. The Melburnian
actor leads a list of celebrities being signed to glam up the festival,
which has Oscar-, Golden Globe-, BAFTA- and Emmy-winning actor Geoffrey
Rush as its patron.
Eric Bana has been reported to be thrilled about the honour as "it's
my home town's film festival and it's much closer than Cannes, Toronto
or Sundance!"
The organisers describe the selection of the films featured in this year’s
400-movie marathon as “bold” and “audacious”.
The festival, which takes place from 25 July – 10 August, will include
10 world premieres.
Last year, Melbourne International Film Festival drew more than 180,000
people.
www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au
Business as usual at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen - which did not burn
down!
The fire that destroyed the office of Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant
in Melbourne last month has had ‘catastrophic’ effects, with
a number of bookings lost and diners staying away. But many diners mistakenly
believe that the restaurant was burnt down - the restaurant is actually
200 metres from the office, and continued trading as normal.
Fifteen Melbourne is divided into the White Room (bright, airy and in
full view of the bar and kitchen), the Dark Room (warm and stylish) and
the Private Dining Room. It opened in September 2006 and is one of the
two Jamie Oliver’s restaurants outside the UK (the other one is
in Amsterdam).
The building also serves as offices for the Fifteen Foundation and as
a ‘safe house’ for the trainee chefs from disadvantaged backgrounds,
some of them homeless. The Melbourne Fifteen training programme for apprentice
chefs was the subject of a reality television series, when it was originally
launched two years ago.
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is also planning to open a restaurant in
Melbourne, which will be his first restaurant in Australia.
www.fifteen.net
Keanu Reeves hits Melbourne
Although Keanu Reeves had made Australia his home for two years while
shooting the Matrix trilogy, he hasn’t had a taste of Melbourne
until recently.
While in the city, he stayed at the lavish Park Hyatt hotel in East Melbourne
and he was seen in award-winning Donovan’s restaurant in St Kilda,
where he had a relaxed, three-and-a-half-hour lunch.
The actor was Down Under to promote his latest projects: corrupt-cops
drama Street Kings, in which he portrays an officer used by his superiors
as an enforcer, and The Day the Earth Stood Still, a remake of the 1951
classic sci-fi film where he co-stars with Jaden Smith, Will Smith’s
son.
Rumours have sprung up recently for the sequel of the 1991 surfer-crime
movie Point Break, which shot Keanu Reeves to fame. The finale of the
cult movie takes place at Bells Beach, Victoria’s iconic beach that
hosts the world-renowned Rip Curl Pro Surf Festival every year since 1961.
HOTEL NEWS
Base St Kilda among the world’s best luxury hostels
Melbourne’s Base St Kilda has been selected as one of the ‘Top
Ten Luxury Hostels of the World’ by the popular online publication,
The Travel Magazine. It was the only Australian hostel to make the list.
The Travel Magazine quoted that backpacking had entered a new era, where
chic and modern facilities attracted a new breed of fashion conscious
young travellers. Behind its striking red façade, Base St Kilda
offers state-of-the-art facilities, a travel agency, Internet centre and
a funky bar.
Female guests are treated to Aveda beauty products and can choose to stay
in the luxurious and innovative girl’s only Sanctuary, with some
including indoor mineral spas, pool bars and even a cup of tea served
in bed.
Base St Kilda has previously been listed as one of the ‘Top Ten
Hippest Hostels Worldwide’ in Lonely Planet’s Blue List. In
total, there are 10 Base hostels to choose from in Australia and New Zealand.
www.stayatbase.com
New lease of life for Rydges Melbourne
Rydges Melbourne, located in the city’s theatre precinct and adjacent
to Chinatown, has recently completed a multi-million dollar ground floor
refurbishment.
As well as updating the hotel façade and lobby, Rydges has replaced
its former bar with a chic new restaurant and bar, which features warm
and welcoming décor, a sexy red circular bar and floor-to-ceiling
wine racks. Its head chef Matthew English has designed a menu of traditional,
peasant style Italian dishes with a modern twist.
The Rydges chain is also opening a new hotel, the Rydges Bell City complex,
in Melbourne’s inner northern suburb of Preston in August 2008.
The AUD$120 million (£58 million) development, with a 924-bed capacity,
will be Rydges’ largest property in Australia.
www.rydges.com/melbourne
Stay in style at new apartment hotel
Seasons Heritage Melbourne is a brand new apartment style hotel located
on leafy St Kilda Road – right near the buzzing Belgian Beer Café
and walking distance to Albert Park Lake.
The hotel combines the old-world charm of a restored heritage listed mansion
with a modern contemporary apartment wing. Guests have a choice of studio,
one-, two- and three-bedroom fully self-contained apartments. In the historic
mansion, there are also three large one-bedroom apartments ideally suited
for weddings, romantic weekends away or celebrating a special event.
Seasons Heritage Melbourne also offers the full facilities of a 4.5 star
hotel – 24 hour room service, bar, restaurant, on-site car parking,
gym, broadband in all guest rooms and wireless in public areas.
www.seasonsheritagemelbourne.com.au
WHAT’S NEW: DRIVING OR FLYING
Melbourne to host Formula One Grand Prix until 2015
Melbourne has retained its Formula One Grand Prix for seven more years,
until 2015. The city has been hosting the race every year since 1996.
As part of the new agreement, a later timeslot has been taken into consideration
in order to accommodate European television audiences: next year’s
race will start at 5pm on Sunday 29 March 2009.
The Formula One Grand Prix is one of the jewels in Melbourne’s high-profile
events calendar. Last year's race attracted more than 300,000 spectators
to the inner-city Lake Albert street circuit, one of the best-attended
races on the calendar.
www.grandprix.com.au
Drive Australia’s Great Ocean Road in style
A new and unique driving experience allows visitors to coastal Victoria
to explore Australia’s Great Ocean Road by Porsche, Lamborghini
and Aston Martin - or even a mini cooper! Moonlight Head Private Lodges
offer the ‘Let’s Drive’ packages, which include two
nights’ stay at the luxury eco retreats, all meals and beverages,
airport transfers and a top of range car with an allowance of 1,000 km.
Located at the mid point of one of the world’s most scenic roads,
a stay at Moonlight Head is the ultimate in decadence: there is a personal
butler to draw your bath, your own chef preparing organic meals and a
masseuse and yoga teacher on stand-by. Private guides can take you horse
back riding out across the coastal dunes and down to the beaches to picnic
at the Twelve Apostles, ecologists are on hand to escort you through the
bush and introduce you to the unique Australian wildlife or you can spend
the evening with a wine connoisseur for a fine wine tasting.
The lodges are world-class in eco-design and responsibility towards the
environment in all aspects of operation and each enjoy uninterrupted and
panoramic views of the Southern Ocean.
www.moonlighthead.com
Tiger increases services from Melbourne to Adelaide and Canberra
Tiger Airlines is expanding the frequencies of its Melbourne-Adelaide
and Melbourne-Canberra services. From August 11, the Adelaide service
will increase to three flights a day and the Canberra service to double
daily.
The Australian budget carrier, which is part-owned by Ryanair, plans to
introduce three new aircrafts, which are expected to be delivered to Australia
by Christmas.
www.tigerairways.com
RANKINGS…
Victoria 101 – What’s your favourite tourism experience?
Tourism Victoria is launching in association with Royal Automobile Club
of Victoria (RACV) Victoria 101, an online campaign to find out the best
must-dos in the state.
Visitors to the Victoria 101 website can select from the tourism experiences
listed or add their own suggestions – allowing Tourism Victoria
to discover the best of the best of Australia’s most compact yet
diverse state.
So far driving the Great Ocean Road tops the list; the unspoilt National
Park of Wilsons Promontory and the historic town of Walhalla have also
been voted among the top five experiences.
www.victoria101.com.au
Melbourne is tops when it comes to shopping
Melbourne was crowned the premier shopping destination in Australia for
the second year running. The Annual Shop Til You Drop magazine survey
found that 73 per cent viewed Melbourne as the best shopping area in Australia.
Melbourne's defined fashion precincts, such as Chapel Street, Flinders
Lane, South Yarra, Bridge Road and High Street Armadale were appealing
because they were easy to navigate and offered diverse shopping. In addition,
Melbourne's strong European ethos emerged as an attraction, with easier
access to international labels, one-off designs and emerging young designers.
Recent retail developments include QV, Melbourne Central and the GPO,
which have added 400 new stores to the city’s booming shopping scene.
EVENTS CALENDAR: IT’S ALL ABOUT DESIGN
State of Design
The State of Design, incorporating the Premier's Design Awards, is the
peak design event of the Victorian calendar and the only initiative of
its kind in Australia.
Running from 16 - 24 July, the State of Design will be a connected series
of events that create a rallying point for the Victorian design sector.
This year’s festival has four key elements: Design Capital (Australia’s
first multi-disciplinary design and business conference); Design For Everyone
(a state-wide cultural programme of exhibitions, open studios, walks and
talks); Design:Made:Trade (a wholesale showcase for innovative and emerging
design brands); and the Premier’s Design Awards (recognising design
excellence in Victoria).
The State of Design, which as of this year will be an annual event, will
also see a stronger focus on promoting Victorian designers internationally
and increased involvement by regional designers and audiences.
www.stateofdesign.com.au
Get the keys to Melbourne – as part of the Melbourne International
Design Festival
Some of central Melbourne's finest buildings will throw open their doors
to give the public a behind-the-scenes look at the city's hidden architectural
treasures. Unprecedented access will be given inside eight landmark buildings
in the city centre on July 20. The buildings on show for Melbourne Open
House range from the modern Federation Square and Council House 2 in Lt
Collins St to the art deco splendour of the Manchester Unity building.
The inspiration comes from successful open days in London and New York.
It is intended Open House will become an annual event.
Melbourne Open House is part of the fourth annual Melbourne International
Design Festival being held between July 17 and 27. As a ten-day celebration
of design, the Festival will be a major focal point on the cultural calendar
for the design industry and broader community.
Admission to all eight venues will be free.
www.nationaldesigncentre.com
For general information on Melbourne and the state of Victoria please
visit Tourism Victoria's website at www.visitmelbourne.com/uk
For media information, please
contact
David Ezra at david@saltmarshpr.co.uk
or
Tom Panagos at tom@saltmarshpr.co.uk
Tel: 020 7928 1600
Fax: 020 7928 1700
The Saltmarsh Partnership
The Copperfields
25d Copperfield Street
London SE1 0EN
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