Federation Square
BMW Edge at Melbourne's Federation Square. Photo (c) Federation Square.
Federation Square is Melbourne’s latest meeting place and a unique cultural and art centre. It brings together the many exciting art, film, museum and entertainment areas listed below as well as cafes, restaurants and shops. Each year in August – September Federation Square hosts the Melbourne Writers Festival with entertaining discussions, debates, readings, film screenings, interviews, literary banquets, performances, workshops and book launches.
Melbourne hosts many multicultural events at Federation Square. Photo (c) Federation Square.
Regular events at Melbourne’s Federation Square include -Wine days the first Wednesday and Thursday of the month; bookworms make a weekly pilgrimage to the Saturday book market (new and second hand); the last Sunday of the month is for car buffs; and each Tuesday you can try Tai Chi.
Ian Potter Centre
Ian Potter Centre at Melbourne Federation Square. Photo (c) NLA.
The Ian Potter Centre is the Australian art section of the National Gallery of Victoria on St Kilda Road and is the first major gallery dedicated exclusively to Australian art. It’s a wonderful airy new building that showcases brilliant Australian art including beautiful indigenous works of photography, prints and drawings, fashion and textiles and decorative arts. See what’s on.
Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)
The first centre of its kind in the world, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image is dedicated to the moving image in all its forms – from early cinema to the latest digital media. There are high-tech galleries, cinemas and studio spaces featuring everything from long ago to the latest computer games as well as taking you into the digital art of the future. See what’s on.
Champion Australian Racing Museum
Champions Australia in Melbourne. Photo Champions Aust.
Champions Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame presents a walk down history lane of Australian horse racing. It showcases a magnificent collection of Australian racing memorabilia and hosts touring exhibitions with lots of entertaining interactive and multimedia presentations. What’s on?
Federation Square Cafes and restaurants
Chocolate Buddha restaurant in Melbourne's Federation Sqaure. Photo (c) C.Buddha
Cafes and restaurants include BokChoy Tang, Café Chinotto, Feddish, Time Out Café and Taxi Dining Room. But our very favorite is Chocolate Buddha which specialises in traditional organic Japanese cuisine. Chocolate Buddha is a wonderful fun communal dining room where the food concentrates on Japanese staples, the type of food eaten in Japan every day. The décor is fascinating with a wonderful collection of, you guessed it, Buddha figures from different Asian cultures.