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The city of Melbourne has many faces. It has its artistic side with its countless galleries and studios; its foodie side with cafes and coffee bars spilling out of endless laneways and arcades, and its historical side, whether it’s the rich history of Victoria’s indigenous communities or those of the numerous communities that have made Melbourne home.

For the visitor and resident alike, it would be easy to walk right past some of the city’s best kept secrets. Given the rich history and constantly evolving culture of Melbourne, it is not surprising that the city in turn offers a diverse range of themed walking tours. Choose from one or more of the following guided strolls and you are guaranteed to discover some hidden gems.

Melbourne’s Coffee Culture

Curious to know what exactly goes into a great latte?, which cafes make an artful espresso and when the city’s love affair with coffee started? – then the Melbourne Historical Coffee Trek is the experience for you. Weaving through the CBD’s streets, arcades and café’s, this weekend walking tour is part history lesson, part coffee appreciation class. The Coffee Trek takes in coffee icon Pelligrini’s Espresso Bar, one of the first cafes to import a gaggia machines to Melbourne in the 1950’s and the famous Florentines restaurant, home to the city’s first Espresso Machine in 1901. In this historic coffee setting, as well as more modern establishments in Melbourne’s café society, participants are guided through the art and science of the intricate roasting, extraction and final tasting process. Groups of coffee trekkers can be spotted on alternate Saturday mornings in these establishments checking the bounce of the coffee creamier and noisily sucking and spraying the deep golden extraction across their tongues to experience the full flavour of the coffee.

The tour is a feast of tales and antidotes taken from Melbourne’ coffee history set against great coffee. While enjoying the signature coffee of the Federation Coffee Place the ‘Mocha Macchiatone’ and the pastries from the colorful window displays of Brunetti’s in Swanston Street guests learn that it was more than just coffee that was served in cups at the Society Café, that the 1880’s Temperance era turned the Windsor Hotel into the ‘Grand Coffee Palace” and our first Melbourne coffee chain ‘Gibbys’, pre-dates Starbucks all the way back to the 1920’s

Melbourne’s Indigenous Landscape

Looking at the city’s concrete and steel skyline it is hard to imagine what our city looked like prior to European settlement. Thankfully, the Walkin Birrarung – Yarra River Cultural Tour conducted by the Koorie Heritage Trust provides an opportunity to peel back the layers and reveal a view of Melbourne’s indigenous landscape.

The tour starts in the shadows of the scarred polls in Enterprise Park next to the Melbourne Aquarium. Decorated by Victorian Indigenous artists they are a sad reminder of the river reds that once lined the river bank, and are positioned to mark the original river edge of the Turning Basin.

This guided walk is a gentle, enlightening experience along the banks of the Yarra River. It’s a wonderful opportunity to let the crowds and the noise drift into the background and visualize the lush riverbank vegetation and wetlands that once supported the indigenous communities that made the river their home. Participants discover on this walk the creeks that once flowed into the Yarra River and the waterfall that once formed a natural bridge between the Woiwurrung and the Bonnerwrung country.

Not all requires the imagination, just a knowledgeable guide from the Koorie Heritage Trust to point out the purpose built native garden rich in medicinal vegetation and original location for the Kulin nation’s Corriboree grounds.

Melbourne’s Artistic Treasures

The alleys, side streets and laneways of Melbourne are home to some of the cities most captivating art displays and design pieces. However you could easily walk right past these artistic gems without some expert guidance. Fortunately the crew at Hidden Secrets have been keeping their eyes peeled and created the Art and Design Tour.

This two hour tour takes in everything from street art to galleries, studios and public sculpture. Unusual gallery spaces are uncovered in café windows, storefronts and even exposed brick walls of cobbled stone laneways which play host to impromptu exhibits. In these unexpected locations there is opportunity to both admire and learn more of the art and artists, both local and international who have added color to otherwise dull corners of the city.

The city skyline is also a focus of this particular walking tour. From art deco beauty of yesteryear to the latest environmentally friendly design, participants can tap into the mountain of knowledge of their personal guides as they take in the city’s architectural highlights.

Therefore if you are curious to visit a gallery space that is a mere 20cm by 30 cm in dimensions, see the creative conversion of a couple of shipping containers in Chinatown or simply enjoy art in some unexpected places, the Art and Design Tour is an ideal way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Melbourne’s Feng Shui side

Chinatown is a fascinating area of Melbourne to explore, however to truly appreciate its character you can do no better than join one of Jodi Brunner’s Feng Shui walking tours.

Described as part science, part mathematics and part intuition, the practise of Feng Shui explores the aspects of time and space that create (or disturb) the balance and harmony in our lives. The idea of the tour is not to study in detail the philosophies of Feng Shui, but enjoy an entertaining and novel introduction by exploring the streets and alleyways of Chinatown with Feng Shui eyes.

The tour kicks off at Chinatown’s square where the positive energy flows courtesy of the three-tiered red archway, protection is provided by the black tortoise, while masculine and feminine balance is offered by the squares matching dragon and tiger. As the tour progresses, entranceways, building design and the layout of the streets are called upon to illustrate various concepts of Feng Shui. Participants soon learn the value of unobstructed spaces to entranceways and the protective powers of a pair of male and female dragons. They also learn to avoid the angular points created by an opposite building or the ‘heaven chopping shaft’ of a darkened alleyway.

The tour concludes with a stop at the gifted gardens from Melbourne’s sister city in Tianjin, China. Here the flowing water, the strong, straight bamboo plants and protective open eye dragon statues encapsulates all the elements of positive Feng Shui.

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