Revolt art space is a wonderful, amazing venue located in the suburb of Kensington, which is about…read more10 minutes away from the CBD. When I first came here it was to see one of my favorite bands (Bonjah) play on Australia day 2010. I was blown away. The huge 'factory' is abundant with art. It's visual candy - everywhere. There are separate rooms with couches filled with sculptures and paintings. It has a main stage with with ample room for standing to watch a band or performer. Performers vary from dancers to mimes to comedians to actors. Revolt is open most days - it has a chill atmosphere you can just call in have a coffee and read a book or attend one of the many events which can be found on their website. The staff at Revolt are a family - literally. They took lease of the space in 2009 and have worked hard to make it what it is today. I was lucky enough to volunteer during the 2011 Fringe Festival which was a great experience. I encourage you all to call into Revolt & check it out, if only for the visual experience. You will be amazed at this place & wonder why you have never visited there before. They serve alcohol & have bar food. http://www.revoltproductions.com/home/

Revolt is a secret pirate cave of wonderment. I want to say more, but I don't think I could capture…read morethe excitement of the first time I entered and wandered around the many rooms and spaces that have amassed in this new performing arts centre in Kensington. It's a maze, designed with both performers and audience in mind. The crew make sure you're getting a truly unique experience by either attending or using Revolt to stage your event. What's more (and the bit I think I like the most) is their philosophy of supporting new artists. For someone with a great idea but not a big plan on how to market that idea, this is possibly the place to approach to stage it. It's a bit of a secret, really, tucked down a back street in an unassuming warehouse district, but not one that should stay so.

The Palais Theatre still stands majestic on the Esplanade in St Kilda, complete with castle like…read moreturrets that rise high on either side of the building. Even despite the local council and State Government letting this architectural masterpiece keep slipping further and further maintenance wise. Lets just hope they do not let it get to a state of disrepair. The Palais is legendary, and if you're just visiting this grand ole' town do try to catch a gig here. Despite the more modern and spacious venues such as Rod Laver and Etihad, the Palais still ranks as one of the best spots to go to catch live International, homegrown and up and coming acts. In fact, John Farnham is playing this November, and my fave 90's band Salt n Pepper in December. A proud icon not only of St Kilda, but of the whole city of Melbourne. It's a shame on all levels of Government for allowing the Palais to be in such poor condition, but regardless the timeless architectural magnificence and historical significance of this 'palace' remains in tact.

It's really hard to rate a complex in which does not offer a service so to speak. The actual…read moretheatre itself nice. A little run down outside, but OMG the seating sucks! The disgusting plastic seating at the Australian Open is more comfortable than this!! The Palais only received stars for the acts it brings in. Other than that, it needs some SERIOUS work done to it.

I booked this band to play at my father's birthday party and they were terrific. Ross Anderson met…read morewith me two weeks prior to discuss the space, my event details and how they could fulfil our entertainment needs. All I wanted was for my dad to have a great time, and he sure did that! The band arrived and set up early, were very professional and played perfect Dixieland jazz all afternoon. They are a Melbourne institution on the Jazz scene with loads of international performance too! Also very reasonably priced. I'd book them again.

While visiting from the US we came to see the Book of Mormon, the show is a must see and so funny!…read moreThe theatre is a workout if you're sitting upstairs, so many stairs, if there was an elevator it's tucked away. I was definitely irritated and out of breath by the time I made it to my seat lol. If you require one, definitely ask before you start walking. I saw people with drinks, water, and cocktails during intermission. The venue has charm I'm just unsure about its accessibility.

Harry Potter is playing in this beautiful & ornate theater. The Princess Theatre, is a 1452-seat…read moretheatre in Melbourne. It was built in 1854 and rebuilt in 1886 to a design by noted Melbourne architect William Pitt, it is the oldest surviving entertainment site on mainland Australia.

By some stroke of luck we managed to secure ourselves a couple of tickets to see Waiting for Godot…read morebefore it sold out. Daunting however, was arriving and finding ourselves in the fourth row. The thought of being THAT close to Sir Ian was more than little-old-me could handle. Nevertheless, a good glass or two of the Comedy Theatre's bubbly sorted me out and made me feel just hazy enough to relax and not tense up everytime Sir Ian did turn his gaze our way. The Comedy Theatre is elegant with its obvious Spanish influences. It's smallish size means that even those in the back rows will get a pretty good view.

The comedy theatre gets some of the best acts, come comedy festival time. I saw Keating here a few…read moreyears back, actually shed a tiny tear at the end. (This was when that rodent was still in charge, of course). I saw Steven Curry and Shaun Micallef's take on Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore a year or two later, came away a little disappointed. Good in concept, didn't really work well enough in execution. Point is, though, that they get the good shows in.

NGV Australia is a nice satellite museum right off Federation Square. It's loaded with cool…read moreAustralian art, and an easy stroll over the 3 or so floors. I especially enjoyed the combination of modern, aboriginal, and class art, that all flowed well from one gallery to the other. You kind of need to search out the museum's location, but it's well worth the time, effort, and learning experience. There's lots of books in the gift shop to back up a lot of the art, although I was looking for more design-related stuff rather than the usual branded museum merchandise. Admission and checking my backpack were easy and free.

I wasn't expecting to enter this museum. I was in Federation Square, wanted to take a look around…read moreafter lunch, and wandered in and ended up spending over two hours in here. I love when this happens but it was certainly unexpected. Apparently this version of the National Gallery of Victoria houses purely Australian art. This is incredible because it's exactly what I would have gone for if I had planned to come here. There's a gorgeous juxtaposition of modern and classical art here. An example would be, an exhibit in a large room, the sides are filled with "debauchery" in the classical terms with "risque" paintings from hundreds of years ago but the main focus on the main wall is for queer acceptance/love. Whoever curates these exhibits is masterful at their job. This one exhibit wasn't the only one laid out like this and I absolutely loved it. The mix of media was really fun in here too. I'd never seen something like the sounds of a city and the whole room is filled with sheet music that represents different areas of Melbourne. There was also an exhibit that made a story from corporate stock footage. Just some really creative stuff going on here. The building itself is something to marvel at. I completely got distracted looking at the architecture a lot of the time.

A wonderful museum with a collection of Asian & European arts and international collections..for…read moreFREE!! Budget at least an hour to browse through the entire gallery. Also check out the neurosis stained glass ceiling. Friendly staff at the museum store.

Great and free. Big space but not a huge collection. Dine in 30 minutes. A 5 min train ride…read moreoutside CBD.

A lovely old theatre. Have been here several times to various live shows over the years including…read morePhantom of the Opera, Cats, Wizard of Oz and We will Rock You. Not a huge theater but still not small. Parking can be the fun bit especially if your not familiar with the area, always good to check out the option prior to getting there. They have a good selection of foods And drinks to enjoy while watching the show they are a little on the expensive side but it's what you expect when going out really. The seats are a bit old but are in theme with the decor of the theater. The other facilities are nice, there clean and easily accessible depending on the crowd at the time. Would happily come back and see another show.

While visiting in Melbourne, my husband and I saw The Lion King at Regent Theatre. The theatre…read moreitself looks historical and grand, with dramatic lighting and heavy drapery in the main area when you first walk in. Flanked by a staircase on either side, the ushers directed us up the right-hand side staircase to where we would be further directed to our seats. There was a bar both upstairs and downstairs that served Lion King themed libations, as well as kiosks to purchase official merchandise. They wave programs in your face and when you express interest you learn they're $20 (yikes!), so I opted for the $15 coffee mug instead that will last me a heck of a lot longer than a paper program. The theatre itself is gorgeous inside, with ample stadium seating so that everyone has a clear view of the stage no matter how far away. Once of the biggest and only downsides to Regent Theatre is the lack of knee/leg room in case you need to get up during the show. There is LITERALLY no room to squeeze by your neighbour - they will need to stand up to let you by which understandably gets annoying very quickly. The speakers and sound was brilliant, the orchestra brought tears to my eyes, and the actors themselves were stunning. The woman who played Rafiki had one of the most moving voices I have ever heard in my entire life - she really helped bring my most special childhood movie to life. It was a beautiful evening of unforgettable stage design, songs and visual imagery. I would definitely return to Regent Theatre to see another show if ever back in town.