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The Feel-Good File: The Melbourne News Lifting Our Mood
From free summer public transport to global hotel fame, this week’s Melbourne news is all sunshine, serotonin and city pride.
Here’s to the headlines that make us proud to call Melbourne home. The small triumphs, creative sparks, and community wins that remind us this city still hums with heart.
From local legends and world-stage moments to feel-good firsts lighting up our streets, these are the stories worth knowing — and sharing.
Albert Park’s Lakefront Favourite Is Getting a New Life
One of Melbourne’s most storied lakefront addresses is stepping into a striking new era. Formerly home to The Point, the Albert Park site will reopen as Albert Park Lake House, a waterside restaurant and events destination from Australian Venue Company. Set to debut by mid-2026 after a $3.4 million transformation, the venue will pair a relaxed ground-floor bistro with a first-floor functions space for weddings, celebrations and corporate occasions, all framed by glittering lake views and that unmistakable city-skyline backdrop. Albert Park dinners, your comeback story is officially on.
Set for mid-2026 opening
Albert Park, Melbourne
Redken’s NYC Subway Salon Pulls Into Southern Cross
For two days only, Redken is turning Southern Cross Station into a slick little slice of Manhattan with its NYC Subway Salon pop-up. Running from 26th to 27th March, the immersive activation features subway-style carriages, New York-inspired treats, photo moments and 15-minute styling sessions with a Redken Pro.
Guests can book from the ABC “Express Line” menu, choosing between polished ponytails, top knots and soft waves, all styled using Redken’s Acidic Bonding Concentrate range. Consider it your commute-era glow-up, with considerably better hair.
Book your 15-minute session here
Nook On The Hill Wins Big at the National Tourism Awards
Pomonal’s beloved Nook On The Hill has delivered a moment of pure joy for the Grampians, winning Gold for Self-Contained Accommodation at the 2026 National Tourism Awards. It’s a deeply symbolic win for owner Benj Bailey-Webb, whose parents took home the Victorian honour 25 years ago for Grampians Pioneer Cottages.
“This win is so much bigger than a business milestone,” shares Benj. “After surviving two devastating bushfires that decimated our Pomonal community and the Grampians National Park, this award is a profound testament to the resilience of our region. Adding to the magic, our friends at Mount William Station also won National Gold, bringing two top honours back to our recovering community.”
After two seasons of devastating bushfires, this victory feels like a collective celebration for the region, a reminder of community strength, creative spirit and the enduring magic of Gariwerd.
Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel Is Finally Opening, And It’s a Game Changer
Melbourne is about to feel a little brighter. On Sunday, 30th November, the long-awaited Metro Tunnel opens with five stunning new underground stations — Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac — each designed to make moving around the city smoother, faster and genuinely enjoyable. Trains will run through the tunnel all day with extra services, and to celebrate, public transport will be free every weekend until 1st February.
Think easier trips to the CBD, quicker cross-city connections and a fresh way to explore summer in Melbourne. It’s a feel-good upgrade the whole city will love.
Melbourne Named 4th in World’s Most Liveable Cities in 2025
Melbourne has done it again — officially named the 4th best city to live in the world in the 2025 Global Liveability Index. In a year marked by global volatility, Melbourne earned its place through outstanding culture, world-class education, strong infrastructure and that ineffable charm that keeps locals fiercely loyal. Joining Copenhagen, Vienna and Zurich in the top tier, the city continues to shine as Australia’s most beloved cultural capital, proving that its creativity, community spirit and easy livability still set the standard worldwide.
Image credit goes to the incredibly talented @by.jakeb/Photos By Jake – check out his website here
Melbourne Ranked 21st Best City in the World
Not to brag, but it seems Melbourne is a pretty good place to be living in 2025. It was named the most liveable city in Australia, the fourth most liveable city in the world and now has been named the 21st best city in the world overall!
The ranking was essentially rating the best cities in the world based on global influence and economic ascendence. Melbourne’s vibrant culture, arts and food scene are high on the list of what makes it such an amazing city – and we can’t say we disagree! Also known for our accolades in education, transport, live events and sports, it comes as no surprise to us that we ranked so high on the list!
All in all, it seems Melbourne is a pretty amazing place to be living right now!
Melbourne Masters the Art of Taste at Tatler’s Best 2025
Melbourne just cleaned up at the Tatler Best Awards 2025. Legacy meets heat at Flower Drum, and the Cantonese institution still sets the standard. Cocktails? Two power plays: Caretaker’s Cottage and Apollo Inn both landed on the Asia-Pacific Best Bars list, reminding the region that this city drinks with impeccable form. For the stay: The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne made Tatler’s Best Hotels roll-call, all sky-high views and polished service. Together, they read like a blueprint for how Melbourne does hospitality in 2025: precise, grown-up, quietly glamorous — and very hard to beat.
Melbourne Shines Bright at the 2025 Eat Drink Design Awards
Design and dining have long been Melbourne’s favourite double act — and the 2025 Eat Drink Design Awards proved just how seamlessly the city continues to blend the two. This year, Melbourne swept four national honours, each one capturing a facet of its creative DNA: refined, daring, and unapologetically design-led.
Palace Coffee by Kerry Kounnapis Architecture Practice redefined the espresso bar with its oxide-red steel entry, sculptural precision and quiet sophistication — earning Best Cafe Design for transforming a Little Collins Street laneway into a masterclass in minimalism. In Cremorne, Suupaa by IF Architecture won Best Retail Design for reimagining Japanese konbini culture through expressive tiles, functional beauty and a pulse of urban energy, while its bold brand identity by A Friend of Mine claimed Best Identity Design — a playful, meticulously executed visual language that turns every detail into an experience. Completing the lineup, Kennedy Nolan’s Melbourne Place took home Best Hotel Design, celebrating tactility, tonal warmth and a distinctly modernist elegance that feels unmistakably of this city.
Together, these winning spaces tell one story — that Melbourne doesn’t just create beautiful venues; it designs entire moods.
Melbourne’s Free Ride Summer Has Arrived
Melburnians, consider this your official permission slip to roam — because public transport just went free on weekends all summer long. From early December through to 1st February, trains, trams and buses across the state will cost exactly zero dollars. It’s part thank-you for surviving years of Metro Tunnel disruption, part homage to spontaneous city adventures.
Dubbed Tap On Tap, No Fee, the initiative means even if you habitually tag on with your Myki, the system won’t charge you a cent. Hop the 96 to St Kilda for a beachside spritz, the Upfield line for a gallery crawl, or simply ride the circle tram like you’re seeing the city for the first time.
It’s Melbourne at its best — democratic, a little chaotic, and built for discovery. Expect packed platforms, sun-chasing locals and a shared sense of smugness as the city becomes one giant, fare-free playground. Summer’s golden rule? If it moves, it’s yours to ride.
Melbourne’s Getting a Brand-New Suburb the Size of a Regional City
Fifteen thousand homes. Four town centres. Eight schools. Seventy-nine hectares of green space. Melbourne’s outer north is about to get a suburb so vast it could pass for a standalone city. With the Beveridge North West Precinct Structure Plan officially green-lit, construction begins this week on one of Victoria’s most ambitious urban expansions — a meticulously staged community that will eventually welcome over 47,000 residents.
Designed to grow with intention, the development balances modern infrastructure with lush waterways, parklands, and cycling trails, while a fully funded interchange and local quarry (with a mandated closure by 2052) promise to fuel the build. Think long-term vision with liveability at its core. Stage One is officially underway.
Melbourne’s Swimmable Yarra Dream Takes Shape — But It’s a Long Swim Ahead
For years, the Yarra — or Birrarung, as it’s known to the Traditional Owners — has been more a backdrop than a place to jump into. But now, thanks to unanimous City of Melbourne council support, the vision of a swimmable Yarra is officially moving from dream to possibility.
Inspired by global examples like Paris’s Seine and Berlin’s Spree, where urban rivers have been transformed into clean, vibrant public swimming spaces, Melbourne’s ambition is bold yet cautious. A comprehensive report, expected by late 2025, will map out feasibility, identify potential trial sites, and explore partnerships necessary to turn this dream into reality.
In the medium term, the plan includes community-engaging pilot projects such as floating saunas and plunge pools along the river — small but important steps toward reimagining the Yarra as a place to reconnect with water and nature.
The long game is even more ambitious: a fully regenerated Yarra, safe for swimming by 2050. This requires tackling pollution, upgrading infrastructure, and fostering community support — a significant challenge, but one Melbourne’s environmental groups and councils are eager to meet.
While the timeline is long and the hurdles real, the momentum is undeniable. What was once an improbable vision is now a slowly rising tide, inviting Melburnians to imagine a future where the Yarra is more than a river to look at — it’s a river to swim in.
Melbourne’s pulse never really slows — it just finds new ways to surprise us. From clever openings to feel-good wins, the city’s still serving up stories worth celebrating. For more Melbourne goodness, check out our food news guide to everything new and upcoming in hospitality, plus our pick of the best new cafes in town.
