BOOM TOWN

Melbourne may be a little punch-drunk post-lockdown number four, but there’s plenty of life in the city yet. In fact, despite the many obvious signs that Things Have Changed, it’s not stretching the truth to say the city is also experiencing a boom of sorts, given the number of restaurants, bars and hotels that have opened in recent months. There are more on the way too. While some of them were planned pre-pandemic, many others followed it. The best thing? It’s not just the safety of business as usual. Risks are being taken, new ideas are being explored, optimism is present and accounted for. It appears the city enjoys a challenge and it’s fired Melbourne up.

“That we’ve been able to get through this last 12 months and actually open is exciting in itself,” says restaurateur Chris Lucas whose mammoth in the new 80 Collins complex can seat 300 people over