The Local Edit: Your Guide to Melbourne’s CBD Creative Scene

In Partnership with Hotel Indigo

Melbourne’s reputation as Australia’s cultural capital is well earned. Its streets are covered in art and history. Around every corner, there’s a secret live music venue, a hidden wine bar, or a record store waiting to be found.

Right in the middle of the CBD, Hotel Indigo Melbourne Little Collins is one of the best places to feel that creative energy. The neighbourhood has shaped careers, inspired architects and staged countless late-night sets. Staying here puts you in the heart of it all, with a hotel designed to reflect Melbourne’s own creative DNA.

Here’s how to spend a weekend exploring the neighbourhood.

Begin at the ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’

Check in and look up… literally. Hotel Indigo’s Fern Bar and open lobby is framed by a three-story mural by local artist Lisa King. The blue “cabinet” painting is a portrait of Melbourne’s personality. Sneakers and tennis balls nod to the Australian Open, neon tubes glow like the laneways after dark, and flowers and rabbits reference Queen Victoria Market and Chinatown. It’s a mural you’ll notice differently every time you pass by.

Lose Yourself in the Laneways

The hotel puts you right on the doorstep (and some rooms give you a view) of Bourke Street Mall, one of the city’s busiest shopping and busking strips. Keep going and you’ll stumble into Hosier Lane or AC/DC Lane, where street art takes over every wall and bars hide behind unmarked doors. Record stores like Nature Strip can swallow your afternoon whole, and Movida Next Door is a perfect choice for a post-exploration drink.

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Catch the City in Celebration Mode

No matter the season, Melbourne loves a reason to gather. Comedy Festival takes over the city in March. Moomba fills the Yarra on Labour Day weekend. Spring brings AFL finals and the Cup. From sport to music to art, there’s always a festival in play. Staying on Little Collins means you’re within walking distance of it all. And even when the city takes a breather, Hotel Indigo’s leafy courtyard carries that same celebratory vibe.

Follow the Footsteps of Music Icons

In many ways, Little Collins is where Australian music all began. In the 1970s, Michael Gudinski opened music venue Bombay Bicycle Club and Mushroom Records, the label that helped launch the careers of Kylie Minogue, Jimmy Barnes and Paul Kelly. Today, AC/DC Lane cements the neighbourhood’s rock history, but it’s the small clubs and back rooms that keep the scene alive. If you listen closely during your stay, you’ll notice Hotel Indigo Melbourne Little Collins playlist is curated to honour these many of these local icons.

Soak Up the Creative Energy

In the 19th century, EW Cole opened a book arcade complete with string quartets and even a monkey enclosure. More recently, Courtney Barnett immortalised the nearby Nicholas Building in her song “Elevator Operator”. That same building — just a short stroll from Little Collins — still hums with artists, designers and studios. Known as a “vertical laneway”, it feels like stepping into both Melbourne’s past and its future at once.

The Perfect Base

When it’s time to wind down, Hotel Indigo Melbourne Little Collins is the perfect landing spot. The boutique hotel has 179 modern rooms, set inside a historic façade. There’s a lush courtyard garden with views of the surrounding city architecture, and Fern Bar and Dining serves up seasonal Victorian produce in a slick, design-led setting.

Whether you’re checking out a mural, a festival or a hidden record store, every moment feels like part of Melbourne’s ongoing story.

Want to stay in the thick of it? Find out more about Hotel Indigo Melbourne Little Collins here.