Noa Vermeer
Melbourne, one neighbourhood at a time
Based in Fitzroy, Melbourne.
They map Melbourne on foot, from the Fitzroy street-art lanes to the ferry across to Williamstown. They write neighbourhood guides that pair a gallery or garden with the nearest tram stop and the time it takes to walk there.
Latest stories
Australian Open 2027: Ground Pass Deals, Opening Week and How to Plan a Melbourne Trip
The Australian Open runs for three weeks at Melbourne Park, and a Ground Pass covers most of it. The ticket does more than people expect, and the hours it leaves you are easy to fill.
Melbourne's Puffing Billy steam run to Gembrook in November
A 24 km narrow-gauge line from Belgrave to Gembrook, the rules for sitting on the window sill, and what else is open across the Dandenongs this November.
Walking Into Mr Moon at Luna Park Melbourne in November
The 1912 Scenic Railway runs weekends only through November 2026, and the rest of St Kilda is a 10-minute walk from the gates.
October Lantern Nights at Moonlit Sanctuary Near Melbourne
You walk the boardwalk by lantern for 1.5 to two hours and see Pearcedale's nocturnal animals while they are awake, and the free wetlands and sculpture parks nearby cover the daylight hours before you go.
Walking Loch Ard Gorge on an October 2026 Melbourne Day Trip
A straight account of what you can walk to at Loch Ard Gorge in October 2026, including the beach stairs that may or may not be open and the new booking rule next door.
Penguins and Palms in Melbourne's St Kilda This November
How to time a November evening in St Kilda around the little penguin colony, the palms on the foreshore and the cake shops on Acland Street, plus when a private guide actually earns its fee.
The Quiet Courtyards Behind Melbourne's Busiest Laneways
A walking route through the CBD's arcades, cottage distilleries and container courtyards, with notes on which ones will seat a group and which will turn six people away at the door.
Melbourne Racing on Twenty Dollars and a Train Ticket
Melbourne has fourteen racecourses within a train ride of the CBD, nobody checks what you're wearing, entry runs AU$15 to AU$35, and plenty of the 2026 racing happens on the cheapest lawns.
Winter in Melbourne Means Football, Full Stop
From the roar inside the MCG to the fence-line quiet of suburban training grounds, how to spend an AFL Saturday in Melbourne the way the city actually spends it.
The Roof of the City: Melbourne's Rooftop Bars and the Culture That Learned to Look Up
Melbourne has no harbour to build a view around, so it built one on top of its car parks and office blocks instead — here's how to find the right one, current as of 2026.
The City Written in Its Lanes: Inside Melbourne's Laneway Culture
A walk-by-walk guide to Melbourne's laneways — where to find the street art, the coffee, and the after-dark bars, and which ones actually suit your group.
Every story is signed and dated, and follows our editorial standards.