Do you know some of Melbourne's hidden secrets? An underground cheese cellar discreetly located under Spring Street?  Or, if you were looking for some mid-week drinks? You can quench your thirst at one of the secret bars in "a laneway off another laneway". And perhaps the most magical secret of all…a room dedicated to magic and its' history at the State Library. Melbourne is full of hidden gems to explore. But it's only when you take the time to learn from ...

What's more Melbourne than a green and gold W-class tram heading up St Kilda Road past the Arts Centre? The W-class trams were like a long-lost friend. They greeted you while strolling along Melbourne's tree-lined streets and boulevards for decades.  They carried Melburnians from the footy at the 'G... ...down to Acland Street and out to Coburg.  As the years wore on, the trams showed their age with braking problems. Finally, in 1992 the W-class ...

The Optus data breach has highlighted to the general public the importance of cybersecurity blah blah blah "here he goes again talking about cybersecurity..." Yes, I am. With a cybersecurity attack occurring every 39 seconds, we need to continue to talk about this because have you considered what data you hold on your customers? However, I'm not discussing this breach with you as the victim. Instead, I want to highlight some questions about how you stop ...

Finding a seat on the 7.19 am city loop service to Ringwood seems to be a distant memory for most workers.  Once, you struggled to find car parking at the station.  And hurried towards the platform.  Hoping the heavens didn't open on you in your suit. Of course, if you did find a seat, you'd share the next hour in the packed carriage as the train lurched towards the city.  You would wrestle to open ...

Things that were once staples of our lives continue to change. For example, take food. Melbourne is the foodie capital of Australia.  And you have to look no further than the MCG to see how Melbourians have changed their food habits. Even at the footy.  Once, you would sit in the Ponsford Stand eating a Four'N Twenty pie with tomato sauce, watching the Dees take on the Hawks (Go Hawks!). Now, your hunger competes with ...

You stop stone cold. The streets stand still, and to your right… you're face-to-face with a tram. Somehow you've held on to your piccolo. Even though you're sweating bullets. But the tram driver looks at you and shakes their head. You look back…mouthing "I'm sorry", taking a step back. It drizzles (how Melbourne) as you look around the deserted Bourke Street mall. DJs have moved to one side, but the rest of the mall is ...

Is there anything more Melbourne in the summer than the Australian Open? Balmy summer nights, roof open on Rod Laver Arena and watching the worlds best go head-to-head.  Melbourne Park is renowned for hosting the best grand slam globally. But it hasn't always been that way. When premier John Cain moved the Aus Open to Flinders Park, he faced fierce opposition. He turned a public park into a place for a tennis tournament. However, the ...

The idea of a four-day week or working remotely by a beach may sound bliss.  But it wasn't practical for many businesses until we found ourselves locked down. Businesses and employees adapted quickly to remote working and using digital tools. And suddenly, doing a Zoom meeting from a cafe in Kew or talking to coworkers on a walk around Albert Park lake was the norm. As Melbourne workplaces adjusted, managers started to look for ways ...

You're sitting in a taxi, frantically checking your pockets, your bag…where did you put it? Then, suddenly, it dawns on you. As your plane levelled at 35,000 feet, you slid your smartphone into the seatback pocket.  But now you are cruising home along the Monash Freeway (sorry, crawling along the Monash). And you can't believe you have left it onboard. It's 2022, and no one wants to go to an airport. Tullamarine is no different. The ...

Ding, you've received an email from your bank about last Sunday's brunch in South Melbourne.  How good were the smashed pumpkin and poached eggs with pesto oil? And washed down with a Magic.  So why is the bank emailing you on Tuesday morning?  You read the email. As a precaution, the bank wants you to change your password due to increased fraud in South Melbourne. You click the link and change your password.  And as ...