Six reasons to visit Essendon

1 WHISKY TOUR
The roar of private jets landing and the scream of the police helicopter taking off fills the old aircraft hangar at Essendon Airport that is home to New World Whisky Distillery. Inside is millions of dollars’ worth of whisky quietly ageing in old oak barrels, once used to make the Australian version of sherry. Next Saturday sees a rare chance to get up close and personal with the team who distil and blend their leading dram Starward Whisky. Attendees will see the grain being milled, fermented and distilled in copper stills that bear a striking resemblance to those used to make The Macallan whisky in Scotland. This special tour is part of Melbourne Food and Wine Festival’s Roast Collection, a winter celebration of the flesh (melbournefoodandwine.com.au). In this three-hour session you will see whisky being distilled and taste the raw product before it is transferred to oak casks. You will taste barrel samples then try different whiskies served up with a hearty meal of slow-cooked beef ribs.
New World Whisky Distillery, June 24, noon-3pm, $30, call 0481 555 978 for bookings.

2 BEST SUPERMARKET
In 1948, Pat LaManna landed with his brother at Essendon Airport from Italy. Soon he opened a greengrocer in Preston. The LaManna name spread around Melbourne and in 2011 LaManna Direct supermarket opened in Essendon Fields. It is perhaps the best supermarket in the country, reminiscent of Whole Foods Market in the US without the green dogma and inflated price tags. The food here is high-quality and well priced – you can get boutique milk at $5 for two litres and flathead, freshly filleted in-house, for $30 a kilo. Order a piadina and watch the Italian-style flatbread being hand-rolled and grilled in front of you. Along with the helpful and friendly staff, LaManna proves it is possible for supermarket shopping to be pleasurable.
LaManna Direct, 10 English St, Essendon Fields, Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat-Sun 8am-6pm, 9026 9205, lamannadirect.com.au

3 HOT GALLERY
When the Spanish flu spread around the world in 1918, tens of millions died. So the people of Essendon wanted a more hygienic suburb and decided to burn their rubbish. A local bloke, Mr J Boadle, invented a new way of burning rubbish and the locals hired Walter Burley Griffin to design their incinerator, itself modelled on a Chicago home. It’s still there, looking like a giant Californian bungalow with a massive chimney, and is now a gallery housing exhibitions with an environmental bent. On show until July 27 is Beyond the Surface, an exhibition of recent work by indigenous artists from south-eastern Australia.
Incinerator Gallery, 180 Holmes Rd, Moonee Ponds, Tue-Sun 11am-4pm, 8325 1750, incineratorgallery.com

4 CHEESE SHOP
To get excellent cheese you need someone who knows how to care for it as it slowly changes in taste and texture. You also need someone who knows when to sell it at its full potential. Olivia Sutton knows her cheese back to front after decades working with Calendar Cheese and Savour and Grace in Melbourne, plus Sheridans Cheesemongers in Dublin. Her Harper & Blohm Cheese Shop is part retail temple to the curd and part cheese education room, where she holds well-regarded cheese tasting sessions. Expect the best of Australian cheese such as Holy Goat and Pyengana and cheese from around Europe and North America.
Harper & Blohm Cheese Shop, 80 Primrose St, Essendon, Wed-Sat 10.30am-6.30pm, Sun 11am-5pm, harperandblohm.com

5 ROSE STREET
This is a cute little shopping strip opposite the Essendon train station with a handful of cafes and boutiques. After trying on your next outfit, pop into the Cake Boss (13 Rose Street) for a British-style pie, filled perhaps with tuna mornay or chicken and leek. Also consider St Martha’s Cafe, a fun, funky local where they play Suzi Quatro, Kiss and David Bowie on vinyl. Locals recommend the brioche bun filled with sweet, succulent caramelised pork belly and coleslaw served with a side of crinkle-cut chips.
The Cake Boss, 13 Rose St, 9337 8030, Mon-Fri 6am-7pm, Sat 6am-5pm (closed Sunday); St Martha’s Cafe, 123 Buckley Street, Essendon, 9331 3113, Mon-Fri 7am-5pm, Sat-Sun 8am-4pm

6 THE RIVER
The waters of the Maribyrnong River rise near Mount Macedon with Jacksons Creek and Deep Creek joining to form the main watercourse south of Taylors Lakes. In its lower reaches near Essendon it is Melbourne’s second river, a broad, slow estuarine waterway flanked by palm trees, walking and bike paths, parks and playgrounds. On its banks you will find Gary Mehigan’s the Boathouse restaurant, Aberfeldie Park and the tree-lined Boulevard by which the locals exercise and promenade.
Next week: Ararat
6reasons@richardcornish.com.au