This was published 1 year ago
Number 96 tram in Melbourne: This one route gives you the best of the city
By Tim Richards
The number 96 takes you through Melbourne's historic General Post Office building in the Bourke Street Mall. Credit: Visit Victoria
"Often the vegan option is sweet, so we tried to create a savoury French toast," says waiter Daniel, as he places the Umami Bomb French Toast before me with a flourish.
His confidence is justified. The all-vegetarian menu at Sister of Soul on St Kilda's Acland Street is broadly appealing – from cherry ripe pancake to jackfruit burrito – but this reinvention of the humble breakfast dish is its most interesting item. Slabs of pan-fried brioche lean against each other on a bed of wilted kale, circled by toasted hazelnuts and blobs of chilli jam.
It's a delicious contrast of flavours and textures – and that's a description which could apply to the 96 tram route which runs past the restaurant. Starting from St Kilda, it snakes through the Melbourne CBD to end in East Brunswick. Passing many attractions, it's the city's most involving tram trip, offering a sample of everything Melbourne along the way.
Stop 139: Acland Street
The 96 tram starts and finishes at this vivid shopping strip, famous for the mouth-watering displays of its old-school cake shops which date back to the 1930s (my favourite is the Europa, whose cakes remind me of my time living in Poland). You could jump aboard the 96 here, or walk on to Stop 138 next to iconic funfair Luna Park.
Stop 127: South Melbourne
I'm heading on from St Kilda, as the 96 tram turns left off Fitzroy Street along a former railway line; alighting at South Melbourne Market, which has been trading since 1867 and is the perfect place to assemble a picnic lunch. It's fun to stroll down its Deli Aisle, picking and choosing, perhaps ending at Emerald Deli with its dedicated cheese room.
Other market highlights are Tea Drop and Padre Coffee, strategically opposite each other; and Agathé French Patisserie – as I pass I spot exquisite cakes, flans and croissants, with a queue waiting to order. As a finale, buy a snack from South Melbourne Market Dim Sims, whose chunky savoury product is famed across Melbourne.
Stop 124A: Casino/MCEC
Credit: Eddie Jim
This stop has the delights of the Southbank restaurant strip on one side, stretching along the Yarra River; but the riverbank to the west is also worth exploring. The South Wharf precinct has its own bars and restaurants with water views, including Boatbuilders Yard, and The Lume. The latter is a cutting-edge gallery shows digital art exhibitions that fill whole rooms. Its newest exhibition, Monet & Friends, opens on 26 October.
Stop 5: Bourke Street Mall, to Stop 9: Spring Street
The 96 tram continues through Melbourne's lively CBD, picking up and dropping off passengers at Bourke Street Mall, the best place from which to access top-class shopping at department stores, indie boutiques, and upmarket mall Emporium Melbourne. Stop 6 (Swanston Street) and Stop 7 (Russell Street) are each a short walk from the foodie delights of Chinatown. And Stop 9 (Spring Street) grants access to a number of great eateries near the Princess Theatre, including Spring Street Grocer serving – in my opinion – Melbourne's best gelati.
Stop 11: Melbourne Museum
I'm having lunch at Rocco's Bologna Discoteca, a new restaurant on Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. Having sprung to life as a pop-up sandwich shop during the COVID lockdown era, it was such a hit that it subsequently gained its own premises. Taking a stool at the bar, I admire the old-school interior with its nostalgic décor, involving booth seating and timber tables. Scottish barman Johnny tells me the most popular menu item is Rocco's Original Meatball Sub, so I order that with an in-house beer. It's excellent, simply crafted with quality ingredients.
After lunch I step across Nicholson Street to Melbourne Museum in Carlton Gardens. The permanent exhibition is always worth a look, but I'm heading for Tyama, a special exhibition which presents nocturnal creatures via First Nations stories and interactive digital art. It's fascinating, bringing the natural world to life via narrative and animation.
Stop 14: Rose Street
I reboard the 96 tram to head a few stops north, to Fitzroy's Rose Street Market. This weekend favourite comprises numerous makers' stalls tucked within an old industrial building and courtyard. Among the colourful creations on sale are ceramics, prints, jewellery, candles and visual art.
Stop 23: Blyth Street
From the northern terminus of the route, in East Brunswick, a short walk leads to CERES: part urban farm and part environmental research project. Founded in the 1980s on the site of a former quarry, it's now a relaxing agricultural space hidden between residential streets. Visitors can grab a snack from the site's organic grocery store, or have lunch at the onsite Merri Café. There's also access to the pretty Merri Creek Trail if you want to follow your tram odyssey with a walk.
For me, however, it's time for a return trip all the way along the 96 route to St Kilda, for dinner at LOTI. This new restaurant next to Stop 136 (The Esplanade) is a stylish Modern Australian establishment serving food with a 'coastal focus'; with much seafood on the menu, augmented by foraged plant life. With a view of Port Phillip Bay, I enjoy excellent dishes such as smoked yellowfin tuna mousse served in a small cone; grilled scampi skewers with a kelp glaze; and the clever 'ice rink' ceviche of red emperor fish, on top of which sits a white disc crafted from fish stock. It's a clever visual reference to the legendary St Moritz ice rink which once stood on this site.
Sipping my wine, I gaze out the window at the bay… and a 96 tram trundles past. It's part of Melbourne's identity, and can take you to marvellous places.
THE DETAILS
MORE
STAY
Mövenpick Melbourne on Spencer is at the midpoint of the 96 tram route, right next to Stop 1. Rooms from $340 a night. See movenpick.com
RIDE
To ride the 96 tram you need a Myki card, available from various outlets for $6. The two-hour fare is $4.60, with a daily cap of $9.20 ($6.70 at weekends). See ptv.vic.gov.au
Tim Richards visited the restaurants mentioned as a guest of Visit Victoria.
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