Melbourne - Australia 2004 - page 557

Death by Chocolate
If you love chocolate, sign up now for the Chocolate Indulgence Walk
and the Chocolates & Other Desserts Walk ( & 03/9815 1228 or
04/1215 8017). The former takes you on a tasting tour of Cadbury's,
Myer, New Zealand Natural Ice Creamery, Chocolate Box, and Darrell
Lea, and finishes off over chocolate cake at a cafe. This 2-hour tour
leaves every Saturday at 12:30pm and costs A$25 (US$16) for adults
(children under 6 go free). The latter tour includes tasting plenty of ice
creams and chocolates around town as you tour kitchens and talk to
chefs. The tour finishes with afternoon tea at the Grand Hyatt. This
tour leaves every Saturday at 2:30pm and also costs A$25 (US$16). A
third tour has been recently added, the Chocolate Brunch Walk, dur-
ing which you try coffee and pastries at some of Melbourne's groovi-
est cafes. This tour costs A$22 (US$14). Reservations are essential.
world. It was found in Coober Pedy in South Australia in 1956 and is valued at
A$2.5 million (US$1.6 million). The store offers tax-free shopping for tourists
armed with both a passport and an international airline ticket. 128 Exhibition St.,
near Little Collins St. & 03/9650 9685.
Dinosaur Designs Dinosaur Designs is taking the jewelry design world by
storm with its range of very artistic jewelry made out of resin. The shop has
modern housewares as well. None of it's cheap, but the odd item won't break the
bank. 562 Chapel St., South Yarra. & 03/9827 2600.
e.g.etal Shop here for fresh innovative jewelry by 50 or so of Australia's lead-
ing and emerging designers. 185 Little Collins St. & 03/9663 4334.
8 Melbourne After Dark
Melbourne can be an exciting place once the sun has set. The pubs and bars are
far better than those in Sydney. Friday and Saturday nights will see most pubs
(of both the trendy and the down-to-earth variety) packed to the rafters, and at
lunchtimes those that serve food are popular, too. To find out what's happening,
check the entertainment guide in the Age, Melbourne's daily broadsheet, each
Friday.
THE PERFORMING ARTS
Melbourne is the most dynamic performing arts city in Australia. Its theaters
offer the whole gamut from offbeat independent productions to large-scale
musicals the like you'd find on Broadway. The city is also the home of the most
prestigious festivals, with the annual Melbourne Fringe Festival (the first 3 weeks
in Oct) and the annual Melbourne International Comedy Festival (from the
end of Mar to roughly the end of Apr), attracting the best of Australian and
international talent.
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival sees venues all over the city
putting on performances, while the Fringe Festival sees the streets, pubs, the-
aters, and restaurants playing host to everyone from jugglers and fire-eaters to
musicians and independent productions covering all art forms. Try to get tick-
ets if you're in town during either festival, but keep in mind that hotels fill up