A night on the town.

Whatever your taste or budget, Melbourne delivers. From the super swanky to the downright cheap there's a lot to choose from. You can play like the locals, find great theatre or listen to cool jazz in a backlane bar. Weekly lift-outs in The Age or Herald-Sun will tell you what's on or ask at the front desk.

The Prince of Wales.

The Prince, with its name lettered in steel ribbon, is a Melbourne icon. It's always busy. Often it's standing room only but the service is swift. It's a prime music venue with acts performing nearly every night. Check out the huge blackboard for gig listings. You never know who you can catch... a secret performance by an international group or the first performance by this country's next new stars.

Upstairs, downstairs at The Prince.

For dinner in Fitzroy Street you can splash out and head off to the Melbourne Wine Room for celebrity chef Karen Martini's Italian-influenced menu or slip upstairs to the Circa restaurant. After dinner you can edge past the bouncers to the Mink vodka bar located in basement. Elegant, iron-curtain decor with lush velvet seating and Polish and Russian vodkas in varying strengths and colours.

Saturday night at Southbank on the Yarra.

A visit to Southbank is also a must. As well as upmarket shops and 17 different restaurants and cafes, Southbank is the home of the Arts Centre and its theatres and concert hall. Further along the river there's the Crown Entertainment Complex which is also big on restaurants and shops (as well as gambling).

The St Kilda Film Festival (May-June).

St Kilda's love affair with the movies goes back a century to when locals and visitors queued up to get into open air picture theatres along the foreshore. The Festival today provides a unique platform for Australian short filmmakers to put their work in front of an audience. This year's lavish opening night screening was at the iconic Astor followed by five jam packed days and nights at the George Palace Cinema in Fitzroy Street.