Crossley Street is said to be the pinnacle of Melbournian culture, centrally located between the so-called Paris end of Bourke Street, Theatre District, restaurants such as Gingerboy, Becco and Pellegrinis and the tempting sights and sounds of Chinatown. The 113-room Lancemore Crossley St. will be the first Melbourne-based hotel from the team behind a number of other Lancemore properties in Victoria, undergoing a $10M transformation by award-winning Carr Design Group.

www.lancemore.com.au/crossley-st

Ovolo South Melbourne

Popular independent and innovative hotel brand Ovolo will open its second property in Melbourne this year. Complementing the brand's existing Ovolo Laneways on Little Bourke St, the new six-storey 100-room designer hotel will open in the South Melbourne neighbourhood. With a striking design from Plus Architects, the hotel is conveniently located right on the cusp of the major tourism and business nodes of Melbourne's CBD, St Kilda Road, Stadium Precinct, Southbank, the Casino and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

www.traveller.com.au/new-50-million-hotel-in-south-melbourne-to-be-an-ovolo-h19w2w

Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street

The famous Hilton brand will return to Melbourne with the opening of a centrally located property on the corner of Little Queen Street and Bourke Street in Melbourne's central business district. The hotel will feature 244 stylish guest rooms, including 10 spacious suites, a restaurant and bar, a fully equipped gym, an executive lounge and five meeting and event spaces. The Hilton will be located in the Equity Chambers building, built in 1931, which is known for its beautiful revival architectural style and Italian Romanesque and Gothic detailing.

www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/victoria/hilton-melbourne-little-queen-street-MELAMHI/index.html

W Hotel

Luxe hotel chain W Hotel is expected to open its first property in Melbourne in June 2020. W Melbourne will feature 294 rooms and suites, along with a bar, restaurant, spa, gym and a heated indoor pool. The new hotel will be located in the towering new precinct called Collins Arch on Collins Street, with the hotel lobby located on Flinders Lane, the hugely popular gastronomical precinct.

www.melbournecb.com.au/blog/post/new-hotel-w-melbourne-set-to-open-june-2020/

Alongside the picturesque Murray River and the shores of stunning Lake Mulwala, The Sebel Yarrawonga is a $48 million luxury international 4.5-star boutique hotel with serviced apartments. Part of the Silverwoods the No.1 Golf & Lifestyle Resort on the Murray River, the waterfront precinct features Black Bull 18-hole Championship Golf Course, a health spa, gymnasium, and waterfront pool, as well as multiple dining options. Visitors can enjoy an abundance of water sports, including swimming, boating, water-skiing, fishing or golf.

www.silverwoodsyarrawonga.com.au/

New dining options will also be opened between now and mid-2020.

80 Collins St

The new 80 Collins Street development in the heart of Melbourne's city centre is set to become a dining destination in its own right. Along with a 255-room Next Hotel, the precinct will be home to two new premium restaurants including Farmer's Daughters. Chef Alejandro Saravias, from laneway restaurant Pastuso, will open the new farm-to-table eatery that celebrates the best of Victorian region, Gippsland.

www.lucas.online/80-collins/

Andrew McConnell new restaurant

Celebrated Melbourne chef Andrew McConnell will open his first restaurant in five years in the heart of Melbourne at Cavendish House, 33 Russell Street, in the summer of 2020. Guests can enjoy dining at the cocktail bar or choose one of the tables, banquettes or private areas. The menu will embrace the confidence of Italian regional cooking, classic elements of French technique, flavours of Spain and hearty comfort dishes from the British Isles. The name of the restaurant is still to be announced.

www.gourmettraveller.com.au/news/restaurant-news/andrew-mcconnell-melbourne-restaurant-russell-st-17939

Grazeland

Grazeland is Melbourne's most exciting new culinary destination, a playground for foodies and families that brings tantalising food and entertainment together in one location. Situated five kilometres from Melbourne's city centre, the new gastronomical precinct will provide a rotating weekly festival featuring live performances and roving entertainers in a lively atmosphere that celebrates Melbourne's food culture.

www.grazeland.melbourne/

Crofter Dining Room & Bar

Lygon Street's Hellenic Republic will become Crofter Dining Room & Bar in January. The decade-old Brunswick East eatery will swap its Greek fare for a modern Australian offering in a new venture between renowned Pope Joan chef-owner Matt Wilkinson and George Calombaris's Made Establishment. Crofter Dining Room & Bar will feature a contemporary Australian menu, along with inspiration from Wilkinson's British upbringing. The chef will continue his focus on sustainable and waste-free practices.

www.crofter.com.au/

And new experiences

ACMI

ACMI is set to underline its standing as the world's premier moving image institution when it reopens in 2020 following a $34.8 million redevelopment. One of the country's most progressive cultural icons, Australia's museum of film, TV, videogames, digital culture and video art is, apparently, the most visited moving image museum in the world. As part of the new design, ACMI's Federation Square home has been stripped back to reveal a spacious, light-filled interior. The new space will feature emerging technologies and transformative architecture to create a globally connected museum of the future.

www.acmi.net.au/

Grampians Peaks Trail

Due to be completed by Parks Victoria in late 2020, the Grampians Peaks Trail will be a once-in-a-lifetime 13-day hike through the backbone of a mountain range (pictured right, middle row) famed for its dramatic scenery and Aboriginal heritage. The 160-kilometre trail, located three hours west of Melbourne, will stretch the length of the Grampians National Park and feature dramatic mountain peaks, rugged rocky outcrops, unforgettable panoramas and the ancient Aboriginal heritage of Gariwerd. Stage one is already open with a 36-kilometre, 3 days/2nights, hike through the rugged interior of the national park, beginning and ending in Halls Gap.

www.visitgrampians.com.au/see-do/get-outdoors/grampians-peaks-trail

Wildlife Wonders

Opening mid-2020, Wildlife Wonders is a unique ecotourism experience that will offer visitors to the Great Ocean Road unsurpassed opportunities to observe and photograph the iconic animals of the area in a natural, predator-free setting. Located on a spectacular 20-hectare property just west of Apollo Bay, the attraction will be the first of its kind on the Great Ocean Road.

www.conservationecologycentre.org/wildlifewonders/