Hotel Review: Shadow Play by Peppers, Southbank

Olivia MackinnonBy Olivia Mackinnon
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When it comes to the age-old Sydney v Melbourne rivalry, I’ve always had my feet firmly fixed in Sydney’s camp. Being born and raised in Australia’s best city (sorry, Melburnians!) means that my loyalty has never wavered… until now.

What I’ve found is that where you lay your head at night can actually deeply impact the experience you have when you travel, because let me tell you – I’ve been to Melbourne at least 10 times, and I’ve never been quite so taken with it until my stay at Shadow Play by Peppers.

 

It probably sounds cheesy – okay, I know it does. But it’s true. Opened for the first time in April 2019, the hotel I’m branding Melbourne’s newest ‘edgy luxe’ hotel is still very much establishing itself – but you wouldn’t know it. It’s operating as though it’s as established and mysterious as one of the city’s famous hidden laneways. Okay, enough fan-girling; let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

Details

Shadow Play by Peppers, Southbank
308-320 City Rd, Southbank VIC

The rooms

You’d be forgiven for thinking Shadow Play by Peppers was more of a serviced apartment than a hotel in layout if it wasn’t for the major giveaway: the beds were made every day! We had a kitchen, but not just the standard sink, kettle and mini fridge – oh no. This one had a full-sized fringe, around 10 cupboards, microwave, coffee machine, as well as incredible lounge room and hallway – with more storage. It was better than my own apartment; I could have stayed for six months.

 

The beds were also super comfortable, and my request for a cot for my five-month-old was met with a smile and a timely assembly. The curved windows showed an impressive view of the bustling city streets below, and while the bathrooms were also modern and roomy – the real winner was the addition of a winter garden. The enclosed balcony space was the perfect area for a pre-dinner vino, minus the winter Melbourne chill.

Shadow Play room
The apartment style rooms make for optimum luxe living
Comfort and design – what more could you want?

The restaurant

Edwin. Woah. If you’re on the hunt for proper Victorian cuisine (and I get it, Melbourne isn’t short of a good spot to eat), then you can’t go past Edwin Wine Bar & Cellar. Like the hotel it belongs to, it’s still establishing itself, but it won’t need to for long. The menu featured only the best Victorian produce, minus the oysters – they were from Tassie – but don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone.

 

After going through the menu with our waiter, we settled on oysters drizzled with champagne melon and prosecco, burrata, zucchini flowers, kingfish dressed in passionfruit, charred cauliflower and slow-cooked melt-in-your-mouth lamb. It could well have been the most impressive meal I’ve devoured in at least a year – maybe even two.

 

The sommelier also presented us with an exclusive Victorian-focused wine list, and we sipped on what I can only describe as the finest riesling I’ve ever tasted. Then came the red… also ‘wow’! But I have to admit, by this point things were a little fuzzy. Smooth and delicious – but fuzzy.

The amenities

You might think Melbourne is no place for an outdoor pool, especially in winter. But it is at Shadow Play. Level nine features an outdoor lap pool heated to a comfortable swimming temperature, even in Melbourne’s infamous ‘four seasons in a day’. As long as you’re game enough to make the few steps from the pool to the sauna, it’s well worth going in for a dip. For those who aren’t, the state-of-the-art gym or sauna and steam room might be more your speed. They were certainly mine.

Level nine features an outdoor lap pool heated to a comfortable swimming temperature

The location and the staff

During our stay we visited The Crown, which was only a short seven-minute walk away. We even crossed the Yarra and headed into Bourke Street Mall. No need for public transport, everything you need is within a 20-minute walk; easy peasy.

 

If you didn’t take up the delicious buffet breakfast at Shadow Play, ST ALi South Melbourne is a five-minute stroll away. I know this, because as soon as I arrived at Shadow Play to check in, I was handed a list of staff picks in and out of the area, covering restaurants, shopping and cafes. It was the kind of welcome surprise that’s about 10,000 times more useful than a mint on your pillow.

Shadow Play
Simplicity at its best
Olivia Mackinnon
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How a $1 deal saved Bendigo’s historic tramways

    Megan ArkinstallBy Megan Arkinstall
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    The passionate community that saved Bendigo Tramways has kept the story of this city alive for generations.

    It was an absolute steal: a fleet of 23 trams for just $1. But such a fortunate purchase didn’t happen easily. It was 1972 when the Bendigo Trust handed over a single buck for the city’s historic collection of battery, steam and electric trams, which had transported locals since 1890.

    inside the historic Bendigo Tram
    Bendigo Tramways is a historic transport line turned tourist service. (Image: Bendigo Heritage)

    The city’s tram network had been declared defunct since 1970 due to post-war shortages in materials to upkeep the trams and declining passenger numbers as motor vehicles were increasing. However, determined locals would not hear of their beloved trams being sold off around the world.

    The Bendigo Trust was enlisted to preserve this heritage, by converting the trams into a tourist service. The Victorian government approved a trial, however news spread that the Australian Electric Tramways Museum in Adelaide had acquired one of the streetcars for its collection.

    a tram heading to Quarry Hill in 1957
    A tram on its way to Quarry Hill in 1957. (Image: Bendigo Heritage)

    An impassioned group rallied together to make this physically impossible. Breaking into the tram sheds, they welded iron pipes to the rails, removed carbon brushes from the motors, and formed a blockade at the depot. The community response was extraordinary, and a $1 deal was sealed.

    A new chapter for the city’s fleet

    the old Tramways Depot and Workshop
    The old Tramways Depot and Workshop is one of the stops on the hop-on, hop-off service. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Today, Bendigo Tramways welcomes some 40,000 passengers annually, operating as a hop-on, hop-off touring service aboard the restored trams. Fifteen of the now 45-strong fleet are dubbed ‘Talking Trams’ because of the taped commentary that is played along the route. The trams loop between Central Deborah Gold Mine and the Bendigo Joss House Temple, which has been a place of Chinese worship since 1871, via other sites including the old Tramways Depot and Workshop.

    a Gold Mine Bendigo Tram
    The fleet comprises 45 trams that have been restored. (Image: Visit Victoria/Robert Blackburn)

    Keeping things interesting, throughout the year visitors can step aboard different themed trams. Tram No. 302 becomes the Yarn Bomb Tram, decorated both inside and out with colourful crochet by an anonymous group of locals.

    During the festive season, Tram No. 15 operates as a tinsel-festooned Santa Tram, and the big man himself hides out somewhere along the route for excited children to find. And on selected dates, the adults-only Groove Tram runs nighttime tours of the city, accompanied by local musicians playing live tunes and a pop-up bar.

    the historic post office turned visitor centre in Bendigo
    Visitors can hop on and off to see the city’s sites such as the historic post office turned visitor centre. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    As well as preserving the city’s history, however, the continuation of the tram service has kept the skills of tram building and craftsmanship alive in a practical sense. Bendigo’s Heritage Rail Workshop is world-renowned for restoring heritage trams and repurposing vehicles in creative ways.

    Locally, for example, Tram No. 918 was transformed into the Dja Dja Wurrung Tram with original Aboriginal artworks by emerging artist Natasha Carter, with special commentary and music that shares the stories and traditions of Bendigo’s first people. You can’t put a price on preserving history. Nonetheless, it was a dollar very well spent.