In the Victorian town of Torquay, there’s a few extra waves on the beach. Australian architect Tony Hobba has created a wave inspired structure out of recycled sheet metal and concrete that resembles an old, rusty surf shack. The Third Wave Kiosk, as it is formally known, is situated on top of a cliff and is fast becoming a big tourist attraction for the picturesque town. Who said building on a budget couldn’t be classy? [Follow me on Twitter @cormy96 and Instagram @cormy096]

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After ten months of filming, Melbourne-based photographer Nathan Kaso, has produced this amazing short tilt-shift time-lapse film of my city. The film captures a range of different events and festivals held in the city throughout the year. Majority of the filming was done from Eureka Tower’s Skydeck and some car parks and bridges. The tilt-shift effect and grading was applied in Photoshop, and the film was edited in After Effects and Premiere Pro CS6.

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This stunning light fixture surely belongs in the Emerald City with the Wizard of Oz. But don’t put your ruby slippers on just yet. You can actually find it housed in the Tiffany & Co store in Melbourne. Designed by Jamie Zollo, this incredible hand blown glass chandelier is tinted with the jewelry company’s trademark green. Each delicate glass icicle features an LED light, which makes the piece give off a beautiful glow.

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The Cullen, located in Melbourne’s stylish South Yarra, is one of three boutique hotels in the Art Series Group, which dedicates hotels to individual artists such as Australian greats Adam Cullen, John Olsen and Charles Blackman.

This beautiful boutique hotel experience immerses the guest in the aesthetic style of the artist. In The Cullen’s case, the work is dedicated to the Australian icon, Ned Kelly. As you make your way through the hotel, you can discern Cullen’s empathy for the bushranger and his disdain for the law.

While South Yarra boasts some of Melbourne’s best eateries, it’s hard to go past the Gramercy Bistro for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Gramercy brings a little slice of New York to the trendy Melbourne suburb, from the chop chop salad to the Reuban Sandwich. And you know it must pass muster when your local South Yarra bestie recommends it ahead of any other restaurant in the area.

Beautiful signature beds, perfect location, stunning views, unique artwork and fabulous food. What more could one ask for in a hotel experience? I’ll be back.

We stayed at the hotel courtesy of Mr & Mrs Smith. You can book Smith hotels via (1300-89-66-27) or at mrandmrssmith.com.

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Us Sydney-folk love to drink alcoholic beverages out of teapots (The World Bar). This secret hangout tucked away at the end of Melbourne CBD’s Croft Alley prefers to serve drinking in an even more outlandish way: syringes! Yes, you are reading correct. The Croft Institute is all for innovation and yummy shots are served in syringe tubes that squirt straight into your mouth.

Now, the building was initially a mental institution, so perhaps the head bar person is taking this fact a little too seriously. Note: You’ll pay a $5 door cover if entering after 10pm; well worth it for a memorable time.

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For musicians, being in this store is like being a kid in candy store. The Music Swop Shop is a must see for any local or visiting musician to Melbourne, they sell second-hand musical instruments of all shapes, sizes and sounds.

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This is where I get my daily caffeine fix in North Melbourne. Set up by a couple of designers turned cafe owners, they make, in my opinion, the best coffee in Melbourne without the coffee snobbery and they also have an impressive menu to boot.

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Soup Van: Stories over a polystyrene cup, edited by Keira Dickinson, a Melbourne-based publishing professional and a soup van volunteer, is the first creative collection of stories from Melbourne’s soup vans – the vibrant history and the incredible community that surrounds them. The book is incredibly inspiring, and I think it’s one of those rare books that can truly change the world. Soup Van has opened my eyes to the lives of people with addiction and stuck in poverty. It also tells the stories of those people who offer their free time doing the hard yards, from preparing sandwiches and soups to trawling the dark back streets of Melbourne. The Vannies are not just providing food for those people in need, but they’ve also created a sense of community where anyone could be a part of, regardless of who they are, what they do, and where they came from.

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This is the Beginnings and Endings project. It’s a collaborative, interactive world map to help my Melbourne-based band Brightly share our debut album, for free. We wanted to prove that independent artists can still make a mark by throwing a metaphorical paper aeroplane and seeing how far it goes. When you join up, you get our new single, Preflight Nerves, and a unique code. You can share the code with your friends, and track each kilometre as it bounces around the world. When ten connections are made, you get the album for free. Everyone wins.

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Dana and Paolo from Lolic and Lime – the handcrafted bow tie specialists – are pretty much a match made in heaven. Paolo is Italian, and upon returning home to Melbourne from his annual family visit with a whole hoard of rare fabrics and sharing them with Dana in 2012, Lolic and Lime was born. Paolo taught Dana the art of bow tie making – something he’d picked up off his mother in Italy – and the two haven’t stopped since. Crafting beautiful bow ties that are acceptable for any occasion, each piece is either unique or part of an extremely limited series. The bow tie is back, so get on it.

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You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine is the debut album by Melbourne singer/songwriter Ainslie Wills (released on 4 March). Delivering on the promise of the 2010 EP, Somebody For Everyone, and recent appetisers such as Lemon Japan and Fighting Kind, You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine is just as charming as we hoped it to be: a 12-track album full of textured, atmospheric storytelling.

Lost At E Minor is currently hooked on Weighing the Promises, the single to promote the release. So we decided to speak with Ainslie via email. She is currently preparing for a lengthy tour of Australia, but we managed to get hold of her just before she departed.

LAEM: Ainslie, first of all, congratulations on a great first album! You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine is a pretty impressive piece: ‘arresting, melodic, and full of charm’, just as it says in your press pack. I must say, I really admire it for the fact that you’ve already managed to establish some sort of signature style, without limiting yourself too much in your creative expression, performance and songwriting.

AW: Hello there! Thanks for the congrats on the album. It’s been a long time coming so it feels good to get the music out there and to be talking about it to Lost At E Minor!

How would you describe an Ainslie Wills song to someone who has just woken up from a coma or a lengthy jail term and never heard your stuff before? Is there any element or sound that would NEVER, EVER appear in an Ainslie Wills song?

AW: Ok, so, if someone had indeed just woken up from a coma, not having heard my music before, and a genre title is what they needed, I would say Neo Folk Rock. But most people don’t really have any idea of genres and there is so much crossover anyway. I would then proceed with: ‘have you heard of Fiona Apple? Or Feist? Do you like melodies? Atmospheric music? I would also probably accentuate the fact that lyrics are somewhat secondary to my music and that I prefer to tell the moods through sonic textures. I would absolutely never have flute in a song. Flutey-toot = NO!

Your love of music: were you born with it or raised into it? Can you tell us a bit more about your musical background?
AW: I was fortunate to grow up in a house filled with music – my parents’ records, tapes and CDs that my brothers and sisters would play. Also, having an acoustic piano in the house meant that I would spend hours figuring out the chords to songs that I liked, mostly trying to sound like Tori Amos. One of my earliest memories of playing piano was when my aunty was visiting one time and she taught me how to play Memory from Cats. I didn’t read music at that stage, but would watch and learn by ear. My grandfather on my mother’s side, Cecil B. Luckman, was musical. He used to write songs and play piano music during the silent movies of the 1920s. I think my appreciation or ‘ear’ for music is in the genes, but it is something that has been nurtured via my upbringing thanks to my amazing parents.

Do you have a patented Ainslie Wills songwriting process, and if so, how does it go? Do you have any methods for breaking out of the mold?

AW: Hmm, my songwriting process changes all the time but I generally start the process with a bass line or a chord progression that evokes the kind of mood I’m trying to express. Sometimes I’m just searching for sounds that I like. I usually try to finish the basic form of the piece in one go, as starting and stopping can mean lots of unfinished ideas. Once I am happy with the sonic landscape and have recorded the skeleton of the idea, I then ‘jam’ lyrics over the top. At the start, unless I have something very specific to say, I just wing it.

So sometimes the phrases come out like ‘eeeyeo notsofa at alloc’ – complete and utter nonsense but this way I can figure out what sounds fit over the chords and then sometimes stumble across lines that do make sense. I then work an rework the idea, always recording every step of the process.

What role do collaborations play in your songwriting?

AW: Writing for my album was the first time I was able to collude with another creative being, Lawrence Folvig, in the songwriting process. Lawrence guided the sonic landscape and textures and I would dictate the melody. It was good for both of us to learn to work together but most of the time we stuck to our own creative processes and then put our ideas together.

Speaking of fruitful and inspiring collaborations, I noticed your music videos were all directed by Jem Selig Freeman. How come?

Jem is a close friend of both Lawrence and myself, so I would have to say the main reason that we have worked together on more than one occasion is because it is utterly enjoyable for both parties. At least, I hope it is. I think that to delve into unchartered creative territories with other people requires trust and that is exactly what we have. That, and a mutual respect for each other’s artistry. When we have broached ideas for video projects, it has always felt very organic. We may have loose ideas at the beginning that, when workshopped over time, end up exceeding our expectations.

How important are visuals to what you do?

AW: Visuals are very important in what I do, but more so in the way in which I use visuals to centre myself in a live performance setting. Each song has a very specific scene that I revisit in my head each time I sing the song. That way I feel I am able to channel a certain type of energy.

With the album being out on March 4, an extensive tour throughout Australia is already scheduled. Are there any plans for coming over to Europe or the US? If you could choose a city/destination in which to perform at least once in your life, where would that be and why?

AW: I have only travelled overseas once and that was in 2009 for a leisurely trip to Europe. I never got to Germany, so I would love to tick that off. I have always wanted to go back over to play some shows. Lawrence and I are hoping to travel later in the year. But nothing is set in concrete yet. I would absolutely love to perform in Paris at the Olympia, purely because of the breadth of artists it has housed: Edith Piaf, Jeff Buckley, the Doors, Led Zeppelin and PJ Harvey, to name a few.

I’ve recently stumbled across your covers of other songs: Terence Trent D’Arby, Grizzly Bear, Johnny Cash, Radiohead – the list of artists is quite eclectic. If given the chance to reverse the situation, who would you love to hear covering your songs and why?

AW: Good question. Hmm, I would love to hear what Radiohead would do to my songs. They have such a unique signature style, borrowing elements from so many different musical cultures yet maintaining a focused sound. It would also be good to hear my songs done in a simplified way, melodically and instrumentally. I tend to lean towards sweeping melodies and harmonies with lots of layers, so it’d be interesting to see what a band like the xx would do.

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Reason number 88790 why being in Melbourne right now would be dreamy: The Urban Coffee Farm & Brew Bar, a lush, jungle-esque plantation popping-up in the city’s center. On March 1, Melbourne launched its annual food-frenzy, the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. This year boasts everything from the infamous world’s longest lunch to master classes from iconic chefs to enough barbeque to leave even the most hardcore tailgater satisfied.

Adding to the festivities is a reinterpreted terraced coffee farm smack in the city’s center, built by design practice HASSELL.

A small jungle of 120 coffee plants sit besides shipping containers from Melbourne’s own port and timber packing crates. The pop-up hopes to give visitors a glimpse of coffee’s story from seed to cup. As its tagline reads: “Take a journey through the farm to understand the coffee story.” Daytime finds Australia’s best baristas and Melbourne’s café heavy weights taking turns at the brew bar. Take-away coffees are on offer but why not go for a tasting flight? Or a master class even, where lucky barista-wannabes can learn about everything from roasting to cupping.

The Urban Coffee Farm & Brew Bar is on from now until March 17. And if you find yourself able to stop on by in the warm summer afternoon to sip a cup of some of the country’s best brew surrounded by coffee trees – well, frankly, I am utterly jealous.

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Ponyfish Island is hidden under the Elizabeth Street Footbridge in Melbourne and surrounded by the muddy water of the Yarra River. The island is a great place to grab a bite to eat, drink a coffee or sink a few beers. A collaboration between Grant Smillie, Jerome Borazio and Andrew Mackinnon, Ponyfish Island has an extensive menu – offering everything from “Asian Fusion” to Caribbean cuisine. Lucky for you, it’s open until 1am every single day.

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Cookie is one of those places. You know the type: tucked away, easy to pass by without batting an eyelash and frighteningly good. Hidden above Melbourne’s bustling Swanston street in Curtin House, Cookie takes everything you know about Thai cuisine and flips it on its head, adding a signature modern spin. If you’re looking for menu recommendations, you could talk to the staff or listen to me…

Whatever you do, order the god damn roasted duck salad and don’t leave until you’ve eaten the whole thing! If you aren’t up for food (not everyone is always hungry like myself), perhaps you could head into Cookie’s bar to check out their extensive list of beverages or keep heading upstairs. Curtin House is also home to two other great bars: The Toff and Rooftop, as well as a cinema, bookstore and some clothing stores. Enjoy! And don’t say we didn’t tell you so.

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Marsha Golemac is a Melbourne-based paper artist, visual merchandiser and designer who makes some pretty awesome art. Drawing on her Australian, Croatian and Dutch heritages, her work is an eclectic mix of styles and influences. A recent series of hanging artworks are particularly special; fluffy, bright pom poms and delicate paper prisms that hang like lost galaxies. Sparse, intricate and beautifully crafted, they would look killer in any home.

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RMIT University’s newest study hub, the Swanston Academic Building, was completed in 2012 by Melbourne-based architectural firm, Lyons. The building is situated around a main center of intertwined escalators and stairs, which provide natural ventilation to the large, open student spaces known as “portals”. These “portals” act as a physical gateway to both virtual and real life information and knowledge. With over 80 spaces, including large lecture theatres, the Swanston Academic Building is a force to be reckoned with; an amazing stack of colour and movement that is sure to create wonder for many years to come.

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Berlin-based Australian illustrator Molly Rose Dyson really has a knack for drawing food. Exhibiting her series Small Goods during 2011 in Melbourne, the Victorian College of the Arts educated illustrator has since dropped a new series entitled Sausages Etc. The series provides a deeper look into the often overlooked Australian ‘snag’ and is comprised of six pieces. With a great eye for colour, Dyson’s work is as unique and special as the subject matter she focuses on.

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I met Simon Atkinson at a festival a couple of years ago and I’m glad I did. Atkinson clicks and snaps photographs like no one I’ve ever seen. His images – his music shots, in particular – are full of life, emotion and energy. It invariably makes me wish I’d taken them. Now based in Melbourne, Atkinson also has a passion for taking photos of people, bicycles and landscapes.

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From Brooklyn to Hong Kong, Durban to Melbourne, urban gardening is on the rise. Adding a bit of green to the concrete jungle, clever urbanites-turned-green thumbs are creating hidden spaces to nurture and grow everything from vegetables to chickens to beehives. Pop Up Patch in Melbourne is one of our favorite projects to come out of this movement.

Here, an unused rooftop-parking garage was transformed into 140 do-it-yourself veggie plots with the imaginative use of some recycled apple crates, shipping containers, soil and spray paint. Smack in the centre of the city, this green space is a “subscriber based edible gardening club” that encourages locals to get their hands a little dirty this summer. Nearby restaurants are renting out plots too, growing fresh fruit and veg for their kitchens. And Rooftop Honey has installed ten beehives at Pop Up Patch that are set to provide raw and unprocessed honey by Christmas.

If your thumb is any shade but green, no worries – there’s a staff on hand to help your plants grow (and stay alive) through the summer, in addition to workshops and events. And if all else fails, there’s a taco truck stationed here every Sunday…

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Did you know there are a lot of rebellious people working as architects? I recently came into contact with a Melbourne-based architecture and design agency called Assemble. Their message is simple: Australian homes are too big and too expensive. Did you know that our houses and apartments are on average 10 percent larger than those in the United States? Assemble are working on a project to make low cost inner city housing a reality.

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