In a world where everything old is new again, Melbourne has its fair share of vintage treasures, hidden down laneways and in underground arcades. Unless you have hours to wander aimlessly around the city, hoping you will chance upon one of these wonders, a new way of vintage shopping in Melbourne needed to be found. And so it came to be that Hidden Secrets Tours introduced A Vintage Outing tour; a walking tour of Melbourne designed for the scavenger in all of us.

A pleasant Thursday afternoon saw our small group meet at Self Preservation, a gallery come bakery come café bar. The space appears to be a quaint meeting spot from the shop front, but enter this hidden treasure and find bespoke jewellery on display and head upstairs to the unique private dining space with its own kitchen to enjoy the delectable treats whipped up here.

After filling up on blueberry and coconut cake, chocolate brownies and cups of tea, our group of eight, led by Hidden Secrets founder Fiona Sweetman, headed off up Bourke St to find more undiscovered treasure. Our first stop, Captains of Industry, is renowned for not only its coffee, but its bespoke men’s tailoring. A beautiful space filled with vintage furniture and natural light, this self-proclaimed ‘gentlemen’s outfitters’ has some clever and talented staff, Karlee Slater, who will be opening a similarly themed womenswear store in Melbourne’s GPO, The Golden Age.

The Golden Age plans to open mid-October and will tailor vintage patterns to suit today’s women, using fabrics, colours and techniques of a bygone era. Karlee can also restore vintage pieces to their original glory.   

As we farrewell the Captains and Karlee and continue on our tour, we head to Campbell Arcade under Flinders Street station where Subject to Change stocks unique jewellery and fabulous made in Melbourne new vintage. I loved a nautical inspired maxi dress by Temps Erdu, ‘All Tied Up’, for $135.

After a quick stop in at Speed on Degraves Street, one for the true vintage lover, we continued on to the Nicholson building – perhaps Melbourne’s vintage epicentre. A home to artisans and creative types from all walks of life, our tour started on the ground floor and worked its way up.

First stop, Melbourne’s newest vintage treasure, Harry Wragg. Located where Route 66 used to reside, Harry Wragg uses vintage fabrics to create new pieces, all reasonably priced and without that odd mothball smell. The wares are fantastic, as is the store’s décor, and the little anecdotes and stories written on the walls will keep you busy for ages while you browse. This is a store definitely worth a return visit!

We head up the ancient elevator to Serena Lindeman Millinery, the perfect place to plan your spring racing headwear. Start with your hat or take in your dress for a perfect match, Serena’s workspace is a treasure trove of unique bits and bobs to complete you look. From here we visit L’uccello, a vintage haberdashery and homewares store and another jewel in the Melbourne vintage crown. With buckets of buttons, bits and bobs to create your fashions, L’uccello is like finding your grandmothers stash.

Our tour comes to an end, but we sneak a peek in RetroStar Vintage on the way out of the building, the original home of vintage. You can visit any of these stores to find something unique, or take a tour to enjoy all that Melbourne has to offer.

Self Preservation: 70 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Subject To Change: Shop 8, Campbell Arcade, Degraves Street Subway, Melbourne
Serena Lindeman Millinery: Room 602, Nicholas Building, 37 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Captains of Industry: Level 1, 2 Somerset Place, Melbourne
l’uccello: Nicholas Building 205/37 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Harry Wragg: Ground Floor, Nicholas Building, 37 Swanston Street, Melbourne
The Golden Age (opening mid Oct): 2nd floor, Melbourne’s GPO, Cnr of Elizabeth & Bourke Streets, Melbourne

Hidden Secrets Tours: 03 9663 3358 www.hiddensecretstours.com 
That’s Melbourne: www.thatsmelbourne.com.au