We saw our hottest day of the year since March yesterday, reaching the dizzy heights of 32 degrees. It’s finally time to stock up on your factor 50 and dig out the AC remote that has been hidden in the back of a cupboard for months. Here are our recs for your Wednesday in Melbourne.

The Headlines

• This Essendon bottle shop might be doing the next best thing since turning water into wine. The owner is selling $1 bottles of chardonnay in a bid to help the community whilst times are tough. Stocks are limited, so get yourself down there quickly if you're keen for a cheap white wine-fuelled weekend courtesy of Mr Bongiovanni.

• It won't come as a surprise that Australia has been ranked the second safest country in the world to travel to for 2025. Just missing out on the top spot to the tranquil haven that is Iceland, Australia’s low crime rates and political stability secured its high ranking. As safe as this country is, the survey takers have clearly never walked down Chapel Street past 10pm on a weekend.

• You're not alone if your revs days are behind you and chic wine bars are now more your vibe. From a glass of red with a wood-fired pizza at Toorak Cellars to a post-office debrief over a pale rosé at City Wine Shop, Melbourne yet again has the answer. Here's another handy list to make sure you're never far away from a glass of vino.

Where to Eat and Drink

Bread Club has two branches (Albert Park and North Melbourne) and is a popular bakery with gorgeous looking bread and even more gorgeous almond croissants (we even were given free cookies when we went, but not making any promises). The Albert Park location is the perf place to meet a friend and grab coffee and a pastry for a morning walk. A caramelised cornflake donut has cereal in it, so counts as breakfast, right?

Where to Live

Port Melbourne might not have much to offer unless you’re a budding stevedore, but what it does have is some absolutely massive houses. They're super modern too and there's a spare room up for grabs in this one if you're looking for a perfect hosting space for summer.

Core selling point: the sheer size of the living room.

Where to Work

Dealing with drunk people in a photo booth whilst sober? Tough. Getting paid to do it? A little bit less tough. Open Booths is looking for new staff willing to confiscate the blow-up guitar from the mother of the bride after one too many glasses of fizz. It comes with the chance to learn some photography skills though and offers an immediate start if you're strapped for cash.

Where to Go

Irish pub The Fifth Province host their weekly Trivia Night on Wednesdays, so gather your mates and rack your brain for your cringiest pub quiz team name. Kicking off at 7:30pm, you can compete for the prizes and get a bit lively for some mid-week fun. They also serve up $22 spice bags on Wednesdays, so get yourself down for a bowl of deep-fried goodness and a couple of pints of Guinness.