Harriet works in tax law in the city and lives in Croydon, which she will tell you is not the punchline people think it is. She moved to Melbourne from Christchurch in 2012 for a graduate role, did the Fitzroy-share-house pilgrimage every Kiwi seems to do, and then surprised everyone by buying a 1970s brick veneer in Croydon during the 2021 stamp-duty window.
She writes the weekend column — late-opening bars in the city for after-work, day-drinking spots in Yarra Valley that don’t require a tour bus, the actually-good food at Eastland (a short list), the Mt Dandenong walk that ends at a bakery instead of a tourist trap. She’s the friend you text on a Friday at 4pm asking “what should we do tomorrow that isn’t Brighton beach again.”
Harriet does not pretend the outer east is Berlin. She tells you why it’s better than the Insta-feed lets on, and where the actual queues are.
Articles by Harriet Bowen are based on first-hand visits to the venues mentioned. MELBZ does not accept sponsored content from bars, wineries, or tour operators.