Meet the MELBZ

MELBZ is written by 50 Melbourne locals who collectively cover 321 suburbs. Our writers don’t parachute in for a Saturday afternoon visit and call it research. They live in these suburbs, drink at these bars, walk these streets daily, and have strong opinions about all of it.

How We Work

Every MELBZ article goes through a process that most city guides skip entirely:

1. Local knowledge first. Each suburb guide is assigned to a writer who lives in or adjacent to that suburb. No exceptions.
2. On-the-ground verification. If we recommend a venue, someone from the team has been there in the last 90 days. We don’t copy Google reviews.
3. Real prices, real hours. We check opening hours, menu prices, and transport options ourselves. If something changes, we update the article.
4. No sponsored placements. Venues don’t pay to appear in our guides. If a place is good, it’s in. If it’s not, it’s not. We’ve upset a few publicists this way.

Our Writers

Our editorial team brings together food critics, property analysts, nightlife regulars, transport nerds, and people who’ve lived in Melbourne long enough to have opinions about tram routes.

Marcus Cole — Senior Editor. Covers the inner north (Fitzroy, Collingwood, Brunswick) and has strong feelings about which side of Smith Street is better. Previously wrote for Broadsheet Melbourne.

Dani Reyes — Food & Drink Editor. Responsible for restaurant, cafe, and bar coverage across 30+ suburbs. Has eaten at more than 400 Melbourne venues in the past year alone.

Maya Chen — Property & Living Editor. Handles rent reports, cost-of-living guides, and neighbourhood profiles. Can recite median rent prices for most inner-city suburbs from memory.

Jack Morrison — Culture & Events Editor. Covers live music, festivals, markets, and the stuff that makes Melbourne’s suburbs distinct from each other. Has attended every White Night since it started.

Ethan Cole — Nightlife Editor. Writes the after-dark guides and knows which bars are actually worth visiting versus which ones just have good Instagram lighting.

Tyler James — Transport & Infrastructure Reporter. The person who tells you whether that new bike lane actually works, which tram routes are reliable, and what the train situation genuinely looks like at peak hour.

Priya Sandhu — Senior Writer, South & East. Covers suburbs from South Yarra to Brighton to Glen Iris. Known for her honest suburb guides that don’t sugar-coat the negatives.

Grace Chen — Senior Writer, West & North-West. Covers Footscray, Kensington, Moonee Ponds, and the western suburbs that most city guides ignore.

Lina Nguyen — Senior Writer, Inner South. Handles St Kilda, Port Melbourne, Albert Park, and South Melbourne with the detail they deserve.

Kai Thompson — Data & Rankings Editor. Builds our vibe scores, suburb rankings, and the data models behind our recommendations.

Oscar Tan — Weekend & Lifestyle Editor. Covers things-to-do guides, weekend plans, and the practical stuff (parking, dog-friendly venues, family guides).

Kate Sullivan — Confessions & Community Editor. Runs our AITMA (Am I The Melbourne A-Hole?) series and community content.

Jules Marchetti — Contributor, Nightlife & Late Night. Our after-midnight specialist.

Alex Turner — Contributor, Outer Suburbs. Covers the suburbs beyond the inner ring that most Melbourne publications pretend don’t exist.

Tom O’Brien — Contributor, Eastern Suburbs. Handles Hawthorn, Kew, Camberwell, and the east.

Plus 35 additional contributors covering suburbs across greater Melbourne.

Contact the Team

Got a tip, correction, or story idea? Email us at [email protected].

Want to write for MELBZ? Check our contributor page.