Bendigo: A Style Icon of its own
VIC blogger Chantal travels to Bendigo to discover the hottest exhibition in Oz right now – Grace Kelly: Style Icon.
When you think of Bendigo you might expect it to be no more than a little goldrush town. However, if it’s current exhibition Grace Kelly: Style Icon is anything to go by, Bendigo has the gold, the glitz and the glamour.
A two-hours drive from Melbourne will take you straight into the heart of one of Australia’s oldest rural cities—it even has it’s own tram restaurant, ‘Ninesevesix’.
Bendigo’s old post office (now the visitor centre)
Grace Kelly: Style Icon
True Hollywood royalty and a real-life princess, Grace Kelly set the standard for elegance and beauty. Grace Kelly: Style Icon is a wonderful celebration of her ‘style’ and achievements.
The exhibition features many of the Princess’ most prominent gowns, including an exact replica of her stunning wedding gown originally made by MGM’s Academy Award winning designer Helen Rose, alongside her precious Academy Award and breathtaking royal jewellery.
Grace Kelly here I come!
Grace Kelly was one of Hollywood’s leading ladies throughout the 1950s. Her roles in Rear Window, Dial M for Murder and High Society saw her work alongside household names like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, James Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock.
Known for her impeccable fashion sense, Grace lived up to her name and continued to set key trends for the remainder of her life. Top fashion houses such as Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent clamoured to design her wardrobe.
The Bendigo Art Gallery is also quite a triumph in itself, with some awe-inspiring art pieces on display, the Grace Kelly exhibition is a great one for the fashionistas, but art lovers would truly enjoy the whole gallery experience.
Setting the trends in Bendigo
Inspired by Princess Grace’s sense of fashion, we set out to see what couture-based gems were on offer locally.
Fit for a princess?
Boutique shopping seems to one of Bendigo’s hidden talents. With gorgeous little shops like Robe, Shop 12 and The Meadow, a girl can get lost with all the fashion choices.
Hello prince charming!
To top it off, Bendigo features Victoria’s largest range of hats at the Bendigo Hat Shop.
To keep you covered head to toe, there are accessories galore with Tony Kean Jewellery, Ruffell Family Jewellers and Lu Lu’s Shoes and Bags.
Fine Dining—Princess Style
Dinner: The Dispensary Enoteca, now has to be one of my favourite restaurants.
Spoilt for choice with over 100 whiskies, 80 sparkling wines, 50 beers, 40 cocktails and 150 assorted aperitifs; my husband tried out a bevvy of the beers, while I took on the challenge with the Le Figuier aperitif and a potent cocktail titled ‘Aviation’, which had me flying for hours.
Keeping us vegans happy, we were delighted to learn The Dispensary has it’s own vegan menu featuring:
Entrée: Beetroot carpaccio, confit heirloom tomatoes, fennel puree and roasted cauliflower.
Delish!
Main: grain, seed, pulse and silverbeet stuffed chickpea pancake, eggplant puree, harissa and radish salad.
Dessert: coconut sorbet with an assortment of mandarin, apple and mint.
Breakfast: Bath Lane Café is a gorgeous little place offering some fabulous menu options. We tellingly ordered the Veganfast breakfast comprising of grilled tomatoes, sautéed spinach and mushrooms, thick crusty toast, mashed avocado and a side of bakes beans—our stomachs were in agonised ecstasy.
Lunch: After a stroll around Rosalind Park, including a wander through the beautiful fernery gardens, complete with its own native wildlife—brush tail possums and fruit bats—we found ourselves dining at La Piazza Wine Bar and Restaurant, next door to Bendigo’s famous Golden Dragon Restaurant.
Beautiful gardens
Treated to a glass of Peter Lehmann shiraz and a tasty Verdure gourmet pizza, hold the cheese, we found ourselves soaking up the many delights Bendigo has to offer.
Sleeping like a true Princess
With food, fashion and some sightseeing under our belts, it was a pleasure to retreat to our modern and luxurious apartment at the Quest Bendigo Central.
Complete with a modern kitchenette, outdoor plunge pool and a friendly and welcoming staff, the Quest made us feel like royalty ourselves.
The royal wrap-up
The Grace Kelly: Style Icon exhibition is a must-see for those who love classic films and a touch of Hollywood glamour. However, for anyone who loves fashion and has a penchant for princesses, this is truly a fabulous experience.
Whilst the exhibition is a great reason to come to Bendigo, the shopping and delicious food on offer are themselves great reasons to stay.
My 5 and 7 yr old girls and I are going from QLD to MElb to spend time with fam over easter (leaving hubby behind to work!) Grandparents and I planning to take girls for some gold panning… now I am convinced we will stay overnight and see Grace Kelly exhibition. My parents are in their 60’s and big fans of Grace. My girls know of her and gave me her name as a middle name (and we all love fashion!) Very exciting. Thanks for such an informative review! Cheers Kat.
You are very welcome, Kat. What a lovely plan for the Easter break! Sounds like a trip to the Grace Kelly exhibition will make it even more fabulous.
Have a fantastic trip.
Cheers,
lastminute lovely Nicole