What a great gallery! They had some impressive pieces and the art gallery owner was just delightful…read moreto chat with. We were there for an opening, and the atmosphere was buzzing, the champagne was flowing and chatter about the art filled the room. Certainly worth a look if you're passing by. Enjoy.

After driving past the building that hosts Artbank a few times, I finally managed to break up my…read moreday and stop for a visit. What is Artbank? It's an art rental establishment which was established in 1980 by the Australian Government as an arts support program. We're sold already! Part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Office for the Arts, Artbank promotes the diverse Australian culture and offers everybody the chance to enjoy Australian art by offering the collection for rent. The revenues from the rentals are then reinvesting back in to the collection. Sweet! Walk through the sunlight filled space and you'll find a large group of artworks by emerging artists from paintings and photography, to contemporary craft, sculpture and Indigenous art. (We hear the whole Artbank collection has over 10,000 contemporary artworks for rental) And even though we'd love to have more art at home, our walls don't have the space for it right now. Just in case, we found out the costs involved anyway and were pleased to discover that rental fees start from $110 per artwork, with the minimum contract total of $550 per year. And for businesses, fees are 100% tax deductible.

This is the first of the galleries in Albert Street there are four more on this very short street…read morein Richmond. Albert Street is a good place to start if you want to see some of the best, new contemporary art in Melbourne. The gallery has several large windows at the front giving people walking by a preview of the art within. It is an elegantly converted former factory space with white walls, high ceilings, track lighting and polished concrete floors. There is an office/reception area at the front and a stock room somewhere out the back, but it's not open to the public. As a commercial gallery it represents many notable, contemporary Australian artists including sculptor and taxidermist Julia deVille, painter Michael Zavros and photographer Selina Ou. There are monthly exhibitions from the artists represented in the gallery.

Some of the best art you will see in Australia, artists like, Julia Da Ville, Michael Zavros, Danie…read moreMellor, Selena Ou, and currently Vera Möller. Also Nicholas Harding and a whole raft of younger artists. Its low key and not at all pretentious. Edwin the gallery manager is a delight. Richmond is hard to find a car park, so public transport is the best.

Lock up the credit cards! You're going to want just about everything in this store to make your…read morebathroom smell better, your kitchen look pretty, your bedroom feel cosy and your loungeroom more achingly hip. From the rafters adorned with leather bunting down to the floors that hold baskets overflowing with nic-nacs and gorgeous items you simply can't live without, The Shelley Panton Store is an absolute delight to explore. I love the tables filled with colour co-ordinated items, the book selection (food, design and travel genres all well represented), hand-made ceramics and the items dangling from the roof (THAT bunting, light fixtures and even feather dusters!). There's complimentary gift wrapping too, which is perfect if you're in the market for a special gift. They'll offer a variety of papers and twines to match your purchase and the vast gift card selection makes this a one-stop-shop for all your gift giving needs.

Quick! Hide your credit card when you come here! It has an amazing array of home wares and art for…read moreevery single room of the house, and every occasion you can think of. This is my idea of heaven. Seriously. OK, I admit it. Sometimes it feels like us Southsiders are a little hard done by with a lot of cool crafty places north of the river. Shelley Panton helps to fix this with an eclectic range of products - whether you're looking to buy for yourself or for a gift, you're bound to find something here that tickles your fancy. The shop is beautifully decked out - visualise baskets of good overflowing with cute little pieces, colour coordinated products lovingly laid out on tables and also friendly service. Leading into Christmas and special occasions, they will have late night trading (complete with glasses of prosecco and a cheese platter - for real) and special dinners for events such as the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Best of all? Shelley who own the place also has her own pottery for sale (visualise gorgeous plates and kitchen goods) and Jess the resident rescue dog is a beautiful black lab that often wanders around for a little bit of customer love. OK, I admit it. I want to work here. I want to be surrounded by beautiful things, play with Jess all day and lovingly wrap presents and adorn them with ribbons

The selection in the store is great. The owner Jenny was very patient showing me all the art pieces…read morein my price area and I felt the prices were very fair. I will definitely go back in the future.