The Little Malop Street precinct is emerging as Geelong’s coolest spot to eat, drink and enjoy the good things about a city.

The Little Malop Street precinct is culture central with an edge. The Geelong Library and Heritage Centre is the most striking piece of architecture in town: it’s somewhere between a futuristic domed mirror maze and the Darth Vader’s actual Death Star. It’s just as impressive inside, where tech meets tradition in a library that has evolved beyond books.

Next door, the Geelong Gallery has an impressive collection and a grand schedule of temporary exhibitions, while across the road the Geelong Arts Centre is being rebuilt as one of the best creative spaces in regional Australia, a brilliant hub of art and performance.

Wandering east along the street there are huge and ever-changing street art installations down back laneways and the focus shifts from eyes and ears to bellies, with a bunch of great places to eat and drink within a few hundred metres. There’s casual grub and international flavours up and down the street and an incredible cocktail bar with a prohibition-era vibe. The Geelong Cellar Door has brought the best of the region’s vineyards to town, showcasing legends alongside local up-and-comers.

Nearby, the Geelong Cellar Door has brought the best of the region’s vineyards to town, showcasing legends alongside local up-and-comers in their wine bar – retail wine store hybrid.

At a laneway corner store, some of the best coffee in town gets served up and a few doors away, Piano Bar is, as the name suggests, a piano, a bar and a brilliant night of tapping your toes (or singing along!) to your favourite tunes – you can make a request at the bar.