One of the country’s best-known music and nightlife photographers, Michelle Grace Hunder has the kind of natural talent most of us only dream of.

Known best for her work within the hip-hop industry, she’s photographed some of the world’s biggest artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Wu-Tang Clan and Lauryn Hill, as well as countless Australian artists of all genres, from Meg Mac and Nai Palm to Remi and A.B. Original.

Though Michelle’s photography has taken her throughout Australia and beyond, she’ll always call Victoria home and knows about all the newest and coolest venues that make Melbourne, well, Melbourne. We wanted an insider’s take on a great night out on the town, so we asked Michelle to take us through a few of her favourite Melbourne venues to get us ready for the weekend.

We wanted an insider’s take on a great night out on the town, so we asked Michelle to take us through a few of her favourite Melbourne venues to get us ready for the weekend.

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6.30pm: Dinner At Up In Smoke

Let’s set the scene: it’s Friday night, you’ve just finished a long week at work. You get home, grab a drink from the fridge, and unwind on the couch before getting ready for a night of food, drinks, music and more. You’re already hungry, so you head out to Footscray for an early dinner.

“Up in Smoke is a new American barbecue place in Footscray that my husband Jarvis and I came across recently. We usually go there on a Friday night and get the beef brisket, the mac ‘n’ cheese – we kind of get everything on the menu, it’s the place we go to just gorge. They’ve got this really good corn dish, spicy chicken wings.

It’s in a weird location but the actual venue looks really cool, they play great music and the staff are really friendly. Plus, it’s a little bit hidden away, so unless you’d heard about it you might not know about it. It’s definitely my hot tip for Footscray at the moment.”

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8.30pm: Drinks And Mini-Golf At Holey Moley

Set over two storeys, mini-golf bar Holey Moley is one of Melbourne’s newest venues, having only opened a few weeks ago. Michelle recently attended a farewell party there for Grammy-winning producer M-Phazes, who just moved from Melbourne to LA.

“It’s a great place to go for a pre-drink while playing mini golf!” Each hole has its own theme and challenges, and plenty of quirky décor: think Barbies, Tetris heads and swinging pendulums. “I’m not really a mini-golf fan,” she says. “But it was one of the best things I’ve done in ages.”

Holy Moley first opened in Brisbane, then Melbourne. Sydneysiders take note – it’s coming to Newtown too, taking over the space where Newtown Social Club and the Sando formerly stood.

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10pm: Drinks And Live Music At Section 8

“Section 8 is my favourite place to take people who want a kind of quintessential Melbourne experience,” says Michelle. “There are so many block parties and DJ comps there, it’s synonymous with the hip-hop scene.”

On any given night you may find MCs getting up to freestyle, but Michelle’s favourite moment happened earlier this year. Hip-hop labels Bad Apple and House of Beige joined forces for an amazing event that saw Australian hip-hop’s elite come together, including Remi, Sampa the Great, Briggs and N’Fa.

“The vibe that day was just unbelievable,” she says. “Section 8 encompasses everything that’s awesome about Melbourne.”

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 12am: Enjoy A Change Of Pace At Ferdydurke

Section 8 is an amazing venue, and though it’s fairly small, it can get pretty loud. “Sometimes you just want a bit of a time out from Section 8,” Michelle says. “So you’ll head to Ferdydurke,” which is right next door.

“It’s really tiny, but there’s a little balcony that overlooks Section 8, so sometimes they hold events together. We saw [rapper] Oddisee once, he played on the balcony of Ferdydurke, but the audience was watching from down at Section 8. It’s tiny, it probably only fits 80 people. It’s just such a cool little place!”

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2am: A Quiet Nightcap At Manchuria

Situated in Chinatown, Manchuria is the perfect place for a final drink before heading home around 3am. “It’s got really beautiful Asian décor,” Michelle says.

“It’s pretty tricky to find, you have to go up some stairs off an alley, and there’s this huge door that looks like it’s shut. You wouldn’t know there’s a bar behind it, but open it up and you’ll find this warm, inviting venue with really great cocktails and cool DJs as well. It’s the perfect way to cap off a night out when you just want a bit of quiet time to hear yourself think.”

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Feature image: Emma Zoller. All other images: Michelle Grace Hunder.

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There’s no better way to get the most out of your weekend than by experiencing something original and new. The celebrations continue with the help of Absolut Botanik Collektiv – click here for more information.