Spring Nights and Terrace Lights – 4 Rooftop Bars to Take Life to New Heights

As Spring approaches, there’s nothing better on a warm night than enjoying a cocktail at a rooftop bar overlooking the city’s twinkling lights or the ocean. Spring is a renewed state of mind that should be shouted from the rooftop – here are four venues to spend lazy days or nights at new heights:

Embark on a multi-sensorial experience where the ordinary is transformed into the extraordinary at Strato Melbourne – Bar and Restaurant on Normanby Road in Southbank. Start your evening with a drink at Strato Bar & Lounge where you take in 360-degree views across the city, then head to the dining room to find a menu that evolves with seasons, inspired by air, water, ice, earth and living things.

 

Expect Modern Australian dishes such as salmon tartare to start, with beetroot and avocado, then delve into honey-glazed duck breast, bulgur wheat, pickled prunes, fennel purée and spiced jus; perhaps a rack of lamb hits the mark with braised shallots, celeriac purée and a cheeky glass of Tasmanian Pinot Noir. To finish, indulge your sweet tooth with yuzu honey ginger semifreddo encased in delicate white chocolate.

Expect refreshments on repeat with views to the horizon that just won’t end at Ardo Rooftop on Sir Leslie Thiess Drive in Townsville. Located on the top floor of Ardo Hotel with panoramic views of Townsville, the spirit of Ardo lives where the sky is close enough to touch - a place where the rhythm of the sun rules and the rules don’t matter.

 

Townsville sunsets are spectacular this time of the year ablaze with warm hues of pink, red, orange and even purple – take in the kaleidoscope of colour as you enjoy a cocktail and graze on tapas plates of sticky lamb ribs, ras el hanout spices and pomegranate molasses, or share a flatbread pizzette topped with smoked salmon, crème fraiche, dill, capers and salmon roe.

Those looking for funky, yet sophisticated rooftop drinking with luscious gardens, panoramic city views and creative cocktails head to Loop Roof on Meyers Place in Melbourne. Hard on the heels of an eye-catching vertical garden which climbs from the ground floor to the rooftop, Loop Top is an extension to the existing bar, making this a unique twin-tiered garden oasis in the CBD.

 

Be treated to dozens of horticultural gems from the mystical bottle tree and multi-crowned tree aloe to an array of prickly pear cacti, while delving into cuisine revolving around fresh ingredients and lively flavours. Be spoilt by plates like roast pork belly bao buns, with daikon, pickled cucumber and hoisin sauce, or share BBQ glazed lamb ribs, mint and cucumber yoghurt and roasted kurogom.

Find amazing 270-degree views as the sun sets at Geraldton’s only rooftop bar, Old Man & the Sea, on Cathedral Avenue. Enjoy a unique experience at this chilled-out venue located on the roof of the Gerald Apartment Hotel; open and airy for most of the year and kept cosy with specially designed pop-up sea containers offering protection from the coastal breeze.

 

Join the gang for Sunset Hour daily and enjoy cocktail specials as you take in sensational views across the Indian Ocean and snack on plates like crispy fried salt and Szechuan pepper squid with aioli, or chilled crayfish dip with caperberry, cos lettuce and tortilla chips. Those with more ravenous appetites devour a lamb burger with whipped goats’ feta, tomato, pesto, lettuce and onion rings.