Our Rainy Day Mystery Picnic Around St Kilda
A wet, grey Melbourne day usually makes me want to stay home with a cup of tea. This time, we did the opposite.
My in-laws Rob and Diane joined me for an AmazingCo Mystery Picnic through Prahran and St Kilda, and the rain never let up. We loved it anyway.
Starting Under the Clocks
I’d already had a taste of the Melbourne laneways version of this experience, so I knew roughly what we were in for: cryptic clues on the phone, a series of surprise food stops, and a picnic at the end that you’ve earned rather than simply bought.
We arrange to meet at Flinders Street Station, under the clocks, where we look at the first clue and so the puzzling begins. From there, every stop is a word problem to solve before you know where you’re headed next.
Rob’s Review
We took part in a mystery picnic around Melbourne, in the pouring rain. We started at Flinders Street Station under the clocks where we received our first clue. We had to work out our destination by solving word problems. Our first destination ended up being a specialty deli in Prahran Market, so we hopped on the No. 72 tram and were on our way. On arrival at the deli we were given a choice of any items up to a specified amount. We chose cheeses, prosciutto, gluten-free crackers, olives and dips, and put them all in our cooler bag.
Off then to our next place, which ended up being the Prahran Gardens, a short walk from the deli, just a look around.
Our next stop, again decided by a word puzzle, saw us heading towards a cake shop in St Kilda, taking trams 72 and 16. We added to our supplies some lovely sweets, including a gluten-free one for Diane.
Vegout was our next port of call. It’s a community garden site including individual veggie gardens and quirky displays — a castle, a yellow submarine and numerous mosaics on walls and paths. It would have been great to wander around more, but the rain was getting heavier.
Standing under an awning at Vegout, we figured out our next destination, and it ended up being a butcher and fine wine merchant on Acland Street, where we picked up some potato chips and cornichon gherkins.
By this time we had broken one umbrella and we all had soaked shoes from walking through puddles and streams of water cascading across roads and footpaths. As we waited in the butcher’s, we worked out our next destination from another word puzzle, and with a bit of help from the staff members, headed 400m up Acland Street to an old-world milk bar transformed into a high-class general store, where we picked up a sourdough baguette, drinks and desserts for our picnic lunch.
Our final destination, where we were going to have our picnic, was the St Kilda Botanic Gardens. Our only problem was finding somewhere under cover where we could spread out the picnic rug, sit down and enjoy the delectable foods we’d picked up along our journey. We ended up finding the rotunda in the rose garden, where we spent our time eating and drinking our delicious food from the places we’d been. It probably would have been much more enjoyable without the inclement weather, but a great time was had by all.
A rainy day doesn’t have to ruin it
The whole thing held up surprisingly well under a proper Melbourne drizzle. Trams meant we weren’t relying on umbrellas alone, and every stop gave us a reason to duck in out of the weather for a few minutes before the next clue sent us back out.
One bonus was that we probably spent more time chatting with the shopkeepers than we would have otherwise.
Mystery Picnic details
We’d booked the couple’s experience, which meant some of our clues were designed for a bit of playful back-and-forth rather than straight puzzle-solving. Rob and Diane found themselves debating things like whether a pie counts as a full meal, and the age-old question of sauce or no sauce.
Prices start from $160 for a couple, and the questions are tailored depending on which version you book — couples (a date-night style), groups (for friends catching up), or families (with kid-friendly questions worked in).
Tips for your St Kilda Mystery Picnic
- Charge your phone and have mobile data ready — clues arrive the night before and throughout the day via a link in your confirmation email, no app needed.
- Solve the first clue at home so you know your starting point and get a feel for how the puzzles work.
- Bring an insulated bag or esky for the chilled goodies you’ll collect along the way, and a picnic blanket for the final stop.
- Pack for all weather. We went ahead despite steady rain — a compact umbrella and waterproof shoes would have saved us a soggy afternoon.
- Wear comfortable shoes. There’s a fair bit of walking between stops, plus tram travel on routes 72 and 16.
- Let them know your dietary needs when booking — our coeliac traveller was catered for at every stop, including a gluten-free option at the cake shop.
- Look out for the rotunda in the St Kilda Botanic Gardens rose garden if you’re caught in the rain at the end — it’s a lovely covered spot to finally sit down and eat.
- Save the public toilet map on your phone for the day.
- Add-on a bottle of red wine for $40 at checkout and it will be included to pick up at one of the destinations.
- Browse other Mystery Picnics across Melbourne and Victoria, or read about our laneways adventure and Mornington Peninsula outing too.
- If you can’t get out, AmazingCo also offer a range of at-home experiences including Sofa Sommelier, Chocolate & Games Night Experience, and a Pamper Experience.
Why we love working with AmazingCo
A quick word on why AmazingCo keeps turning up on Seniors in Melbourne. We’re an affiliate partner, which means we earn a small commission if you book through our link — but honestly, we’d be recommending these mystery picnics either way, because they’re so much fun.
If you’re thinking about booking, please start here — it costs you nothing extra and helps support our small business.
We’ve also been lucky enough to team up with AmazingCo to create video content for their own advertising purposes, sending several of our own contributors out on a mystery picnic with a camera in tow. It ties into something we care about: seeing more faces and stories from the 60+ crowd out there in mainstream media and on our feeds, not just tucked away. So if you’ve spotted one of us popping up on Facebook lately, having an absolute ball — that’s us.
The Seniors in Melbourne team were gifted this Mystery Picnic experience. All opinions expressed in the article are our own.
Heading off on your own Melbourne adventures? Join our Facebook Group and share your stories, ask questions and connect with others for further inspiration.
