Donna fell in love with Melbourne as a teenage art student and has lived there for well over a decade. She's written about the city's vibrant but often-hard-to-uncover urban attractions for a variety of travel publications.
Donna first visited Melbourne back in the 1980s, describing it as a move to a moody indie film from her studio-blockbuster hometown of Sydney.
She's lived in New York, London, Genova and rural Ireland, and although she loves mountains and the sea, is a city girl at heart.
Donna has commissioned restaurant guides and online features for Lonely Planet, and written their most recent guides to Melbourne, Milan and Tunisia. She has also worked as a digital producer, content strategist, editor and art director.
What's your favourite thing to do on a Sunday?
For breakfast, I usually keep close to home: Collingwood's
Cavallero or
Monsieur Truffe for breakfast, then a walk around visiting a few of the neighbourhood’s lovely vintage furniture shops. Later, I might check out what's on at
ACCA (Australian Centre for Contemporary Art), then head to a twilight
Melbourne Victory match.
How would you spend a long weekend?
I'm always happy to spend a couple of days in Red Hill stuffing myself silly. The Peninsula hinterland does style and rusticity without ever seeming forced or twee. You can pop down to the quaint pine-fringed beaches for a dip in summer, or sit tight and open another bottle when it's wild and windswept.
What's your idea of a good night out?
I'm still about 17 in my head; I can't go past a night of loud, live music. Richmond's
Corner Hotel is a brilliantly straightforward place to see a band.
