“Live for the day, and let tomorrow take care of itself,” said Aussie bushranger Captain Melville, who ended his days hanged in a prison cell. Before that unfortunate end, however, he packed in a whole lot of adventuring, and it’s the larrikin spirit of his youth that is being evoked by the folks behind the Captain Melville pub in Melbourne.

The venue has taken over 34 Franklin Street, for 150 years a watering hole for Melbournians with its cooling bluestone outer walls, and now looked after by the National Trust as the city’s oldest pub. Under the name of Captain Melville it’s a mixture of heritage features and modern, clean lines, blended skilfully together by Breathe Architecture. Visitors can enjoy a cocktail from a classic list with Victorian era names, or chow down in the communal dining hall. The latter uses a glass atrium roof to let in the light amid the area’s high-rises, and steel tents mimicking those used by the Gold Rush prospectors of the Captain’s day.