Melbourne’s Rooftop Winter Playground Lands at Good Heavens

Instead of clouds and harps, expect cocktails with personality, comfort food with attitude, and Melbourne’s first rooftop Kurling rink. Yes, Kurling. Not a typo. Not on ice. Think of it as curling’s fun cousin who left the Olympics to DJ in Berlin. No skates, no brooms—just lightweight stones sliding down slick lanes in a boozy, competitive game of "who pushed it better?" You can play in pairs, teams or full-send it solo after a mulled cider or two. No judgement here.

The space has also been zhuzhed up for winter with toasty hues, nostalgic flair and a ceiling installation that floats above like a psychedelic tent revival. Textile artist Oscar Lake stitched together a canopy of surreal fabric folds, curated by Georgia Harvey, turning the rooftop into a strangely heavenly dreamscape. Less ski lodge, more celestial fever dream.

Now let’s talk drinks. Ex-Black Pearl wizard Matt Linklater has stirred up a seasonal menu that’s equal parts comforting and completely unhinged. There’s the Frosé Tips with Whispering Angel, strawberry and coconut (because tropical delusion is a coping mechanism). The Pickled Margarita comes with a hit of Fancy Hank’s pickle juice and enough tajín to wake the dead. For the sweet tooths, the S’mores Espresso Martini delivers toasted marshmallow chaos in a glass. Bonus points for the Apple Crumble, which tastes like your nan spiked the dessert trolley.

Chef Jarrod Di Blasi has leaned into cosy decadence on the food front. We’re talking devilled eggs with Oscietra caviar, oysters smothered in smoked brisket fat and hot sauce, and toasties that ooze mac and cheese laced with porcini and smoked garlic. Even the kettle chips are dressed up, arriving with prosciutto di Parma. Dessert? A silky chocolate mousse finished with yuzu oil and fleur de sel, because winter is no excuse to be uncivilised.

Still need a reason to climb the stairway to Heavens? On Saturday 21 June, they’re throwing a Winter Solstice bash with DJs from Animals Dancing, a luxe oyster bar, and the whole shebang turned up to holy levels of fun. No snow boots required.

And if you’re the chosen one, you might even win the Whispering Angel Spa Giveaway by ordering a glass at the bar. Prizes range from a luxury spa day for two at Sense of Self to a literal three-litre bottle of rosé. Call it divine intervention with a splash of pink.

Good Heavens is open every day from noon. Come for the cocktails, stay for the curling, leave with a halo slightly askew.