Melbourne
First Meetings in Melbourne When the Weather Turns
Melbourne's weather can change in minutes. How laneway cafés, NGV and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria pair up for a first meeting, with a backup nearby.
Introductions have started in Singapore. Other cities open one by one.
Melbourne's laneways give you somewhere to start, and somewhere close by to go when the sky does what Melbourne skies do.
WeMet (wemet.dating) is a modern matchmaking service for adults in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the United States and Canada. No swiping and no chat: WeMet uses AI to choose one introduction a week, when there is someone who fits what you both said you want, and explains why before you see a photo. Introductions open city by city.
Degraves Street or Centre Place, and the Dome if it rains
Degraves Street runs between the fashion precinct and Flinders Street Station; Centre Place has street art and cafés. A table in either lane works for a first meeting because there's nowhere far to retreat to if the conversation needs a change of scene — just the space between two chairs. If the sky closes in, State Library Victoria on Swanston Street is an option: the Dome and the reading rooms give you somewhere to sit the downpour out without ending the meeting early. NGV Australia, at The Ian Potter Centre in Federation Square, is another indoor option.
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, and NGV International if it turns
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, on Birdwood Avenue, lists its own admission simply as "Free". A walk through the Melbourne Gardens turns a first conversation into a walk instead of a sit-down, with the gardens as the reason to keep moving. If the weather decides otherwise, NGV International is an indoor alternative: entry to the collection is free, and entry fees may apply to special exhibitions.
Hardware Lane, and Queen Victoria Market if the sky changes course
Hardware Lane runs cobbled between Lonsdale and Bourke streets, with outdoor seating that suits a first coffee when the sun is actually out. Queen Victoria Market sits inside the Free Tram Zone, and could suit a change of plan if Hardware Lane's tables are catching rain.
Wait five minutes, then a Wednesday at 7pm
Melburnians have a saying for days like these: don't like the weather in Melbourne, wait five minutes. A Bureau of Meteorology forecaster once told ABC News the city can "deal with things like heat and fires and thunderstorms, all in a couple of hours" (ABC News, 13 Nov 2018) — a fair description of how a first meeting here might move from a café table to a gallery or a market stall and back again.
You can join WeMet from Melbourne at 18, the same as the rest of Australia. Once introductions open here, a Wednesday letter is timed to 7pm Melbourne time — AEDT from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April, AEST the rest of the year — with three days to answer. Victoria shares a country with Sydney, Brisbane and the rest of Australia; it shares none with Auckland, Singapore, New York or Vancouver, and that is where an introduction stops.
Questions
What if the weather turns while we're actually meeting?
That's a Melbourne reality, not a WeMet one. Choosing a laneway or garden with an indoor option close by — the Dome, NGV International, or NGV Australia — gives you somewhere to walk to without ending the meeting early.
Isn't a laneway café too crowded for a first meeting?
A small table works for a first meeting precisely because there's nowhere to hide — just two chairs and a short conversation. If you'd rather more room, Hardware Lane's outdoor seating or a walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria gives more space to talk.
Could I be introduced to someone in Sydney?
Within Australia, WeMet works out distance from each person's postcode, as travel time, not by drawing a line around Melbourne. Whether that could ever reach as far as Sydney isn't something WeMet promises either way in advance.
Could I be introduced to someone in Auckland?
No. Victoria sits inside the one country WeMet keeps a Melbourne introduction within: Australia. New Zealand, Singapore, the United States and Canada are served too, each on its own side of that line.
Is WeMet open in Melbourne yet?
Not yet. Introductions have not started in Melbourne yet. Introductions have started in Singapore. Other cities open one by one. You can join, verify your phone and email, take the free quiz and build your profile in Melbourne today, free of charge.
How does WeMet verify members who join from Melbourne?
The same way everywhere: you verify your mobile number and email, then take a selfie that is compared with your main profile photo before anyone else sees you. WeMet never asks for a driver licence, passport or other government identification.
What age do I need to be to join from Melbourne?
You need to be 18 or over. There is no separate age rule for Melbourne.
Where is my data stored if I join from Melbourne?
In Australia, in Sydney. WeMet holds all its data there, whichever of the five countries you join from. Support is available every day, 09:00–21:00 Sydney time, in English and Chinese.
If introductions open in Melbourne, how would the weekly letter work?
When introductions open where you live, WeMet writes to you once a week — at 7pm your time, Australian Eastern time (AEDT/AEST) in Melbourne — only when there is someone who fits what you both said you want. You would have three days to decide, and some weeks there would be no one.