We stayed up all night in Melbourne - and discovered its secret superpower

Nobody's breaking it up, that's for sure. They'd be undoing 25,000 hours of work by the masters who built this whole galaxy from more than 8 million Lego bricks. Adding to the sci-fi psychedelia, I'm drinking blue milk, Skywalker's favourite tipple, beneath a two-metre Death Star spinning like an intergalactic disco ball.

Turns out there's quite the scene after hours at Melbourne Museum, especially if you're spending the night with the spaced-out crew in LEGO Star Wars: the Exhibition (until January 26), the largest collection of life-sized Lego Star Wars models ever assembled.

They're your bedfellows in the new Museum Sleepovers experience, along with the skeletal stars of Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs. With movie screenings, luxury mattresses, food and gin for the grown-ups, these overnights add extra action to this city's already frenetic late-night landscape.

When it comes to fun, the force is strong in Melbourne. Research recently revealed that 39 per cent of Australians rate it the country's best after-dark destination, backing the city's solid claim to be Australia's 24-hour capital.

We're putting that claim to the test, in an escapade that's somewhere between interesting and insane. Our mission: take Virgin Australia's last flight of the day from Sydney to Melbourne, and party until we fly back at dawn. The airline is promoting this one-off red-eye revelry as Last Flight Club, and there's only one rule: you don't sleep.

Around midnight, we're on planet earth again, slipping up a stairway on Spring Street and into a leather couch beside a grand arched window at Melbourne Supper Club. This late-night institution embodies the very Melbourne idea that it's never too late for fine food and drink. Here, that means until 4am, Monday to Saturday.

The post-10pm menu roams wide, from our showstopping cheese platter by Spring Street Cheese Cellar to party pies to freshly shucked oysters, a caviar selection, cocktails from bartending jedis and a formidable global wine list. Launched in 1988, Supper Club was empowered by liberal licensing laws and a discerning after-dark crowd seeking much more than a servo snack.

"We aimed at hospitality workers, shift workers, international guests flying in late, airline staff staying at nearby hotels," says owner Con Christopoulos. "They're not just looking for a night out but for nourishment, from a well-made coffee to a perfect martini or glass of champagne."

Sipping a dry dirty martini as the clock edges toward 2am, I see his point. These wee hours are no time to play fast and loose with your digestive system. Quality counts when you're fuelling for the long haul. Positive energy helps, too, and just around the corner on Bourke Street, it's buzzing at Spleen, another nocturnal stalwart. Rock music's pumping, the worn-in Chesterfields are full, the pool table's busy and happy night owls are pairing pints with cheeseburger jaffles.

Spleen's loyal fan base rewards its promise to "never, ever close early", and even in COVID's dark days, with an enforced capacity of 20, the doors stayed open until 5am, as they do every night except Sunday.

A 10-minute stroll away, Bar Ampere exudes the same open-armed welcome. Mural bedecked walls shelter a creative, colourful tribe of theatre people, chefs, concierges, and more who knock off when others are nodding off. "You might see the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with their instruments or the team from Vue de Monde," says owner Ben Luzz.

An absinthe fountain, rare herbal liquors and classy comfort food (think eye fillet and gruyere in a steak sanga) boost the bonhomie, but the real magic is in the mix. "I've seen blokes in suits next to a skater with his board," says Luzz. "There's no dress code. As long as you enjoy a good time, our door is open." Scenes like this play out in Melbourne on any given night, he says, not just in the CBD but neighbourhoods, too, where venues packed with personality cover all tastes and everything in between.

"At 3am and beyond you have so many options," he says. "A night in Melbourne can pass quickly." He's right. We've hardly scratched the surface and already it's time for the dawn flight. I feel surprisingly chipper beside the groggy early birds heading interstate for their breakfast meetings. But they haven't benefited from eight hours of top-notch food, drink and culture along with carefully cultivated good vibes in a non-stop FIFO party. In Australia's city that never sleeps, I've discovered that fun can be remarkably fortifying.

The writer was a guest of Virgin Australia and Visit Victoria