Qantas (Melbourne) Domestic Business Class Lounge Review:
Upon checking in for my flight from Melbourne to Sydney at MEL’s Terminal 1, I headed to the Qantas Business Class Lounge. Having done some research online, I got to know that my friend who was traveling on the same flight in Economy will be able to join me in the lounge as I am allowed to bring one guest in with my business class ticket.
Excited for my very first business class lounge experience, I headed to the airport earlier than usual to allow for a comfortable 2 hours stay in the lounge to utilize the various facilities and perks available from the bubbles to the buffet spread and also the shower room.
Qantas has two types of domestic lounges: The Qantas Club and also the Qantas Domestic Business Lounge. Qantas Clubs are much more common whereas the Qantas Domestic Business Lounges are only available in major cities like Sydney and Melbourne where access is more restricted. You need oneworld Emerald status or to be flying in a premium cabin to get access to the Domestic Business Lounge.
The grand entrance to the Qantas Club and Business Class Lounge at Melbourne. You can find the lounge on the right hand side of the departures concourse after security clearance. 
The lounge is actually located on the upper level after entering the entrance in the earlier picture. First sight of the lounge as per above after presenting my boarding pass for inspection and also informing the staff that I am bringing in a guest with me. 
Passing through the Qantas Club area, occupancy was quite high that evening with most seats taken up, the lounge has a large floor area with vast seating options. 
Walked all the way straight and I arrived at the dedicated business class lounge which features a separate entrance, offering much more privacy and was less crowded compared to the Qantas Club. 
A preview of the seating area in the Business Class lounge, note that it has a smaller floor space compared to the Qantas Club. 
The international terminal can be spotted from the lounge, featuring Emirates and Air New Zealand. 
The precious boarding pass that got me and my friend access into the lounge, with a lovely backdrop of the QF birds (or roos rather). 
First stop, the buffet spread with various cold and hot food options. 
Lamb skewers and pita bread was the hot food option when I just arrived at the lounge but it was later changed to Thai Green curry chicken with rice. I suppose the options change throughout the day hence the change of mains as the evening progressed.
A snapshot of some of the rounds I had. Decent food I must say but wished there were more hot food options. 
Enough said about food now, what about the drinks? 😛
Ample amount of beverages including juices and soft drinks to alcoholic drinks were offered (including bubbles!). 
Cheers to my first pre-flight bubbles.
Besides having the self service F&B options, I was pleasantly surprised when the staff came round with food served on small plates and also drinks like the cocktail above. Pardon my virgin business class lounge experience (perhaps this is a usual occurance in other lounges as well?) but it was definitely a nice touch. 
Sorry I couldn’t resist them bubbles before this shot was taken hence the almost empty glass. 
A mandatory visit to the lavatory. After all those free flow drinks, how can one not? 😛
Also had a try of the shower rooms as above, felt great to have a warm shower just before flying. 
Bath towels and other amenities (toothbrush, shaver and cream) can be requested from the reception at the entrance of the Business Class lounge. 
Big shower area.
Another angle of the shower room. 
Some other facilities available within the lounge includes a computer area. 
Interesting that there was an option to go for the Mac or Windows OS.
Reading materials ranging from magazines to newspapers were also available at the reading corner where the windowless seating area is located. 
After approximately 2 hours in the lounge, the dark sky along with the FIDS indicated that it was time for me to head to the boarding gate for my flight to Sydney!
A quick peek at the food options for Qantas Club on the way to the exit.
Seemed similar to the offerings in the Business Class lounge but I did not notice any hot food options. 
A final farewell upon leaving the massive Qantas lounge here at MEL T1.
Conclusion:
*Disclaimer: Given this is my very first business class lounge visit, I do not have any comparison to benchmark it against.
Overall, both the Qantas Club and the Domestic Business Lounge at MEL seem to offer decent amount of facilities for status holders or pax travelling in premium cabins. The vast amount of floor space which offers a lot of seating options is very much appreciated. Staffs within the lounge were friendly, food options were good though I wished there were more hot food options. I am not entirely sure if most domestic business class lounges on other airlines offer the shower room facility but this is definitely a plus (perhaps it is available mainly for connecting passengers from other international destinations)! Also, good amount of computers available for use besides the spread of reading materials and finally a good view of the apron and the runway will mean that one can never run out of things to do in the lounge before your flight departs! 🙂
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