Top image: Romer’s Emily Heazlewood.

Romer is a free app to help people discover and explore experiences with friends. Users swipe left or right on options for dining, drink and picnic spots, as well as a range of outdoor adventures. In other words, it helps suggest things for people to do, and they can then decide if they want to add it to their itinerary. Pretty helpful in a place with a plethora of options like Melbourne, no?

The app was created this past November by 22-year-old Emily Heazlewood. Since then, it has been downloaded more than 20,000 times and has amassed more than 1,000,000 swipes on activities, or “Romes.” In other words, it’s been a hit pretty much since day one.

Heazlewood says the idea of launching in Melbourne just makes sense business-wise. “Melbourne is bursting with vibrant people and things to do,” she explains. “It is the food and drink capital of Australia, has countless world-class cultural attractions, and incredible outdoor activities at the city’s doorstep, so I’m really excited to be launching Romer here.”

In fact, she says, expanding to Melbourne was basically always part of the plan. “I was in Melbourne last year not long after the idea for Romer first came to me. It was then that I realised how valuable it would’ve been to have something at my fingertips which would make me discover the best of what’s on offer.

“Whether it’s finding the hottest spots to sip a spritzer, trying the city’s best eggs benny (eggs benedict), eating a fairy floss (cotton dandy) dessert burger, trying your hand at free salsa dancing after a few margaritas, or renting a classic car to explore [the] Yarra Valley in style; there’ll never be a dull moment.”

Romer launches in Melbourne with more than 200 experiences, and Romes can be added publicly by users.

Beyond Melbourne, Heazlewood plans to take Romer to more Australian cities over the next few months.

The app can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Google Play.