Melbourne Suburb Guide

Without having lived in every suburb, it’s hard to have a definitive view on every aspect of a place. I’ve tried to summarise a few of my thoughts on a few of the suburbs in Melbourne. These are based on what I’ve experienced/ friends I’ve talked to/ things people say on Reddit. As always, consider what you look for in a neighbourhood and every person’s experience is individual and unique.

Central

• CBD or Southbank is very central and you might end up not having to pay for a commute with a lot of the space covered by the free tram route.
• Living in the city centre can be noisy and apartments are often small and/ or expensive
• Docklands is also central, but is still a developing area and lacks culture and identity. Windy. Supply exceeds demand so you possibly can find a good deal on a place.
• Hotspots: Docklands library, Harbourtown, everything in the city
• Eats: too many to list

North

• Brunswick is a big suburb. Lots of good eating places but somewhat spaced out. Having a car helps.
• North Melbourne will be a bit of a hot spot soon with a new train station being developed and its close proximity to the city. Handy to a few unis and Queen Vic Market.
• Carlton next door is a mix of student-life (due to nearby Melbourne University and RMIT) and the minor Italian influence of Lygon St.
• Hotspots: Melbourne Uni, RMIT, Queen Vic market
• Eats: Lolo & Wren, Scopri, Brunetti, Beatrix, Hellenic Republic

Inner East

• Fitzroy and Collingwood is hipster central. Lots of vegan, vegetarian food and is funky with the just the right level of grime. Lots of food in general.
• Hotspots: bars, shopping
• Eats: Rockwell & Sons, Gelato Messina, Wabi Sabi Salon, Aka Siro, Huxtaburger

East

• Richmond, Cremorne and Abbotsford have a lot of variety in homes, some big, some small. It’s close to the sporting arenas and well connected in trains and pubs.
• Hotspots: bars, MCG, Rod Laver Arena, Victoria St, Bridge Rd, Victoria Gardens mall IKEA)
• Eats: Kong, I Love Pho, Phuoc Tranh

West

• Footscray is a gentrifying area. It has a strong ethnic neighbourhood and a great market. Good public transport links and lot of new developments coming up.
• Hotspots: Footscray Market, restaurants (ethnic especially)
• Eats: Roti Road, Up in Smoke, 8bit, Lentil as Anything

South East

• St Kilda is the central to the closest beach here, it gets a lot of visitors but is only connected via tram routes. Very pretty.
• Albert Park, Middle Park and South Melbourne are also along the way and feature some very expensive waterview property.
• Hotspots: South Melbourne Market, South Melbourne beach, St Kilda Beach, Acland St, Luna Park
• Eats: Bibelot, Agathe, St Ali

South

• South Yarra, Prahran and Windsor represents the south of the Yarra. It goes from upmarket to grungy in that order along Chapel Street.
• South Yarra has the title of Melbourne’s “most liveable suburb” but is getting a bit crowded with all the skyscrapers.
• Also well connected to trains.
• Hotspots: clubs, bars, Prahran market, shopping
• Eats: Master Roll, Mr Miyagi, Hawker Hall, Hanoi Hannah