Hosier Lane and the CBD laneways aside, Melbourne owes its status as ‘cool’ to the city’s Northern Suburbs.
These hipster, trendy areas offer a booming coffee culture and a quirky bar scene. Visit the Northern Suburbs to see the backbone of Melbourne’s cool, eclectic nature.
The Northern Suburbs of Melbourne are well known as the city’s hipster areas.
With busy streets lined with slate grey, exposed brick and classic Victorian roofing, the Northern Suburbs are a gentrified part of Melbourne that offers its own eclectic and unique character.
Don’t be fooled by its grey industrial colours, the culture of the Northern Suburbs is vivid!
There’s always plenty going on around this unique part of Melbourne.
The Northern suburbs offer a mashup of art, music, and culture like no other spot in Melbourne.
The Northern Suburbs are…
- Brunswick (and Brunswick East/West)
- Fitzroy
- Carlton
- Northcote
- Collingwood
- Preston
- Coburg
Brunswick
With tightly packed buildings, hidden warehouse-converted coffee shops using recycled materials, and plenty of second-hand stores, Brunswick is a chilled suburb with plenty going on.
It’s one of the most bustling spots in the Northern Suburbs.
Split into Brunswick, Brunswick East and Brunswick West, this part of Melbourne is a melting pot of multicultural eateries, quirky bars and music venues.
Sydney Road is the bustling backbone of Brunswick, with plenty of eateries, shops, event spaces, bars and cafes all tightly piled onto the street.
On the other side, Brunswick East’s Lygon Street feeds up from Carlton. This area is slightly more spaced out and modern, as a home to hipster wine bars, minimalist restaurants, and modern-looking cafes.
For a splash of nature in the Brunswick area, you can join the Merri Creek trail.
Fitzroy
Closer to the CBD, Fitzroy is packed with high-end restaurants and single-fronted, Victorian-esque eateries. Fitzroy takes the status of being the original ‘hipster’ and progressive suburb of Melbourne.
A quintessential suburb for small boutique venues, jazzy wine bars and intimate candlelit dinners. Also home to high-end hat restaurants, Fitzroy’s finest are dotted along Gertrude Street.
Look up, and you’ll catch a contrast between the pretty Victorian architecture with urban artwork and graffiti.
Around the weekend? Catch the Fitzroy Markets, which are every weekend, from 9 until 3.
Collingwood
Not far from the Northern fringe of the CBD, and just a suburb over from Fitzroy, Collingwood is easily accessible via Fitzroy. Hosting a similar vibe to its neighbour Fitzroy, Collingwood has plenty of cafes and restaurants that range from chilled and laid back to lavishly high-end.
Check out a gig at Collingwood’s live music venues, or bar-hop around the suburb. Check out the urban breweries for a delicious craft beer, or explore the many art galleries or museums.
Similar to its neighbouring suburb, Fitzroy – head to Collingwood for a tasty meal in a quaint Melbourne street, or sip coffee in a cosy cafe.
Coburg
Coburg is a very Northern suburb, which is slightly more residential than its southern counterparts, but it’s home to the Pentridge Complex. Head to the Pentridge Complex Cinema on a Tuesday for cheap cinema tickets!
Feeling a bit spooky? You can take a Pentridge Prison tour through the old prison.
Preston
If you’re fancying a journey that’s really out of the CBD, head up even further north to Preston. For some quality food, check out the Preston Markets. There’s a whole array of different cuisines that you can sample at the Preston Markets, so get yourself over to the markets for some tasty cuisines from all over the world.