An arty, grungey, creative, diverse inner city suburb with plenty of heart.
Collingwood, Melbourne (inner north)
Welcome to the living kaleidoscope. Collingwood is home to eco warriors, gays, young creatives, artists, grungey types, professionals, retro furniture fans, organic coffee gurus, people with a colourful past, and welfare recipients. It is the Newtown of Sydney (but grungier), the East Village of NY and the Islington of London. So, if you come here and get bored, check you haven’t had a lobotomy. (More info below and to your left <<<)
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Inner city, Near Melbourne Uni/RMIT/Shillington College
Victorian cottages, warehouse conversions
Would Suit:
Singles, Professionals, Gay/lesbian, Students
can be hard. Plenty of restricted parking
Vibe:
Global village
Converse sneakers
Collingwood has its own Aussie Rules football team (the Magpies - ‘Carn the Pies!’), plenty of narrow streets, row upon row of Victorian cottages - some brick, some timber, dozens of warehouses that are either still used for industrial/business purposes or have been converted into homes; and several tall public housing buildings - of the ugly variety.
The main shopping street, Smith St, is a study in diversity. The food here varies from good to great with everything from vegetarian to Turkish, Japanese, Vietnamese, Greek, South American, Italian and organic. The people who shop and hang out here range from the long term unemployed to creative professional types.
There are a good number of bars, and plenty of pubs. Some of the best pubs are tucked away in side streets. Convicted criminal and at times a celebrity, Chopper Read, is a Collingwood man. He likes having a drink at the Leinster Arms Hotel (cnr gold and Hotham streets).
There is a huge number of gay bars in Collingwood. For more information, go to "cafes bars restaurants".
The bottom end of Smith St in Collingwood has a good number of outlet stores - most, but not all, are sports oriented shops.
Historically, Collingwood has been home to the poor, working classes and wave upon wave of migrants. Now, because of its proximity to the city, there is a much larger variety of people. One thing though, you won't find rich people here because it's still way too raw and grungey for them.
Nearby Abbotsford is a more residential version of Collingwood. It too has become popular with the left leaning arty intelligentsia. But it also still has a large number of southern European families and old timers who have been there for years and years. Sometimes junkies like to hang out in the back lanes of Abbotsford.
Parking: can be very hard in and around Smith street. There is plenty of restricted parking. Vibe: Non-judgemental, global village. Shoe: Birkenstocks, runners. Would suit: 18+, singles, professionals, gays/lesbians, students, travelers. Location: inner city, near Melbourne University. Distance from city centre: 3km. Direction: north-east.
