An inner city bayside suburb with plenty of professionals and history.
Port Melbourne, Melbourne (inner south)
Even a couple of decades ago if you said you lived in Port Melbourne, people would feel sorry for you because Port Melbourne was working class, rough, and its docks were run by gangsters and communists. Today, it's one of the most expensive places to live with plenty of cafes, bars, pricey apartments and houses, highly paid professionals and some would say tossers. (More information below and to your left <<<)
Port Melbourne is one hell of a windy place. It is a suburb with a mix of the old and the new.
Decades ago, Greeks who migrated to Melbourne and landed at the dock in Port Melbourne, also settled in Port Melbourne and worked in local car manufacturing and other factories. Other migrant groups settled here too giving the suburb a great vibe and sense of community. More recently Asian and African immigrants have followed suit.
But as industries in Port Melbourne closed down, property developers moved in along with young professionals with moola who like hanging out in bars and eating out. So now, there are a couple of snooty areas within Port Melbourne - including Beacon Cove and Garden City.
Many of the small Victorian cottages in Port Melbourne have been renovated and are now only affordable if you earn mega bucks. The public housing section is known to some as Little Baghdad. But it's nowhere near that bad. In fact, like all of Melbourne's public housing areas, it's quite tame.
The local shopping strip has a village feel to it and a large variety of food and clothing stores. It has a good vibe and because it is so self contained living here does not require trips to large shopping malls.
Parking can be hard especially in the summer and on Friday and Saturday nights. Shoe equivalent: Aquila and thongs. Vibe: suits with drinks in apartments with views. Would suit: anyone who can afford to live there, but is hugely popular with people in their 20's - 50's and professionals. Location: Bayside, inner south. Distance from city centre: 5km. Direction: South.
