Fitzroy Melbourne — Brunswick Street bohemian neighbourhood with street art, bars, and Victorian terraces

Melbourne

Fitzroy / Collingwood

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Good

Melbourne's original bohemian strip — Brunswick Street restaurants, street art laneways, vinyl shops, and the densest bar-per-block ratio.

Melbourne's original bohemian strip — Brunswick Street restaurants, street art laneways, vinyl shops, and the city's densest bar-per-block ratio. Fitzroy and Collingwood are where Melbourne's creative class has always lived, and the neighbourhood has retained an authenticity that the more southern suburbs have lost to gentrification.

Scores

9/10

Walkability

8/10

Transit

3/10

Price

9/10

Local feel

9/10

Nightlife

6/10

Family-friendly

8/10

Centrality

What you gain

  • ↑Brunswick Street is the finest eating and drinking street in Melbourne: from Cutler & Co's acclaimed Australian fine dining to the Thai restaurants of Smith Street and the natural wine bars of Johnston Street, the concentration of independent restaurants per block in Fitzroy exceeds comparable streets in Sydney, Auckland, or any other Australasian city
  • ↑Collingwood's street art district (Smith Street to Johnston Street) contains some of the finest commissioned mural work in Australia: the combination of the iconic Collingwood tram, industrial heritage buildings, and the rotating mural programme makes the 20-minute walk from Fitzroy through Collingwood one of the best street photography circuits in the country
  • ↑The Fitzroy / Collingwood bar scene is the most consistently excellent in Melbourne: from the 1970s dive bar aesthetic of the Standard Hotel to the craft beer density of Stomping Ground to the cocktail bars on Smith Street that open until 3am — the neighbourhood operates at a quality level that its prices have not yet fully caught up with

What you sacrifice

  • ↓Friday and Saturday nights in Fitzroy generate significant noise: the bar strip on Brunswick Street and the pubs on Smith Street are loud until 2am, and accommodation within earshot of the main strips requires ear protection
  • ↓The tram network is the primary transport from Fitzroy to the CBD (10 minutes on the 86 tram) — the absence of a Fitzroy metro station means that accessing the CBD during tram disruptions requires rideshare

Best for

those wanting the most authentic and creative Melbourne neighbourhood experiencefood and bar enthusiasts who want the city's best independent scenestreet art and cultural visitors interested in Melbourne's contemporary creative culture

Avoid if

families with young children who need a quieter basethose whose priority is proximity to Federation Square and the CBD cultural precinct — Fitzroy is 2km north which requires a tram

Other Melbourne neighbourhoods

CBD / Southbank

The cultural precinct along the Yarra — NGV, Arts Centre, Federation Square, hidden laneways, and tram access to everything.

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Richmond / East Melbourne

MCG and Rod Laver Arena on the doorstep — Swan Street Vietnamese dining and elegant East Melbourne for a quiet stay.

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Prahran / South Yarra

Chapel Street boutiques, Prahran Market, and Royal Botanic Gardens — Melbourne's affluent fashion-and-brunch precinct.

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