Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

[merantau]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

There was a short wheel base tram that ran in West Footscray somewhere. I have a feeling it was in Rupert St but maybe that's not right. Anyway my mate told me that on the way back from school a bunch of kids would get at each end and jump alternately up and down. They could get the tram bucking so much it would break contact with the wires above and grind to a halt. Great fun.
When I was working at Essendon Tech the kids got banned from the tram for a few days as they were having berry fights (they'd come across a tree in fruit) from one end of the tram to the other. Boys just wanna have fun. (apologies to Cindy Lauper)

[Eastdog]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

Obviously 'appeal' is subjective but I reckon it is more appealing now - Hipsters love cafes, fancy beer on tap, live music and they are foodies , all of which is great, brings a lot of different types of shops and bars to an area when the hipsters come in. As long as it doesn't go too hipster, like Fitzroy or something.

I live in Preston which is similar to Footscray in many ways - Caucasian through to the 80s, then an influx of Middle-Eastern / Asian immigrants, and now an influx of hipsters. that mixture of multicultural - suburban / hipster is fine by me.

(I grew up in Laverton and Sunshine when the west was largely Caucasian).

I don't have any memory of it but I lived in Preston after I was born. The inner north as you have said is very similar to the inner west with the gratification. The Brunswick area is very hipster.

[Webby]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

One. And. A. Quarter. Million. Dollars?!?

Oh well. It was always going to happen. Vale the '80s when half a dozen if us could rent a four bedroom house in Footscray for $60 a week.

Yep, well I tell a slight lie. Just looked it up and it was $1.205M rather than $1.25M, but what's $45k in the scheme of things? (Probably the house itself in 1980..!)

With stamp duty, I suppose it's nearly $1.27M..

[Twodogs]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

Yep, well I tell a slight lie. Just looked it up and it was $1.205M rather than $1.25M, but what's $45k in the scheme of things? (Probably the house itself in 1980..!)

With stamp duty, I suppose it's nearly $1.27M..

In 1980 you could have bought two houses in Footscray with 45k I reckon.

[Axe Man]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

I don't have any memory of it but I lived in Preston after I was born. The inner north as you have said is very similar to the inner west with the gratification. The Brunswick area is very hipster.

Maybe try Grey Street in St Kilda if you are looking for "gratification"!

[Sedat]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

There are still those issues (well, that particular issue) in Footscray. It's just not as in your face but you see it going on all over the place.

It's still common in Prahran and Windsor, as well as Collingwood and Fitzroy and Brunswick/Northcote - these suburbs just have better PR managers

Although not for much longer - Footscray is (rightfully) getting fantastic press with its vibrant and diverse artist/musician/dining scene. Follow where the artists and musicians move to and watch that suburb flourish shortly thereafter.

[Sedat]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

I live in Preston which is similar to Footscray in many ways - Caucasian through to the 80s, then an influx of Middle-Eastern / Asian immigrants, and now an influx of hipsters. that mixture of multicultural - suburban / hipster is fine by me.

Same here Stef - it's a great mix, and after 12 years of leafy inner east dullness it has been fantastic moving back to the north. Never thought I'd say this but Reservoir will become the next hipster/artist enclave. Already slowly starting to happen in Regent/Gilbert Rd area.

[Murphy'sLore]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

Yep, no doubt about it, Rezzy is the new Thornbury

[Twodogs]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

It's still common in Prahran and Windsor, as well as Collingwood and Fitzroy and Brunswick/Northcote - these suburbs just have better PR managers

Although not for much longer - Footscray is (rightfully) getting fantastic press with its vibrant and diverse artist/musician/dining scene. Follow where the artists and musicians move to and watch that suburb flourish shortly thereafter.

Having been addicted for as long as I was I may be a bit more attuned to it perhaps but I see the trade going on all over the place. I saw someone inject themselves on a train last week. They were discreet-I will give them that-because I think I was the only one on the carriage who noticed.

[Bornadog]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

It's still common in Prahran and Windsor,

That is only the blow ins.

[Remi Moses]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

Maybe try Grey Street in St Kilda if you are looking for "gratification"!

There are some places in Stkilda you'll see gratification you don't want .

[Eastdog]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

Yep, no doubt about it, Rezzy is the new Thornbury

Thomastown, Epping, Lalor (areas once considered on the outskirts Melbourne) even these areas are starting to increase in value obviously not as fast as Thornbury, Northcote etc.

[merantau]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

Any hipsters spotted in Braybrook yet? Seriously, I do not know how people cope with the commute from the eastern suburbs into the city. Indeed the commute from the western suburbs (some of them at least) must be just as bad. There are places out west I'd never heard of - Delahaye, Tarneit, Truganina, Watergardens - the west is huge now. When I was living in Braybrook the west ended at Deer Park and Sunshine West. Beyond that it was all scotch thistles, falling down dry stone walls and tiger snakes.

[Eastdog]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

Any hipsters spotted in Braybrook yet? Seriously, I do not know how people cope with the commute from the eastern suburbs into the city. Indeed the commute from the western suburbs (some of them at least) must be just as bad. There are places out west I'd never heard of - Delahaye, Tarneit, Truganina, Watergardens - the west is huge now. When I was living in Braybrook the west ended at Deer Park and Sunshine West. Beyond that it was all scotch thistles, falling down dry stone walls and tiger snakes.

Yes it has changed a lot thats for sure. The councils of Wydnham, Melton, Hume, Whittlesea, Cardania etc are some of the faster growing regions now of the city. Melton, Dandenong, Werribee etc were once considered more country towns but not anymore as the population is growing so rapidly the city growth boundary has expanded even further. Wallan now is considered apart of metro Melbourne.

[jeemak]

Re: Footscray: melting pot turned hipster hotspot

Having been addicted for as long as I was I may be a bit more attuned to it perhaps but I see the trade going on all over the place. I saw someone inject themselves on a train last week. They were discreet-I will give them that-because I think I was the only one on the carriage who noticed.

That is only the blow ins.

It's probably not just the blow-ins BAD. Particularly with meth, that stuff's indiscriminate and people from all suburbs and all walks of life hit it.

I lived just near Victoria Street Richmond/Abbottsford for a number of years and it was rife through there. I found the more I looked out for it the more I could see it.

As for Footscray, the reality is if I want to buy close to the city it's likely I'll be doing so either west or north. Having worked on Footscray road for a couple of years recently the idea has grown on me. There's something authentic about the community that isn't tangible, and as it gentrifies it's slowly becoming more appealing to people like my partner.