Living In Richmond

Richmond is a suburb of Melbourne, just 3km south-east of the CBD. Due to its outlook on the Yarra river bend, it’s named after Richmond Hill in London, which isn’t far from BBM’s lovely London office. Richmond has a population of just over 26,000, and is known for its great food, great shopping and great live music, all for decent prices that won’t upset your wallet.

What’s in Richmond…

Richmond is notorious for its varied demographics which all mix in with each other. The northern region of the suburb is known as ‘Little Vietnam’ and is based around Victoria Street, which is packed full of Vietnamese restaurants, bakeries and Asian shops. If there’s one thing you can be certain of in this area, it’s that you’ll never go hungry. There’s Thai, Korean, Greek, pies, pizza, tofu, Chinese, burgers – pretty much something to satisfy every empty stomach that walks by.

A place regularly frequented by the locals (so you know it’s good) is Rowena Parade Corner Store, just between Richmond Station and Bridge Road. Here their aim is to recreate the community-centred cafes of Europe, and luckily for us, they’ve made amazing food part of that package. The kitchens are open daily from 8am till 3pm, supplying breakfast, snacks, meals and burgers, along with coffee, tea, milkshakes – you get the picture. Why on earth would you have a normal BLT when you can have a BELTAC? – Bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese. Exactly, you know it makes sense.

If Mexican is what you’re feeling, then we suggest you head towards Fonda Mexican on Swan Street. This place is just as colourful on the inside as it is on the out, dishing up classic Mexican food such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas – some of which have an original Aussie twist on them. Here the music is playing, the drinks are flowing and the prices are low – it’s not one to miss out on.

If you’re not in the mood for a hearty meal, there are plenty of classic Melbourne cafes dotted around. We’re told Demitri’s Feast, Friends of Mine, Old Barber Shop Cafe, New York Tomato and Pillar of Salt are all great spots for a coffee and a catch-up.

Of course you’ll need something to work up that appetite in the first place, or to burn off all those calories afterwards. Here at BBM we reckon the best kind of exercise is the sort you don’t even realise you’re doing, such as sex, walking miles to get home when you’re drunk and shopping. That last one has Richmond written all over it. All that walking around carrying heavy bags full of bargains is enough to get any metabolism going. Richmond is second-to-none for bargain shopping, and Bridge Road and Swan Street in the south are where you want to be heading for it. All your regular high street stores next to major label factory outlets make this place really popular with tourists, as the prices are unbelievably cheap. Be sure to also check out the upcoming designer clothing stores which are beginning to pop up, as well as the small, one-off boutiques full of treats and trinkets to impress those back home. This purchaser’s paradise is easy to get to – trams 48 and 75 travel down Bridge Street, and tram 70 serves Swan Street. These can be caught from Flinders Street in Melbourne city centre. Easy.

In fact tram isn’t the only way you can reach Richmond, it’s also accessible by train too. From Flinders Street Station to Richmond Station it’s about 10 minutes on the Frankston, Cranbourne, Pakenham, Sandringham, Glen Waverley, Alamain, Lilydale and Belgrave lines.

However here at BBM we do appreciate that shopping isn’t everybody’s idea of fun. Just ask my dad every time he gets dragged into Marks & Spencer’s by my mum on a Saturday. So thankfully for those individuals, Richmond has more to offer than just shops.

It’s home to Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers – an Aussie Rules football club which belongs to the Australian Football League. In fact Richmond is one of the most successful teams in Australia – they’ve won 10 AFL Premierships. They’ve got a huge fan base not only in Richmond but also in south-east Melbourne, and their games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) regularly attract crowds of 40,000 plus. When the Tigers play fierce rivals, crowds can often swell to around 80,000. You can imagine the kind of atmosphere that is created at one of their games, so we suggest you try and make it down to one if you can. Don your black and yellow and if you have no idea what’s going on, just cheer when everyone else does.

It comes as no surprise that before an Aussie Rules match, you’re expected to have a few in the pub first. Quite frankly, it would be rude not to. Head down to the Swan, the Richmond Club Hotel, the Prince Alfred Hotel or the Great Britain to soak up some pre-footy atmosphere.

Other things to do in Richmond…

Richmond isn’t as green as some of its surrounding Melbourne suburbs, but that is not to say it lacks in parks and gardens for those who want to enjoy the outdoors. Mainly located on the suburb outskirts, they are the perfect places for picnics, sunbathing, reading your book or just relaxing after a hard day of shopping/football/eating/all three. Spots worth checking out are include Barkly Gardens, Burnley Oval and Yarra Park just nearby.

For those of you with more arty personalities, there are Richmond’s galleries and exhibitions. Albert Street is where most of these are based, and you may be lucky enough to catch the odd talk or gallery entertainment evenings when you’re there. We recommend Hell Gallery on Railway Place, as they’ve always have something quirky for you to feast your eyes on. If you want to take a little bit of it with you, head to Church Street for the quirky designer furniture and arty artefacts.

With such a mix of ethnicities comes a great mix of religions too, and that means churches, synagogues, mosques etc. What we’re trying to get at here is that Richmond has some beautiful buildings dotted around, and for those of you with photography streaks in them, there is some great architecture to be shot. Other buildings worth checking out are Richmond Power Station built in 1891, Richmond Town Hall and The Malthouse.

Nightlife in Richmond…

Remember that great live music we mentioned right at the start? Well Richmond is notorious for it. It’s said that Richmond has a pub on every corner, and we reckon that is pretty much the case! If you’ve been in Melbourne for a while, we are more than certain that will have already heard of the Corner Hotel. If you haven’t, then we suggest you come out from underneath that rock. Located on Swan Street, if a band is worth seeing, they will be playing at the Corner. They’ve got great live music, from the up and coming bands who are just on the brink of making it big, and the ones who already have. There is also a great rooftop bar where you can sip your cheap bevies.

If you’re looking for somewhere a bit more sophisticated then we point you in the direction of Collection- a cocktail bar on Bridge Road with a great menu. They’ve also got live jazz sessions on a Sunday. They also serve wine, South American themed food and they’ve even got cocktail classes so you can have a go as making their tasty drinks yourself.

A few of our other favourite watering holes in Richmond include Scarlett Lounge – a Moroccan themed bar with a dance floor and buzzing atmosphere, 9T4 – the place to go after Corner with live band on weekends and The London – your classic sports tavern with big drinks and big meals.

Accommodation in Richmond…

Just like pretty much everything else in Richmond, there is also accommodation to suit every budget and every need. For those of you wanting to keep things cheap, hostel rooms start at around $25 per person per night in a shared dorm room. Private rooms are around $40 per person a night. For those wanting to spend a little more, there are places which rent out small apartments for small groups, for short term stays – which cost around $100-$150 a night for singles and couples, and $125-$200 a night for groups of three. Those wanting to stay a little longer in Richmond also have apartments available for them where rent costs around $150-$250 a week. If you’re looking for cheap furniture, don’t forget there is IKEA Richmond just down the road!

Perfect for…

We think Richmond is perfect for bargain hunters, shopaholics, food lovers, Aussie Rules fans, and art/architecture appreciators.

By Hannah Kurzawski

Check out what’s on in Melbourne