DIVERSE AND CONVENIENT
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Richmond is arguably one of the most conveniently located inner city suburbs – easy access to the CBD and potentially walkable if you reside in the western section of Richmond – otherwise a short train or tram trip.
The suburb has a great range of cafes, restaurants and bars, particularly centred around Swan Street.
Foodies are also well-serviced by numerous large supermarkets and the Saturday morning Gleadell Street fresh food market.
Richmond’s neighbouring or nearby suburbs offer lots of amenities.
- Burnley – Victoria Gardens shopping centre/cinemas.
- Collingwood – Smith Street cafes/restaurants/retail (named by Time Out magazine as the world’s coolest street).
- Abbotsford – Victoria Street Vietnamese restaurants.
- South Yarra immediately across the river – Botanical Gardens, cafes, restaurants and retail stores.
Richmond is great for sports fans, with the MCG, Rod Laver Arena/Melbourne and Olympic Park all a short distance away and generally within walking distance or a short tram trip. For people living active lifestyles, there are numerous gyms, yoga studios, the river trail and “the tan” for running and cycling, Melbourne Park for tennis etc.
Not so good is the traffic – particularly on its Punt Road border. Then again, where in inner city Melbourne do we not have traffic issues?
Availability of parking is at times challenging.
Richmond receives some critical press regarding drug issues, although this tends to be concentrated in the northern section the suburb especially the streets on and surrounding the Medically Supervised Injecting Room in Lennox Street. Drug users are a relatively common sight on Victoria Street bordering Abbotsford.
Richmond’s housing stock could be viewed as “interesting” or architecturally inconsistent dependent on your bias! It is a mix of Victorian and Edwardian single and double fronters, most having been renovated, warehouses and factories of various periods converted to residential, Housing Commission – both low and high rise, modern multi-unit both townhouses and apartments – of varying architectural merit and build quality, 1940s to 1980s apartment blocks and some great modern single dwellings.
The Bridge Road retail precinct, formerly one of Melbourne’s retail hubs is seeing increased high density residential development.
As a Melbourne Buyers Agent, I generally see Richmond as best suited for singles and couples, however I think increasingly it is being viewed by families as an attractive inner city family living option.
Last update: 4 Mar 2023