CONTINUING TO GENTRIFY
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St Kilda continues to gentrify, as evidenced by it being the suburb of choice for two seasons of The Block.
A diverse mix of residents, its bohemian and druggie residents remain but they are much smaller part of the populace now as they are replaced by high income hipsters, professionals and downsizers.
Only circa 6 km from the CBD and beachside, it is not hard to understand why St Kilda continues to gentrify, having moved from an elite Melbourne suburb in Victorian times to a low-income rooming houses and red-light district post World War Two, to bohemian in the 1970s, then gentrification circa early 2000s.
The influx of outer suburb visitors – particularly on summer nights and with it, traffic and some anti-social behaviour, are sources of annoyance to some St Kilda residents.
Visitors are drawn by the beach, St Kilda Pier, the Palais Theatre, Esplanade Hotel and the wide range of cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars.
Some of my favourites, Cicciolina on Acland Street, including its great back bar. Fitzrovia on Fitzroy Street for breakfast. Paper Fish on the beach front next to Stokehouse is one of Melbourne’s best “people watching” spots on a summer’s night.
Its housing stock is also diverse – Victorian, Edwardian and other historic housing mixed with numerous apartments from each decade from the 1920s through to newly built.
St Kilda is one of the most densely populated Melbourne post codes and I anticipate it will become even more so. The new St Moritz 130 luxury unit development on the Esplanade is a good example of St Kilda’s transformation, both in terms of higher density, 130 apartments, and a higher income demographic, as evidenced by the personal chauffeur, in-house wine curator etc.
St Kilda’s Botanical Gardens are a wonderful community asset.
St Kilda is probably more “street specific” than any other Melbourne suburb in terms of the quality of living, for example there are lots of backpacker accommodations and for backpackers, every night is a Saturday night! Plus a lot of infill apartment and townhouse development taking place. A such, it requires a high degree of due diligence when buying.
As a Melbourne Buyers Agent, I recommend it to my clients with a tolerance for a degree of edge, wanting an inner-city lifestyle with a strong sense of community at an affordable price point relative to the southern side of the Yarra.
Last update: 5 Apr 2023