“There used to be dozens of factories here,” writes Nick Gadd in Melbourne Circle. “Boot and shoe manufacturers. Wool carders, spinners and scourers. They’ve gone, to be replaced by fashion wholesalers selling imported threads … apartments and coffee houses, rare and fine wine merchants …”
“There’s something very Japanesey about the cutting edge of Collingwood,” says Dale Campisi in Melbourne Precincts. “It’s still a little bit grungy, but it’s now very at ease with its industrial backstreets; lots of creative agencies are relocating there, cafes, galleries and retailers in tow.”
Smith Street is a melting pot of cultural greatness, says Ella Stening in The Urban List. “With a bunch of cool new places opening up weekly, a long standing reputation as a hipster hub and of course the greatest Northside location, Smith Street is a melting pot of cultural greatness and a definite must on any Melburnian's list of places to explore.”
“I’m increasingly seeing changes along Smith Street,” filmmaker and Meatball & Wine Bar owner Matteo Bruno tells Delicious in its feature on ‘Everything you need to eat on Smith Street’. “These days, you can’t walk a dozen paces without stumbling across another cafe, restaurant or bar, as well as specialty tea shops, vegan venues and wholefood stores.”
Then there’s Slow Beer - “wall-to-wall of eclectic beers, passionate and knowledgeable staff who are always looking to help you find the perfect bottle and a food menu that focuses on cheese – Chris’ recommendation for the ultimate beer food – charcuterie, and light snacks that all pair perfectly with the craft beers on offer,” writes Smudge Eats. “The shelves aren’t filled with pale ales just because they’re popular, they are ensuring the stock is a balanced representation of styles, breweries and countries.”
“Take an empty warehouse, form an artistic collective and you have The Compound Interest: Centre for the Applied Arts,” writes Conde Nast Traveller. It has two galleries, an artisan printer, a bespoke motorbike builder and the indie Speakeasy Cinema.
If you’re looking for “the Mexican equivalent of an Aussie fish-and-chip shop,” go to Hotel Jesus, whose owner Matt Lane tells Broadsheet. “It’s casual, it’s fast-paced. It’s a place to drop in, have a couple of tostadas or tacos and a beer, and move on.”
On a family note, the Collingwood Children's Farm, open every day of the year, is a place where visitors can “milk the cow twice daily, bottle feed young lambs (seasonal), wander around, feed the animals, help with farm chores, go into the paddocks with the sheep and goats, cuddle a guinea pig, waddle with the ducks, feed the chooks, look for eggs or just sit and unwind under a shady tree or on the banks of the Yarra River,” says Farm.org.