From the late 19th century, prosperous merchants and gentry built their mansions on the Richmond hill, writes Nick Gadd in Melbourne Circle, “while industry was carried on down below in the low-lying areas near the river.”
Eating and shopping in Richmond could occupy you fulltime, says Amy Cooper in Traveller. "I've lived here for a year and haven't even begun to discover everything," says Georgia, who works at the Boo Radley boutique on Bridge Road. We gamely munch through Mexican, Japanese, pub group, vegetarian and a meatball-only menu and feel we've only just begun. Victoria Street's Little Saigon strip of Vietnamese eateries is another delicious snapshot of Melbourne's culinary cultural make-up and Slowbeer is a temple of craft beer.”
Richmond has undergone a culinary revolution, says Cara Waters in The Guardian. “The former centre of Melbourne’s rag trade, filled with old warehouses and tiny workers cottages, wasn’t always a dining destination,” but a swathe of new apartments is bringing a new generation of diners to Richmond. “For restaurant owners, rents are cheaper than the CBD while the suburb is still close to the city and well served by public transport … it helps that Richmond has always been the Switzerland of Melbourne.
“Victoria Street is reminiscent of Ho Chi Minh City, with Vietnamese sights, sounds, aromas and restaurants everywhere,” writes Frommer’s Easy Guide to Australia.