St Kilda
It's got it all ... sandy beach, shopping, cafe's and penguins.
St Kilda
Melbourneâs most popular seaside suburb offers a well-blended mix of the old and the modern, the traditional and the eccentric, the fashionable and the casual. With the Gay community and integral part of daily life.
Busy Acland Street is like a representation of Melbourne in one strip of shops and restaurants: Boutiques compete with hip second-hand shops; within just a view steps you encounter the mouth-watering aromas of Mediterranean cuisine, the oily scent of frying fish and chips as well as the irresistible flavours of home-made cakes and scones, artfully piled up in the show window of a traditional confectionery.
On the foreshore, walkers, cyclists, skateboarders and pram-pushing parents share the palm-lined pavement; the beach and bay is popular with sunbathers as well as wind and kite surfers. Take a walk out along the Pier to the iconic kiosk. The breakwater behind the pier is home to a colony of little penguins and you can watch them waddle on shore just after sunset.
A stroll across The Esplanade Market is a Sunday ritual for many Melburnians. More than 150 stalls display the works of local artists in this open-air gallery by the sea.
The Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts on Acland Street is another important destination for art-lovers.
Many Jewish immigrants settled in and around St Kilda during and after WWII. Their influence is still clearly visible on Carlisle Street in East St Kilda, where modern cafés and bars blend with kosher butcheries and European bakeries. The Jewish Museum of Australia captures the remarkable history of Jewish settlers in Australia. Among its permanent features are an exhibition on the Jewish people of Australia and their stories as well as a timeline of Jewish history.
St Kilda has long held the image of Melbourneâs number 1 hub for pleasure seekers and until today you will find no shortage of bustling bars, restaurants, cafés and nightclubs â many of them reputed across town. Over the last century Fitzroy Street has been transformed from a classy boulevard for Melbourneâs upper-class into a shady district for prostitutes and drug-addicts and more recently into a modern strip of stylish eateries and clubs.
The historic Luna Park combines amusement with a dash of nostalgia. The park was opened in 1912, its eerie entry gate (the open mouth of Mr Moon) has become a famous icon around Australia since then. Today the old ghost trains and roller-coaster have been supplemented with a few newer rides and the park continues to attract kids and families.
- On-line ticket's for Luna Park here
Take a break from the hustle and bustle of St Kildaâs commercial districts and retreat to the idyllic Botanic Gardens, the perfect spot for an afternoon picnic on the lawn.
