Fitzroy & Carlton

With one day left in Melbourne, we decided to spend it close to the city centre. The highway traffic from the airport wasn’t congestive and we were able to arrive at our destination in 20 minutes. The destination in question was the neighbourhood known as Fitzroy. I had briefly walked past the area during my first days in Melbourne but didn’t have the time to explore it . . . until now.

Fitzroy was Melbourne’s first suburb, created in 1839. In 1858, the suburb became a municipality, home to working class families due to the surrounding factories and industrial sites. Several religious and philanthropic charitable organizations were established in the neighbourhood to address the problems of poverty and slums. The area became more socially diverse after the Second World War, being populated by Italian, Irish, Chinese, and Vietnamese immigrants. Gentrification of Fitzroy occurred during the 1980s & 1990s when the old manufacturing complexes and warehouses were converted into apartments.

My brother parked the rental car on Brunswick Street, the main road artery that runs through the centre of Fitzroy. We stepped out into the warm morning weather and walked along the sidewalk. Brunswick Street is the street that defines the neighbourhood because all the culture and history is here. Many of the old buildings still remain while some are refurbished to look more modern. On this street, the tallest building is only 4 storeys. The neighbourhood culture I would have to say is contemporary / avant garde. Fitzroy is one of the centres of Melbourne’s contemporary art scene, boasting many art galleries, studios, and street artists. If you’re in to ‘the weird’ styles of 20th century art (basically all of it) then this is the place to find it. Of course, no artsy neighbourhood would be complete without pubs & cafes, and Fitzroy have plenty to offer. There are also avant garde retail stores for curious shoppers.

We stopped by a local café to have a light breakfast. I forget the café’s name but from what I can remember, there was coffee, juice, and French toast for a reasonable price. The café was empty until we left; a group of university students (I think) dropped in to grab a bite and debate something. We continued walking up Brunswick Street (towards downtown) window shopping and looking at the old school architecture. After some time we crossed over and walked down the other side of the street in the opposite direction . . . window shopping and looking at the old school architecture.

We made it back to the rental car just before the parking ticket expired. The next neighbourhood on our list was Carlton, located next to Fitzroy with the Carlton Gardens serving as the border between the two. I now found myself on familiar territory because I had previously walked through this neighbourhood when I first arrived in Melbourne. The Carlton suburb was established in 1865 and is known for its Victorian architecture and Little Italy precinct on Lygon Street. The Italian Mafia used to have an influence in the neighbourhood but not anymore.

Similar to Fitzroy’s Brunswick Street, Lygon Street is lined with cafés, pubs, and retail stores, but there are also bookstores, wine stores, and fancy restaurants to be found. We spent quite a bit of time in one bookstore before meeting up with an old American friend of my brother’s who was studying law at the University of Melbourne. For lunch we ate at an Italian pizza restaurant, ordering two pizzas and two pitchers of Coke. Over the course of the meal, we talked about the past, what we were doing in the present, and about our plans for the future. Overall the food was okay but the service was a bit slow because the place was packed and pedestrians were walking between the restaurant and the front patio eating area.

After parting with our American friend, we headed back to the rental car, wondering what to do next. Wanting to go somewhere green & quiet, my mother recommended visiting the Fitzroy Gardens, located to the south of the Fitzroy neighbourhood. The gardens span 26 hectares forming a large rectangular green space filled with crisscrossing paths, fountains, ponds, lawns, and statues. It’s sort of like a mini Central Park where Melbournians come to get away from the sounds of city. When we started our walk through the Gardens there were some energetic people playing a game of cricket. I don’t think they were keeping score.

While walking along one of the main paths, there was one attraction that caught my eye and it was the Model Tudor Village. It was given to the city as a gift from the people of Lambeth, south London, for sending food parcels to the British during the Second World War. As I photographed the miniature village I imagined staging a prank where I placed hundreds of Imperial Stormtrooper toys (from Star Wars) all around the village to make it look like it had been conquered for the Galactic Empire.

We spent at least 90 minutes walking around the park, photographing the sites, and sitting on park benches watching the world go by. Before heading back to the hotel we decided to stop in the Spanish district and have an afternoon drink. Luckily, we found a hotel pub that was selling drinks at reduced prices. After having a couple of beers and munching down a bowl of chips we wobbled back to the car and headed back to the hotel. I should note that my older brother was the designated driver.

The big news at this time were the results of the 2018 & 2022 FIFA World Cup Bids that took place the day before in Zurich, Switzerland. Australia, along with South Korea, USA, Japan, & Qatar all put in bids to host the largest soccer event in 2022. After much anticipation, deliberation, and speculation, FIFA decided to award the 2022 games to the small Middle Eastern nation of Qatar. I can tell you that the Australian people were very upset . . . considering they lost in the first round of voting (there were 4 rounds in total) with only 1 vote. And then the blame game started. I put the blame on the final campaign video; boy was it lame! A CGI kangaroo steals the World Cup trophy from Zurich and parades it all over Australia while being chased by an unknown biker dressed in black who's tasked by the Australian Prime Minister to retrieve it. Turns out the biker is Australian film legend Paul Hogan. In total, Australia blew $47 million AUD on the World Cup bid.

Of course, the disappointment from the Western powers began when FIFA awarded the 2018 games to Russia. England had put in a sole bid while Spain & Portugal, and Belgium & the Netherlands put in joint hosting bids. FIFA argued that they decided to 'go to new lands' to promote the sport. The Western powers accused FIFA of selling the games to Russia & Qatar via under-the-table payments and because of their high commodity & energy reserves. Well, hopefully Russia & Qatar will become more liberal when the world comes to visit in 2018 & 2022.