Kensington, Victoria
Today I walked from North Melbourne down Arden Street, across the railway line to the neighbouring suburb of Kensington.
I love North Melbourne. It’s a compact suburb, close to the city with its own unique character. Less brash than Carlton and Brunswick, it’s highly underrated as a place to live, visit, dine, drink and explore.
Kensington is similar but different, also with its own unique character. It’s a green residential oasis surrounded by industrial precincts and transport corridors, with Maribyrnong River to the west and Moonee Ponds Creek to the east.
Arden Street straddles North Melbourne and Kensington, its flow interrupted by a railway line, but pedestrians can cross over a footbridge.
Arden Street is industrial along most of its route from near my place on Chetwynd Street. It starts as light industrial and commercial with showrooms and so forth, getting heavier to the west, including an asphalt factory.
Moonee Ponds Creek is surprisingly tranquil and scenic. There’s a shared walking and cycling trail that goes all the way to Upfield via Royal Park, Brunswick and Fawkner.
The Arden and Macaulay areas are undergoing major developments, with old warehouses being converted into apartments and industrial parts cleared for housing. A new railway station has been built at Arden and just awaits completion of the Metro Tunnel to enter service.
The Royal Melbourne and Royal Women’s Hospitals were meant to be relocated to Arden, but that was shelved due to cost and electromagnetic interference from underground trains. Oddly enough, the same problem exists at Parkville where the hospitals are currently located.
Getting back to Kensington, the residential area starts after crossing the Craigeburn railway line and reaching Bellair Street.
Tree-lined Bellair Street is delightful, with mostly heritage dwellings.
The main commercial and shopping area is along Macaulay Road from the railway line up to the Epsom Road and Kensington Road corner.
There are plenty of cafes, takeaway food places, Hardimans Hotel and small shops. No supermarkets. There’s a village feel and sense of community.
I didn’t venture to South Kensington or Newmarket, or across to the Maribyrnong River. I’ve read that all these areas have their own identity and I’m looking forward to exploring them too.
I remember the fuss when Newmarket Saleyards were closed in the 1980s, making way for more housing. It was the right decision, but caused much angst in the livestock industry at the time.
The saleyards dated back to the mid 1800s and were always a sore point with residents due to noise and hygiene concerns. There were abattoirs nearby as well, and waste was historically discharged into the river.
Kensington has transformed from an industrial working class suburb into an attractive, diverse community that’s like an island in the inner north-west of Melbourne, only 4km from the city.
The transformation continues, with the heritage-listed Younghusband Wool Store being redeveloped into commercial, office and retail space.
I walked home via Macaulay Road and the North Melbourne Woolworths store, the route being more residential and scenic than Arden Street. All up, it was about 6km there and back.
This is the first week of my sabbatical, and I plan to visit more parts of Melbourne that I haven’t been too before. Next stop, I think, will be Williamstown.
