Continuing our walk through St Kilda, we turned up Fitzroy Street. For sheer quantity of stories, this is probably one of the richest streets in the Melbourne suburbs. As always, the stories that appeal to me begin with the traces of the past that can be read on the walls. Continue reading
Leaving Elwood, I headed north towards St Kilda, a suburb about which there are many legends, stories, songs (like ‘From St Kilda to King’s Cross’ by Paul Kelly) and TV shows (like ‘The Secret Life of Us’). It’s one of Melbourne’s most multilayered suburbs, and you can see ample evidence of its ups and downs as you walk through it. I’m no expert on St Kilda but I did live in the area for a few years in the early 90s so I have some sense of how things have changed. Continue reading
Continuing south down Hotham Street, we reached the point at which East St Kilda becomes the small suburb of Ripponlea. On Glen Eira Road are various shops and small businesses, and traces of previous ones, that aroused our interest. Two buildings in particular caught our eye, though their fates have been quite different. Continue reading
Leaving St Kilda cemetery, we headed south down Hotham Street, towards St Kilda East. This part of suburban Melbourne – St Kilda East heading into Balaclava – has a lot to offer, when you tune in to it – diverse architecture, appealing old signage, and suburban oddities of various kinds. Continue reading
If you’d like to get up close and personal with Melbourne Circle, come along to our session at Williamstown Literary Festival on Saturday 18 June at 2pm. I will be chatting to Chris Ringrose about ghostsigns, psychogeography and how ordinary places can trigger the literary imagination. I always enjoy meeting readers, so come along for the session and stick around for a chat afterwards. The event is titled ‘Walking and writing the suburbs’ and you get an early bird discount ($10 tix) if you book before 31 May. Other fab writers at the festival include Andy Griffiths, George Megalogenis, Arnold Zable and stacks more. Book here!
Melbourne Circle: stories from the suburbs 