With exponential population growth and the clambering of both newcomers and long-time locals to live close to the CBD, Melbourne’s former industrial areas have gone through extreme changes since their inception.

From factories being converted into apartment buildings, to main streets making way for more street dining and foot traffic, the city’s inner suburbs have transformed from industry hubs to prized residential and entertainment areas.

West Melbourne

One of the city’s most recent brownfield sites to see in influx of residential buildings, West Melbourne is in the midst of a transformation from shipping container yards and warehouses to a dining precinct with picturesque parklands. In the past 10 years, the suburb’s median house price has increased from $674,000 to $1.23 million.

West Melbourne 2018. Photo: Eliana Schoulal West Melbourne 2018. Coburg

Once home to more than 40 bluestone quarries and a rather notorious prison, the suburb formerly known as Pentridge has become one of the north’s most sought addresses. Californian bungalows and sleek new townhouses line the streets, and even the old gaol has been made over into a residential and cafe precinct. In 2008, a house in Coburg would set you back $470,000 – today that price is closer to $948,000.

Coburg circa 1945. Photo: State Library of Victoria Coburg circa 1945.

Sydney Road, Coburg 2017. Photo: Paul Jeffers Sydney Road, Coburg 2017.

Brunswick

In the 1840s, the best way to the goldfields was through Brunswick. The hordes of prospectors brought with them a booming clothing and fabric trade, along with some of the oldest pubs in Melbourne. Today, Sydney Road is still littered with drinking venues and retail stores – though perhaps slightly more sophisticated than they were nearly 180 years ago. In more recent history, Brunswick’s median house price has grown from $535,000 in 2008 to $1.1 million in March this year.



Sydney Road, Brunswick circa 1920.

Photo: State Library of Victoria Sydney Road, Brunswick circa 1920.

Sydney Rd, Brunswick 2011 Photo: Craig Abraham Sydney Rd, Brunswick 2011

Preston

Known as a cultural melting pot, the inner-northern suburb was once awash with meat factories, tanneries and manufacturers of general goods including soaps and shoes. The Preston of today is as diverse as ever, with more than 40 per cent of people speaking a language other than English at home, according to the 2016 census. The median house price in 2008 was $454,000 – today it’s $950,000.



High Street, Preston 1981

Photo: Fairfax Archives High Street, Preston 1981



High Street, Preston 2018

Photo: Eliana Schoulal High Street, Preston 2018

South Melbourne

The South Melbourne Market celebrated its 150th anniversary last year, making it the oldest continually running market in Melbourne. Over those 150 years, a lot has changed in the city’s closest southern neighbour, with factories and warehouses making way for offices and shopping centres. In the past 10 years the median house price has increased from $790,000 to $1,532,500.



South Melbourne Market 1889.

Photo: City of Port Phillip South Melbourne Market 1889. South Melbourne Market 2015. Photo: kokkai South Melbourne Market 2015.

Richmond

Home to some of the city’s best-known industrial landmarks, Richmond spent the best part of a century as a manufacturing hub. Now dominated by renovated workers’ cottages and new apartment developments, not to mention a lively bar and restaurant scene, the suburb has grown by nearly 5000 people in the past five years. In 2008, the median house price was $695,500 – today it’s $1,250,000.

Swan Street, Richmond circa 1904. Photo: State Library of Victoria Swan Street, Richmond circa 1904.

Swan Street, Richmond 2017. Photo: Josh Robenstone Swan Street, Richmond 2017.

Footscray

Meat preservation, hide tanning and fertiliser manufacturing were some of the industries that dominated in Footscray in the late 1800s. From the 1940s, the suburb became more residential as migrants from Europe and Asia moved to the area, and it soon became a vibrant dining and shopping precinct. Footscray’s median house price was $420,000 in 2008 and increased to $868,500 in March this year.

Nicholson Street, Footscray circa 1930. Photo: State Library of Victoria Footscray 2017. Photo: Justin McManus Footscray 2017. Photo: Justin McManus Port Melbourne Nicholson Street, Footscray circa 1930.

The city’s second port was once home to a sugar refinery, a soap factory and a candle works. By the early 1900s, workers cottages had been built, and the once heavily industrial area became more residential. Today, Bay Street bars and shops bring people to the waterside suburb, and those workers cottages have been transformed into modern homes. The median house price in 2008 was $795,000 – as of March this year it is $1,502,500.