Hipster Paradise in the Fitzroy Neighborhood of Melbourne

If you are like me, you associate Australia with red soil and animals waiting to kill you. So it might be hard to believe that the Fitzroy neighborhood in Melbourne feels like it fel right out of Brooklyn. Fancy coffee shops and a absurd number of barbershops are waiting to greet you in this Hipster friendly city.

There are 2 main streets to check out in Fitzroy, Smith St and Brunswick St. They run parallel to each other and are loaded with cafes, shops and everything the inner hipster could desire. For you Vegans out there, Brunswick Street has a huge number of delicious Vegan restaurants.

Fitzroy is a foodie paradise. A great example is the resturant Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya. This Japanese influenced restaurant will trick you into thinking you have travel into a small restaurant in Tokyo. The food is phenomenal and the ambience was amazing.

I also cant recommend Smith and Daughters enough. Their Vegan meals rivaled anything I tried on the New York Vegan Scene. I can’t recommend enough that you come to Fitzroy hungry and ready to try some delicious food.

Why not try some local brews when you are exploring the city. Western Australia makes some delicious beer, my favorite being Little Creatures. Even better, find some delicious Western Australian wines to pair with cheese and crackers.

Fitzroy wouldn’t be the hipster capital of Australia without having a gigantic number of coffee shops. I decided to pair my cappuccino with a delicious donut at the Donut Shop. Be prepared to spend a little extra $$ though,
these are the next level of donut.

Melbourne is a big city and I decided to spend the afternoon exploring outside of Fitzroy. The #1 tourist attraction on trip advisor for Melbourne seemed to be the penguins at the St Kilda pier. The trip involved a 40 minute trolley ride and a good 2-3k walk. 

It was fun seeing penguins, but I will admit I was a bit underwhelmed. I went during Feburary and I only saw 3 little baby penguins. I am sure it is more amazing (and populated) during other times of the year. Still, it was a nice walk and a great way to see the city.

While I enjoyed exploring Melbourne, I was glad to head back to Fitzroy again. This little slice of Australia really is a great place to walk around and explore. I have definitely added it to my list of cities I would live in.