Now considered trendy suburbs where sipping from mason jars is the norm, it may be hard to believe that Brunswick, St Kilda, Collingwood and Fitzroy were considered crime hubs in the early days of Victorian settlement.
Now Footscray looks set to undergo a similar shift of reputation.
With the eastern side of the city overcrowded, it’s no surprise that out to the west the population is growing, with more than 76,000 residents already.
With a travelling distance of only 10 kilometres from the city, Footscray is one part of the west that is a gold mine for businesses.
One businessman, Phuoc Duong, is taking advantage of the new frontier.
Owner Phuoc Duong inside Café Cui (pronounced ‘Q’). Photo: Courtesy of Café Cui.
The owner of Café Cui says upon starting the business, he was worried about getting robbed or been targetted by graffiti.
“I’m lucky that where I am right now, there are a lot of cameras so the druggies don’t really hang around here,” he said.
The café opened up three months ago across from Footscray Railway Station, with a distinctly inner-city feel.
It has already proven a hit with early morning commuters, opening at 6am to serve coffee.
Mr Duong describes Footscray as a booming suburb that is beginning to blossom.
“I thought Footscray will grow, it will be the next mini city,” he said.
Mr Duong says if it wasn’t for the many developments taking place in Footscray at the moment he would not have opened up the business.
“I was the owner of Cafe 248 in Toorak four years ago but I was over the hospitality industry so I sold that one,” he said.
“The construction on the railway station is the main reason why I decided to open this cafe.”
He says another reason is because of the Grocon office building currently being built on Napier Street that will bring many customers when it is completed at the end of 2014.
The 18-story Grocon Building, between the end of Napier and Buckley Streets to be renamed McNab Avenue, that will house State government organisations City West Water and State Trustees. Photo: Cynthia Singh
“There will also be a few thousand people in the apartments being built on top of the Coles and Kmart complex which will bring customers on the weekend,” he said.
Mr Phuoc says he is already making a profit and wasn’t expecting anything from the business for the first one or two years.
This could be the view from your window in one of Melbourne’s western suburb high-rise apartment buildings above the Coles and Kmart complex. Photo courtesy of 18 Albert.com
The view from Footscray Railway footbridge. Photo: Cynthia Singh
Mayor of Maribyrnong, Catherine Cumming says the government has finally seen Footscray’s potential.
Half of Footscray’s footbridge torn down in 2013 to make way for the Regional Rail Link. Photo: Cynthia Singh.
Ms Cummins claims Footscray had been neglected over the years and is excited for the new developments to begin.
“I always knew the potential of Footscray, and I always knew it was a wonderful inner city suburb.
“Footscray is becoming an inner Melbourne suburb. Melbourne is growing at a rapid pace and the Melbourne City Council decision is to come west.”
She says connections to Footscray will be developed soon in the form of E-Gate, tramlines as well as many developments in infrastructure.
“If we had two new tramlines down Footscray and Dynode Roads it would be a wonderful way to connect Footscray to the city,” she said.
“I think that the people who’ve lived in Footscray for a long time have always seen themselves like they live in a inner-city suburb but have had to deal with the stigma of being west of Melbourne. It’s just as close to Melbourne as St Kilda, Fitzroy, Collingwood and Brunswick.
“And they’re similar suburbs over the years that have transformed and gentrified and Footscray is going to be the last one that will have that transformation.”
Ms Cumming encourages future investors and businesses to buy up while you can still afford Footscray.
Would you move to Footscray after its transformation?
