Fitzroy and Brunswick Street

Fitzroy is Melbourne's oldest suburb and its creative heart, a grid of Victorian terraces, old pubs and converted warehouses a short tram ride north-east of the city centre. Brunswick Street is its spine: a long, lively strip of independent shops, vintage clothing stores, bookshops, bars, live music venues and cafes, with street art in every side lane and a crowd that ranges from students and artists to families and visitors. Parallel and crossing streets each have their own flavour. Gertrude Street, at the southern end, is the more polished stretch, with design shops, galleries and some of the city's most talked-about restaurants; Smith Street, on the border with Collingwood, is grittier and full of bars, outlet stores and late-night food; and Johnston Street links them with pubs and a strong Spanish heritage. This is the place to understand modern Melbourne culture: people dress with care, coffee is roasted in-house, menus are adventurous and the walls are painted with murals. There is no single attraction to see, which is exactly the point. Spend an afternoon walking the length of Brunswick Street, step into a record store and a bookshop, find a weekend artists' market, have a long lunch, and drift into a pub for a pint and live music in the evening. Note that Fitzroy the suburb is different from the Fitzroy Gardens, the formal park in East Melbourne near the MCG; both are worth a visit, but they are not the same place. Tram 11 runs the length of Brunswick Street from Collins Street in the city.

Fitzroy's character comes from its history. It was settled in the 1830s and 1840s as Melbourne's first suburb, became a working-class area of small houses and factories, and in the second half of the twentieth century was home to waves of migrants, students and artists who found cheap rent in its terraces. It is also historically significant for Aboriginal Melbourne: Gertrude Street and the surrounding streets were an important centre for the Aboriginal community, with services and organisations founded there, and that heritage is honoured in public art and place names today. Gentrification has changed the suburb, but much of the independent spirit survives.

A good half-day route: take tram 11 from Collins Street to the southern end of Brunswick Street near Gertrude Street. Walk Gertrude Street first for design shops and galleries, then turn north up Brunswick Street, stopping for coffee and browsing the vintage stores and bookshops. Detour into side lanes for murals. At Johnston Street, turn east to Smith Street for a different, rougher mood, then end with dinner and a drink. On weekends, look for an artists' market selling local design and craft. In the evening, the pubs and small venues host bands, and the bars stay busy late.

What to expect: Fitzroy is not a sightseeing district, so its pleasures are small ones: a perfect pastry, a good record, a conversation at the bar. Weekends are busier and more fun; weekday mornings are quieter and better for cafes. Neighbouring Collingwood and Carlton, home of Lygon Street's Italian restaurants and the Melbourne Museum, are within walking distance, so it is easy to build a whole inner-north day. Bring comfortable shoes, an appetite, and a little room in your luggage for something second-hand. If you only have an hour, walk the stretch of Brunswick Street between Gertrude Street and Johnston Street, which packs in the best concentration of shops, murals and cafes, and come back in the evening if the area appeals.