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Fitzroy North is an inner-city suburb in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
,
Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...
, north-east of the
Melbourne central business district The Melbourne central business district (colloquially known as "the City" or "the CBD", and gazetted simply as Melbourne) is the city centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As of the 2021 census, the CBD had a population of 54,941, and is ...
, located within the Cities of
Merri-bek The City of Merri-bek () is a Local government areas of Victoria, local government area in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. It comprises the inner northern suburbs between 4 and 11 kilometres from the Melbourne central business district, Melb ...
and Yarra
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
s. Fitzroy North recorded a population of 12,781 at the 2021 census. Also referred to as North Fitzroy in reference to its southern neighbour, Fitzroy North has a distinct character, noted for its prevalence of wide streets, intact
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...
and
Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...
era
terraced housing A terrace in agriculture is a flat surface that has been cut into hills or mountains to provide areas for the cultivation for crops, as a method of more effective farming. Terrace agriculture or cultivation is when these platforms are created s ...
and for the
Edinburgh Gardens Edinburgh Gardens is a large park located in the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy North. It is bounded by Brunswick Street and St Georges Road to the west, the curve of Alfred Crescent to the north and east, and Freeman Street to the south. I ...
, a large inner-city park formerly home to the
Fitzroy Football Club The Fitzroy Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). Formed in 1883 to represent the inner-Melbourne municipality of City of Fitzroy, Fitzroy, the club is base ...
. Fitzroy North is adjacent to, and shares a postcode and neighbourhood character with Clifton Hill, both being government subdivisions set on elevated ground and to the same layout by
Clement Hodgkinson Clement Hodgkinson (1818 – 5 September 1893) was an English Natural history, naturalist, explorer and Surveyor (surveying), surveyor of Australia. He was Victoria, Australia, Victorian Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands and Survey from 1861 ...
in the 1870s, and distinct from the earlier narrow and more crowded private subdivisions in the lower lying areas of Fitzroy and Collingwood to the south.


History

*
Edinburgh Gardens Edinburgh Gardens is a large park located in the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy North. It is bounded by Brunswick Street and St Georges Road to the west, the curve of Alfred Crescent to the north and east, and Freeman Street to the south. I ...
is created from a grant of land in March 1862 * Fitzroy North Post Office opened on 2 February 1874. * Fitzroy North Primary School opened in 1875. * On 9 August 1987 the
Hoddle Street massacre The Hoddle Street massacre was a mass shooting that occurred on the evening of Sunday, 9 August 1987, in Hoddle Street, Melbourne, Hoddle Street, Clifton Hill, Victoria, Clifton Hill, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, in A ...
occurred in Fitzroy North and adjacent Clifton Hill.


Today

Housing stock includes many fine one and two storey terraces, many dating to the late Victorian period and including characteristic ironwork, verandahs, and stone embellishments. This is one of Melbourne's finest and most expensive inner-city locations. John McMahon, twice elected Mayor of Fitzroy built, firstly in 1886, two townhouses at 53/55 Alfred Crescent, and then in 1890 a large and impressive mansion which he called "Avonmore" at 75 Alfred Crescent. Both were designed by Olaf Nicholson, the architect. On one side of the crescent is a large park, overlooked by John's and other houses called
Edinburgh Gardens Edinburgh Gardens is a large park located in the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy North. It is bounded by Brunswick Street and St Georges Road to the west, the curve of Alfred Crescent to the north and east, and Freeman Street to the south. I ...
, with a famous football oval, bordered by Freeman Street, Brunswick Street,
St Georges Road St Georges Road is a main road in the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne, which passes through the suburbs of Fitzroy North, Northcote, Victoria, Northcote, Thornbury, Victoria, Thornbury and Preston, Victoria, Preston. Route St Georges Road ...
and Alfred Crescent. This park was saved for the people of Fitzroy by John McMahon, when he obtained permanent possession during his first year of Mayorship. An attempt was made by the Government of which Mr Vale was a member, to have a large portion of it excised for public housing. Mr McMahon had Minister Gaunson permanently gazette the land for the people. John also built a terrace of ten shops which he called "Gladstone Terraces" at St. Georges Road. John McMahon was also the chairman and founding president of the
Fitzroy Football Club The Fitzroy Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). Formed in 1883 to represent the inner-Melbourne municipality of City of Fitzroy, Fitzroy, the club is base ...
. The Brunswick Street Oval was the home ground of the Fitzroy Football Club until 1967, playing in the
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...
. A linear park, incorporating a section of the
Capital City Trail __NOTOC__ The Capital City Trail is a shared use path in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Australia, which circles the Melbourne city centre, city centre and some inner eastern and northern suburbs. It is 29 km in length, and mo ...
bike path, runs along much of the northern edge of the suburb, on the easement for the
Inner Circle railway line The Inner Circle Line was a Locomotive#Steam, steam era suburban Rail transport, railway line (later Railway electrification system, electrified) in Melbourne, Australia. It served the inner-northern suburbs of Parkville, Victoria, Parkv ...
, which closed in 1948.


Description

Fitzroy North (also called North Fitzroy) is theoretically joined to Fitzroy, but in reality the two are as separate as any suburbs in the inner city. They were always bisected by the width of Alexandra Parade (earlier Reilly Street), but with the building of the Eastern Freeway in the 1970s and its connection to the Parade, the volume of traffic became an overwhelming barrier. Fitzroy North is also distinct in character, with less commercial activity, wider, quieter, leafier streets, and clear delineation to the east provided by the green
Merri Creek Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia, which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins near Wallan and flows south for 70 km until joining the Yarra River at Dights Falls. The area where th ...
corridor.


Residential architecture

Most of Fitzroy North is single and double storey Victorian and Edwardian housing, comprising rows of terraces, with a mixture of semi-attached and freestanding houses on small to moderately sized blocks. Large parts of the suburb are protected by heritage controls. The suburb is relatively intact and consistent in character, having had far less industrial and commercial development in its formative years than its southern namesake. Fitzroy North also has some distinctive apartment complexes, mostly built within the last 15 years. Another, on St Georges Road at Park Street, is a redevelopment of the old Fire Station, with an extension at the back reminiscent of three concrete grain silos.


Commerce

The main commercial activity in Fitzroy North is on Brunswick Street, St Georges Road and the northern side of Queens Parade, the latter having particularly wide footpaths for a Melbourne commercial strip.


Transport

To get to Fitzroy North from the Melbourne CBD, you can travel using the following options:


Bus

Five bus routes service Fitzroy North: * : Queen Street (
Melbourne CBD The Melbourne central business district (colloquially known as "the City" or "the CBD", and gazetted simply as Melbourne) is the city centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As of the 2021 census, the CBD had a population of 54,941, and is ...
) – La Trobe University Bundoora Campus. Operated by
Kinetic Melbourne Kinetic Melbourne is a bus operator in Melbourne, Australia, operating a fleet of 602 buses on 45 bus routes, as well as seven SmartBus routes. It commenced operations on 31 January 2022, taking over all routes previously operated by Transdev Me ...
. * : Queen Street (Melbourne CBD) –
Northland Shopping Centre Northland Shopping Centre is a major shopping centre in Preston, Victoria, Preston, approximately 11 km north of the Melbourne central business district in Victoria, Australia. It is the largest predominantly single-level shopping centre in ...
. Operated by Kinetic Melbourne. * :
Moonee Ponds Junction Moonee Ponds Junction is a bus and tram interchange on the junction of Ascot Vale Road / Pascoe Vale Road and Mount Alexander Road in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne (Puckle Street / Dean Street also meets at the same point). It is located approximate ...
Clifton Hill station via
Brunswick East Brunswick East is an inner-city List of Melbourne suburbs, suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Melbourne city centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Merri-bek Local Govern ...
. Operated by
Dysons Dyson Group of Companies, operating as Dysons, is a bus and coach operator in Victoria, Australia. The oldest of its subsidiary companies is L.C. Dysons Bus Services, which was founded in June 1952 and is based in Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora ...
. * : Moonee Ponds Junction – Westgarth station via Brunswick. Operated by Dysons. * : Heidelberg station
Queen Victoria Market The Queen Victoria Market (also known colloquially as the Vic Market or Queen Vic) is a major landmark and public marketplace in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Covering over , it is the largest open air ...
via Clifton Hill, Carlton and the
University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...
. Operated by Dysons. Kinetic Melbourne's Fitzroy North bus depots is located within the suburb on
Nicholson Street Nicholson Street is a street in inner Melbourne. It is named after William Nicholson (Australian politician), William Nicholson, who is remembered as the "father of the ballot". He was also a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, Legis ...
, adjacent to the former tram depot.


Train

One railway station services Fitzroy North: Rushall station, on the Mernda line. Rushall station is located on Rushall Crescent, in the north east of the suburb.


Tram

Three tram routes service Fitzroy North: * from Collins Street, along Brunswick Street and
St Georges Road St Georges Road is a main road in the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne, which passes through the suburbs of Fitzroy North, Northcote, Victoria, Northcote, Thornbury, Victoria, Thornbury and Preston, Victoria, Preston. Route St Georges Road ...
. * from
Bourke Street Bourke Street is one of the main streets in the Melbourne central business district and a core feature of the Hoddle Grid. It was traditionally the entertainment hub of inner-city Melbourne, and is now also a popular tourist destination and tr ...
, which also travels a short distance along
Nicholson Street Nicholson Street is a street in inner Melbourne. It is named after William Nicholson (Australian politician), William Nicholson, who is remembered as the "father of the ballot". He was also a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, Legis ...
, turns at
Gertrude Street Gertrude Street is a street in the inner northern suburb of Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia. History The Aboriginal Health Service opened on Gertrude Street in 1973, co-founded by Alma Thorpe, her mother Edna Brown, and Bruce McGuinness. It ...
, turns again into Smith Street and again into Queens Parade. * from Bourke Street, along Nicholson Street.


Education

The suburb contains five schools –
Fitzroy High School Fitzroy High School is a state school catering for Years 7 to 10, located in Falconer Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia. The school was first opened in 1915, but closed in 1992. After a long community campaign, it re-opened in 2004. Histor ...
, Merri Creek Primary, Fitzroy Community School,
Deutsche Schule Melbourne Deutsche Schule Melbourne (DSM) is an accredited German School Abroad which opened in 2008. The school offers bilingual education for primary school children up to Year 6 and is in Fitzroy North, a northern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australi ...
, an independent co-educational English-German bilingual school and
Fitzroy North Primary School Fitzroy North Primary School (No. 1490) is a state school in the inner-city suburb of Fitzroy North in Melbourne, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of ...
. Fitzroy North Primary School has received state media attention for its canteen's healthy menu. It also has a
LOTE Lote may refer to: Places *Lote, Norway, a village in Eid municipality, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway *Lote, India, an area in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra People * Denis Kiwanuka Lote (1938–2022), Ugandan Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop ...
program for
Italian language Italian (, , or , ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family. It evolved from the colloquial Latin of the Roman Empire. Italian is the least divergent language from Latin, together with Sardinian language, Sardinian. It is ...
, which is undertaken by all students and hosts large Italian-related events, such as Carnevale.


See also

*
City of Brunswick The City of Brunswick was a local government area in the inner-northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprised the suburbs of Brunswick, Brunswick East and Brunswick West. It ceased to exist on 22 June 1994, when its council ...
– Parts of Fitzroy North were previously within this former local government area. *
City of Fitzroy The City of Fitzroy was a local government area about northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , making it the smallest municipality by land area in Victoria, and existed from 1858, until 1 ...
– Parts of Fitzroy North were previously within this former local government area.


References


External links


History of North Fitzroy
{{City of Yarra suburbs Suburbs of Melbourne Suburbs of the City of Merri-bek Fitzroy, Victoria Suburbs of the City of Yarra