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Suburb Profile: South Melbourne VIC

January 8, 2021
south melbourne

South Melbourne is one of Melbourne’s oldest suburban areas. It’s also one of the most sought-after suburbs to live in the Victorian capital due to its close proximity to both the CBD (two kilometres south) and Southbank, its plethora of highly rated restaurants, cafes and bars, and the enviable inner-city lifestyle it offers.

It also has some of the small, cobblestoned laneways that Melbourne is so loved for, to complement the broad, leafy streets in the area.

South Melbourne is popular with all ages, but young professionals and families in particular.

With distinct Victorian architecture, you’ll find a mix of classic terraced homes, cottages and new, high-end apartment complexes.

You might also want to check out the suburb of Prahran VIC as well.

Source: Melbourne Places
Source: Melbourne Places

Top things to do in South Melbourne

1. South Melbourne Market

Popular with both visitors and locals, the South Melbourne Market is a lively indoor market with a distinct village feel.

Shop for fresh produce, clothing, home wares or gifts, meet up with friends for a bite to eat, and enjoy some live music or the other regular activities on offer.

Source: South Melbourne Market
Source: South Melbourne Market

Established in 1867, this inner city landmark also offers a cooking school and occasional night market.

The South Melbourne Market is open all day on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with two hours free parking available.

2. Café and shop hop along Clarendon Street

Melbourne is well known for its food, coffee and shopping culture and you can get it all in South Melbourne. Head to the suburb’s main road – Clarendon Street – for your fix of caffeine or brunch with friends, followed by a spot of shopping at the numerous boutiques and well known retailers.

Quick stats

  • Postcode– 3205
  • Vacancy rate– 2.5 per cent (November 2016)
  • Median house value– $1,335,150
  • Median unit value– $556,771
  • Rental returns– Houses can expect a weekly median rent of $620 while units have a median weekly rent of $485. Houses experience average suburb returns of 2.76 per cent, while units experience higher suburb returns at 5.14 per cent.
  • Average listing duration– 49 days for houses; 77 days for units
  • Average weekly income– The average weekly income for residents of South Melbourne is $1,005
ave-weekly-income-south-melbourne
  • Dwelling type – The majority of properties are units (44 per cent)south-melbourne-dwelling-type
  • Occupation– The majority of residents are professionals
  • Ownership– The majority of properties are rented (53 per cent) while 21 per cent are fully owned
south-melbourne-home-ownership
  • Birthplace – 59 per cent of South Melbourne residents are Australian.
  • Age – The majority of residents fall into the 30-39 age group, however this suburb has a rather even distribution of all ages.
south-melbourne-age-range

See more statistics about South Melbourne.

Places to eat in South Melbourne

South Melbourne has a large selection of cafes, restaurants and other eateries. Whatever your taste, South Melbourne is sure to have something to please. Try The Olive Tree for seafood and steak in a rustic, family setting, Hercules Morse Kitchen and Bar for bistro classics, Shakahari Too for global vegetarian fare, Spitiko for Greek or Lûmé for a blind, eighteen course tasting menu. With Taiwanese, Turkish, Mexican and everything in between, you can give your taste buds a trip around the world without ever leaving this trendy suburb.

Lume. Source: Broadsheet Melbourne
Lume. Source: Broadsheet Melbourne

Transport in South Melbourne

South Melbourne is served by tram routes 1, 12, 55 and 96.

Hospitals and healthcare in South Melbourne

In this suburb you will find a number of GPs, family medical clinics, a community health centre, dental services and other specialist health care services.

Education and childcare in South Melbourne

In South Melbourne you will find Galilee Regional Catholic Primary School, two kindergarten schools, a number of day care centres and other childcare services. There are also several specialised educational institutes such as SAE Institute Melbourne, JMC Academy and the Western Institute of Technology.

Shopping in South Melbourne

There are lots of shopping options in the area with retailers, produce, op shops, boutiques, specialty shops, grocery stores and of course the South Melbourne Market. Most shops are found along Clarendon Street including the Clarendon Centre, which has a number of food, health and beauty shops including a Coles supermarket.

Sports and recreation in South Melbourne

To counterbalance all the food possibilities, there’s also plenty of choice when it comes to keeping active in South Melbourne. Alongside numerous traditional gyms you will find specialist gyms for boxing, Pilates, CrossFit and taekwondo, to name a few.

Active Melbourne City Sports offers netball, soccer, barefoot bowls, basketball, dodge ball and touch football. There’s plenty for the kids too, with Skinner’s Adventure Playground sure to keep them busy. South Melbourne also has a few reserves for residents to enjoy some green, open space.

Entertainment in South Melbourne

Spend your evenings at the South Melbourne night markets or one of the suburb’s many hip cocktail bars like Honey Bar and Restaurant, Smalls Bar or Hats & Tatts. Alternatively, you could relax in one of the hotels in the area including O’Connells Hotel, Railway Hotel, The Palace Hotel, Limerick Arms Hotel or the Rising Sun Hotel, among quite a few others.

Or for something a bit different you could test your wits in an escape room. You’ll never be stuck for options in South Melbourne.

Smalls Bar. Source: The Urban List
Smalls Bar. Source: The Urban List

Want more?

If you’re on the hunt for more apartments to rent or houses on sale in South Melbourne, we can also help you out in that department. Browse our search page to check out some amazing listings available right now.

But don’t just stop there, download our app to get the full Soho experience. Just remember to shortlist or swipe left on our listings so we can send you others that better match what you’re looking for.

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