Djackmanson

Hi, I'm David. I live in Moe, in Victoria's Latrobe Valley, and spend a fair bit of time in Melbourne

Practice for a Melbourne Inner North-Western district map

See and Do

Footscray

Royal Hotel at intersection of Barkly, Nicholson, Hopkins and Droop Streets, Footscray

Forty per cent of Footscray's residents were born outside Australia, hailing from 135 countries and speaking more than 80 languages. This incredible diversity has fostered a vital street culture like no other in Melbourne.

• 1 Footscray Community Arts Centre, 45 Moreland Street. Non stop art exhibitions and an endless list of music gigs and theatre shows. In summer outdoor film screenings take place on the banks of the Maribyrnong River. (updated Sep 2016)
• 2 VU at MetroWest, 138 Nicholson Street, ☏ +61 3 9919 7043, metrowest@vu.edu.au. 9am - 5pm Mon-Fri. VU at MetroWest is a community art space run by Victoria University, who's main Footscray campus is a bit further south along Nicholson Street.VU at MetroWest features community and student exhibitions Free. (updated Sep 2016)
• 3 Trocadero Art Space, Level 1, 119 Hopkins Street. 12pm - 5pm Wed - Sat. Small art gallery upstairs. Click through to their website to see examples from current exhibitions. Free entry.. (updated Sep 2016)
• Five Walls, ☏ +61421706205 - 0421706205, e.info@fivewalls.com.au. Wed - Sat 12pm - 5pm. Artist-run art space in the same place as Trocadero (above) Free entry. (updated Sep 2016)

Moonee Ponds

• 4 Moonee Valley Racecourse, McPherson Street, Moonee Ponds, ☏ 1300 843 825, customerservice@mvrc.net.au. See website for race meeting dates and times. One of Melbourne's Big Three horse racing venues, there are several race meetings a month in the busy season from September to March. The famous Cox Plate weight-for-age race is run here in late October each year Most general admission tickets $20, GA for Cox Plate $55. (updated Sep 2016)
• 5 Moonee Ponds Clocktower Centre, 750 Mount Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds, ☏ +61 3 9243 9191, enquiries@clocktowercentre.com.au. Performing arts centre including drama, dance, music performances and movie screenings. (updated Sep 2016)
• 6 Queens Park, Corner Mount Alexander Road and Kellaway Road, Moonee Ponds. Queens Park is a place to spend a relaxing day. There's a rose garden, a sunken garden, a lake, a cafe, and a 50m pool open from November to March ($5.70 pool entry). Monuments include a cenotaph remembering Australia's dead in World War One, and a cairn marking the spot where the doomed Burke and Wills expedition camped on its first night heading out of Melbourne in 1860. There's a children's playground and an island rotunda, and if you follow the website link there's a brochure for a free self-guided local heritage walk starting and ending at the park. (updated Sep 2016)
• 7 Moonee Ponds Courthouse Museum (CURRENTLY CLOSED), Corner Mount Alexander Road and Kellaway Avenue, Moonee Ponds, esshissoc@mail.com. The former Moonee Ponds Courthouse housed a museum of the local area, run by the Essendon Historical Society. Unfortunately, a fire in June 2016 damaged the building and the collection. Restoration is happening, but the museum remains closed until further notice. (updated Sep 2016)
• 8 Incinerator Gallery, 180 Holmes Rd, Moonee Ponds (Catch the 82 tram from Moonee Ponds interchange to Stop 41 at Maribyrnong Park. Walk north along the river then turn right into Holmes Street. Walk a minute or two along Holmes Street until you reach the gallery, opposite a lawn bowls club.), ☏ +61 3 8325 1750, incinerator@mvcc.vic.gov.au. 11am - 4pm Tue - Sun. Closed Mondays.. Interesting gallery with exhibitions, art history talks, adult art courses, workshops and more. Free entry.. (updated Sep 2016)

Flemington

• 9 Flemington Racecourse (Route 57 tram to Stop 29, corner of Racecourse Road and Epsom Road, or special Metro train to Flemington Racecourse station on big race days). The biggest of Melbourne's Big Three racecourses, Flemington is home to the Melbourne Cup. (updated Sep 2016)
• 10 Showgrounds. Site of the annual Royal Show in mid-September. The Show is like a State Fair, a combination temporary amusement park and agricultural competition and display. You can see competitive woodchopping and axe throwing, cattle and sheep dog trials, chef demonstrations, precision horseriding and showjumping, cattle parades and judging, motocross stunts, barnyard animal petting, (updated Sep 2016)

Eat

Like Victoria Street in Richmond, Hopkins Street running through the heart of Footscray is home to a number of very cheap Vietnamese restaurants and noodle shops.

The area centered around the Footscray Hub has become a Little Ethiopia of sorts, and Nicholson Street in particular is lined with African cafes and restaurants, mostly serving traditional Habesha cuisine (that of Ethiopia and Eritrea), characterized by stews and curries dished up on layers of flat bread called injera. Very tasty and ridiculously cheap.

For many more ideas about eating in Footscray than are listed here, the Footscray Food Blog has five years' worth of love for the inner West.

• 1 Cafe Lalibela, 91 Irving Street, ☏ +61 3 9687 0300. 11am - 10pm every day. Probably the best Ethiopian cuisine in the area, and not a main course over $12. Served in the traditional custom of sharing, the food is poured on layers of injera (flat, sour bread) covering one big plate to be shared by all at the table. 

• 2 African Town Cafe, 161 Nicholson Street, ☏ +61 3 9689 9660. More Ethiopian cuisine, while local regulars pop in and out for a chat over excellent $2 Ethiopian coffee. All main courses $10. 

• 3 Lentil as Anything, 233 Barkly St, ☏ +61 401 810 890 - 0401 810 890 (mobile - text message only please). Mon - Sat 12 midday - 3.30pm, 6pm - 9pm. Sun 11am - 3.30pm, 6pm - 9pm. Footscray - A pay as you feel vegetarian restaurant. Whatever you do end up paying for your meal goes to a range of services that help new migrants, refugees, people with disabilities and the long-term unemployed. 

• 4 Ras Dashen, 121 Nicholson Street, ☏ +61 3 9687 3293. Mon - Fri 11.30am, - 8.30pm, Sat - Sun 12.30pm - 8.30pm. Had a birthday dinner here. Loved it. $10 for a pot of coffee that has five or six espresso-sized serves (and comes with a burning lump of frankincense). A whole baked fish for $13, beans and egg in a mild stew for $8, nice dark "Amber Beer" from Ethiopia like a porter or mild stout.

  8 of us ate for $190 including alcoholic drinks and coffees. It's not silver service obviously, but the lady who looked after us was friendly and explained things we didn't understand. Definitely check this place out. (updated Sep 2016)

• 5 Dumplings and More, 96 Hopkins Street, ☏ +61 3 3 9689 2165. 11am - 9.30pm Mon - Sun. Great entrees!. I only had about $20 and wanted a big feed. The main courses were nothing special price wise, but the entrees and dumplings were dirt cheap. Grabbed a plate of 15 (!) dumplings, a seaweed salad and spring onion pancake for $14 (!). Left me full and waddling back to the tram! Seaweed Salad was ENORMOUS. It's a little different to what I was expecting (I thought it would be like the seaweed topping you can get in sushi - this was more like thin noodles). Bits of chili through it. And it cost $2 - a great way to have some green food and fill up the odd corners. (updated Sep 2016)
• 6 Olympic Doughnuts, Footscray Railway Station, near Irving Street entrance. Sold in an old caravan at Footscray station, the best in Melbourne. (updated Sep 2016)
• Konjo Cafe Footscray, 87 Irving Street, ☏ +61 3 3 9689 8185. Mon - Sat 8.30am - 4.30pm, Sun 9.30am - 4.30pm. Same location as Konjo African Craft in the "Buy" section above. Features a $15 all-you-can-eat buffet lunch Wed-Sat (vegan on Wed and Thu). (updated Sep 2016)
• 7 am DESSERT, 10 Droop Street, ☏ +61 3 9396 1870. 12 noon to 12 midnight every day. Cafe with a wide range of desserts including unusual things like fish-shaped waffles and matcha ice cream. Open late compared to lots of local eateries. Also serves hot breakfasts, chicken, steak, bubble tea, milkshakes etc. Waffles $8, large gelati $6.60, cake with cream and ice cream $8.80. (updated Sep 2016)

Ascot Vale

• 8 Mister Nice Guys Bakeshop, 151 Union Road, hello@misterniceguy.com.au. Mon - Fri 9am - 5.30pm, Sat - Sun 8am -5pm. Vegan, egg-free, dairy-free bakery with gluten-free (and many more) options. Five choices of non-dairy milks for coffee and shakes. $11 dogs, baguettes and rolls, Doughnuts etc $5.50, non-dairy cheesecake $8. (updated Sep 2016)