Time Out has released its annual list of the 49 coolest neighbourhoods in the world, and the Melbourne suburb of Richmond is tenth on the list. It's the best-performing Australian suburb in the list, beating out Sydney's Surry Hills at 19.
The rankings were based on the Time Out Index survey, which this year polled 27,000 city-dwellers on what they loved and loathed about where they live. Time Out's panel of experts then ranked the lot, and Richmond just squeaked into the top ten.
Richmond has a lot of wonderful things going to it, like, ahem, one of the most famous stadiums in the world and the Corner Hotel, one of the spiritual homes of live music in Melbourne. Hell, we love the Corner so much we even wrote an ode to that bizarre pillar that is somehow always in the way of seeing your favourite band.
Some of Melbourne's favourite restaurants can be found in Richmond too, like cult favourite sandwich joint Hector’s Deli, legendary Thai restaurant Jinda Thai (technically in Abbottsford, but as it's opposite North Richmond station we think it counts) and Phuoc Thanh, which makes an absolutely killer bánh mi.
But this year, as lockdowns continue to bite across the city and the future is still uncertain, judges paid particular attention to how communities have been looking after each other, as well as their green credentials as we tackle the climate crisis that affect us all. Richmond is a close-knit community, with the Richmond Churches Food Centre distributing much-needed food to anyone who needs it for the past 30 years – including all through Melbourne’s lockdowns. Yarra Council, which includes Richmond, was one of the first local governments in the world to declare a climate emergency, and has committed to an ambitious plan to make the suburb greener for good.
Congratulations, Richmond, we salute you. If you live in the suburb or within 15km, make sure you visit some of the fabulous bars and restaurants on its busy streets to pick up some takeaway tonight. If you don't, pop Richmond on your list of places to revisit as soon as lockdown ends. And hey, we already have a list of places to make a booking right now.