Richmond is located in inner city Melbourne, about 5 minutes by tram from the Melbourne CBD. What was once an industrial area, has become one of the boom suburbs in all of Victoria with warehouses being converted into apartments and newer buildings going up every few months. Richmond has its boundaries from Victoria St and the Yarra River up to Swan St and then Punt Road.
Generally considered to be home to many younger people, Richmond offers a fantastic lifestyle to those seeking great shopping, good restaurants and access to the CBD in a matter of minutes. Richmond is also a popular destination for people heading out on Friday and Saturday nights, with Bridge Road having a flood of good restauratns over the past 10 years, and a number of great bars opening on Bridge Road, Church Street, Swan Street and Victoria Street.
Bridge Road is always going to be the retail focus in Richmond. It houses many of the fashion houses, along with second hand discount factory outlets. Swan Street also has a number of funky cafe's and eateries, while Victoria Street has some of the best Vietnamese restaurants in all of Melbourne. Victoria Gardens on Church St is also another major shopping complex that has been built in the past 5 years. It is home to Hoyts Cinemas, Coles, Fitness First, Freedom and the always imposing IKEA.
Office and commercial development around the Victoria Gardens precinct,
located off Victoria St and Burnley St has brought many new businesses
into the area. The Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre while not large,
has brought many new visitors and apartment owners who had never
considered Richmond as a place to live.