Spotlight on Bridge Road, Richmond
"A Street with a Long History"
Bridge Road is an iconic Melbourne shopping strip located in the inner city suburb of Richmond, stretching from Punt Road to the Yarra River.
Bridge Road is a classified heritage area with its history dating back to 1837, just two years after the European settlement of the colony of Victoria. The many clothes shops and cafes that now exist were once hay and corn stores, groceries, tinsmiths, hotels, factories and butchers to surgeries. You can take a stroll along the ‘Bridge Road Heritage Walk’ and view the plaques and signs placed on many buildings with information about the area’s history.
In the 1980’s Bridge Road had virtually full occupancy and was renowned for its diverse and unrivalled offering of clothing factory outlets. In the mid 2,000s the strip was hit hard by the GFC, DFO’s and rise of internet shopping with many retailers forced to close and vacancy rates soared to an all time high. More recently the area has undergone significant transformation with the development of numerous residential apartment buildings.
