Richmond, Victoria facts for kids
Quick facts for kids RichmondMelbourne, Victoria |
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Swan Street with the Swan Street Rail Bridge to the right
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 Richmond
Location in Melbourne
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| Established | 19th century | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3121 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 18 m (59 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 3.8 km2 (1.5 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 3 km (2 mi) from Melbourne | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Yarra | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Richmond | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Melbourne | ||||||||||||||
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Richmond is a lively suburb right in the middle of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It's only about 3 kilometers east of Melbourne's main city area. In 2021, about 28,587 people lived there.
Long ago, the Kulin/Woiwurrung people, who were the original owners of this land, called the area 'Quo-yung'. This name might have meant 'dead trees'.
Richmond is known for its busy shopping streets like Victoria Street, Bridge Road, and Swan Street. These are important shopping hubs for Melbourne.
This suburb has changed a lot since the 1990s. You can find a mix of fancy homes made from old warehouses, tall public housing buildings, and traditional terrace houses from the Victorian era. All these homes are mixed in with busy shops. Richmond used to be home to the Nine Network TV studios, but they moved in 2011. The famous Dimmeys store is often linked with Richmond, even though it's actually in the next suburb, Cremorne. Many people visit Richmond for its popular factory outlets along Bridge Road.
Richmond is also famous for its exciting Little Saigon area on Victoria Street, which is full of Vietnamese shops and restaurants.
Did you know that the Richmond District in San Francisco, USA, was named after Richmond, Victoria? The person who designed the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park was from Melbourne. He bought land in the undeveloped area and named it after the fancy suburb of his hometown.
Contents
Exploring Richmond's Landmarks
Richmond has many interesting buildings and places to see.
Shopping and Public Buildings
Richmond Trader’s Centre is a local shopping spot with a Coles Supermarket and other stores like DeMarias Grocer and Cannings Butcher. You can also find places for treats like Gong Cha and Cobb Lane.
Cobb Lane is a local bakery in the Richmond Trader’s Centre. They make amazing sourdough bread and pastries.
Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre is a big, modern shopping complex built in 2001. It serves people living in the inner eastern suburbs. The Loyal Studley Hotel, built in 1891, is now a homewares shop. The Richmond Power Station was also built in 1891. The old Burnley Theatre is now a homewares shop, but you can still see parts of its original inside, like the foyer and stage.
The building at 450 Swan Street, finished in 1995, is a cool mix of an old bank and a modern design. It's a great example of unique architecture.
The Richmond Town Hall is a well-known building run by the City of Yarra. It was built in the 1880s and decorated again later. Many hotels in Richmond, like The Mountain View Hotel and Corner Hotel, are famous for their live music.
Homes and Houses
Richmond has many small homes on narrow streets. It shows some of Melbourne's best examples of homes from different time periods. Most houses are single-fronted Victorian style, built between the 1850s and 1930s. These homes are usually long and thin, with two bedrooms at the front and a family room/kitchen at the back. In the past, the toilet was often outside at the back of the property.
The Malthouse is a famous example. It's an old silo building that was turned into modern apartments by a famous architect named Nonda Katsalidis.
The bluestone terrace homes at 13 & 15 James Street are very old. They were built in 1857 for Eneas Mackenzie, a government worker. These homes are in a rustic Gothic style and are protected by the National Trust. They are among the oldest homes left in Melbourne.
Lalor House on Church Street was once the home of Peter Lalor. He was a leader in the Eureka Rebellion, a famous uprising in Australian history. This house is a grand landmark from a wealthy period.
Industry in Richmond
From the mid-1800s, Richmond was a big center for factories. Many large companies were here, like the Bryant & May match factory, Jaques Limited engineering works, the Wertheim Piano factory, and Pelaco.
Parks and Green Spaces
Richmond has lots of public parks for its many residents. The biggest park is Burnley Park. Other well-known parks include Citizens Park, Barkly Gardens, and the Allen Bain Reserve. There are also many smaller parks around.
You can find other large parks in nearby suburbs. These include Yarra Park and Melbourne Park in East Melbourne, and the Burnley Golf Course in Burnley. Yarra Bend Park and Studley Park are in Kew.
Who Lives in Richmond?
In the 2016 census, Richmond had 27,705 people. The most common backgrounds for people living here were English (22.6%), Australian (15.8%), Irish (10.4%), Scottish (7.2%), and Chinese (5.8%).
About 60% of people were born in Australia. Other common birthplaces included Vietnam (5.0%), England (3.7%), New Zealand (3.1%), China (2.0%), and Greece (2.0%).
Most people (66.0%) spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken included Vietnamese (6.6%), Greek (4.0%), Mandarin (2.4%), Cantonese (1.7%), and Hakka (1.2%). For religion, 44.2% said they had no religion, and 18.3% were Catholic.
Places of Worship
Richmond has many different religious groups. The large local Catholic community goes to St Ignatius' Church on Church Street and St James Parish. Anglicans also have St Stephens Church, which is next to St Ignatius' Church. A Uniting Church on Church Street serves its members, including many Fijian people.
Because many Greek people have moved to Australia, there is a Greek Orthodox Church on Burnley Street. It has services every Sunday and brings together Richmond's Greek community.
There is also a large Assemblies of God Church, Richmond AOG, on Griffiths Street.
Sports and Fun
Richmond is home to the Richmond Football Club, an Australian rules football team. They are part of the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is very popular, not just in Richmond but all over Melbourne's eastern suburbs. The Tigers are one of the biggest clubs in the AFL, with over 105,000 members in 2022. They have won 13 championships, with their latest win in 2020.
The Tigers play most of their home games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which is just outside Richmond. They often have crowds of over 50,000 people, and sometimes even 90,000 when playing against big rivals. The team trains and runs their offices from their old home ground, Punt Road Oval, which is next to the MCG. Even though they haven't played home games at Punt Road Oval since 1964, the club has built new social and training facilities there. They have played their home games at the MCG since 1965.
Richmond is also home to the Richmond Harriers Athletic Club. This club, started in 1913, competes in track and field, road running, and cross-country events. The club is located at Citizen's Park.
Schools for Learning
Richmond has several schools for students of different ages:
- Melbourne Girls' College
- St Kevin's College (Waterford Campus)
- Richmond Primary School
- Richmond West Primary School
- Yarra Primary School
- Trinity Catholic Primary School
- Richmond High School
Getting Around Richmond
Richmond has a great transport system. It includes main roads, five train stations, seven tram routes, a bus route, and bicycle trails.
You can catch trams on:
- Victoria Street (routes 12 and 109)
- Church Street (route 78)
- Bridge Road (routes 48 and 75)
- Swan Street (route 70)
The main train station is Richmond railway station. It's a major hub where you can change trains for all metropolitan lines going to the eastern and south-eastern suburbs. Train lines that go through Richmond station include the Pakenham, Cranbourne, Frankston, Lilydale, Belgrave, Glen Waverley, Sandringham, and Alamein lines.
Other train stations in Richmond are North Richmond and West Richmond.
Health Services
Epworth Hospital is a large private hospital for surgeries. It has a big campus in Richmond on Bridge Road and Erin Street.
The Melbourne Clinic is a major mental health facility on Church Street.
Access Health and Community is a main health service located at 283 Church Street. It started in 1868 as the Richmond Dispensary. This makes it possibly the oldest continuously running doctor's office and community health center in Australia. Sir Robert Menzies, a former Australian Prime Minister, helped raise money for the current building, which opened in 1978.
Famous People from Richmond
Many well-known people have lived in or are connected to Richmond:
- Don Battye
- Peter Brock
- Roger Dean – a Richmond Football Club captain, born and raised here.
- Louisa Margaret Dunkley
- Megan Gale
- Bronwyn Halfpenny
- Marieke Hardy
- Paul Hawkins
- Stan Keon
- Norman Lacy
- Peter Lalor – an Irish-born leader of the Eureka Rebellion, who passed away in Richmond.
- Andy Lee
- Rove McManus
- Dame Nellie Melba – a world-famous singer, born in Richmond in 1861.
- Molly Meldrum
- David Mitchell
- Darcy Moore
- Van Tuong Nguyen
- Frank Scully
- Billy Slater
Images for kids
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View of the Pelaco factory between two art deco period houses
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Abinger Street looking west shows a diversity of housing styles including the Malthouse – industrial silos converted into contemporary apartments.
See also
- City of Richmond – Richmond was once part of this former local government area.
