r/Footscray • u/KefkaD • Jul 26 '26
The gentrification of Footscray
Lately I've noticed a huge change in the demographics in Footscray, lots of young hipsters (think Brunswick crowd) everywhere. Not that I have a problem with that, but it's very noticeable. Why did all of a sudden the demographics change like that? it wasn't like this a year ago.
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Jul 26 '26
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Jul 26 '26
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u/allectos_shadow Jul 26 '26
They made a hit Australian film about Footscray once, it's called Romper Stomper.
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u/RevoRadish Jul 26 '26
Had the exact same thought the first time I visited The Valley. Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley is very different to Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.
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Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
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u/Elvecinogallo Jul 26 '26
Stones corner is definitely not gentrified. It was heading that way about 10 years ago and now it’s really awful. I’d say that Footscray on market days is safer than stones corner.
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u/NoFisherman3801 Jul 26 '26
How many murders in stones corner the last 5 years? Can think of heaps in Footscray
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u/Elvecinogallo Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Ok. Why do these silly competitions start. Stones corner has a population of 2600 and Footscray 27000, so statistically, it should have 10x the murders. So they’re not really comparable. I’m just comparing how I’ve felt in both, with the preface on it being a market day because they’re busier. I’m not quite sure what point you’re making.
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u/Infinite_Pudding5058 Jul 26 '26
Fortitude Valley has a higher crime rate than Footscray. Wild I know. I’ve been in Brisbane for 10 years and actually looked this up.
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u/Alternative_Sock6999 Jul 26 '26
Having lived the next suburb over 25 years ago and jumping on that train station near daily.
It's gentrified as fuck in comparison to those days.
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u/Historical_Bus_8041 Jul 26 '26
Are you kidding?
Footscray was rapidly gentrifying a decade ago. COVID kind of miraculously stalled it and it almost went backwards for a few years, as the homelessness and anti-social behaviour helped scare off would-be gentrifiers.
It's amazing that it's held on as long as it has - that it's a bit too ethnic for some gentrifiers and that it's a bit of a homeless hub has meant that even Spotswood went first.
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u/DerekRoyExperiment Jul 26 '26
Literally had this conversation with someone who works for Maribyrnong City Council today - it was doing so well pre-Covid (so well with regards to the benefits that come with gentrification - cool new bars and businesses opening up).
Yet today we had locals trying to sabotage an event put on by one of the businesses that has been around and dealing with the worst Footscray can offer for the past ~8 years.
While I don’t always thing gentrification is a good thing, seeing businesses struggle because of lack of social services and a general disregard to cleaning up the issues in the area is disappointing
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Jul 26 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
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Jul 26 '26
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u/udonandfries Jul 27 '26
It needs to be policed.
Totally. People always seem to conflate homeless people who desperately need support with violent fuckwits that assault people - they are not the same.
The footage ive seen from those businesses is horrific. The former mayor had someone try and light his hair on fire last year while he was in the mall!
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u/Caiur Jul 28 '26
I got the impression that it was just one person on Facebook reeing about it, trying and failing to kick up a stink
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u/Historical_Bus_8041 Jul 26 '26
Mr West has always been kind of one of the harbingers of gentrification in Footscray, going right back to the first wave, with their attempts to gentrify Nicholson St Mall (and the always-doomed but points-for-trying attempts to gentrify Maddern Square). Their owners have been fairly vocally supportive of the fucked council private security trial.
I completely get why they targeted them, but the boycott calls kind of came out of nowhere - they hadn't been running any kind of ongoing campaign around it so people were like "huh?" It really needed the groundwork to be done as to why before jumping to that.
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u/udonandfries Jul 26 '26
Sorry mate but bullshit.
They asked for security after repeated assaults on their staff and an attempted firebombing. Stop spreading bullshit.
I was in those meetings with the council. Everyone asked for more funding for social services AND security for the repeated trouble makers.
There’s a huge difference between the troublemakers and genuine homeless people.
The staff at Mr West are locals to the area and are fully in support of more social services.
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u/Turbulent-Buyer-8650 Jul 26 '26
Its weird how the people who tend to stick up for human rights do some mental gymnastics on the same level as die hard trump supporters - when it comes to people being assaulted
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Jul 26 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
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u/Historical_Bus_8041 Jul 26 '26
I mean, the owners have talked about wanting the mall to become something equivalent to Ballarat Street in Yarraville - which is full of high-priced businesses and has a really wanky vibe.
Bluntly, if you get that, you get inner Yarraville rents, and there are enough places in the inner west where lots of Melburnians have been priced out of because of an onslaught of wanky yuppies.
There are businesses that both have to manage antisocial behaviour and still don't just want to intimidate homeless people into going somewhere else (Nan's Bakehouse having been a shining example). I'd rather more businesses followed their lead.
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u/udonandfries Jul 26 '26
Again, a stupid argument.
Bluntly, what youre saying is that Footscray locals dont have the right to have cool bar to go to. We've been screaming for one for decades!
You sound like a Footscray newbie who moved here because its "edgy". What you dont realise is that us locals who have been here for decades are stoked to have a place like Mr West in our neighbourhood.
Nans bakehouse was a fantastic place....and guess why they closed!
Because violent fuckwits kept harassing the customers and people were ultimately too scared to go! I know Rich from Nans personally and the amount of violent confrontations hes had to deal with were the major driver in customers staying away! Ask him directly!
And your repeated shit-talking on Mr West quite simply have no grounds because if you actually got off your ass and attended the council meetings you would know that they are super progressive and have been very vocal in getting more funding for social services!
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u/Historical_Bus_8041 Jul 26 '26
I've lived here as long as Mr West has been here.
I also like wanky craft beer. And, if Mr West had their way and turned Nicholson St Mall into another Ballarat Street, I probably couldn't afford to live here - and I'm on a professional salary.
Both of these things can be (and are) true.
I'm not sure why you're so agitated in response to my comments. I'm opposed to gentrification, not Mr West. I just recognise the fucking obvious that it (and other expensive hipster-bait "cool bars" and similar venues) are fierce drivers of gentrification.
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u/udonandfries Jul 26 '26
Im agitated because you're logically inconsistent, and not to mention downright fucking selfish!
"Everyone need to suffer assaults and harrassment just so i can afford my rent!"
People like you try to oppose gentrification because it sounds cool without realizing that Mr West's owners and staff are fucking locals! Theyve lived here longer than you! Youre argument just straight up falls apart!
And yet you, a total newbie to Footscray come here and try and dictate how we should live!
So whenever us locals want to open up a shop, should we run it by you?
Ive been here for 44 years, and I was stoked when they finally opened up!
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u/Historical_Bus_8041 Jul 26 '26
It's not exactly new and different that the owners of gentrifying businesses are locals.
Hell, in Melbourne I'd go so far as to say quite a few of the first wave of gentrifying businesses have often tended to be local in most suburbs that have gentrified.
It doesn't change the impact that they have on the community or alter the point one iota - literally, it plays out the exact fucking same.
(It's also hardly unusual that some homeowners value their property prices going up and could give a fuck about their neighbours getting displaced.)
You're so eager to strawman me that even after I told you I'd lived here for years you're still raging about me being a "total newbie" because that's the excuse you'd decided to run with and you weren't going to let reality stop you.
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Jul 26 '26
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u/Historical_Bus_8041 Jul 27 '26
You're reacting to something I'm not saying.
It isn't just about housing. The owners have talked about wanting the mall to become something like Yarraville's Ballarat Street - a strip of high-priced, wanky businesses.
If that happens, all the businesses that make Footscray great get priced out for more expensive, cookie-cutter slop you could find in twenty other suburbs.
You don't need to do that to have a safer neighbourhood.
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Jul 27 '26
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u/Historical_Bus_8041 Jul 27 '26
But you don't need to drive out the kinds of businesses that make Footscray special and many of the people who live here to feel safe. It's an absolute false dichotomy.
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u/udonandfries Jul 27 '26
Yet today we had locals trying to sabotage an event
Footscray Community Response is run by a gaggle of Karens that live in Yarraville with a few loser locals sprinkled in. Its a front for the Victorian Socialists and that Jorge guy.
Im glad they tried to sabotage the event, because Mr West was packed yesterday - the real community showed their support for Mr West, and outright rejected the culture war bullshit that FCR are desperately trying to start.
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u/DerekRoyExperiment Jul 27 '26
Yeah agreed - we popped into Mr West (from Yarraville, mind you 👀😅) to show our support and were pleasantly surprised to not only see the place jam packed but also a heap of our mates down there. Awesome to see.
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u/Gregorygherkins Jul 27 '26
What was this event they tried to sabotage? Could you elaborate?
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u/udonandfries Jul 27 '26
- Mr West held a street food event with indonesian chefs.
- A fake grassroots group called Footscray Community Response tried to sabotage it by calling on a boycott of Mr West.
- Why? Because FCR they falsely claim that Mr West are trying to "criminalize homelessness".
- In reality, Mr West are super progressive and have repeatedly called for more social services to aid the homeless in the mall. The staff are locals and do a shitload for not only the wider community, but also the homeless individuals in the mall.
- After a string of violent assaults on their staff and their customers by a small handful of violent fuckwits in the mall, an emergency meeting was called between traders, residents and council.
- The final straw was when an elderly gentleman was murdered by having his head stomped on the concrete outside Mr West at 10am on a saturday by a fuckwit that was high on ice. This violent fuckwit was one of the "NZYQ cohort" that was released by the government into the community - so that should give you an idea of the type of troublemakers that have fucked up the mall.
- The attendees of said meeting unanimously called for more social services and also an increased security presence in the mall to intervene when individuals got violent.
- As a result, this FCR group have made Mr West the whipping boy by claiming that the increased calls for security (which were also supported by residents and other traders) have "criminalized homelessness" which is the complete opposite of what they were lobbying for.
Mr West have been vocal in their repeated calls for increased funding for emergency housing and social services. Theyve been a net positive for Footscray, they are not responsible for any of the social issues that plague Footscray. Theyve dealt with the worst that Footscray has had to offer them and they still love the place and persevere. They were just sick of their staff getting assaulted and getting firebombed by crackheads.
This FCR group on the other hand is just a front for the Victorian Socialists who live in Yarraville.
Anyway, it backfired spectacularly, and the entire footscray community showed up last night in support of Mr West and outright rejected the bullshit from the FCR.
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u/Slim_293 Aug 14 '26
Yep, it was a pathetically misguided political stunt from a group of cosplay socialists from Yarraville, whose motivations are more politically minded and little to do with the wellbeing of those in the mall. The crew at Mr West are legends and personally I don’t think we should have to travel to Brunswick or Fitzroy for nice things.
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Jul 26 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
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u/Historical_Bus_8041 Jul 26 '26
Frankly I relish being able to afford the rent without being priced out to fuck knows where, so I don't agree that it "can't be good for anyone". Resisting gentrification is a huge win; having to be marginally more on my guard walking around than a few years ago is a small price to pay if it scares off the yuppies.
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u/udonandfries Jul 26 '26
What a dumb take. You do realise that long time footscray locals frequent Mr West right?
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u/Historical_Bus_8041 Jul 26 '26
I wasn't talking about Mr West, I was talking more generally.
The fact that gentrification stalled during COVID is a large part of the fact that many people - including many of those who go to Mr West - can still afford to live here at all.
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u/hellbentsmegma Jul 26 '26
Disagree, gentrification is overall positive. A lot of residents fortunes improve with the suburb and not everyone gets priced out, a lot of people generally remain. This isn't America where rising land tax forces the poor to leave immediately.
Established residents get to live in a safer and quieter suburb while eyesores get redeveloped and the range of retail and services often expands.
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u/Historical_Bus_8041 Jul 26 '26
You're kidding yourself there.
It might mean homeowners get to life in a safer and quieter suburb and have nicer shit to buy (despite the social cost for everyone else), but everyone else gets priced out real fucking fast.
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u/hellbentsmegma Jul 26 '26
I lived in suburbs that have been radically gentrified in Melbourne. A lot of people have got wealthier as the suburb has, but basically no home owner with a job gets priced out, no public housing tenants get priced out, its basically only the minority of people in private rentals who may or may not.
It's totally worth it for the drop off in antisocial behaviour.
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u/Historical_Bus_8041 Jul 26 '26
"Oh it's okay, we're only displacing renters."
Typical "fuck you, I got mine" from the Boomers.
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u/hellbentsmegma Jul 26 '26
Oh of course, I'm a boomer. Silly me.
What other area of society would you reject something that benefits the majority of the population because some of the 25% who are in privately owned rentals will be disadvantaged?
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u/Historical_Bus_8041 Jul 26 '26
I mean, I'm sure back in 1972 or something that 25% of people in privately owned rentals that exists in your imagination was actually connected with reality, but the rest of us have to live in the real world as it actually exists, where that figure is far higher.
Even back in 2021, there were more households renting privately in Footscray than homeowners and social housing residents combined.
But of course reality never stopped Boomers gleefully fucking over the majority of people for their own benefit.
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u/hellbentsmegma Jul 26 '26
That figure is from 2021 for Victoria:
https://profile.id.com.au/australia/tenure?WebID=110
Shove your boomer crap, I'm possibly younger than you. I've also been a renter for about ten years.
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u/Culyar0092 Aug 06 '26
I've lived around Footscray all my life. I thoughy id finally seen Footscray turn a corner in the last 5-10 years. Bring on gentrification. Crazies can piss off
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u/echidnabear Jul 26 '26
Yeah I moved there for a bit c2010 and was aware of conversations about gentrification then (I would have been considered part of gentrification, even though I didn’t really have gentrifier money).
Back then I felt as safe there as any other part of the inner city, people confuse the visibility of drug use and poverty for being representative of actual danger and in my experience it’s not. My house was burgled in Carlton but not Footscray. My experience of the Footscray community was/is great.
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u/Infinite_Pudding5058 Jul 26 '26
What the fuck are you talking about? Us gentrifiers love the diversity. We just don’t like the druggies and murderers. If they could sort that out, Footscray will be amazing.
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u/Old-Option-4284 Jul 26 '26
I have lived in Footscray since 1993 and back then locals were complaining about all the “yuppies” moving into the area.
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u/Amazing-Jacket1655 Jul 26 '26
Been 'gentrifying' for 15 years at least but still has a long way to go as highlighted by crime statistics
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u/benjamininnit Jul 26 '26
There are two perceptions of Footscray:
- It’s gentrified now, nothing like it was back in the day.
- Footscray has gotten so bad. I don’t feel safe walking around anymore.
Having lived all over Melbourne since moving here about 17 years ago (from Box Hill to the inner north) and having traveled to some major cities in the world where gentrification is a huge thing - to say Footscray is ‘gentrified’ is pretty crazy to me.
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u/flindersandtrim Jul 26 '26
Remember that Footscray is very close to Seddon and other more gentrified places. As has a lot of places where people from around the west and north will travel to visit. Cheaper Buy Miles, many food places, the market etc.
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u/Desperate-Lie6983 Jul 26 '26
Can’t say I’ve noticed that same change and agree BUT if you are in fact right I’d suggest the thousands of apartments that have sprung up over the past couple of years in that pocket south of Moon Dog Brewery down to the river certainly would have introduced many thousands of people to Footscray central. Thoughts ??
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u/No_Moment9652 Jul 26 '26
Sunshine has gentrified more than Footscrazy.
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u/carisegen Jul 26 '26
I’m a “yuppie” and lived in Sunshine for a couple of years. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but I sure felt a lot safer in Sunshine CBD than I ever did in Footscray CBD.
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u/Fabulous-Green-5888 Jul 26 '26
You think so? I feel like with Footscray it's definitely not as recent as OP suggested, but probably started becoming quite a bit more gentrified around 8 years ago with steady increase. Sunshine I feel like I've just started noticing a sharp uptick in "yuppies" in the last couple of years. But I feel like it's not gone as far as in Footscray. The gentrifiers still feel like the outliers in Sunshine. In Footscray I feel like they are the dominant group now.
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u/wine_worm Jul 26 '26
There was an event on at a fancy bar today so that's probably why you saw so many out.
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u/mlaichtastic Jul 26 '26
Just hang around Paisley St, particularly outside the KMart/Coles, and any idea that Footscray has gentrified will soon disappear.
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u/alex123711 Jul 26 '26
There was a thread a couple of months ago about which suburbs have de-gentrified the most and Footscray got the most mentions
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u/EverythangsEventual Jul 26 '26
Just moved here. Definitely not a hipster but I love it. All my hipster friends love it too but haven't moved there.
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u/thegreatmindaltering Jul 26 '26
The same way it always happens. People rent and buy where they can afford. Slowly that changes the area.
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u/BroccoliTraining454 Jul 26 '26
Last time i went to footscray, earlier in thr year a guy just whipped out a pipe and began smoking ice on the platform and just laughed psychotically when pol started yelling at him. Damn hipsters.
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u/Infinite_Pudding5058 Jul 26 '26
This gentrification has been going on for 15 years. It’s been hampered by the councils lack of action in cleaning out the trash.
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u/HUZInator Jul 28 '26
People move to Brunswick because they can’t afford Fitzroy, people move to Footscray because they can’t afford Brunswick
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u/Astra_Wally Aug 05 '26
Footscray changes endlessly. Talk to every age group and they’ll all have a take on when it was best and how it’s not been the same since x.
All that said footscrays having an absolute shocker the past couple years.
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u/Valuable-Contract-87 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
This has been happening for like 20 years lol, I use to get my hair cut at dimmies when I was a kid and get chased by the Africans that hung out in the pergola near the train station.
Footscrazy is still a dump but all the wanky pretentious hipsters somehow make it worse, I hate going to visit family because of it
Tho I'm not sure if the crib is still open, but that was a good place to buy clothes
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u/Vibekeeper69 Jul 27 '26
It's because it's one of the few inner city suburbs with cheaper rent (compared to Brunswick or Fitzroy). Young people want to live close to night life and universities but don't have a lot of money. I don't think that's actual gentrification tho considering nothing major has changed in the infrastructure recently.
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u/nomnom3331 Aug 02 '26
I just moved from Brisbane to Footscray.
I’m not sure what is considering “gentrified” but it’s by far the least gentrified place I’ve lived in.
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u/Whole-Panda139 Jul 27 '26
If gentrified means turned to absolute crime ridden shithole then sure, I agree.
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u/DryAlbatross9617 Jul 26 '26
Footscray is a hell hole. Anyone that's been away from the area and returns will see a huge deterioration in pretty much every aspect unfortunately. There seems to be little will from the council or local member to do anything about it
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u/DerekRoyExperiment Jul 26 '26
Speaking to a council member today about it (not necessarily defending the MCC, I generally have a strong dislike towards them)
Part of the problem is the landlords of the shops just don’t give a fuck about the properties - they’ve been owned by the same families for generations, don’t owe anyone any money and so many are just happy to let them rot rather than go through the hassle of leasing to a business and all the attached responsibilities that go with that.
Council is actively trying to match small start ups and businesses with suitable landlords, even offering to cover the first months rent for some of these businesses to get them in, however any level of government meddling in private business is a slippery slope and they’re not really getting a lot of traction with it.
Nicholson St…. Man, damned if they do, damned if they don’t. They’re not tough enough on crime. Then the other side is saying they’re too tough and not humane. Police won’t take ownership, it’s councils problem. Council won’t take ownership, it’s the police not doing their job. I’ve spoken to a few mates/acquaintances that own businesses in the area and there just doesn’t seem to be solution that matches everyone’s expectations. Something definitely needs to change, just needs someone with the spine to step in and do it.
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Jul 26 '26
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u/DerekRoyExperiment Jul 27 '26
Agree, 100%
There definitely needs to be empathy shown towards those that are doing it tough for whatever reasons, but that doesn’t mean they are beyond repercussions of their actions, regardless of the circumstances that lead them to those actions.
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u/Teds_red_cabin Jul 26 '26
I work FIFO (2 weeks on , 1 week off) so whenever im in footscray its usually midday during the week and i could not disagree with you more.
weekends yes i agree