PRECINCTS | Inner East
Style
Central Those who appreciate the finer things in life will love these modern-day villages, where high fashion sits side by side with cafes and galleries High Street Armadale is home to fashionable clothing boutiques, antiques, bridal shops, beauty salons, furniture and jewellery (highstreetarmadale.com.au). Still more are tucked away in Kings Arcade, built in 1893 (kingsarcade.com.au). There’s a healthy cafe culture with 8 Days (8dayscafe.com.au), Coin Laundry (coinlaundrycafe.com.au), Gardiner & Field (gardinerandfield.com) and Mammoth (eatmammoth.com) among the hotspots. Choose a treat from the windows at Cooper & Millas (1094 High Street, Armadale), or keep the kids happy at Cubbyhouse Canteen, located in the midst of a gorgeous park (43A Union Street, Armadale). Glenferrie Road has a more low key vibe, along with fashion, gift, book and homewares stores, global cuisine, ice cream, frozen yoghurt and organic fare. Rainy afternoons are made for gallery hopping. Check out pop culture and animation art at Silver K (silverkgallery.com.au), tribal art and antiques at BC (bcgalleries.com.au), and retro treats at Vintage Posters Only (vintagepostersonly.com) and Leticia Morris (letitiamorris.com).
CAMBERWELL More than 400 stores line Camberwell’s Burke Road, making it one of Victoria’s largest street shopping centres. Visit your favourite chains plus boutiques, recycled fashion, antiques, salons, day spas, homewares and gifts (camberwellshopping.com.au). Camberwell Place has everything you need under one roof (camberwellplace.com.au) , while the weekly Sunday Market in Station Street is packed with pre-loved fashion and other treasures (camberwellsundaymarket.org). Art Deco classic Rivoli Cinemas has your entertainment covered, with eight screens including Gold Class (200 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn East). Choose from a variety of cuisines in and around Camberwell Junction, from modern steakhouse The Meat & Wine Co (themeatandwineco.com) to classic Italian at Italy 1 (italy1camberwell.com.au), colourful Afghan Village (923 Burke Road), and award-winning 88 | destinations VICTORIA
Indian at Tandoori Den (tandooriden.com.au). Don’t miss the Camberwell Fresh Food Market for all your fresh food and flower needs. Check the website for hours (camberwellfreshfoodmarket.com.au). A few kilometres away, Canterbury’s Maling Road is a treasure trove of traditional shops stocking quality fashions, homewares, and gifts along with quaint eateries (malingroad.com.au).
TOORAK For luxury brands and Tudor-style architecture, head to Toorak Village. Put your most fashionable foot forward with the help of Moda Liston, Henry Bucks and Christensen Copenhagen, or deck yourself out in diamond accessories from Imp Jewellery (toorakvillage.com.au). Dine at Manhattan for a touch of New York chic (manhattanrestaurant.com.au), or experience celebrity haunt Romeo’s (romeosoftoorak.com.au), a la carte restaurant Quaff (quaff.net.au), or French gem Bistro Thierry (bistrothierry.com). Keep it casual at The Malvern Hotel (themalvern.com) or Welcome Thai (welcomethai.com.au) or stay in with a bottle of wine from Toorak Cellars (toorakcellars.com.au). Art lovers will relish Kinrosss Arts Centre, a celebrated cultural and social hub welcoming people from all cultures and faith traditions for exhibitions, special events and nourishment at the Manse Gallery Café (kinrossarts.org.au), while in May and June each year the sidewalks and shop windows of Toorak Village become a temporary gallery in their own right as part of the Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition. DV
Getting there TRAIN: Most Cranbourne, Pakenham and Frankston services from the city stop at Toorak and Armadale. For Camberwell, take the Belgrave/Lilydale line. TRAM: Take Number 8 from the city to Toorak Village, Number 6 to High Street Armadale or Number 72 to Camberwell Junction. To plan your route, go to ptv.vic.gov.au
TEXT: CASSY POLIMENI AND VISITVICTORIA.COM / IMAGEW: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
ARMADALE
