Ascot Vale

Understand

1 Moonee Ponds. The heart of Melbourne's comfortable suburbia, Moonee Ponds is the home of Barry Humphries' character Mrs (later Dame) Edna Everage. The local racecourse is one of Melbourne's Big Three, along with Caulfield and Flemington. With a variety of cafes and restaurants, there is enough here to capture the attention of a traveller for an afternoon. (updated Sep 2020) Brunswick and Coburg are major destinations in the inner and middle north of Melbourne. They fall within the City of Merri-bek, which also covers other suburbs including Fawkner, Pascoe Vale and Glenroy. Brunswick is famous among Melburnians and visitors for its unique hipster vibe and amazing bar and café scene. The spine of the area is Sydney Road, a happening place day and night. The area is not to be confused with Brunswick St, a popular place for eating out in Fitzroy in Melbourne's inner north. Banyule is a suburban region in the north-east of Melbourne. The main centre is the suburb of Heidelberg, with a sizeable shopping strip, hospital and other services, and the namesake for the Heidelberg School of Art. Ivanhoe is a major suburb in the south of the region, with the original 1930s city hall, and Greensborough is home to a major shopping centre, however there is not much of interest to travellers here. While much of Banyule possesses a suburban nature, most of its borders are lines by creeks and rivers, including the Yarra River in the east and the Darebin Creek in the west. Densely-wooded hills provides an escape from suburbia in the far north-western area around Montmorency and Saint Helena.

Getting there

The three main rail corridors through Melbourne's north are the Craigieburn, South Morang and Upfield lines. Tram lines also radiate from the city, better serving the inner suburbs than those further out. Buses fill the spaces in between.

Moonee Ponds 1 Moonee Ponds Junction. The Moonee Ponds tram and bus interchange is at the intersection of Mount Alexander Road, Ascot Vale Road and Pascoe Vale Road. The route 59 tram stops there, heading south to the city and north to Essendon and Airport West. The 82 tram terminates there, connecting Moonee Ponds and Footscray. Buses from the interchange connect Moonee Ponds to the northern suburbs, to north-western suburbs past Essendon, and to Footscray and Williamstown. 2 Moonee Ponds Railway Station. On the Craigieburn line, it has trains to and from the city every 20 minutes.

Ascot Vale 3 Ascot Vale railway station. Trains run to Ascot Vale station every 20 minutes from the city. The Route 57 tram from the city travels along Union Road and Epsom Road, and the 82 tram from Footscray to Moonee Ponds passes the north end of Union Road as it runs along Maribyrnong Road. The route 472 bus between Moonee Ponds and Williamstown stops at the intersection of Union Street and Francis/Mariam Streets, and the 404 between Moonee Ponds and Footscray runs along Ascot Vale Road.

Brunswick and Coburg Brunswick and Coburg are easily reached from Melbourne's City Centre by train and by tram. The 19 tram to North Coburg traverses Sydney Rd, from Elizabeth St in the city, and services the busiest parts of both Brunswick and Coburg. The 96 tram (from Bourke St) travels along Nicholson St in the east to East Brunswick, stopping at a few popular cafés and attractions. Trams 1 and 8 follow Lygon St (from Swanston St) before continuing onto the Nicholson St extension in East Coburg and Moreland Station respectively. Tram 55 (from William St) travels through mostly residential areas in the west towards its West Coburg terminus. The Upfie

See

1 Moonee Ponds Courthouse Museum, Corner Mount Alexander Road and Kellaway Avenue, Moonee Ponds, [email protected]. Closed. The former Moonee Ponds Courthouse housed a museum of the local area, run by the Essendon Historical Society. In June 2016, a fire damaged the building and the collection. Restoration is happening, but the museum remains closed until further notice. (updated Sep 2016) 2 Incinerator Gallery, 180 Holmes Rd, Moonee Ponds (catch the 82 tram from Moonee Ponds interchange to Stop 41 at Maribyrnong Park; walk north along the river then turn right into Holmes Street; walk a minute or two along Holmes Street until you reach the gallery, opposite a lawn bowls club), ☏ +61 3 8325 1750, [email protected]. Tu-Su 11AM-4PM. Interesting gallery with exhibitions, art history talks, adult art courses, and workshops. Free. (updated Sep 2016)

3 Brunswick Town Hall and Counihan Gallery, Corner Sydney Road and Dawson Street, Brunswick, ☏ +61 3 9389 8600. Library: M-Th 10AM-8PM, F 10AM-6pm, Sat 9AM-4PM, Su 1-5PM; gallery: W-Sa 11AM-5PM and Su 1-5PM. The historic Brunswick Town Hall contains the Brunswick Library branch of the Merri-bek City Council library, and the Counihan Gallery, a contemporary art space with changing exhibitions. Free. (updated Oct 2015) 4 Street Art, Corner of Moreland Road and Holmes Street, Brunswick East. Melbourne is full of great street art and graffiti. Just one example is on the side of Worthy Apparel on Moreland Road as the number 8 tram turns left from Holmes Street. Go for a wander or ride the trams around and keep your eyes open for more great aerosol art. (updated Sep 2016) 5 Melbourne Olympic Village, Alamein Rd, Heidelberg West (Bus 903: Olympic Village SC/Midway St stop). The athletes village of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics resides in Heidelberg West, and has since been converted to public housing, a school, a small shopping centre amongst other uses. The original five-ring symbol of the Olympic Games still hangs over A

Do

1 Moonee Valley Racecourse, McPherson Street, Moonee Ponds, toll-free: 1300 843 825Country code missing, [email protected]. See website for race meeting dates and times. One of Melbourne's Big Three horse racing venues, there are several race meetings a month in the busy season from September to March. The famous Cox Plate weight-for-age race is run here in late October each year Most general admission tickets $20, GA for Cox Plate $55. (updated Sep 2016) 2 Moonee Ponds Clocktower Centre, 750 Mount Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds, ☏ +61 3 9243 9191, [email protected]. Performing arts centre including drama, dance, music performances and movie screenings. (updated Sep 2016) Brunswick Music Festival. Yearly music festival running for a week in March. It is kicked off with the Sydney Road Street Party where Sydney Road between Victoria Street and Brunswick Road is turned into a pedestrian zone with food stalls and outdoor stages at multiple locations. (updated Mar 2024) Merri Creek Trail. Cycle or walk along Merri Creek. This is a 20km shared path free from motorized traffic between Yarra Bend Park, where the creek joins the Birrarung/Yarra River and the Main Yarra Trail in the south, and the Metropolitan Ring Road in the north. (updated Mar 2024)

Buy

Sydney Road is Melbourne's longest continuous shopping strip. It features a large selection of individually ru