Victoria
Eating Pleasure In Suburban Melbourne - Maling Road
Sunday, July 18th, 2010Most large cities have streets or districts which are known for their shops and cafes. In Melbourne such eating zones include Lygon St Carlton, Brunswick St Fitzroy, and Acland St in St Kilda. But there are other gems hiding out in the suburbs, and I stumbled across a good one last month.
The area is the shopping precinct of Maling Road in Canterbury, an inner eastern suburb of Melbourne. It’s a great little area for cafes, gourmet foods and quality coffee … and there are some interesting shops too.
I found the area because I’m a coffee enthusiast. One of the most revered coffee houses in Melbourne (according to the CoffeeSnobs website) is the Maling Room cafe in Canterbury, so when passing through Melbourne I made the short train trip out of the city to try it out.
The Maling Room proved worthy of its reputation, with coffee worth travelling for. Their food was good too, and being located inside a historic post office building added to its charm. But when I stepped outside to explore the street I realised my discoveries had only begun.
A few doors down was Browns: Bakers of Distinction - and I was lured inside by a range of bakery goodies that made me drool. Their offerings can be eaten, with coffee, in their cafe area … and so I did.
With bits of a roast pumpkin and fetta muffin still lurking in my mouth, I was drawn into another small shop named Xocolatl - specialising in unique hand-made chocolates … and coffee. Of course I had to try some. Magnificent, and not surprisingly it was very well patronised by the locals.
Then I noticed, across the road, Bambaleros Freshly Roasted Coffee. This cafe roasts its own beans in a roaster positioned proudly at the back of the small premises. Being a Coffeesnobs member, I had to try some, and it was good. So was their food.
Next I looked inside Weatherson Foods, another small shop (they’re all small) specialising in “ready made meals and finger food to take home”. It too had a small cafe section for dining in. I would have snaffled one of their delicious looking creations for lunch later, had I not already acquired sufficient lunch from Browns.
Cornelius cheese, wine and coffee also competed for my gastronomic attention, but for some reason I was no longer hungry. Likewise I reluctantly passed by Wilson & Walsh gourmet deli and eatery, which also functioned as a cafe. I’m saving them for my next visit.
It’s not all cafes and gourmet food - sweet tooths are catered for at A Pocket Of Lollies. This is an old fashioned lolly shop (known elsewhere as a candy store) packed with a vast array of sweet delights. Shops like it are rare these days.
Sweetness could also be found at Bohemia Cakes, a cafe describing itself as “a taste of Europe”. There were several other attractive cafes I didn’t venture into. Sorry Cafe Eden, Cafe 88 and Ruby T - even a coffee snob can only drink so much caffeine in one morning.
Still on a food theme, Maling Road also has two small fruit shops selling fruit and veges which looked fresh, and some out of the ordinary food items. They are reminiscent of the days before supermarkets came to dominate, when people relied upon a variety of small specialty shops like these in their local main street.
Other Maling Road shops sell gifts, antiques, boutique clothing,fine art, china & crystal, books, beauty therapy, and interior design. Of course there are more everyday shops too, like the pharmacy, post office, hair salons and grocery shop.
Notable by their absence were multinationals and big chain stores. Apart from IGA and Bakers Delight (both Australian and locally owned) and Browns (11 bakeries across Melbourne), all the shops and eateries in Maling Road are independant one-offs. This makes the area refreshingly different from the uniformity of the average shopping centre.
Apart from filling my belly and reassuring me that unique independant shops can still thrive, my visit to Maling Road illustrated something travel has taught me - suburbs aren’t necessarily boring. The local business association describes Maling Road as a “charming shopping village” with a “special ambiance” - and I think they’re right.
By all means visit the well known eating areas - they’re usually well known for good reason. But don’t be afraid to venture into suburbs you might not have heard of - you just don’t know what goodies you may find there.
More information:
Maling Road Business Association - all about the shopping area, including a store directory and map.
The Maling Road shops start at the intersection of Canterbury Road - right next to Canterbury train station. This station is 15 or 20 minutes east of Flinders St in the city, within zone 1, and all Lilydale and Belgrave trains stop there.
Topics: Attractions, Victoria | Add Your Comment »
Warburton to Jamieson: Road Of Serendipity In Victoria
Saturday, March 21st, 2009If you’re after a great back-road in Victoria, taking the scenic and historic high road between Warburton and Jamieson in Victoria is hard to beat.
Despite its remote mountainous nature, the road can be used as part of the journey between Melbourne and Mt Buller, Victoria’s most popular ski area. Although you probably wouldn’t want to do it in winter, as the higher gravel sections are prone to ice and snow.
Warburton and Jamieson are the two blue markers; the road between them is blue
I drove the road in summer, when I was looking for a route to Mansfield and the Mt Buller area. The obvious and more direct way would have been the Maroondah Highway, but one thing I’ve learned from a lot of driving is that main highways are not usually the most scenic roads. Another line on the map caught my attention - narrow, winding, gravel, passing through abandoned mining settlements, mountains, and not much else. I couldn’t resist the temptation of this road less travelled.
Leaving Melbourne’s eastern suburbs via Lilydale, I passed up the Yarra valley to the town of Warburton, which is worth visiting for its bakery alone. I stocked up on scrumptious bakery products, using the excuse that the road ahead saw little traffic, and if I broke down it could be a long wait for help. Any other excuse would have done.
Beyond Warburton the traffic dwindled, and after the turnoff at Cambarville I had the road pretty much to myself. The road, now gravel, passed through impressive patches of Eucalyptus Regnans, known in these parts as mountain ash. These are the world’s second tallest tree species, and are truly inspiring when people can resist the urge to chop them down.
Some delightful views of the surrounding mountains appeared at times, particularly from the cleared hilltop where the village of Matlock once stood. Further on, the road descended through the remains of towns which briefly thrived back in the gold rush days - Woods Point, A1 mine Settlement and Gaffneys Creek. Woods Point possesses a service station and petrol bowser (still operating) which look like they date back to when cars were a new invention. The historic feel of these little places made me feel as if I’d passed through a time warp.
Further on, the road followed the Goulburn River and passed a number of very attractive riverside campsites - somewhere I hope to return some day in a campervan. Around Kevington the road improved, then it was a straightforward drive through Jamieson to Mansfield, the main service town for nearby Mt Buller. All up it took me around three and a half hours driving time (I think) from Melbourne, plus time for scenic stops.
It was a longer and more tiring way of driving to Mansfield than the highways, but I was enthused by the scenery, and felt as if I’d discovered another world. The downside was the steep and winding nature of much of the middle section - for a long while I thought I’d never get out of second or third gear. The never-ending bends could be uncomfortable for those prone to car-sickness, and the condition of the road in winter should be checked out beforehand.
But if the road conditions are okay, and you have the time to enjoy the scenery without rushing, discovering this road for yourself may be the great serendipity it was for me.
Note - I’m ashamed to admit that I carried no camera for my unexpected drive along this road, which is why there are no photos. Also I couldn’t find any suitable photos on the web, at least none I could legally use.
Topics: Scenic Roads, Victoria | Add Your Comment »