Explore.
WONDER WALL
It serves an important community function but it’s the outer walls of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (asrc.org.au) that entice art-lovers. It’s where Journeys of Courage, a 150-metre-long, 11-metre-high mural, was painted by street artists Heesco, Dvate, Conrad Bizjak, Mike Makatron and Duke. The impressive work, which portrays former prime minister Malcolm Fraser, is one of Maribyrnong Council’s StreetWorks projects in Footscray; another is Chuck Mayfield and Júlia Both’s mural in the Coral Avenue car park. Also venture to Maddern Square to admire one of Baby Guerrilla’s epic paste-ups.
ART AND ABOUT
Sparking conversations and creating change are just a couple of the aims of Footscray Community Arts Centre (footscrayarts.com). The multidisciplinary venue hosts everything from visual arts to film festivals and theatre. It’s a diverse program but there’s something to check out regardless of what time of day you happen to be exploring.
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
Many a train traveller heading west has been startled by the 16-metre-tall gold statue of Mazu, the Chinese goddess of the sea, overlooking Maribyrnong River. She was erected in 2008. Then, for the next six years, commuters watched on as a red and gold building grew from the reclaimed industrial site. Heavenly Queen Temple (heavenlyqueentemple.com.au) is still in the midst of transformation but the twostorey temple, ornate gates and memorial hall have been open to the public since 2014. The complex will include a drum tower, tea house and Chinese gardens.
SHOP ’TIL YOU BOP
While it’s nowhere near Fitzroy in terms of its retail offerings – yet – Footscray shows promise. Sisters Annabelle and Alana Kingston opened Perfect Splash (perfectsplash.store) to uncover locally produced and often handmade fashion, jewellery, publications, music and ceramics. Sustainable creations are on offer at Post Industrial Design (postindustrialdesign.com.au), where Mary Long and Jos Van Hulsen deal in unique homewares, fashion and upcycled gifts. The store does triple duty as a gallery and an independently owned café called Pod. The Footscray Finds market (footscrayfinds.com.au), held in the Footscray Library car park on the third Sunday of the month, is a new attraction where you can hunt among the stalls for the perfect vintage denim jacket or favourite album on vinyl and buy a freshly baked loaf of bread. Food trucks and live music are also on the scene.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
As night falls, Footscray becomes Melbourne’s newest hotspot. While hip restaurants and bars attract a crowd, live-music stalwarts will find their own fix here. The Reverence Hotel (reverencehotel.com), built in the 1800s and turned into a venue in 2012, serves its mixed bag of constituents well. There’s a beer garden, a band room and a public bar with pool and foosball tables. Punk and rock tend to get top billing but you can also come here for trivia, comedy and, on Thursday nights, a taste of the ’60s with dance lessons from Anna’s Go-Go Academy. Dancing Dog Cafe (dancingdog.com.au), which has been plying its quirky trade for more than a decade as a café, bar and gallery, also hosts live music on Friday and Saturday nights.