For the most part, you will find Melbourne’s nightlife is at its safest in the CBD, Fitzroy and Collingwood, South Yarra and Prahran, Richmond and the busier venues of St Kilda. In these parts of town there is no shortage of staff or police to be seen and transport is a non-issue. Put simply, if one was after the short answer: first-timers are best off in the CBD, Fitzroy for a night of bar hopping on foot, and Richmond for live music and an easy train ride back.
I am Isadora Northwood. When you put together plans for an evening in Melbourne, do not go looking for some “perfect” suburb that does not exist. Make your choice from among places with an active but not chaotic scene, where security is the norm and you can get home well after midnight without having to make a prayer to the tram gods.
A Safety Snapshot of Melbourne
It is one of the more vibrant nightlife scenes in Australia, yet what is safe on one block may not be so on the next. For some safety advice for Melbourne evenings, remember that the entertainment precincts with the heft to them are generally safer than an isolated strip; there are better links to transport and more people about.
People are prone to think that “popular” is synonymous with “easy”. It is not. Between the main drag and a side street that has gone quiet, or when you are tipsy and the rain is coming down and you are hunting for a ride, the late trams and crowded footpaths can be as rough as they come.
How I have judged the areas
You will not find any marketing fluff in this guide. My assessment is of a practical nature: how well lit it is, the density of venues, the state of public transport after midnight, whether you can find food and put in an easy exit without getting turned around. I have been guided by the likes of Whatson Melbourne, Visit Melbourne, Time Out, Beat Magazine, Study Melbourne, Embark and Victorian safety information for the current patterns of tourism and venues. For the basics of personal safety in public, the Victoria Police offer sound advice on knowing your surroundings and heeding your instincts.
Precincts in brief
Do not make a night of it more complicated than it needs to be. Choose a precinct and remain in the well-lit streets of it. Have your way home sorted before you are on your second drink, let alone your fourth.
| Area / Best For / Safety Strengths / What Catches People Out / Best Suited To |
| Melbourne CBD Laneway and rooftop bars, first-time visitors High traffic in the core, good lighting, several train lines and trams, venue security is in evidence The quiet transition of some lanes, station exits can be confusing later on One-nighters, small groups and travellers |
| Fitzroy Brunswick Street and the like for a casual pub crawl The hospitality strip is busy and you can walk between venues with the evening crowd Side streets get quiet in a hurry, not as much train access as the CBD Live music fans, friends and couples |
| Collingwood Smith Street for music and a late meal Active roads, mixed crowd, taxis and rideshares are easily had Some industrial pockets look deserted of an evening Those in the market for a gig or to bar hop |
| South Yarra Dressier affairs and a polished dinner Good staffing at the venues, an active strip and transport node Weekend crowds and the associated rideshare surge pricing Visitors who want something straightforward, date nights |
| Prahran Chapel Street and the clubs Concentration of venues, heavy foot traffic, late food Line-ups and congestion, noise and the inebriated Club nights and younger set |
| Richmond Sport nights and the pubs Swan Street is busy, you know the venues and the train is excellent After a big event the crowds are packed in Gig-goers |
| St Kilda Bigger nights and the beachside bars Visible security in the thick of it, the trams Away from the strip it is patchier and can get rowdy Experienced night owls |
The CBD After Dark
Most visitors would do well to start in the Central Business District, it is the all-round safest option and you have your pick. There is enough hotel density and people in the core entertainment areas to preclude any sense of being alone, to say nothing of the station access and late food.
If you are going to be out in the CBD, keep to the active grid. Hardware Lane is still the place for a drink or a meal, and you will be more at ease in the well-trafficked laneways of Chinatown and Little Bourke than on the office-heavy periphery once the night is on.
To make the most of the CBD on foot
Try an early dinner on Hardware Lane then a cocktail at Gin Palace and another venue on a rooftop or in a busy lane before you take the train or a car home. A common mistake is to think all laneways are of a piece in terms of vibrancy. You may be put off by one that has an appealing online presence but is devoid of life once the office crowd has gone home. I have a straightforward approach: see some pedestrian traffic, staff about and doors in use, so much the better. When it is as flat and half-shuttered as a pancake, move on.
The CBD
For the solo or interstate type, the CBD is where you want to be, least fuss being the order of the day. Should your time in Melbourne be limited to a single day and you are not in the mood to commit half the train map to memory before having a taste of the nightlife, make this section your priority.
You will find the going rates in the inner city are not onerous. A standard drink in a bar will run you between 14 and 26 AUD, a casual late meal 18 to 35 AUD. Factor in a rideshare inside the inner city for 15 to 35 AUD or thereabouts, weather and demand permitting.
Evenings in Fitzroy and Collingwood
There is less of a corporate air to the Fitzroy and Collingwood scene, more of a sense of place. One goes here for the pub corners and band rooms, to put in an appearance on Brunswick Street or have dinner on Smith Street, and for nights when “this is a good place” is reason enough to have three drinks instead of one.
Melbourne visitors who want atmosphere without resorting to full club mode opt for these safe neighbourhoods. There is no shortage of live music and bars, provided you do not stray from the active strips.
Smith and Brunswick Streets
Brunswick is the old way to bar-hop in Fitzroy while Smith Street in Collingwood has the same sort of energy with better options for a late meal and more comings and goings. The venues are close enough that you can be in well populated areas all night without having to put in the miles.
I am drawn to them for the social element; they do not require high heels or a booking plan of military proportions. But the side streets have a way of thinning out on you. Make the wrong turn and in ninety seconds the laughter and music gives way to a block of unexplained quiet. Newcomers tend to find that disconcerting.
Local Habits and Music
On a gig night the appeal of Richmond and Collingwood is hard to distinguish if you are weighing up an indie bar against something with a bigger room. Do yourself a favour and look at the venue pages or Beat Magazine ahead of time. Finish times are of more consequence than you might think when you come to put together your transport for later in Melbourne.
Those inclined to use a rideshare from a main road back to their accommodation will be better served in Fitzroy or Collingwood than someone who does not trust his ability to work the trams after hours. Not so much for the anxious traveller left to his own devices in an unknown part of town at midnight.
The South Yarra and Prahran Scene
If you want the polished shoes and the volume turned up, head to South Yarra or Prahran. Chapel Street has its own brand of energy and a clientele that can be as much at home with an elegant cocktail as in the thick of the circus, depending on what hour it is. Expect busier nights.
What you get is a lot of venues and food to hand and well staffed bars. What you don’t get is peace and quiet; there is enough swagger on a weekend to put off the more sedate sort who would rather be in front of the telly with a tinnie.
Chapel Street
One could say safety on Chapel Street is fine in the busy bits, less agreeable when the crowds get unruly. It is not inherently unsafe but behaviour does alter after dark. You are more apt to encounter line-ups, footpath obstructions and the odd argument outside a venue here than in some mellow Fitzroy backwater.
Still, for groups in need of club access and a certain amount of noise, South Yarra and Prahran are fine. Just be sure of your way home and pick a spot with door staff you can see. And don’t be surprised at the app’s financial indignity if you try to leave in a surge with the rest of them. Protective Services Officers play a crucial role in maintaining safety by preventing and managing various offences during Melbourne’s nightlife hours.
Who should go where
South Yarra is the convenient option for a date night or a tidy dinner. Younger crowds in search of something to rouse them will prefer Prahran for a big night out. Unless you consider waiting on transport in a noisy crowd your idea of hell, in which case Richmond or the CBD is for you.
Richmond and St Kilda
There is much to be said for the nightlife of Richmond and St Kilda, though they appeal in different ways. You will find Richmond to be venue-led and no-nonsense; St Kilda is all about the mood, with its beachside ambience, a certain restlessness after dark and an element of unpredictability on the periphery.
Make it a night of live music and you would do well to go to Richmond for the simplicity of it. Or put in an appearance at St Kilda for the setting, provided you are not put off by the odd patchy street when you are some distance from where everyone else is.
Richmond For Easy Gig Nights
I am fond of putting forward Richmond as a recommendation for a straightforward evening. The pubs on Swan Street are good, getting food is trouble-free and you have some of the city’s most convenient train links. Then there is the Corner Hotel, a live music institution that has earned its reputation. One might expect nothing more from Richmond than a footy crowd or a pre-match pint but in truth it is among the better options for a low-fuss, safe night in. Coming and going is generally less of an ordeal than in some of the trendier strips.
St Kilda For Busier Beach Nights
You will still see the crowds in St Kilda for a big social night at one of the bars or pubs, as is the way in Melbourne. Where the venues are and the trams are running, the busy spots can be quite energetic and under a watchful eye.
Then again, it takes some local sense. Step out of the active areas and St Kilda is quick to change. Some of it is fine, other stretches are a touch scruffy, the further the night gets. I would be inclined to suggest it to a group or couple over the solo visitor who is a little nervous and new to town.
Getting Home Without Drama
How you depart is as important as what you have been drinking. A smoked rosemary cocktail with a side of lecturing is of less consequence than your route back to your room or where you will catch a ride. It is best to have your late night transport in Melbourne sorted before you go out: take note of the station or tram stop, make sure you have a screenshot of the route and pick a rideshare spot that is well lit and has some life to it instead of hailing a car from a dark alley.
Transport Choices That Work
For easy access to the train lines, Richmond and the CBD are hard to beat. South Yarra is an established node and does the job well. In Fitzroy, Collingwood or St Kilda you may find yourself more dependent on the hour and where you are headed for a tram or a rideshare.
And the weather has a way of altering things. On a warm Friday it is all very simple but a cold or wet evening will bring longer waits at the tram stop and more demand for rideshares. Be realistic and put in some extra time for the journey home, do not imagine it will be like something in a tourism brochure.
Night Safety Checklist
Sensible people need a plan, not paranoia. Something to fall back on when the phone is on its last legs, a friend has gone off to a dumpling shop and the tram display is being cryptic. This is plain advice for Melbourne evenings, the kind of safety basics that will not make a night out seem like an emergency exercise.
- Stick to a precinct for the night, do not go hopping from suburb to suburb.
- If you are staying out, have your accommodation close to transport.
- The main streets are where you want to be, be it Hardware Lane, Brunswick or Smith Street, Swan Street or the more populated end of Chapel Street.
- Opt for a venue with security in evidence if you are in a large crowd and out late.
- Have a backup way to pay and a fully charged phone.
- Put your destination or live location in front of someone you can trust.
- When hailing a rideshare, do so from a well-lit spot and not some deserted side lane.
- And if you have the sense that a place or group is not right, be gone with it. There is no need to make an issue of it.
Who should go where?
The CBD is the all-round choice for those new to town. Fitzroy and Collingwood will give you better chatty pub atmosphere and more laid back bars. South Yarra and Prahran are the place to be for clubbing and a crowd. Richmond is hard to beat for live music and its straightforward logistics. Then there is St Kilda for the seasoned partygoer who wants a night by the beach with some edge.
You will see international students and younger types in Melbourne searching for safe areas, wanting to have fun without breaking the bank. For venue ideas one can turn to TripAdvisor, Time Out, Whatson or Visit Melbourne; Study Melbourne and Embark are good sources for settling-in. But a “popular” list is only half the story as far as getting out of there in one piece is concerned.
A word on doing things right
Your idea of a good night will dictate the best part of Melbourne for nightlife, though the CBD is generally the safest bet, with Fitzroy, Collingwood, South Yarra, Prahran and Richmond not far behind. An evening in St Kilda can be fine, but I would be more selective and remain on the active streets.
Take this as my honest advice: pick a neighbourhood to suit your energy and how you plan to leave. A top notch bar is not worth much if the journey home is a shambles. Make the return trip part of the night and Melbourne is a wonderful city to be in.
FAQ
Some common sense questions for those wanting to enjoy themselves.
Where Is The Best Area For Nightlife In Melbourne?
The Melbourne CBD is usually the answer for visitors on account of the mix of venues, transport options, late-night eating and lighting in the entertainment zones. Fitzroy and Collingwood are excellent if you want something of a local bar scene.
Which Part Of Melbourne Is Safest?
One cannot point to a single area as the safest under every circumstance. For an evening out the CBD and the more heavily trodden parts of South Yarra and Richmond tend to be the most straightforward, with staff about and easy access to transport. It is a matter of what street you are on and the hour.
What Is The Dodgiest Suburb In Melbourne?
To put a label like “the dodgiest” on a suburb is irresponsible and more in the way of gossip; conditions change from one block to the next. With regards to nightlife, the rule is to steer clear of any poorly lit or isolated street where the venues have shut and the people have gone.
What Areas To Stay Away From In Melbourne?
Do not let yourself get drawn off the active strips into empty side lanes or an industrial looking pocket or a quieted transport interchange. Stick with the main pockets of St Kilda, the CBD, Swan Street, Smith and Chapel Streets and Brunswick.
Is Melbourne Safe For Solo Nightlife?
In the CBD and other busy precincts it often is. But a solo traveller has to be more organised with route planning. Do not hop from venue to venue over long distances, have your transport sorted and depart if something seems amiss. Being alone is no excuse for being reckless.
