Living Local: Millie

Millie has lived in Kensington for eight years, but she still remembers when she and her partner, Holly, first moved in: the love affair was instant.

“From the beginning, Kensington was a really easy neighbourhood to feel a part of. Almost as soon as we moved in, the neighbours came over and introduced themselves. It’s that sort of place.”

They first chose Kensington because it was close to Melbourne University, and that proximity to the universities, hospitals and even central Melbourne is a common magnet for newcomers who choose Kensington as their home.

“Kensington has always had lots of students. Now there’s a lot of nurses and doctors and health care workers, because it’s all so close. And it has also become a very family-centred neighbourhood. Kensington is very wholesome – there are lots of babies and lots of dogs.”

Millie’s experience of discovering Kensington almost accidentally is a common one. “Kensington has always been something of a hidden gem. When we first moved in, we were really surprised. No-one ever really considers Kensington or really knows where it is. Everyone seems to think that it is really far out. But it’s really close – I used to walk to work in the CBD.”
But there’s so much more to Kensington than the convenience of being close to everything.

“The best thing about living in Kensington is that it’s so unpretentious. It has always been a really inclusive and progressive place. And it’s just really warm and friendly.”

Helping Millie to feel at home was finding her favourite running route: “The old stock route, where they used to take all the cattle in Kensington’s early days, runs right through the neighbourhood, from new Kensington to old Kensington. It goes through the Women’s Peace Gardens [off Epsom Road], past Central Park, past Riverside Park, all the way down to the Maribyrnong River. It’s beautiful, with cobblestones and heritage fences.”

In time, Millie and Holly realised that they loved Kensington so much that they chose to get married here: “We had the ceremony in the Women’s Peace Gardens and then we went to the pub, to the Hardiman’s Pub, on the main street. It was very Australian – we went to the park and we went to the pub. Kensington is now immortalised in our lives and occupies an even more special place for us.”

Millie’s passion for Kensington hasn’t dimmed, and she loves the quiet pleasures of a Saturday morning down along (or just off) Stubbs Street. “On Saturday mornings we go to yoga at Motis, which is just around the corner and really close for Local residents – they do these really intimate yoga classes. Then we pop over to Double Dutch where we’ll get coffees and fresh sourdough. Double Dutch makes all their own food, and they come out with new things all the time.”

Millie’s love affair with Kensington has deepened over time, the kind of place that has the best of inner-city living without the hype. “We always think of it as a secret North Melbourne. It had everything that North Melbourne does, but it was always more affordable. And you don’t have to travel anywhere else to do everything. There are so many Kensington favourites, and our favourite cafes and restaurants are in Kensington. We’re still close to Brunswick, Carlton and North Melbourne if we want to go. But we always come back, because home is a safe, idyllic place.”

Sometimes it’s the details, the intimate little local quirks of the neighbourhood that make Kensington feel like home. “There’s the Schnauzer Gang called the ‘3031 Schnauzers’, and they all wear bandannas. Or there’s this ukelele band that practises on the park outside Kensington station. You’ll catch them some evenings in summer. It’s such a treat when you’re coming home from work, and you come out of the station and there’ll be 30 of them playing the ukelele.”

Millie is equally excited about what lies ahead for the neighbourhood. “There are a lot more places popping up all the time because more and more people are discovering how great Kensington is. It’s great for us because it means more and more beautiful experiences are coming to us.”But you get the feeling that Kensington is fine for Millie just as the way it is. “Kensington is the sort of place where you can build your life around it. My favourite gym’s here. My favourite café is here. I’ve been here 8 years and my whole life and everything I do is here. It’s just this hidden, idyllic place that not many people know about. You have to live there to really get the benefits of it. I just love it so much.”

◉ Millie’s Local Recommendations

Top Kensington Places For Coffee

• Luncheonette
• Double Dutch
• Premises

top kensington places to eat

• La Tortilleria – the best Mexican in Melbourne.”
• Laksa King – just across the road in Flemington (same postcode) but an institution.
• Hardiman’s Hotel – just the best pub, so chic and family-friendly
• White Rabbit – a really quaint and unpretentious record bar with awesome cocktails and tapas
• Pimm Thai – simply a classic