Chapel Street, Toorak and South Yarra - Melbourne Victoria

The art of personalised care as echoed in Toorak/South Yarra.

Adjoining Toorak is the hip Chapel Street, running seemingly for miles across different suburbs, with an eclectic choice of books, craft, clothes, accommodation, art and alternative lifestyle options.  The old Jam Factory now houses a cinema complex and shops, but the charm and thrill is literally the streets into the sun set.  It is not just the Chapel Street precinct, for nearby Prahran, Greville Village and the Windsor Quarter makes this area one of the most exciting that defines Melbourne itself.  A great place to ride your bike, but if you have to catch public transport, there are easy buses and train stations on the Sandringham Line (stations at South Yarra, Windsor and Prahran).  The Exchange, Commercial Road cruise clubs and Burlesque 54 offer the LBGT community a party focus.  Foodies naturally are attracted to the events organised here for the annual Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
For luxury accommodation, check out the Olsen.  Then check out the nightlife with names like Zhou Zhou, the Emerson, Saigon Sally and the Flamingo.



Urban setting in the arvo.


The Neo-Georgian and Neo-clasical styled mansions and tree linked street of Toorak and South Yarra seem to be in a cocooned and privileged world of their own.  The key word is "south", that is south of the Yarra River and away from the working class precincts of Brunswick, Fitzroy and those that gather from Chinatown to the north. Never mind, some of those suburbs have become more hip and trendy in urban renewal, they cannot challenge the charm, air and feel of hallowed streets with expensive makes of cars, the old rich and what it means to be separate and distinct from the masses, just like in good old England.  James Jackson built the Toorak House in 1849, most probably linked to an indigenous word indicating a black crow or a swamp with growing reeds, reflecting the essential landscape confronting the first settlers in the Melbourne area.  Around a third of there residents here are today engaged in the financial services industry (hello!) and the majority are university educated at the very least.  The iconic Australian Open was held at the Kooyong Tennis Club until 1988, when riot moved to its curet home at Melbourne Park.  Well known personalities, alive or demised,  whose names are linked to Toorak include Andrew Demetriou, Nathan Buckley, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, Solomon Lew, Charlie McLeod,  Harold Holt (Australian Prime Minister who disappeared when swimming off the Victorian coast), Eddie McGuire, Malcolm Fraser, Sidney Myer and Lindsey Fox.
Interesting enough, the percentage of toddlers and infants in Toorak is the lowest in Melbourne but it has the highest percentage of children attending private schools.



Scallops entree in one of the dining places.

Bistro Thierry, Romeos, Quaff, the Manhattan and Oritas are strewn around in conversation for Euro dining in Toorak Village, Grange Road and Toorak Road.  Accompanying all this fare are florists, optometrists, pet care providers, hair stylists, fitness trainers, fashion boutiques and other services aiming to deliver of the highest order.  There is an interesting bed and breakfast run by the Country Women's Association of Victoria; a Haigh's Chocolates outlet; Laurent Boulangerie & Patisserie; the Hunters & Collectors Emporium; Mercedes Benz Toorak; Egons Cakes; Monkey Bean; the Osozai Japanese Cafe; and the Dihnersaw & His Fionsay.

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