The whole new Hindley St experience
It’s the notorious strip infamous for being Adelaide’s party centre — and it’s had some damning incidents too. But Hindley St is cleaning up its act, and new businesses are calling it home.
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When the pumping music stops and the sun rises, more businesses are opening their doors on Adelaide’s most colourful party strip.
Off the back of an Adelaide City Council push to make Hindley St both a day and night destination, more businesses are choosing to invest in the precinct.
In fact, over the past two months Dat Place, Stem and a new eatery called Love, Stephy Dessert Cafe have all chosen to call Hindley St home.
The Loverboy nightclub has cruised into action too and bubble tea shop Fun Tea is also expected to open by the end of the year.
Owners say the strip is undergoing a transformation, and now they are determined to reshape its reputation.
They want the street – known for being crime-plagued on Friday and Saturday nights – to lose its “rough around the edges” status and be a safe place for all.
It comes as the council presses ahead with more than $270,000 worth of improvements in a bid to make it safer, more attractive and welcoming.
The makeover includes installing public art, more greenery, a trial of dropping the speed limit to 30km/h, reviewing parking controls and changing the traffic flow.
That investment is on top of the $360,000 the council spends annually on cleaning and maintenance.
Johnny Moradi last month opened his cocktail lounge and wood-oven restaurant Dat Place, at the former home of the Cushdy cocktail bar, which closed in 2013.
Originally, Mr Moradi was eyeing a venue in Mile End, but there was something about Hindley St he felt drawn to.
“It was pretty much perfect location and then I heard about what was happening down Hindley St and it being cleaned up a bit – I decided I wanted to add to that,” he says.
As of last Friday, he opened the venue at lunchtime to cater for demand for his food.
“We had a lot of people ask us, so we thought ‘why not?’.
“There are actually a lot of people on the street because you have the hospital nearby, the research centre and the unis.”
About 300m down the road, Stem has taken over the old Caos Cafe venue.
It will officially open its doors on Tuesday.
Owners Tom Paxton, Lachlan Farmer, Chris Farmer and Paul Barber have injected new life into a place that was vacant for some years.
Mr Paxton, a doctor, says there is nothing quite like Stem, and hopes his business is the start of a new trendy wine bar scene down the street.
“Is is really nice to see the slow gentrification of the street,” he says.
“I used to be a partner in Bank Street Social down the other side of the street, and obviously that eastern end has undergone this quite significant transformation in the past five years.
“It’s gone from a little bit rough around the edges to a bit more hip with a lot of young people around.
“I am really hopeful this end of the street will embrace that same kind of culture.”
Stephanie Hoang and partner Harry Yan saw a “gap in the market” for a dessert cafe and opened their Love, Stephy business on August 23.
Miss Hoang wanted her cafe to be close to the mall and student accommodation – so Hindley St was the perfect fit – and bringing something refreshingly different to the party strip was a must.
“When we first opened, a lot of people would walk by and would tell us ‘this shop is too pretty for Hindley St,” she says.
“We want to be the ‘it’ cafe.”
The MAC Boutique Hotel, formerly the Motel Adjacent Casino has also this year had a facelift to shift it from “Adelaide’s formerly very run down hotel” – as its operators describe it – to a three and half star address.
Last month, the city council voted to start work on safety improvements – between Morphett and King William streets – that should be completed by the end of June 2020.
As part of those upgrades, it also won tentative approval to drop the speed limit from 50km/h to 30km/h.
Earlier this year, Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor, council staff, SA Police, community groups and peak business bodies held a safety summit.
She describes it as the start of a “renewed focus” to bring it back “to the Hindley St we love”.
“It is the city’s only 24-hour street and I do want it to be a street where people feel really good about going out and being entertained,” Ms Verschoor says.
“I also think anyone looking to open is business is going to do well because there is a large amount of foot traffic – the more the west end of the city grows, the more of that foot traffic there will be.”
She says Hindley St is not just a night-time space any more.
“We want to make sure we do have really good day-time economy, and have a beautiful seamless transition from day into night – that will be the making of the street.”
Adelaide West End Association president Andrew Wallace says there is renewed confidence in Hindley St.
Last year, the association received a $20,000 grant from the council to develop a marketing plan to show there is more to the street than nightclubs and bars – and it appears to have made an impact.
“These new businesses show not all businesses have to be the same,” Mr Wallace says.
“Now we are getting some high hospitality offers, it would be really good to see some matching high quality retail offers.”
However, there are still problems to solve – like crime.
The district police officer in charge, Superintendent Craig Wall, did not put figures on Saturday night trouble, but admitted police respond to “myriad” incidents.
They include disturbances, assaults, fights, welfare checks and disorderly or offensive behaviour.
But he says there has been a reduction in the number of minors found in the area and a reduction, too, in weapons.
Traders now maintain the hope that by polishing the class factor, they will be empowered to build on the latest initiatives that are reshaping Hindley St.