My suburb is an undiscovered slice of fresh air, and locals like it that way

When I tell people I live in Parkdale, I’ve come to expect a blank stare. They don’t know where you’re talking about.

Sometimes, there will be a flare of recognition and then, “Oh yeah, just by Melbourne Uni, yeah?” No, that’s Parkville. It probably doesn’t help that Parkdale has no actual parks of note, but was named 100 years ago after landowner William Parker.

I next throw a few close-by suburbs or places at them. In between Mentone and Mordialloc? Beaumaris? Moorabbin Airport? One of the beachside “dales”? Oh yes, now they know where I’m talking about. Right by the bay, Beach Road, sea and sand, long walks on the beach, cyclists. Lovely. Yes, it is.

It’s all right that people don’t know where Parkdale is. I think Parkdalians (this may or may not be the correct collective term, but I like it) prefer it that way. It’s our little undiscovered slice of Melbourne suburbia that we would prefer to keep as is. A five-minute drive from Southland shopping centre and Moorabbin DFO. A Frankston line train station along Parkers Road. More cafes along the Parkdale shopping strip than a dog-walker can shake a dog-ball thrower at. The beach, the sea air, the seaside pathways encourage people to get out and about – so many healthy people, it would almost make you sick, if you weren’t one of them joining in.

Parkdale is ensconced among the industrial estates of nearby Braeside, Mordialloc and Moorabbin. People don’t always appreciate the ecosystem of small industries and businesses that operates in these backstreets of affordable-rent workshops, garages and display rooms. Trophy stores, garage door parts, chocolate wholesalers, microbreweries and gin distilleries, furniture upholsterers – it’s a piece of what remains of Australian small-scale manufacturing and retail.

These are not the only growth industries in and around Parkdale. There seem to be a lot of primary and secondary schools in the area – state, Catholic and independent (these you can pick as they advertise their ATAR scores on billboards). All of these schools are excellent in their own way. For our busy family with three children, the decision came down to whether the kids could walk themselves to and from school. Believe me, when you see the long lines of traffic on Warrigal and Beach roads, with tired-looking parents picking up their tired-looking kids from school, it’s a wise decision for all involved.

As someone who grew up in country Victoria, with 90 minutes of school bus travel a day, I appreciate how accessible things are in Parkdale. Whether it’s a beer or a coffee or a feed, everything is a few minutes’ walk, and diverse foods are just a 15-minute drive at Springvale, Noble Park, Dandenong, Clayton or Oakleigh. On Friday nights, my mates and I used to drive from the country into Melbourne, a four-hour round trip, just to buy a souvlaki on Chapel Street and gawk at the crowds. Yes, we were bored in the country.

Parkdale isn’t perfect, of course. Before coming here, my wife (Vietnamese) and I (Maori) lived for some time in Keysborough, a more diverse suburb about 10 to 15 minutes to the east. Parkdale was a bit of a shock for us – a more “traditional” Aussie suburb, with mainly traditional Aussies living there. Of course, everyone welcomed us to Parkdale, with a generosity of spirit. When you’re out walking, it’s lovely to receive friendly hellos from passers-by – especially when you haven’t always had it.

Parkdale beach encourages everyone to get out and walk.Credit: Eddie Jim

Sometimes I forget how you may “stand out” in the neighbourhood. One day, my cousin came to visit. He knew I was in Parkdale but forgot my address. So, he went knocking around the neighbourhood, asking people if they knew where a large Maori fullah lived. They all knew who I was and where I lived, even if they didn’t know me personally – and my cousin was quickly pointed to my house. Other times, you’re reminded that not everyone is welcoming – like when you see white supremacist groups walking along Parkdale beach, or sticker-signs in the Mordy beach toilets declaring multiculturalism is “spreading disease with the greatest of ease”.

Many Parkdalians tell me they grew up here, as had their parents before them. They hope their children will stay and grow up in Parkdale as well – and why wouldn’t they want to? This felt alien to me, as I (and I’m sure a lot of my peers) have always felt like a concept of “home” and “belonging” was something temporary – depending on things like work, income and economic necessity. But long-term Parkdalians are typically working-class families who have made good homes for themselves and their kids. They are content, and don’t aspire to move to suburbs with better amenities, like Brighton or Sandringham.

This long-term attachment can mean a resistance to change, as we’ve seen in recent responses to two big Parkdale projects. The first was a bike and pedestrian path alongside Beach Road, and residents there, as well as people who used Beach Road for cycling, running and walking, fought a long and bitter challenge against it. It would be an eyesore, they said. It would make cycling on this stretch of Beach Road more dangerous. It would make walking along the beach paths more dangerous. Yet, the path was built, and now, on a sunny weekend, you’ll see hundreds of people happily using it – pushing prams, cycling, jogging, eating ice-cream, wrapped in towels after swimming.

In 2023, the 105-year-old Parkdale station was torn down, the level crossing over Parkers Road removed, and skyrail was built. Locals hated the skyrail project, and there were many protests. Facebook groups were set up, rallies were held outside the Parkdale Library, “Say NO to skyrail” signs filled the streets. The skyrail was built, nevertheless, and there have been many new landscaped community spaces opened up beneath the huge new Parkdale station. Perhaps people were just averse to change despite the need for it. I like to think that the vehemence of locals’ resistance to skyrail was a reflection of their love for this place.

Change continues. I gaze at the huge concrete, steel and glass edifice that is Parkdale station now, and the buzzing cafes and restaurants beneath it, and realise that Parkdale will continue to grow and evolve. Sam and Wael call out your name in greeting when you go in to buy coffee at their nearby Station Stop cafe. Their Lebanese family now own and operate the gelato store as well as Bocconcini’s pizza.

New families come to Parkdale, looking for that slice of beachside life to add another layer to its history. As a Boon Wurrung elder, n’arweet Carolyn Briggs, remembers Parkdale, the beaches and cliffs and surrounds were the walking trails of women’s business: knowledge passed on through generations. Those cycles of life – families, children, learning, welcome and wellbeing – continue.

Aramiha Harwood is a Mozzie (Māori-Aussie) researcher at RMIT’s Future Play Lab and game designer at Mana Press.

The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here.