Melbourne’s Smith Street, a lively strip famous for its hip restaurants, wine bars, vintage stores and live music scene, has been named the coolest street in the world in a new global ranking.
Entertainment and culture bible Time Out surveyed 27,000 city residents around the world to come up with a list of 30 of the world’s coolest streets.
The northern end of trendy Smith Street, which forms the boundary between Collingwood and Fitzroy, claimed top prize.
King Street, the main drag down Newtown, in Sydney’s inner west, was the only other Australian entry on the list, landing in 19th spot.
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The iconic Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, quirky Haji Lane in Singapore, vibrant 30th Street in New York’s Queens, Lima’s colourful Calle José Gálvez and charming Mariannenstrasse in Berlin were some of the other trendy spots to make the cut.
But topping them all was Collingwood’s very own capital of cool, Smith Street.
“It makes a lot of sense – Smith Street and Collingwood as a whole are extremely popular places to hang out in Melbourne,” Time Out wrote.
“Once the stomping ground of street gangs in the 1800s, Collingwood has a long, proud, chequered history of giving the middle finger to authority. It’s been overshadowed by Fitzroy and Brunswick Street for decades, but where the former is starting to feel a little stale, Smith Street is only getting better.”
Time Out said you’ve “never have a dull moment” on Smith Street – day or night.
“You’ll find everything from rowdy footy pubs to refined wine bars, vinyl record stores to Vietnamese bakeries, and there’s even more to discover down its side streets,” it said.
“By night, Collingwood’s pubs, gay bars and live music joints are a magnet for Melburnians who like to kick on till the early hours.”
The bohemian hub of King Street in Sydney’s Newtown was praised for its night-life and “curious collection of restaurants”.
“It may not quite be the grungy counterculture hub it was a couple of decades ago, but the gentle regeneration of Newtown’s major artery has done little to dull its indie creds,” Time Out wrote.
“If Bondi is a morning town, King Street is where Sydneysiders flock after dark.”
The list comes as a separate global ranking of the world’s most liveable cities, released by Economist Intelligence Unit this week, named Adelaide as the best Australian city to live.
Perth came sixth on the global index while Melbourne – which held the number one spot on the index for seven years – slumped to number eight. Brisbane landed in 10th spot and Sydney placed 11th.
Coolest streets in the world, according to Time Out’s survey
1. Smith Street, Melbourne
2. Passeig de Sant Joan, Barcelona
3. South Bank, London
4. San Isidro, Havana
5. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles
6. Witte de Withstraat, Rotterdam
7. Rua Três Rios, Sao Paulo
8. Haji Lane, Singapore
9. Rua Rodrigues de Faria, Lisbon
10. Calle Thames, Buenos Aires
11. Krizíkova Ulice, Prague
12. 7th Street, Melville, Johannesburg
13. Cat Street, Tokyo
14. 30th Avenue, New York
15. Levinsky Street, Tel Aviv
16. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago
17. Gran Vía, Madrid
18. Calle Ocho, Miami
19. King Street, Sydney
20. Rua de Miguel Bombarda, Porto
21. Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City
22. Main Road, Kalk Bay, Cape Town
23. Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
24. Rue Tiquetonne, Paris
25. Mariannenstrase, Berlin
26. Calle José Gálvez, Lima
27. Seaport Boulevard, Boston
28. Jægersborggade, Copenhagen
29. Allen Avenue, Lagos
30. Star Street, Hong Kong
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