walterda

Archetypical old Adelaide suburb on the inner industrial side of the city. Just 5 kms out of town. Not a domitory suburb but a real mix, even though the few factories and warehouses have all but disappeared. Multicultural - Italian and Greek, then Vietnamese and now African and other refugees. You'll still see packs of elderly Italian people going for an evening stroll on hot summers nights - no doubt fondly reflecting on thier post-war lives in the new country (and perhaps longing to see Italy once more while they still can).

The area has its fair share of high income rennovators who have been attracted by the generous sprinkling of prestige old homes of yesteryear located in "Croydon proper" and parts of West Croydon. Croydon boasts some great rennovations. Infill hasn't gone crazy with lots of residents holding on to their big back yards.

Architecture is a mix of 1900s villa's and 1920s bungalows. The orginal village was surrounded by grain fields and pastures with dairies remaining in the area well into the 1920s and 1930s.

Its past boasted the Croydon village in Queen and Elizabeth streets. It's now revived with a couple of cafes and retailers and even a fitness studio. It's a tiny and intimate little precinct with a great feel - it's probably one of Adelaide's most sublime spots. You still get the feel of the economic struggle that has characterised this quintessential working class suburb throughout its life. The old shops in the street, boasting cheap rents, have incubated many a young business hopefull's dreams of grandeur.

You get the sense - in its early days - the residents of Croydon looked down on the neighbouring suburb of now-trendy post-industrial Brompton/Bowden as its "slummy" poor cousin.

Rostetta Street subway is a heritage feature. In the old days this was a major recreation of the bored local lads - riding their bikes up and down (the old world equivalent of today's skate bowl).

Today the area is set to boom with the inner west being revived yet again by the establishment of the new government led Transport Oriented Developments adjacent to the rail corridor that runs right through Croydon. It's near trendy Brompton, and facility rich Hindmarsh and North Adelaide, not far from the CBD, and is transport friendly.

Its almost certain that its lack of resaturants will soon be made good.