October 27, 2026 — 5:00am

In the latter part of last century, Melbourne’s inner south was the epicentre of its youth culture and Fitzroy Street – with its grand old George Hotel, cafes, bars and late-night clubs of varying respectability – attracted a mix of bohemians, backpackers, sex workers, musicians and assorted characters.

These days, the city’s cool crowd may have migrated north to Fitzroy, Collingwood and Brunswick, but St Kilda has never entirely surrendered its rock’n’roll soul.

Artist’s impression of Novotel St Kilda’s foyer area.

Fitzroy Street, though, had been off the boil for some years, given over to closed shopfronts and unsavoury elements.

After closing in 2015, the legendary Esplanade Hotel (AKA The Espy, not quite on Fitzroy Street but just around the corner), reopened in 2018 after a spectacular transformation that, some might argue, filed away its rough edges.

In 2021, the street gained a significant cultural landmark when Australia’s first purpose-built LGBTQIA+ community hub,…