Northbridge

CJ Malmsten
Jul 27, 2017 · 2 min read

I first set my foot in Northbridge on Australia Day 26th January 2007 after a couple of beers in King’s Park and dinner at a Chinese restaurant. I had called up a friend to ask where she was, muffled under loud music I deciphered what I relayed to our cab driver as Mustang Bar in North Beach. Confused but polite and most likely seeing a good opportunity to make a few extra dollars, he drove us from the Chinese restautrant located on Roe Street, at the end of Horseshoe Bridge, around the block and up to Mustang Bar.

The following years I spent several nights in the area, mostly to enjoy the back room of Lackers Bar across the street from Mustang Bar on Lacker Street. My group of friends got to know the owners so well that we could call up in the middle of the night just before closing time to keep the bar open and stay open until late morning. Juke box and pool table was the perfect combination.

These days though, after years of renovations, updates and political influence North Bridge is very little like it used to be. William Street’s been in the game for a while now, the latest additions is the brewary next to Mustang Bar that’s turned a miserable little park into an welcoming area. I brought a friend there a year ago who hadn’t been there at all who couldn’t see that this area might have been a rowdy area in the past. Then there’s Hotel Alex, one of the only tall buildings in the area, which brings sought after design. And there’s Bivouac and obviously the museums. The most welcomed addition to me is Northside Books, this beautiful tiny shop brings in great books, and if you ever have a chance this is the place to visit. Up until 2010, when it unfortunately closed down, I would have recommended the second hand bookstore hidden on Brisbane Street. It was jam packed with books, so finding a copy of anything was never hard.

CJ Malmsten

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Freelance Copywriter & Brand Strategist