Acland Street is one of the main destinations for visitors to Melbourne and among the world's top backpacker destinations. It is not one of the new cafe-culture locations that have sprung up across Melbourne.

Part Bohemian and part mainstream, Acland Street has been around since long before cafes became trendy. St Kilda is an area that has grown to be vibrant and colourful as a result of European migration and Acland Street's famous cake shops and well-known restaurants were established by Europeans in times when restaurants and cafes weren't all that fashionable.

The cake shops have been around for decades, as have Scheherezade and Vineyard restaurants. Interestingly, the Vineyard, which has long been a tradition with St Kilda restraurant-goers, is changing with the times and now caters to backpackers..

Acland Street attracts people from all walks of life because of its richness of life, its vibrance and energy. Cafes are popping up in what were once ground-floor apartments, with tables perched under awnings on verandahs. They are quaint, Bohemian and hugely popular. The street also attracts moms and dads out on a family outing, who come for the beaches and rich cakes.

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The fun fair Luna Park is an institution in Melbourne and its laughing face symbolic
of St Kilda.

Above left: The Vineyard, a tradition among St Kilda restaurant-goers, now caters to backpackers. Above right: trendy Bohemian-style cafes are popping up in what were once apartment buildings.