Australia · State of Victoria · Melbourne
Kensington, Melbourne — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Brick cottages and quiet lanes fill Kensington, an inner suburb north-west of central Melbourne near the Arden Street Oval.
About Kensington
Where to stay in Kensington
The right area depends on your trip — here's what each neighbourhood is best for.
Kensington is a small residential suburb a short way north-west of central Melbourne. Rows of Victorian cottages line its streets, with the Arden Street Oval on the edge toward North Melbourne. Rooms are hard to find in this quiet Melbourne suburb.
A train runs from the suburb into the city in a few minutes, with West Melbourne toward the centre and Flemington just to the north. If you want a quiet, local base away from the crowds, this is a fair choice. Most visitors stay closer to town.
About Kensington
What are the main landmarks in Kensington?
Kensington keeps few landmarks of its own. The Arden Street Oval sits on the suburb's eastern edge, a football ground long shared with the neighbouring suburb of North Melbourne. Victorian cottages and old shopfronts line the main streets, survivors of the suburb's working-class past.
Little else rises above them. West Melbourne and the city lie a short way to the south. Brick and iron set the tone.
What is the history of Kensington?
Kensington grew in the nineteenth century as a working suburb north-west of central Melbourne, in the colony of Victoria. Cheap land near the city drew workers, and rows of small cottages filled its streets. The Arden Street Oval took shape on the edge as a football ground for the district and its neighbours.
For generations the suburb kept its industrial, working-class character, set well apart from the grander residential quarters closer to central Melbourne. Later its cottages were restored and its warehouses reworked. The old bones still show.
Where is Kensington?
Kensington lies north-west of central Melbourne, set between North Melbourne to the east and West Melbourne to the south.
More areas in Melbourne
Updated July 2026