The District Docklands — Attraction in Melbourne

There is no real reason why this place shouldn't be thriving. But it isn't. It is barely functioning with more places closed than open.

More businesses or "experiences" than shops.. and even with what is there, there were no specialty shops worth visiting, no sales or outlets (besides HYPE DC - grabbed major bargains on our visit). The interactive centre maps show a bunch of retailers still in tenancy who, when you navigate the unclear directions to, are closed up and long gone.

We visited on a Saturday, and the most people we saw were parents and kids racing through, clutching a gift looking desperately for birthday parties being held at the ice skating or arcade.

A handful of acceptable food options are in residence serving up essentially the workers from other shops or the odd person wandering through. KFC has these obnoxious ultrasonic bird deterrents running but, which to my husband sounded just like a clicking noise but to me were so high pitched and irritated my inner ear to the point we had to leave the area.

Upstairs, you have a Hoyts alongside more restaurants. Dead pigeons are laying across the walkway to the Star, which, while I know has been closed for two years, has zero indication of that on it. Just a closed gate, no signage, etc. There is no shopping upstairs, besides the second level of H&M. Scattered random businesses or weird start-up places, a childcare, children's play cafe.. Nothing that is worth visiting as an interstate tourist.

The rolling attractions trying to fill the voids downstairs are mediocre. Chaos Lab was okay, but when the best part for $60 is a ball-pit, you know it has been subpar. We didn't bother with Imaginator after people leaving told us how lame and boring it was.

The last time I visited, it was Harbour Town, and I knew it no longer was one and that life post pandemic was different. I wasn't expecting this, but. I hope it turns the corner and thrives somehow but it is something for now you can cross off your list...

The centre management has gotten more and more obnoxious recently and constantly raises parking fees. They apparently think they are a commercial car park somewhere in CBD and not a shopping centre, where people shop and spend money eating out.

The ramps to upper levels of the carpark are extremely narrow, there's no leeway even at the turns, it's IMPOSSIBLE to turn without occupying half of the oncoming lane, so people can't use both lanes simultaneously. Today we had to go 2 levels up, and there were mini traffic jams on BOTH levels near the ramp. But their timing calculation and pricing doesn't account for it.

There are also very few spots for parents with prams on each level.

The pay station transaction fee is $0.45 which is ridiculous too.

There's also no couple-of-minutes grace period when you have to pay for X hours 2 mins like for example in Westfield. So we paid today for 4:02 basically thanks to standing in two ramp traffic jams, but the new level of absurdity was that their pay station couldn't process the transaction at first attempt and we were CHARGED FOR A FAILED TRANSACTION TOO. Also it apparently believes that 0.45+0.45=0.91, as shown in the photo, which is quite funny - they are trying to squeeze at least one extra cent out of you just for the hell of it, lol.

Will never return here again, considering how many shops and cafes are closing constantly, inability to take a Woolworths shopping cart to the Pearl River road carpark and also those absurd unnecessary mobile traffic lights near Pearl River road turn.

Happy Greedy New Year,...

I just spent a delightful afternoon wandering around The District Docklands in Melbourne. It's this cool mix of indoor and outdoor shopping center, right on the water. Being from out of town, it was a bit tricky to find at first (all those streets seem to wind around the harbor!), but once I got there, it was easy to navigate.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's not your typical, sterile shopping mall. Sure, there are big name stores like H&M and Uniqlo, but there's also a ton of local shops and cafes that give it a real Melbourne vibe. I ended up grabbing a delicious lunch from a little Vietnamese place tucked away in a corner, and it was so much better than the usual greasy food court fare.

They've got a bunch of entertainment options too. I saw people going into this 'trick art gallery' called ArtVo, which looked interesting, and there's even an ice rink! Seemed like a fun place to bring the kids, or maybe even for a cheesy date night.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend The District Docklands. It's a great place to spend a few hours, do some shopping, grab a bite to eat, and soak up the Melbourne atmosphere. Just be prepared for a bit of a walk to get there - but hey, that's good for working off all those delicious...