Northbridge, the area north of Perth’s main train station, is no stranger to change. Having hosted several waves of immigration from Greek to Chinese it is now poised to go through its most dramatic transformation yet, with the city pouring investment into the area’s infrastructure.

A plan to build a motorway through the suburb (later abandoned for a tunnel) led to a drop in residents in the 1960s and 1970s; as people moved out a wave of new restaurants and bars moved in. Over the next 40 years the area developed into Perth’s most lively nightlife district, which gained a reputation for the alcohol-fuelled violence that often comes with bars and clubs.

However, recently completed building projects such as the State Theatre Centre, a building-restoration scheme and the impending sinking of the railway dividing Northbridge from the Central Business District are changing the make-up of the area and prompting eager entrepreneurs to roll in while the paint is barely dry.

The Village is an example of how creative people are willing to move into unusual spaces in Northbridge and work together. Situated next to a Buddhist temple this slick, spartan space houses design and web company Tonne Gramme as well as a graphic designer, photo retoucher and photography exhibitions. Tonne Gramme’s commissions include the Perth Institute Of Contemporary Art.
tonnegramme.com

This 20-seat “micro cinema” screens films by night and sells clothes by day. It sits in a heritage building in William Street, a key retail area restored by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority. Owner Matthew Darch has packed the screening list with a selection of cult hits and offbeat documentaries.
312b William Street, +61 (0)8 9328 3771

This seven-month-old marketing agency shares one of Northbridge’s oldest residential properties with two architects and a web programmer. The agency specialises in campaigns for the creative industries, social media and digital work. Founder Clare Properjohn says she’s enjoyed watching the city transform over the past few years but that “suddenly it’s at a moment where you can actually see it about to explode”.
thecreativeartshouse.com.au

Geoff Warn based his firm in Northbridge 27 years ago because he believed that being close to the Art Gallery of Western Australia would help the area become a creative focal point. He and co-founder Richard Donaldson have won awards and hosted visits by architects such as Peter Cook and Wolf Prix.
donaldsonandwarn.com.au

2007’s relaxed alcohol-licensing laws helped trigger a boom of small bars in Western Australia. Pioneering venues such as The Bird (right, owned by Mike O’Hanlon, far right) and Ezra Pound are bringing a more sophisticated drinking and cocktail culture to an area associated with beer barns and clubs.
williamstreetbird.com; epbar.com.au

Entrepreneur Johann Kim (far left) opened his first gift and clothing shop, Pigeonhole, in 2007. He now has five shops in Perth, a café and a wholesaling arm, as well as offices in South Korea, Melbourne and Perth. In 2010, Kim moved into William Street with his menswear store The Fox Hunt; his first two years have been slow but he sees the area as a long-term proposition.
thefoxhunt.com