Pakington Street in West Geelong is Geelong’s centre of cosmopolitan lifestyle and multiculturalism. The street is jammed packed full of boutique shopping, cafes, fresh produce and some of the city’s best pubs, bars and restaurants. Being a less than half hour stroll from the city centre and easily accessible from the rail and city bus services, Pakington Street is a must for anyone looking for a bit of style and relaxation.
Pakington Street is Geelong’s version of Melbourne’s Chapel Street or even Brunswick Street, and Sydney’s Elmore, It stretches several kilometres from the Barwon River to Ballarat Road and has two distinct retail ends with some of our city’s classic houses in between. The Southern end towards the river is known as the Paris end of Pako. Here you will find antiques, bakeries, fine foods, fashion and alfresco dining. The Paris End of Pako is home to arguably Geelong’s best fashion houses and beauty services.
The northern end of Pako is the multicultural heartland of Geelong and has a multitude of dining options, great shopping and many specialty stores. Every February the street turns into one of Geelong’s biggest celebrations with the annual Pako Festa. Here dozens of community groups from the Geelong area get together with a huge parade and street festival, full of ethnic foods, music and dance. The Pako Festa is one of Geelong’s biggest events and attracts tens of thousands of visitors. Pako Festa is only one of the event’s held in the street, West Park is a popular event space with regular festivals and markets taking place throughout the year.
This end of Pakington Street is home to just about everything you could want, some the regions freshest meats, seafood, vegetables and ethnic foods. Many of Geelong’s best restaurants including Italian, Chinese, Thai, Indian, and probably the best selection of a la carte dining in the City. Many of the restaurants and cafes have al fresco dining where you can people watch and soak up the atmosphere while having a great meal with good friendly service.
Pakington Street is known for its pubs, The Petrel is one of the last remaining old style pubs in Geelong, with great value meals, ice cold beer and a tote, it’s the perfect place for an afternoon drink or a flutter. The Barking Dog, the newly renovated Telegraph Hotel and the Cremorne are three of Geelong’s most popular watering holes with great food, fresh beer and a fantastic atmosphere. These three pubs are very popular meeting places Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Another popular place for a drink is Cloud Nine a relaxing bar which attracts a vibrant crowd. If burgers are your style, then Boss Burger, Busters, Burger Inc and Grill’d are also popular places along Pako.
Pakington Street is much more than wine and dining, it is the centre of fashion. Boutique after boutique covering all fashion styles and prices. You can buy the latest fashion item from one of the exclusive boutiques, or a hard to find retro classic from one of the antique or used clothing stores. To finish off your new look, Pakington Street has many of the city’s most popular hairdressers and beauty salons.
Pakington Street has many heritage buildings with charm and significant architecture making for a lovely streetscape. The landscaping and leafy environment only ads to the quaintness and beauty of this unique part of Geelong. Many of the newer buddings have been sympathetic to the surrounds including the controversial old ropeworks site. Now a shopping complex that has been built to complement the heritage feel of Pakington Street, with a modern interpretation of the street’s heritage design ques.
