Farewell Inner City News – a short but meaningful chapter

After 62 editions serving East Melbourne, Carlton and Parkville, Inner City News is signing off – but the stories, relationships and local voices it has helped bring together will continue through The Melburnian.

Compared with some of our longer-running mastheads, Inner City News is still relatively young.

But 62 editions is no small achievement in the current media landscape, particularly for a publication established quietly, without fanfare, during one of the most disruptive periods Melbourne has experienced.

Inner City News was launched during COVID alongside its sibling publication, North West City News, at a time when connection felt more important than ever.

Melbourne’s inner-city communities were navigating lockdowns, isolation, closed businesses, empty streets and enormous uncertainty. At the same time, many neighbourhoods had been without a dedicated local newspaper for years following the collapse of the Leader.

We believed East Melbourne, Carlton and Parkville deserved a consistent source of local news again – one that understood the difference between the three communities while also recognising the many interests, institutions and challenges they share.

The journey has not always been straightforward. Starting a newspaper rarely is, particularly during a pandemic.

But from the beginning, locals embraced Inner City News and helped it quickly establish itself as a trusted source of information across some of Melbourne’s oldest and most distinctive neighbourhoods.

That support is something we will always be grateful for.

The greatest privilege has been getting to know the people and organisations that quietly hold these communities together.

East Melbourne Group, the Carlton Residents’ Association and the Parkville Association are among the strongest and most capable local residents’ organisations anywhere in Melbourne. Each has demonstrated the value of informed, persistent and constructive community advocacy.

We have also enjoyed working with Carlton Inc., including partnering to produce the annual Carlton Directory – a celebration of local business and community life centred on one of Melbourne’s most recognisable precincts, Lygon St.

Along the way, we have built strong connections with the Church of All Nations, Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre, Friends of Royal Park, East Melbourne Neighbour Network, public housing advocates, local history groups in East Melbourne and Carlton, and many others who have generously shared their time, knowledge and stories with us.

Those relationships, and the friendships that have grown from them, are among the things I will cherish most from this chapter.

There are too many memorable stories and campaigns to list properly.

We have reported on trade, history, identity and repeated calls for renewal along Lygon St, telling the story of Melbourne’s Little Italy while examining what its next chapter might look like.

We have supported East Melbourne residents in their efforts to preserve the suburb’s remarkable heritage and reported on planning decisions that continue to test the balance between growth and conservation.

In Parkville, we have followed master planning proposals for Royal Park – without doubt one of Melbourne’s greatest natural assets – as well as debates about transport, parking, heritage and community infrastructure.

We have documented the continuing expansion of the university sector in Carlton, the significance of the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens’ World Heritage status, and the constant work required to protect these places for future generations.

And, of course, we have continued calling for action on the former Cancer Council building in Rathdowne St – arguably Melbourne’s most prominent eyesore and an issue that, frustratingly, remains unresolved.

We remain optimistic.

Our "Lygon Local" and "Inner City Local" series have also taken us inside businesses, homes and community spaces to meet people contributing to their neighbourhoods in thoughtful and inspiring ways.

These are often not the stories that make metropolitan headlines, but they are precisely the stories local newspapers exist to tell.

Inner City News may have had a shorter life than some of its siblings, but its purpose has never been measured only in years or edition numbers.

It has been measured in the trust of its readers, the strength of its local relationships and its ability to give these communities a dedicated platform.

From September, that work will continue through The Melburnian.

We hope the new publication will not dilute the voices of East Melbourne, Carlton and Parkville, but elevate them – connecting their stories with the wider city while retaining the local detail that made Inner City News matter.

There are too many people to thank properly, but I will try.

Thank you to our readers, who picked us up, wrote to us, corrected us, encouraged us and occasionally gave us a very direct piece of their mind.

Thank you to our advertisers, whose support made this work possible.

Thank you to the City of Melbourne, community groups, traders, residents, artists, advocates and contributors who trusted us with their stories.

And thank you to my team, past and present – Lauren, Kate, Jenny, Chris, Hanna, and our amazing distributors who have canvassed every corner of this city to make sure the paper gets where it needs to go.

It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know these communities, championing their achievements and advocating for their needs.

Thank you for embracing us.

We look forward to continuing the journey. •