Bradmill redevelopment in Yarraville, where the former textile factory is being transformed into homes and shared resident spaces.
A Melbourne factory that once clothed the world is opening its doors again, this time not to workers, but to homebuyers.
For the first time in more than two decades, the former Bradmill textile site in Yarraville is welcoming people back inside, with the first homes at the historic inner-west landmark now complete and open for inspection.
Once a powerhouse of Australian manufacturing producing fabric, including denim for global fashion brands, the Bradmill factory shut its doors 24 years ago, leaving behind a vast industrial shell that became a familiar but fading part of Melbourne’s skyline.
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Now, the site is beginning a new chapter as a residential neighbourhood, with the first 44 townhomes ready to house residents where looms and machinery once stood.
Frasers Property Australia general manager Sarah Bloom said the opening marked a turning point for the long-awaited transformation.
“Once you turn off Francis St and into the community there’s an immediate sense of home,” Ms Bloom said.
“You can just sense how tight-knit and neighbourly this community is going to be. Coming to visit these homes is the best way to understand the sheer quality of what we’re delivering.”
Artist impression of the Bradmill redevelopment in Yarraville, where the former textile factory is being transformed into homes and shared resident spaces.
The initial release includes three- and four-bedroom “Pioneer” townhomes priced from $1.099m, underscoring the dramatic shift from factory floor to family living just 7.5km from the CBD.
For former workers and long-time locals, the change is unmistakeable.
Where shift whistles once marked the day, landscaped streets and front doors now line the northern edge of the 26ha site, bounded by Francis St, where major roadworks have recently wrapped up to reconnect the precinct with the surrounding suburb.
Inside the homes, the industrial past hasn’t been erased, it has been reinterpreted.
Artist impression of a planned wellness and yoga space within the Bradmill precinct.
Steel-inspired details nod to the garment tables once used by Bradmill workers, while brushed nickel tapware and robust finishes reference the site’s working-class origins. Engineered oak flooring, wool carpets, induction cooktops and Smeg appliances bring the homes firmly into the present.
All townhomes are fully electric and form part of a six-star Green Star community, with solar PV systems, double glazing and high-rated insulation designed to future-proof the development.
The most dramatic transformation sits at the site’s southern edge, where the heritage-listed red-brick factory buildings are being repurposed as residents’ shared facilities.
Artist impression of a shared indoor basketball court planned for residents at Bradmill.
The former boiler house will include a gym, co-working spaces, a pool and the Lantern Lounge — an elevated entertaining space offering sweeping views across the CBD and Port Phillip Bay, available for residents to book for private events.
A retail centre planned for the northeastern corner of the precinct will include a full-line Woolworths supermarket, speciality retail, health services and a food and dining precinct, reinforcing the shift from industrial enclave to self-contained neighbourhood.
Artist impression of co-working facilities inside the restored Bradmill factory buildings.
Artist impression of the Lantern Lounge inside the heritage Bradmill boiler house, set to offer residents views across Melbourne’s skyline.
When complete, Bradmill will include about 680 townhomes and 760 apartments across multiple buildings, accommodating around 3,500 residents and creating a new pocket of Yarraville on land that sat dormant for decades.
A 1.5ha linear park will cut through the development, linking to nearby McIvor Reserve and its sporting fields, while new cycling connections will allow residents to ride directly into the city via separated bike paths.
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