Forges is closing, and with it goes the heart and soul of Footscay.

I grew up in Footscay, and it was always a great place. So vibrant, full of energy, a meeting place for locals, that had everything you could need. Now the place is becoming a seedy ghost town, and is one stop off becoming a no go zone. So why the harsh words? Well for the reason to that, we have to go back a few years.

Footscray use to have a Coles New World. For those of you old enough to remember a world with out personal computers, or microwave popcorn, CNW, was like no other store. You name it, you could get it there, as well a yummy meal, with free jelly, for under a dollar. It was like an ikea store, except it had stuff you wanted, and you didn’t need to work your way through a maze, defeat the dragon and save the princess before you left. But then Coles New World closed.

The reason for the closure was to build a new store, a bigger store, one that was a Kmart, a Coles, speciality shops, corporate area, and multilevel car park. Across the road, on the former CNW site, City West was created, more shopping space, filled with absolutely nothing. To this day many of the shops have never been leased, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Naturally while all of this building was going on, people had to shop somewhere, and that somewhere was the shiny new, big, and wonderful experience that was Highpoint West Shopping Centre. From then on, people stayed away in droves. Footscray started to become a ghost town, shops were closing, because with no one shopping, shop owners couldn’t afford the rent, and things kept spiralling down.

Around this time, many new migrants, mainly from Vietnam began setting up shop in Footscray, and once again, the place became vibrant. While the socio-economic structure had changed, there was at least business being done in Footscray. Then the council merge happened.

Footscray as a municipality disappeared, and we were presented with new boundaries that formed the City of Maribrynong. In this new city, Highpoint City Shopping Centre (As it was now known) became part of the new city, and with it, the rates income came to council. With the wonderful new big cash cow in the city, what need was there to keep Footscray alive? After all, we were in a new era, the City of Maribrynong era, Footscray was no longer the city, nor the football team (They became the Western Bulldogs), it was time to move forward, Maribrynong forever!

So for a while, Footscray suffered a slow painful death. At the time, many new migrants were attracted to the area, and Footscray became vibrant again, but in a different way to the past. It became a hussling and bustling hub for a community, but it’s diversification also attracted the scum of society and the junkies moved in. Footscray became a place you only went to if you knew you could hold onto your purse with all might, and don’t go there at night.

Then as things change (yet again), there was an increase of student activity in the area, as Footscray still served as a public transport hub. With new housing going up in the Maribyrong area, the tram connection to Footscray station saw more people in Footscray. While they were not attracted to the place as such, they had to go through there. So the council made an effort to tart the place up a bit, and it worked. People started coming back to Footscray, and the vibe of the place changed again. Now there was an issue of too many people in Footscray, so step up the council policing of everything under the sun, to the point where it has become a hell hole again.

So now we get to Forges of Footscray. The store that has seen more changes in Footscray than hot meals it has served. Forges is Footscray, and is the place that has kept the hub going for many years. But for no more. The large expanse of land the Forges store(s) are on has been sold off, and no doubt will become high rise housing. With the closing of Forges, I no longer have a need to go to Footscray, and as such, will be one of many that will stay away.

Actually I tell a lie there, I will get off the train occasionally to get a doughnut from the caravan at the station, but with the new regional train line development taking place at Footscray station, I wonder for how much longer this will last.