Some of the best pizza in the world can be found right here in Australia, in an unassuming local pizzeria in Melbourne’s north.
Pizza has been around since antiquity. And people have a lot of strong feelings about what constitutes a great pizza (pineapple, or no? Thick crust or thin?). From Naples to New York, pizza is a source of cultural prowess and pride. So, it’s no small feat that a hole-in-the-wall neighbourhood pizzeria in Melbourne has been labelled as one of the world’s best at none other than the globally-recognised 50 Top Pizza World awards held in Naples.
SHOP225 has been crowned the best pizza restaurant in Australia (Image: Julian Lallo)
SHOP225 were ranked 28th in the world, competing against over 1000 other restaurants (Image: Julian Lallo)
The friendly neighbourhood restaurant is beloved by locals in Melbourne's north. (Image: Julian Lallo)
SHOP225 of Pascoe Vale in Melbourne’s north took out the top gong for best pizza in the country, ranking 28th in the world overall and beating out some of Italy’s most esteemed pizzerias. The beloved, small local restaurant competed against over 1,000 other pizzerias from around the globe, with results decided by judges who posed as anonymous shoppers. SHOP225 was the only Australian restaurant to crack the top 50 list, with just one other Aussie restaurant nabbing a spot on the long-list of top 100 pizza restaurants, 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar , also in Melbourne.
It’s no surprise that the Victorian capital is Australia’s front-runner when it comes to great pizza, given the waves of Italian migration in the city’s history that have greatly shaped its food and coffee culture. Absent from the list this year is Sydney’s Al Taglio, which has been a fixture of on the list in previous years.
SHOP225 is the creation of chef Lorenzo Tron, who does things a little differently. Whereas some pizzerias are known for their stubborn adherence to ingredients and recipes (looking at you, Italy), SHOP225 prides itself on its ability to create great pizza for any dietary requirement. In fact, the restaurant was one of the first pizzerias to be accredited by Coeliac Australia. Tron’s culinary philosophy was influenced by his vegan mother, who would often struggle to find accommodations when dining out around Melbourne. Eleven of the thirteen pizzas on offer at SHOP225 can be made vegan, and gluten-free crust is made from a combination of rice, tapioca, maize, soy, pea and potato flours.
Elizabeth Whitehead is a writer obsessed with all things culture; doesn't matter if it's pop culture or cultures of the world. She graduated with a degree in History from the University of Sydney (after dropping out from Maths). Her bylines span AFAR, Lonely Planet, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR and Refinery 29. Her work for Australian Traveller was shortlisted for single article of the year at the Mumbrella Publishing Awards 2024. She is very lucky in thrifting, very unlucky in UNO.
A town charmingly paused in time has become a hot mountain biking destination.
There’s a forest reserve full of eucalyptus and pines surrounding town – when you combine all the greenery with a main street of grand old buildings still standing from the Victorian Gold Rush, Creswick looks more period movie set than a 21st-century town.
Grand buildings from the Victorian gold rush. (Image: Visit Victoria)
This entire region of Victoria – the Central Goldfields – is as pretty-as-a-picture, but there’s something extra-special about Creswick. I used to live 30 minutes north; I’d drive in some evenings to cruise its main street at dusk, and pretend I was travelling back in time.
It was sleepy back then, but that’s changed. Where I used to walk through its forest, now I’m hurtling down the state’s best new mountain bike trails. There’s a 60-kilometre network of mountain bike trails – dubbed Djuwang Baring – which make Creswick the state’s hottest new mountain biking destination.
Meet Victoria’s new mountain biking capital
This historic town has become a mountain biking hotspot.
Victoria has a habit of turning quiet country towns into mountain biking hotspots. I was there in the mid-2000s when the tiny Otways village of Forrest embarked on an ambitious plan to save itself (after the death of its timber cutting industry) courtesy of some of the world’s best mountain bike trails. A screaming success it proved to be, and soon mountain bike trails began popping up all over Victoria.
I’m no expert, so I like that a lot of Creswick’s trails are as scenic as they are challenging. I prefer intermediate trails, such as Down Martuk, with its flowing berms and a view round every corner. Everyone from outright beginners to experts can be happy here. There’s trails that take me down technical rock sections with plenty of bumps. But there’s enough on offer to appeal to day-trippers, as much as hard-core mountain-bikers.
I love that the trails empty onto that grand old main street. There’s bars still standing from the Gold Rush of the 1850s I can refuel at. Like the award-winning Farmers Arms, not to be confused with the pub sharing its name in Daylesford. It’s stood since 1857. And The American Creswick built two years later, or Odessa Wine Bar, part of Leaver’s Hotel in an 1856-built former gold exchange bank.
The Woodlands is set on a large bushland property. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)
Creswick is also full of great cafes and restaurants, many of them set in the same old buildings that have stood for 170 years. So whether you’re here for the rush of the trails or the calm of town life, Creswick provides.
A traveller’s checklist
Staying there
Inside the Woodlands, a chic 1970s log cabin. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)
RACV Goldfields Resort is a contemporary stay with a restaurant, swimming pool and golf course. The Woodlands in nearby Lal Lal comprises a chic log cabin set on a 16-hectare property abundant in native wildlife.
Eating there
Le Peche Gourmand makes for the perfect pitstop for carb and sugar-loading.
Miss Northcotts Garden is a charming garden store with tea room. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Creswick State Forest has a variety of hiking trails, including a section of the 210-kilometre-long Goldfields Track. Miss Northcotts Garden is a quaint garden store with tea room.
