Melbourne’s Brunswick East, once a suburb of Greek, Italian and other immigrant communities, maintains its diverse characteristics and, with the added influx of gentrifying professionals, creatives, new cafes and hip live venues, has been ranked sixth among the 40 most “cool” neighbourhoods globally for 2023, according to Time Out Magazine.
Enmore in Sydney, another Greek immigrant working-class inner-city burb now colonised by the hip ranks 17th. Athens’ inner city Exarhia, in the 19th Century, was an upper-middle-class inner-city neighbourhood, by the 1970s and 1980s, a hub for radical students, the transgressive and creative. Brunswick East or Enmore will unlikely host a pitched battle between armour-clad riot police and Molotov-dispencing Anarchists as Exarhia occasionally does.
One of Greece’s oldest universities, the Athens Polytechnic, where students in 1973 rose to bring down the Junta, is the spiritual and ideological heart of Exarhia.
Quentin Goerres of Time Out writes that Exarhia is a “historically radical neighbourhood” and a “tourist hotspot… but the spirit of resistance has not been lost. It continues to be a place where activists and anarchists gather.”
He added that those “who want to witness the neighbourhood’s radical spirit should visit on November 17, the anniversary of the student uprising (of the Polytechnic School of Athens) in 1973 against the dictatorship, although it’s not recommended to visit on this particular day as there are usually clashes between demonstrators and the police.”
The top position in cool burbs this year, according to Time Out Magazine, is Laureles (Medellin, Colombia), followed by Smithfield (Dublin, Ireland) and Carabanchel (Madrid, Spain), rounding out the top three.
In 2022, Fitzroy (Melbourne) held the 27th position, Marrickville (Sydney) ranked 33rd, and Fortitude Valley (Brisbane) was in 47th place. Fitzroy has become so over-gentrified that it has become almost beige where the music dies after midnight, thus the rise of Brunswick Est and Enmore.
In Melbourne, Richmond held 10th in 2021, and Yarraville was fifth in 2020 in the tremendous stakes. The ‘cool’ inner city suburbs such as Melbourne’s Collingwood and Sidney’s Marrickville, (as well as the ones above), were the first place post-war Greek immigrants settled in.
However, between the 1950s and 1980s, these suburbs were working class and migrants settled. Many Greeks moved out in the 1970s for outer suburbs, such as Oakleigh in Melbourne’s southeast, chasing the Australian dream of a quarter-acre block and backyard. Those who did not have the economic capacity to move out in the 1970s and 1980s found by the mid-1990s their once cheap workers’ cottages augmenting in price as artists, creatives and professionals moved in and now worth a fortune.
The ranking is based on the annual “Time Out Index” survey, where over 12,000 people worldwide were asked about the “coolest” neighbourhoods in their cities.
Time Out editors examined factors such as social projects, vibrant street life, and access to open spaces and parks for the final list.
Laureles claimed the top spot thanks to its vibrant nightlife and “laid-back atmosphere” during the day, with streets filled with yoga studios, cafes, spaces tailored for “digital nomads,” and parks.
As for Brunswick East, Time Out Melbourne contributor Leah Glynn praised the transformation of the suburb, which was previously home to factories, and the green spaces that have been created.
“Between Lygon Street and the leafy paths along Merri Creek, Brunswick East is quickly emerging as a hub of multicultural restaurants, live music venues, and ‘cosy’ bars that you’ll return to repeatedly,” she wrote.
“The sixth position is a “significant achievement for Northside’s suburb, which outcompeted modern neighbourhoods in Tokyo, New York, London, and Berlin to secure a spot in the top ten globally. Best of all, ‘Brunny East’ received more votes than Enmore in Sydney… meaning it’s also Australia’s ‘coolest’ neighbourhood (this year).”
For Enmore, Time Out Sydney contributor Alice Ellis mentioned that the suburb’s central road houses a “global buffet.”
“In March, the council designated the bustling Enmore Road as an ‘entertainment special precinct,’ ensuring that the revelry continues undisturbed by noise complaints. The ‘relaxed rules’ help the area’s businesses bypass bureaucratic obstacles: they can host entertainment events without council approval, extend operating hours, and offer late-night sidewalk dining,” Ellis added.
