People say my suburb is Australia’s coolest. To me it’s just families creating magic

May 18, 2026 — 7:00pm

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It wasn’t all that long ago that Brunswick East was voted the sixth coolest suburb in the world. And hipper than anywhere else in Australia. No big deal to those of us in Brunswick East, we probably didn’t even read the article. And it was nothing we didn’t already know anyway.

But why do we love it here? It’s not because of Lygon Street, which has had something of a glow-up in recent years from the dirtier, working-class cousin of the Carlton end, when it was populated mainly by warehouses and mechanics and other things that people need to live but never seem to count in making somewhere “liveable” in the eyes of real estate agents. The gangland violence that used to be an occasional feature of Brunswick East has seemingly, mercifully paused and it’s bars and restaurants and cafes and apartment towers, a heaving night scene, a pool hall, at least three artisan gelaterias in surrounding streets, and a frankly staggering number of hairdressers.

And it’s not the parks that make us love our suburb, although we have plenty. We need them. Because we have thousands of apartment-dwellers here – our population has more than doubled over the last 20 years. And even if you’re lucky enough to have a backyard, it’s a small one.

We have the pocket-sized Methven Park with its heritage trees and its portable soccer goals, purchased by local........

© The Age