Brunswick, Melbourne (inner north)
Location: Inner city, Near Melbourne Uni/RMIT/Shillington College
Rent: rent prices are still affordable but drifting towards being pricey
Vibe: hairy legs, community spirit
If you like unpretentious, earthy cafes and living in a place where people of all descriptions are welcome, then Brunswick is your nirvana. Traditionally a working class area popular with migrants, in recent years it has begun attracting professionals, community minded types, and those with a bit of edgy flair. In terms of politics, this is green and politically left territory.
Brunswick covers a huge area. There's East Brunswick, Brunswick and West Brunswick. All three areas have a mixture of residential buildings and light industry. Properties in West Brunswick tend to be larger, predominantly built post 1910, and more popular with families. Cool types opt for East Brunswick and it's array of workers' cottages and slightly larger brick or timber period homes. Brunswick itself holds attractions for a variety of people. It's mostly made up of small brick worker's cottagers, Victorian terraces or Victorian timber block fronted homes, and has narrow streets. All three are safe suburbs.
East Brunswick is where new interesting, arty cafes have opened up in large numbers. The number of blue collar workers in East Brunswick is dropping, making way for a greater number of tertiary educated, community minded, arty, young-ish people. East Brunswick is home to CERES - an environmental centre, plant nursery, community farm with a twice weekly market, and an organic cafe. Kids and adults love this place.
Brunswick has an amazing assortment of independent shops you most likely won't find anywhere else. There's no glitz here, not by a long stretch. But what there is is colourful, cheap, and totally unpretentious. You'd be hard pressed not to get a bargain here. Post WW2 European migrants moved here, reflected in shops like the amazing Mediterranean Wholesalers. More recently people from Islamic countries have settled in Brunswick. The city end of Brunswick Rd has some interesting alternative-esque clothing stores. There's a live music scene here too. In the early 2000's, Brunswick was the scene of the murder of a gangland patriach. But other than that, this place is fairly safe. About the only thing this suburb lacks is a decent green space. If you crave parks, check out the Maribyrnong River and Queens Park in nearby Moonee Ponds.
West Brunswick is family friendly. It's not as busy as East Brunswick, or Brunswick, tending to be quieter and greener than most other parts of Brunswick.
Distance from city centre: 4km. Direction: north. (More info below and to your left <<<)
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12. TARONGA ZOO TO BALMORAL BEACH WALK - a Sydney Harbour walk |
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This is a relatively new 6km walking track with superb views. It's probably also the best harbour walk, and is definitely one of the best things to do in Sydney. It takes you past stunning Chowder Bay at Clifton Gardens, the Lower Georges Heights Artists Colony, native bushland and historic military sites that have been closed to the public for more than 100 years.
The track finishes at Balmoral Beach which has a playground for kids, a marina, kayak hire, a rotunda, a small island, and the famous Bathers' Pavillion cafe and restaurant which serves up very tasty food.
The walk will take about 1 hour and 40 minutes at a leisurely pace. The Harbour Trust also conducts tours along some parts of the track. Ph: (02) 8969 2100. www.harbourtrust.gov.au
At Lower Georges Heights, artists and sculptors live and or work in old iron and timber buildings. There are great BBQ and picnic spots here. Every November, during the Annual Art Day, the studios are open to the public.
For some of the best views of Sydney Harbour, go to Georges Head. This is where the army stood waiting to shoot at the enemy, at a time when Australia was convinced it would be invaded. The first lookout was built in 1801 when it was feared those pesky French might invade Sydney's shores!
Chowder Bay has a beautiful harbour beach that's safe for kids. It rarely gets very crowded because mostly only locals know about and it. It 's also a very popular spot for diving. There is a very good playground, public toilets, large grassed area, picnic tables and trees, a pier used for fishing, spectacular views, and two good cafes. The smaller one is called Bacino Kiosk. It has two outlets: a small one on the beach, and a larger cafe up the stairs, in a brown wooden long building. The other cafe/restaurant is called Ripples. This is an upmarket venue with sublime views, and a great place to go for a special visit. Ph: (02) 9960 3000. www.ripplescafe.com.au
Chowder Bay was named by American Whalers who used to drop anchor in the bay and make chowder from local pippies and oysters.
This walk will also take you past The Tea Room, Gunners Barracks. This is a special occasion venue with amazing views. Ph: (02) 8962 5900 www.gunnersbarracks.com.au
GETTING THERE
Take the Taronga Zoo ferry from Circular Quay. When you get off the ferry, head uphill to the start of the track. At Balmoral you can take the 238 bus from Balmoral Beach back to Taronga Zoo wharf. MAP
Further Information
Phone the Harbour Trust: (02) 8969 2131
www.harbourtrust.gov.au
For information on getting to Taronga Zoo or Balmoral Beach by public transport, go to www.131500.info
For further information on directions: go to www.whereis.com/whereis/directions.do
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