Murders, misfits, music and multiculturalism: How Brunswick 3056 got its character
Nothing says inner-city Melbourne like Brunswick, the melting pot of cultures and creeds was melded by migrants, the working class and the young and trendy. Take a look at how postcode 3056 got its character.
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During the height of the Gangland War Lewis Moran was blown away downing a beer at his favourite Sydney Rd pub.
The Brunswick Club, a good old pub, with a TAB, Keno, pokies and cheap pots.
The venue, popular with Brunswick’s older crowds, is just across the road from The Retreat Hotel, a grungy, trendy, dive bar venue popular with younger crowds.
Not far from both is cheapo Thai joint Green Fields, shabby Barkly Square, and Yiannis Pantheon Cakes, and that’s pretty much the story behind a little working-class, multicultural and bohemian inner-city suburb’s character.
Brunswick really kicked off post-1842 when the suburb’s first bar The Retreat Inn opened just before the gold rush expedited the area’s growth.
Since the 1950s Brunswick was a working class area known for it’s large Italian and Greek communities.
Fast-forward to the late-1980s when students from the two nearby unis, Melbourne and RMIT, migrated to the suburb along with the city’s bohemian alternative crowd.
The push marked the transition into what Brunswick is today – a trendy area with a bit of something for everybody.
Shopping is varied from streetwear, Champion hoodies and Air Max outlets to second-hand and vintage clothing to ‘Savers’ the OG king of op-shops.
Live music and arts? No problem, there’s plenty of bars such as Howler and Penny Black along with the Brunswick Music Festival to scratch that itch.
The bars aren’t as violent as they were (unless you’re Lewis Moran) back in the days of the Bombay Rock – a notoriously violent venue prior to burning down in the mid-90s.
The Bombay actually featured in 1991 film Death in Brunswick.
That’s right, Brunswick actually had its own film starring Sam Neill which was actually pretty good and not many Melbourne suburbs can boast that.
The film centred most of its action around Sydney Rd which is of course the centre of the universe when it comes to Brunswick.
Most of the bars, clubs, cafes, characters, ethnic venues, breweries, delis, shops and misfits of Brunswick can be found on Sydney Rd.
Even the Bandidos had a clubhouse just off Sydney Rd until the bikies were bounced earlier this year.
Depending on which direction you’re walking the famous Sydney Road Street Party (a precursor to the BMF) begins and/or ends in Brunswick.
A showcase of all the fine ethnic cuisines, vibrant art, music and culture, the Festival is also the best place to get a close up look at all the Brunswick characters in full flight.
A block down from Sydney Rd is arguably the best stretch of Lygon St in Melbourne.
Technically Brunswick East, but apples and oranges, it’s all Brunswick to locals.
In fact if you walk down Barkly St from Sydney Rd to Lygon St then on your left you’re going to pass Thunder Road Brewery.
The independent brewer is so much part of the local landscape that it even has the famous Brunswick Bitter.
Thunder Road made headlines a couple of years back after it won a war with a Byron Bay brewer regarding the naming rights to a specific beer.
Another block down to Nicholson and Blythe (again Brunswick East) is the world-famous and long established Melbourne independent radio station 3RRR.
“Triple R” has arguably been the sound of Brunswick (and the inner north and possibly the rest of Melbourne) since it was born out of RMIT in the 1970s.
Back to Lygon St and the vibe is slightly more Italian with famous pizza joint 400 Gradi just across the road from notorious gelato shop Gelobar where criminal lawyer Joe “Pino” Acquaro was blown away at the tail end of the Gangland War.
MORE:
ST KILDA: HISTORY OF POSTCODE 3182
ESSENDON: HISTORY OF POSTCODE 3040
MERNDA: HISTORY OF POSTCODE 3754
FERNTREE GULLY: HISTORY OF POSTCODE 3156