Think of all the great Sydney suburbs. Picture them in your mind. Envision them with your third eye. Go on, close your eyes and do it. I’ll wait. Okay, now ask yourself, was Marrickville on that list? Probably not, but it is on a very important list, the official ranking of coolest neighbourhoods in the WORLD.
Time Out have released its annual worldwide ranking of the 40 coolest neighbourhoods on the planet, which is based on a global survey that goes out to millions of readers. Sydney suburb Marrickville has managed to snag the tenth position on this list, with Yarraville in Melbourne coming in at FIFTH.
Yep, together the two Aussie suburbs have beaten out lush suburbs in Prague, Miami, Singapore, Montreal and even Tokyo. Really makes you wonder what is in the water at Yarraville.
In the top four coolest neighbourhoods, just above Yarraville, we have Esquerra de l’Eixample in Barcelona taking the top position, followed by Downtown Los Angeles in second, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong in third and Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York in fourth place.
The official ranking describes the wonderfully hip suburb of Marrickville as being “a place of surprising dualities” that should be complimented for its “streets lined with Federation-era houses and leafy enclaves.” They also note that the neighbourhood has an “all-are-welcome essence” that thrives off the minds of “artists and queer creatives.”
“Despite its proximity to the eye-wateringly pricy inner city, Marrickville has managed to remain affordable and inclusive,” wrote Maxim Boon from Time Out Sydney.
“Long may it last.”
Meanwhile, Yarraville has been described as having an “epicurean edge and a perfect balance of residential and recreational.”
Epicurean basically means it goes after simple pleasures and comforts, and no, I did not just go Google that term because I was absolutely confused.
“Melbourne has always been the cultural capital of Australia. But going through two tough lockdowns in 2020 has meant many of the city’s cornerstones – live music, café culture, world-class arts and restaurants – have been put on hiatus,” wrote Rebecca Russo from Time Out Melbourne.
“On the other hand, Melbourne’s community spirit has never been stronger, and the neighbourhood that best embodies that is the westside suburb of Yarraville.”
So there you have it folks, Marrickville and Yarraville are officially some of the coolest neighbourhoods, not only in Australia, but in the whole entire world.
See you in the suburbs, cool cats.
