Brunswick East, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Brunswick East is a suburb in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland
. At the 2006 Census, Brunswick East had a population of 7,410.
Brunswick East lies 6 km north of Melbourne. Bordered generally by Lygon Street
and Holmes Street in the west; the Merri Creek
in the east adjoining Northcote
; Park Street, Nicholson Street and Glenlyon Road in the south adjoining Carlton North
and Fitzroy North
; and Moreland Road in the north adjoining Coburg
. Brunswick East is a mixed use suburb, consisting of primarily residential and commercial properties.
s is increasing slightly.
Brunswick East has a high proportion flats, units, apartments or semi-detached, row, terrace or townhouses. Separate houses make up just over half of all dwellings. More than one in four households in Brunswick East are lone person households and 14 per cent are group households, which is higher than the Moreland and metropolitan averages. There is also a high proportion of rental households, which is significantly higher than the metropolitan and Moreland averages.
Residents of Brunswick East tend to be highly educated with 28 per cent having a bachelor degree or higher, and over half of all residents having completed Year 12 schooling, significantly higher than the municipal and metropolitan averages. A high proportion of professionals work in Brunswick East, with declining numbers of labourers, trades, production and transport workers. Income data from the 2001 census highlights that there are still pockets of disadvantage in the suburb with almost half of the citizens on weekly individual incomes of less than $400 per week with 10 per cent of citizens on incomes of less than $120 per week.
, chief surveyor, the area of Brunswick
, including East Brunswick, was surveyed. Big blocks were marked out of 1½ miles long by 1/4 mile wide. The blocks were bought mostly by land speculators.
Bluestone
quarrying was one of the first industries in Brunswick East. By 1852 the local stone quarries had been worked to the point of exhaustion.
Significant residential subdivision of the area took place in the 1880s (Brunswick East Post Office opening on 13 January 1888)
and also in the period after the World War I
. In 1916, the tram
along Lygon Street was electrified, making access much easier.
Brunswick’s first textile factory, Prestige Hosiery, opened in 1922, and the suburb became the location of numerous textile and garment factories. The textile industry has been in substantial decline in the suburb since the 1980s
with the liberalisation and elimination of tariff controls by successive Federal Governments.
Redevelopment of commercial and industrial property has taken place for medium and high density housing, adding to the rich diversity of the area, promoting the opening of many new cafes bars and creative small businesses.
stronghold, although with recent demographic changes the area has contributed to the election of an Australian Greens Party Councillor to the Moreland council in 2001, 2004 and again in 2008.
. At the northern end of the Brunswick East strip of Lygon St is a neighbourhood strip with a mixture of community, retail and entertainment venues. Between the two, Lygon Street is predominantly light industrial buildings undergoing a process of redevelopment to mixed-use. The East Brunswick Club Hotel became popular in the mid noughties as a music venue.
Community radio station 3RRR
moved from Fitzroy
to the corner Blyth and Nicholson Streets in late 2004, opposite another music venue, the Lomond Hotel. Although it has very good tram access to the city, Nicholson Street is a mixture of underutilised industrial properties and free-standing houses on large blocks, with very little retailing or commercial uses occurring.
Several bus routes travel east-west through the suburb, including:
Cyclists have available many, on road cycle lanes as well as easy access to the Merri Creek Trail
along Merri Creek
. On the southern edge of the suburb the old Inner Circle railway line is now a linear park which is a part of the Capital City Trail
for pedestrians and cyclists. This trail connects the Merri Creek Trail
to the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail
in the network of pedestrian and bicycle shared use paths for Cycling in Melbourne
.
.
A long-standing landmark of the northern half of Brunswick East is the Brunswick East Primary School, Stewart Street, first established in 1893, which still retains the original bell tower construction and much of its overall core structure, plus necessary additions over the decades.
The heritage-listed buildings at Brunswick South Primary School
on Brunswick Road are a local landmark.
Within the built-up area of East Brunswick, public open space includes:
, and a Catholic primary school, Our Lady Help of Christians. CERES
provides courses about environmental sustainability.
s, with a mix of commercial, retail, community and light industrial in the former, and a bias towards light industrial and residential in the latter. Rises in land values due to gentrification
, have resulted in many of the industrial uses vacating their buildings, which have become attractive to developers of medium and higher-density residential projects, often with a small commercial or retail component. Many of these projects have been contentious among the local community, the most notable being a proposal for a 16-storey tower immediately to the north of a Maternal and Child Health Centre. Local groups such as the Brunswick Progress Association
have been active in anti-development campaigns, along with the local branch of Save Our Suburbs
, Brunswick Residents Against Inappropriate Development. In 2006, Moreland City Council commenced a consultative process to develop a Structure Plan for the Brunswick Major Activity Centre, whose study area incorporates Lygon Street, Nicholson Street and much of the adjoining suburb of Brunswick
.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district
Melbourne city centre
Melbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland
City of Moreland
The City of Moreland is a Local Government Area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the inner northern suburbs between 4 and 10 kilometres from the Melbourne city centre....
. At the 2006 Census, Brunswick East had a population of 7,410.
Brunswick East lies 6 km north of Melbourne. Bordered generally by Lygon Street
Lygon Street, Melbourne
Lygon Street is a street in inner northern Melbourne, Australia running through the suburbs of Carlton, Carlton North, Princes Hill and Brunswick East. Lygon Street's name has become synonymous with Italian restaurants and cafés located in the Carlton part of the street...
and Holmes Street in the west; the Merri Creek
Merri Creek
The Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins in Wallan north of Melbourne and flows south for 70km until it joins the Yarra River at Dights Falls...
in the east adjoining Northcote
Northcote, Victoria
Northcote is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin...
; Park Street, Nicholson Street and Glenlyon Road in the south adjoining Carlton North
Carlton North, Victoria
Carlton North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Melbourne and Yarra...
and Fitzroy North
Fitzroy North, Victoria
Fitzroy North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Yarra and Moreland. At the 2006 Census, Fitzroy North had a population of 11,069....
; and Moreland Road in the north adjoining Coburg
Coburg, Victoria
Coburg is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland, although a handful of properties on Coburg's Eastern boundary are located in the City of Darebin...
. Brunswick East is a mixed use suburb, consisting of primarily residential and commercial properties.
People
According to the 2006 Census just over 7,400 people were living in Brunswick East. The suburb has a higher proportion of people 18–34 years and a lower proportion of children 0–17 years and older people over 70 years, than the Moreland average. While cultural diversity is declining, just nearly one third of all citizens were born overseas which is substantially higher than the metropolitan average, although lower than the Moreland average. Almost 40 per cent of citizens speak a language other than English at home. Religious affiliation in Brunswick East is declining with one of the highest rates of no religious affiliation registered in the 2001 census in the Moreland municipality. However the proportion of Buddhists and HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s is increasing slightly.
Brunswick East has a high proportion flats, units, apartments or semi-detached, row, terrace or townhouses. Separate houses make up just over half of all dwellings. More than one in four households in Brunswick East are lone person households and 14 per cent are group households, which is higher than the Moreland and metropolitan averages. There is also a high proportion of rental households, which is significantly higher than the metropolitan and Moreland averages.
Residents of Brunswick East tend to be highly educated with 28 per cent having a bachelor degree or higher, and over half of all residents having completed Year 12 schooling, significantly higher than the municipal and metropolitan averages. A high proportion of professionals work in Brunswick East, with declining numbers of labourers, trades, production and transport workers. Income data from the 2001 census highlights that there are still pockets of disadvantage in the suburb with almost half of the citizens on weekly individual incomes of less than $400 per week with 10 per cent of citizens on incomes of less than $120 per week.
History
In 1839 under the instructions of Robert HoddleRobert Hoddle
Robert Hoddle was a surveyor of Port Phillip in the 1830s, and the creator of the Hoddle Grid, the street grid system upon which inner city Melbourne is based. He was also an accomplished artist and depicted scenes of the Port Philip region as well as New South Wales...
, chief surveyor, the area of Brunswick
Brunswick, Victoria
Brunswick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
, including East Brunswick, was surveyed. Big blocks were marked out of 1½ miles long by 1/4 mile wide. The blocks were bought mostly by land speculators.
Bluestone
Bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
quarrying was one of the first industries in Brunswick East. By 1852 the local stone quarries had been worked to the point of exhaustion.
Significant residential subdivision of the area took place in the 1880s (Brunswick East Post Office opening on 13 January 1888)
and also in the period after the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In 1916, the tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
along Lygon Street was electrified, making access much easier.
Brunswick’s first textile factory, Prestige Hosiery, opened in 1922, and the suburb became the location of numerous textile and garment factories. The textile industry has been in substantial decline in the suburb since the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
with the liberalisation and elimination of tariff controls by successive Federal Governments.
Redevelopment of commercial and industrial property has taken place for medium and high density housing, adding to the rich diversity of the area, promoting the opening of many new cafes bars and creative small businesses.
Politics
The area has traditionally been considered an Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
stronghold, although with recent demographic changes the area has contributed to the election of an Australian Greens Party Councillor to the Moreland council in 2001, 2004 and again in 2008.
Commerce and culture
At the southern end of the Brunswick East strip of Lygon Street there is an increasing diversity of restaurants and cafes offering a variety of cuisines including: Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian, Thai, and Malaysian foods. This restaurant strip is quite separate from the longer established "Little Italy" strip of restaurants and street cafés further south in Lygon Street, CarltonCarlton, Victoria
Carlton is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne...
. At the northern end of the Brunswick East strip of Lygon St is a neighbourhood strip with a mixture of community, retail and entertainment venues. Between the two, Lygon Street is predominantly light industrial buildings undergoing a process of redevelopment to mixed-use. The East Brunswick Club Hotel became popular in the mid noughties as a music venue.
Community radio station 3RRR
3RRR
3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
moved from Fitzroy
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
to the corner Blyth and Nicholson Streets in late 2004, opposite another music venue, the Lomond Hotel. Although it has very good tram access to the city, Nicholson Street is a mixture of underutilised industrial properties and free-standing houses on large blocks, with very little retailing or commercial uses occurring.
Transport
Three tram lines service Brunswick East.- Tram route 1Melbourne tram route 1Tram route 1 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from the terminus at Nicholson Street and Bell Street in East Coburg to the corner of Victoria Avenue and Beaconsfield Parade in Albert Park....
travels from the terminus at Bell Street, Coburg East to South Melbourne Beach (via Swanston StreetSwanston Street, MelbourneSwanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. It is historically one of the main streets of central Melbourne, laid out in 1837 as part of the Hoddle Grid, the layout of major streets that makes up the central business district...
and Melbourne University). It may be boarded on Holmes street or Lygon street in Brunswick East.
- Tram route 8Melbourne tram route 8Tram route 8 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from Toorak to Moreland through the suburbs of Carlton and South Yarra...
travels from the terminus at Moreland Road/Cameron Street to Toorak (Glenferrie Road) via Swanston StreetSwanston Street, MelbourneSwanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. It is historically one of the main streets of central Melbourne, laid out in 1837 as part of the Hoddle Grid, the layout of major streets that makes up the central business district...
and Melbourne University. It may be boarded on Moreland Road, Holmes Street or Lygon Street in Brunswick East. This was previously the route 22 tram until it joined with route 8 on 17 October 2004. As far back as the 1950s, 60s and 70s, it was known as route 15 and travelled to St Kilda Beach.
- Tram route 96Melbourne tram route 96Melbourne tram route 96 is a public transport tram and light rail route in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.It is one of Melbourne's busiest tram route carrying 39,700 passengers a day with a frequency of every 10 minutes or less during peak...
travels from East Brunswick (Blyth Street / Nicholson Street) to St Kilda Beach (Acland Street) via Bourke Street, Melbourne. Catch it on Nicholson Street in Brunswick East. Some trams on this line (route number 94) only travel from East Brunswick (Blyth Street / Nicholson Street) to the Southbank tram depotSouthbank Tram DepotSouthbank Tram Depot is located in Southbank, a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is one of 8 depots operated in the Yarra Trams network. The depot was opened in March 1997 on the site of the former Montague shipping shed, and replaced the now-demolished South Melbourne tram depot.-...
(Normanby Road).
Several bus routes travel east-west through the suburb, including:
- 503 EssendonEssendon, VictoriaEssendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley...
– East BrunswickBrunswick East, VictoriaBrunswick East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland. At the 2006 Census, Brunswick East had a population of 7,410....
via Brunswick West, Brunswick, Anstey RS (Monday to Saturday). Operated by Moonee Valley Bus Lines. Albion Street - 506 Moonee PondsMoonee Ponds, VictoriaMoonee Ponds is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley.It is home to Queens Park and the Moonee Valley Racecourse...
– WestgarthWestgarth, VictoriaWestgarth is a locality in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is in the Local Government Area of the City of Darebin. It is situated 4 or 5 km from Melbourne's central business district, just north of Clifton Hill, and a few hundred metres south of the main part of Northcote...
via Brunswick West, Brunswick, Fitzroy North, Northcote (Monday to Saturday). Operated by Moonee Valley Bus Lines. Glenlyon Road - 508 Moonee PondsMoonee Ponds, VictoriaMoonee Ponds is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley.It is home to Queens Park and the Moonee Valley Racecourse...
– AlphingtonAlphington, VictoriaAlphington is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Darebin and Yarra. At the 2006 Census, Alphington had a population of 4,483...
via Brunswick West, Brunswick RS, Northcote, Fairfield (every day). Operated by Dyson's Bus ServicesDyson's Bus ServicesDyson's Bus Services is a privately owned bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As a Melbourne bus company, it operates a number of bus routes under contract from the Victorian State Government. Beyond operating route services, it also owns the Cobb and Co coach company...
. Blyth Street - 510 EssendonEssendon, VictoriaEssendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley...
– IvanhoeIvanhoe, VictoriaIvanhoe is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule. At the 2006 Census, Ivanhoe had a population of 10,600.-History:...
via Brunswick West, Moreland RS, Thornbury, Fairfield (every day). Operated by Moreland BuslinesMoreland BuslinesMoreland Buslines is a bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As a Melbourne bus company, it operates a number of bus routes under contract from the Victorian State Government. Moreland Buslines operate 2 routes in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne.-Routes:* 510 Essendon –...
. Moreland Road bus line
Cyclists have available many, on road cycle lanes as well as easy access to the Merri Creek Trail
Merri Creek Trail
The Merri Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Merri Creek through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Following the Path:...
along Merri Creek
Merri Creek
The Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins in Wallan north of Melbourne and flows south for 70km until it joins the Yarra River at Dights Falls...
. On the southern edge of the suburb the old Inner Circle railway line is now a linear park which is a part of the Capital City Trail
Capital City Trail
The Capital City Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which circles the Melbourne city centre and some inner eastern and northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
for pedestrians and cyclists. This trail connects the Merri Creek Trail
Merri Creek Trail
The Merri Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Merri Creek through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Following the Path:...
to the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail
Moonee Ponds Creek Trail
The Moonee Ponds Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Moonee Ponds Creek through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Following the path:...
in the network of pedestrian and bicycle shared use paths for Cycling in Melbourne
Cycling in Melbourne
Cycling in Melbourne, Victoria is common on the roads and paths for recreation, commuting and as a sport. However it is not one of the popular modes of transportation despite an extensive network of bicycle paths and some designated bicycle lanes on roads...
.
Landmarks
A highlight of Brunswick East is the CERES Community Environment ParkCERES Community Environment Park
The CERES Community Environment Park, or Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies, is an award-winning urban environmental centre located in urban Brunswick East, Victoria, Australia...
.
A long-standing landmark of the northern half of Brunswick East is the Brunswick East Primary School, Stewart Street, first established in 1893, which still retains the original bell tower construction and much of its overall core structure, plus necessary additions over the decades.
The heritage-listed buildings at Brunswick South Primary School
Brunswick South Primary School
Brunswick South Primary School ' is a government primary school located in Brunswick East, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
on Brunswick Road are a local landmark.
Public open space
East Brunswick has several parks and reserves of varying size as well as the Merri Creek corridor which is managed by a long-standing community group and has a popular bike path connected to the main Yarra Trail. The public open space forming part of the Merri Creek corridor or directly accessible from it includes:- Allard Park (oval)
- Anderson Reserve
- Jones Park
- Roberts Reserve
- Brunswick Velodrome
- Sumner Park (small oval/soccer pitch)
- Merri Creek Reserve
Within the built-up area of East Brunswick, public open space includes:
- Fleming Park + Brunswick Bowling Club
- Methven Park
- Fisher Reserve
- Balfe Park (soccer pitch)
- Douglas Reserve
Educational facilities
Brunswick East has two government primary schools, Brunswick East PS and Brunswick South PSBrunswick South Primary School
Brunswick South Primary School ' is a government primary school located in Brunswick East, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
, and a Catholic primary school, Our Lady Help of Christians. CERES
CERES Community Environment Park
The CERES Community Environment Park, or Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies, is an award-winning urban environmental centre located in urban Brunswick East, Victoria, Australia...
provides courses about environmental sustainability.
Development issues
Brunswick East is an area in transition. Lygon Street and parts of Nicholson Street are its main activity centreActivity centre
Activity centre is a term used in urban planning and design for a mixed-use urban area where there is a concentration of commercial and other land uses...
s, with a mix of commercial, retail, community and light industrial in the former, and a bias towards light industrial and residential in the latter. Rises in land values due to gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
, have resulted in many of the industrial uses vacating their buildings, which have become attractive to developers of medium and higher-density residential projects, often with a small commercial or retail component. Many of these projects have been contentious among the local community, the most notable being a proposal for a 16-storey tower immediately to the north of a Maternal and Child Health Centre. Local groups such as the Brunswick Progress Association
Brunswick Progress Association
The Brunswick Progress Association is a community organisation active in the City of Moreland Council area, and in particular the suburbs of Brunswick and Coburg, inner northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
have been active in anti-development campaigns, along with the local branch of Save Our Suburbs
Save Our Suburbs
Save Our State , formerly known as Save Our Suburbs, is a politically influential community group concerned about the impact of contemporary development on established low-density residential suburbs in Australian cities....
, Brunswick Residents Against Inappropriate Development. In 2006, Moreland City Council commenced a consultative process to develop a Structure Plan for the Brunswick Major Activity Centre, whose study area incorporates Lygon Street, Nicholson Street and much of the adjoining suburb of Brunswick
Brunswick, Victoria
Brunswick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
.
See also
- City of BrunswickCity of BrunswickThe City of Brunswick is the name of a former Local Government Area in the inner-northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprised the suburbs of Brunswick, Brunswick East and West Brunswick...
- the former local government area of which Brunswick East was a part.