Brunswick East, Victoria
Brunswick East is an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland.
Brunswick East lies 6 km north of Melbourne. Bordered by Lygon Street and Holmes Street in the west; the Merri Creek in the east; Park Street, Nicholson Street and May Street 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.
People
According to the 2001 Census just over 7600 people were living in Brunswick East with the population expected to increase at an average annual increase of 1.9 per cent over the next decade. The suburb is currently subject to many commercial and residential developments either in the planning or building process which will increase the population. The amount of development has prompted protests from the Brunswick Progress Association and the formation of Residents Against Inappropriate Development.
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 over 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 Hindus 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 metroplitan 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 Hoddle, chief surveyor, the area of Brunswick, including East Brunswick, was surveyed. Big blocks were marked out of 1-1/2 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 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.
During the 1990s redevelopment of commercial and industrial property has taken place for medium and high density housing, which has prompted concerns by local residents of inappropriate Development.
Politics
The area has traditionally been considered an Australian Labor Party 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 and 2004.
Transport
Three tram lines service Brunswick East.
- The number 1 tram service travels from the terminus at Bell Street, Coburg East to South Melbourne Beach (via Swanston Street & Melbourne University). Catch it on Holmes street or Lygon street in Brunswick East.
- The number 8 tram service travels from the terminus at Moreland Road/Cameron Street to Toorak (Glenferrie Street) via Swanston Street & Melbourne University. Catch it 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.
- The number 94 tram service travels from East Brunswick (Blyth Street / Nicholson Street) to Southbank Tram Depot (Normanby Road). Catch it on Nicholson Street in Brunswick East.
- The number 96 tram service 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.
Several bus routes travel east-west through the suburb, including:
- Albion Street (route 503)
- Glenyon Road (route 506)
- Blyth Street (route 508)
- Moreland Road bus line (route 510)
as well as a few others.
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 has become a Linear park which provides part of the Capital City Trail for cyclists, connecting the Merri Creek Trail to the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail in the network of shared use bicycle paths for Cycling in Melbourne.
Landmarks
A highlight of Brunswick East is the CERES community environment park.
Whilst Lygon Street is best known for its "Little Italy" sector of restaurants and street cafés in Carlton, the street also extends into Brunswick East, where it also boasts a diversity of restaurants and cafes offering a variety of cuisines including: Italian, Greek, Japanese, Indian, Thai, and Malaysian foods.
References
- Barnes, Les, It Happened in Brunswick, 1837-1987, Brunswick Community History Group, (1987)
- Moreland City Council: Brunswick East Suburb Profile (2004)