What makes Marrickville one of the most sought after addresses these days? With its cafes, cultural diversity, street art, music and theatre venues, there’s much to love about it.

And In addition to a thriving indigenous community, just over 44% of the population was born overseas.  The Australian Bureau of Statistics lists Vietnam, Greece and the UK  as the top three countries of birth for Marrickvillians in 2016.

But this cultural richness hasn’t been without growing pains.  The 70s and 80s saw a great deal of activism around multiculturalism and anti racism, driven by the area’s culturally diverse communities who were no longer willing to be silent. Along with that, services for indigenous and immigrant communities were set up to support the social, cultural and economic needs of the area. Pioneering theatre companies such as Sidetrack Theatre told us stories about immigrant and marginalised communities’ lives, which were absent from our film screens,  television,  and radio at the time. 

Marrickville has come a long way since those heady days, but what’s it like today? Like many inner west suburbs, and depending on your view it’s either fallen victim to or benefitted from gentrification. So what’s gentrification done to Marrickville? Has it changed its essential character of inclusivity?  

No, according to some people I spoke to.  There’s a great deal of affection for the suburb, and more than that, for its people. 

Guests:

Van Nguyen, (owner) Vesbar Espresso,

Warren and partner,

Joanne

Music:

Face it, Ketsa,  courtesy of the Free Music Archive under Creative Commons.

Ode to awareness, Siddhartha Corsus, courtesy of the Free Music Archive under Creative Commons.