Sydney Road, Melbourne

Sydney Road is a major thouroughfare in the northern suburbs of Brunswick and Coburg in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is one of Melbourne's major strip shopping centres, with an abundance of small businesses and a variety of restaurants and coffee shops.

Geography

on Sydney Road, Brunswick
Sydney Road runs north-south through the inner northern suburbs of Brunswick and Coburg. At its southernmost end, Sydney Road begins at Brunswick Road and is the continuation of Royal Parade from the city. Proceeding northward it passes through Brunswick and Coburg ending at the intersection of Bell Street, near the site of the former Pentridge prison, where it becomes the Hume Highway (Highway 31). The Hume Highway is the major road link between Melbourne and Sydney.

Tram route 19 runs the full length of Sydney Road, starting at Coburg North and ending in Elizabeth Street at Flinders Street Station in the city.

History

The Victorian gold rush in the 1850s caused businesses to flourish on Sydney Road. Many were established to supply the miners on their trek north to the goldfields. Numerous hotels were built along Sydney Road in this period including the Brunswick Hotel, the Cornish Arms Hotel, the Sarah Sands Hotel, the Cumberland Arms Hotel and the Court House Hotel.

Originally called Pentridge Road, as it connected the city with Pentridge prison. In 1859 the road was renamed Sydney Road.

The early hub of business activity was between Weston Street and Albert Street in Brunswick, but by the 1880s businesses were rapidly being established beyond Albion Street.

In the 1920's the clothing and textile industries had a growing impact. Evidence of this can still be seen in the presence of tailors shops, and an abundance of wedding gown shops.

During the 1930's the Unemployed Workers Movement held street meetings on the corner of Sydney Road and Phoenix Street. These meetings were harassed and suppressed by the police, under the direct orders of Police Commissioner, General Thomas Blamey. Young Australian artist Noel Counihan played a significant part in this campaign. The State Government, concerned about the public sympathy being generated, eventually changed the law in regard to obstruction, with no requirement of permits to speak. A Free Speech memorial was built outside the Mechanics Institute on the corner of Sydney and Glenlyon Roads to commemorate the success of the free speech fights. Counihan's work as an artist and local resident is also commemorated by the Counihan Gallery on Sydney Road run by the City of Moreland Council.

During the second world war and in the 1950s Sydney Road came alive with late night shopping. This included late night shopping parades with floats.

With the postwar immigration many migrant families established businesses. The multiucultural nature of business on Sydney Road is reflected in the restaurant cuisines available, with an abundance of Turkish restaurants, but also Chinese, Greek, Lebanese and Italian food. In the 1990s, more exotic restaurants and cafes opened up, adding Japanese, Thai, North and East African, Balinese, Indian, Sri Lankan, Nepali, and Vietnamese cuisines.

Landmarks

Sydney Road contains many historical landmarks. Many of the hotels date from the 1850s, including the Sarah Sands Hotel on the corner of Brunswick Road.

Brunswick Town Hall, built in 1876 on the corner of Dawson Street, is an imposing Victorian edifice. It was saved from planned destruction by the municipal council in 1973-1974 when Vic and Vida Little, along with the Brunswick Progress Association, led a successful campaign to preserve it.

Diagonally opposite from the Town Hall stands the Mechanics Institute, built in 1868, and used for worker education and social activities. A monument to the Free Speech fights of the 1930s stands near the corner.

The history of many of the single and double story shop fronts can be seen in the names and years moulded into the street edifice.

Festival

Each year the City of Moreland Council organises the Sydney Road Street Party, usually on a Sunday at the end of February. Sydney Road is closed to traffic from Union Street to Victoria Street in Brunswick.

Several stages are erected for a variety of ethnic, folk and rock music to be performed live. Hundreds of community groups and local businesses set up stalls on the road. Street theatre and kids shows, and a wide variety of tasty food from many cuisines is there to be sampled. Tens of thousands of people enjoy a day of festivities taking over Sydney Road.

The Street Party launches the annual Brunswick Music Festival.

External Links

• Sydney Road Brunswick Association
• Brunswick Community History Group
• Brunswick Music Festival