Time Out has released its annual list of the 51 coolest neighbourhoods in the world, with Inner West haven Marrickville nabbing the second-highest Aussie spot on the list, coming in at #33. The rankings were based on the Time Out Index survey, which this year polled 20,000 city-dwellers on their favourite local suburbs. To come up with the final ranking, our global network of local editors narrowed down the selections.
Poetically, the Sydney ‘burb was narrowly beaten by Melbourne’s answer to Sydney’s Inner West, Fitzroy, which placed #27. Meanwhile, the other Aussie entry, Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, placed at #47.
Marrickville has been called both ‘the new Newtown’ and ‘the new Paddington’, but it’s very much its own suburb with its own distinct identity: a proper melting pot that’s as much a destination for dining as it is for auto repair and wholesale provisions.
According to former Time Out Sydney editor Maxim Boon, this is the perfect day out in Marrickville:
“If you’re going to start your day with coffee (and you probably should), make it Ona’s – where you can also fill your belly with homemade waffles or a cheese toastie. Then potter around the Marrickville Organic Markets to find handicrafts, plants, secondhand books and clothing, before a roll for lunch at bona fide institution Marrickville Pork Roll (veggie options are available if pork isn’t your thing). Afterwards, try (and fail) to try everything on tap at craft brewery Batch, before taking in live music or some guaranteed-to-be-weird theatre at artistic collective Red Rattler.”
Earlier this year, the Enmore Road strip – which connects Marrickville to the hipster hub of Newtown – was voted Sydney’s coolest street. Back in 2020, Marrickville made splash by taking out the title of Australia’s coolest suburb, clocking in at #10 on Time Out’s global ranking. So, yeah, maybe we’re a little bitter that Melbourne knocked us off our post this year. But c’mon! From the beautiful beaches to the cool little haunts dotted around enclaves like Marrickville, there’s so much to celebrate about living in Sydney!