Balmain holds a special place in Sydney’s history, and its heart. Once a gritty, working-class suburb of dry docks and factories, it has been memorialised as the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party.
Today, of course, it is unrecognisable from those origins. It is more white collar than wharfie, more managerial than mercantile; the median house costs $2.5 million, and they vote Greens (at a state level, anyway).
Balmain: more managerial than mercantile.
Most recently, it has figured prominently in the city’s necessary debate over housing policy, in part because it combines inner-city land, prestige property, widespread heritage protection and a future Metro station.
Many residents fear zoning changes to enable higher density around the Metro station will destroy the Balmain they know and love. There is an implicit or explicit assertion that Balmain is so special it ought not be touched.
I hate to say it, but Balmain isn’t great. It’s not fun, it’s not equitable, it’s hard to get to, it has no real nightlife, it’s boring. When was the last time you heard anyone suggest: “Let’s go out in Balmain?”
And here’s another thing about the joint: it’s getting old. Between 2011 and 2021, the population ticked up from 9783 to 10,454, and the median age of that population increased from 38 to 42.
If this were unique to Balmain, it wouldn’t really matter. Unfortunately, census data shows this phenomenon is playing out across the inner city.
In Darlinghurst, the population only increased by 600 people over 10 years, but the median age jumped from 34 to 37. In Potts Point and Woolloomooloo, the population barely changed, but it aged, from 36 to 39. Surry Hills added 500 residents, and the median age rose from 33 to 35.
Why boring places like Balmain must be saved from themselves
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02.02.2024
Balmain holds a special place in Sydney’s history, and its heart. Once a gritty, working-class suburb of dry docks and factories, it has been memorialised as the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party.
Today, of course, it is unrecognisable from those origins. It is more white collar than wharfie, more managerial than mercantile; the median house costs $2.5 million, and they vote Greens (at a state level, anyway).
Balmain: more........
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