I’ve been doing a visual sociology of the Western Suburbs of Melbourne via Instagram, which is why I loved this story from early November. The Western Sydney suburb of Granville had been hosting a bus tour highlighting the cultural diversity of Sydney’s architecture. 

People could also visit sites on foot and get historical and cultural information via their iPads. Tour curator John Kirkman says they focused on sites that had once been dominated by Anglo Australian businesses and had now diversified:

I think it’s really special because it’s a great representation of what Australia really is… When I grew up here it was mainly Anglo people. Now it’s not. It’s people from the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, people who come to make Australia home live here.

The Western suburbs in Sydney and Melbourne have the highest proportion of non-English-speaking migrants in Australia. They are also predominantly working class suburbs that are often a source of derision amongst mainstream media. Most Australian news tends to only report on these suburbs when there are crimes and other social problems, such as so-called “race riots.”

SBS is much better in its reporting as it is our national multiculturalism broadcaster. They cover positive community events as well as other interesting analysis. I’d love to see more reports like this about everyday life and the history and experiences of people in the Western suburbs.

Video and quotes via SBS News.