Love em, or loathe em, Australia’s hipsters are at the bleeding edge of progressive culture, seeking out the edgiest trends for the rest of us to enjoy.
Identifying Australia’s hippest suburbs is not just important for those wishing to avoid exposure to ridiculous hairstyles and bizarre antics though. Hip areas are cultural beacons, driving demand and property price growth.
The Microburbs hip score is a complex algorithm involving a range of data sources to scientifically determine what’s cool, and what’s not. Demographically, hip areas have a lot of single people working in creative roles or studying at university. They tend to be ethnically diverse areas which are easy to commute on foot or bicycle. Hip areas are also rich in cultural destinations like top rating restaurants, cafes and pubs. Art galleries, body modification studios and yoga centres also light the way to Hipsterville.
Sydney and Melbourne have long battled it out for the title of Australia’s hippest cities. In the Hip Score stakes however, Sydney has 20 suburbs with the hip score of 10, while Melbourne has 21, so currently Melbourne has the edge.
Sydney Top Suburbs by Hip Score
Sydney’s hip burbs cover two patches – the Inner East: East of the rail corridor from Surry Hills to Rushcutters Bay and the Inner West, from Chippendale and Redfern out to Newtown. The Inner East’s nightspots of Kings Cross and Oxford Street have suffered hard under Sydney’s lockout laws though, and it remains to be seen if Darlinghurst and Potts Point can weather the decline.
| Rank | Suburb | Hip Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darlinghurst | 9.9 |
| 2 | Surry Hills | 9.9 |
| 3 | Darlington | 9.8 |
| 4 | Rushcutters Bay | 9.7 |
| 5 | Potts Point | 9.7 |
| 6 | Chippendale | 9.7 |
| 7 | Redfern | 9.6 |
| 8 | Elizabeth Bay | 9.6 |
| 9 | Newtown | 9.6 |
| 10 | Erskineville | 9.5 |
Melbourne Top Suburbs by Hip Score
Melbourne’s hip hotspots ring the inner city, with student stalwarts like Fitzroy and Collingwood in the North and St Kilda and Balaclava in the South East. The trendy high streets of Chapel Street, Brunswick Street and Gertrude Street are all within Melbourne’s hip zone.
| Rank | Suburb | Hip Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fitzroy | 9.6 |
| 2 | St Kilda | 9.5 |
| 3 | Collingwood | 9.5 |
| 4 | Flemington | 9.5 |
| 5 | Windsor | 9.5 |
| 6 | West Melbourne | 9.5 |
| 7 | Balaclava | 9.5 |
| 8 | North Melbourne | 9.5 |
| 9 | Burnley | 9.5 |
| 10 | South Yarra | 9.5 |
Perth Top Suburbs by Hip Score
Unlike Sydney and Melbourne, over in the West, the Perth CBD ranks highly on the hip list, along with neighbours West Perth, Northbridge and Highgate. Northbridge’s nightlife puts it ahead of Perth in the rankings to take first place in the state. Mount Lawley and North Perth rank next but currently narrowly miss out on scoring a 9. Close behind are Freemantle, with North Fremantle and South Fremantle.
| Rank | Suburb | Hip Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northbridge | 9.8 |
| 2 | Perth | 9.7 |
| 3 | West Perth | 9.7 |
| 4 | Highgate | 9.6 |
| 5 | Leederville | 9.4 |
| 6 | Mount Lawley | 9.3 |
| 7 | North Perth | 9.0 |
| 8 | Fremantle | 9.0 |
| 9 | South Fremantle | 9.0 |
| 10 | North Fremantle | 9.0 |
Brisbane Top Suburbs by Hip Score
Brisbane’s certified hip suburbs are topped by night spot Fortitude Valley, along with Petrie Terrace, West End, New Farm and Milton taking 9 point hip scores.
| Rank | Suburb | Hip Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fortitude Valley | 9.5 |
| 2 | Petrie Terrace | 9.5 |
| 3 | West End | 9.5 |
| 4 | New Farm | 9.5 |
| 5 | Milton | 9.5 |
| 6 | Highgate Hill | 9.3 |
| 7 | Bowen Hills | 9.3 |
| 8 | Newstead | 9.2 |
| 9 | Teneriffe | 9.2 |
| 10 | Kelvin Grove | 9.0 |
The NT, SA, Tasmania and ACT are yet to have a suburb score the hip list with a 9 point score, but we will continue watching closely, especially inner areas of Adelaide and Hobart.
The Hip Score panel on all Microburbs reports breaks down the data behind the score. It also maps hip bars and restaurants in the area, with travel time, directions and ratings.
You can find your suburb’s hip score and Microburbs report now, just by searching here.
For press enquiries about this article, please call Microburbs Founder Luke Metcalfe on 0414 183 210.
