Australia is home to 2 of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world.

What makes a neighbourhood cool, particularly in 2021?

Timeout surveyed over 38,000 city dwellers and asked local experts to rank the greatest places right now for fun, food, culture and community.

What are the places that represent the spirit of the greatest cities on earth?

These are the places to be for food and fun, art and culture, atmosphere and personality.

Every year, there’s plenty of debate about the best neighbourhoods, but in light of Covid related lockdowns our neighbourhoods have taken on whole new importance.

The pandemic has forced all Australians to reevaluate how we live our lives.

Last year offices were shut, lockdowns were in place and now people are likely to continue working flexible rosters and working at home more than ever.

This means gone are the days where our ‘home’ was simply the place we rest our heads and enjoy some downtime between work and our social lives – the coronavirus social distancing has put an end to life as we once knew it.

If social distancing and the Covid-19 environment has taught us anything, it has taught us the importance of the neighbourhood we live in.

While the coolest neighbourhoods are still the ones with a fascinating mixture of people, innovative and inclusive food, drink, arts and culture, lifestyle and that hard-to-define buzz that draws people from across the globe, this year, more than ever, they are the areas where people, community and businesses have helped each other through shared tribulations: places that represent the soul of the city.

And this year Yarraville in Melbourne and Marrickville in Sydney made it into the top 10 cool neighbourhoods:

The 10 coolest neighbourhoods in the world

According to TimeOut:

1. Esquerra de l'Eixample, Barcelona
2. Downtown, Los Angeles
3. Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
4. Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York
5. Yarraville, Melbourne
6. Wedding, Berlin
7. Shaanxi Beilu/Kangding Lu, Shanghai
8. Dennistoun, Glasgow
9. Haut-Marais, Paris
10. Marrickville, Sydney

About Michael Yardney Michael is a director of Metropole Property Strategists who help their clients grow, protect and pass on their wealth through independent, unbiased property advice and advocacy. He's once again been voted Australia's leading property investment adviser and one of Australia's 50 most influential Thought Leaders. His opinions are regularly featured in the media.