The secret heart of Melbourne’s West.
Sunshine is the quietly becoming the beating heart of the western ‘burbs; a place where community pride runs deep, and a burgeoning food scene is drawing attention from Melbournians near and far. From its humble beginnings as a railway junction to its industrial heyday in the early twentieth century, it’s a suburb on the cusp of its next evolution, where the past, present and future are intersecting, and it’s starting to turn heads.
Melbourne’s Sunniest Suburb:
From Then to Now and Beyond
To understand Sunshine and the spirt of the community that inhabit it, you have to understand its history and the characters that played a role in its foundation, which is where local legend Hugh Victor McKay enters the story. McKay had such a profound impact, that in 1907 locals campaigned to change the suburbs name from Braybrook Junction to Sunshine in honour of his company, Sunshine Harvester Works, The largest manufacturing plant in the country at the time.
Frustrated by the slow and backbreaking process of harvesting wheat, McKay designed a ‘stripper harvester’ at the tender age of 18 and tirelessly promoted it until it became the go-to Australian harvesting machine. The popularity of the harvester put Sunshine well and truly on the map. By the 1920s, McKay was heading up the largest manufacturing enterprise in the Southern Hemisphere, employing over 3000 workers.
A foodie's haven
Sunshine has a truly diverse multicultural mix of eats from Filipino to Maltese, Ethiopian to Vietnamese, Sri Lankan to Burmese, and more. Its cafés and eateries retain a certain grittiness that – in a city full of polished, overexerted dining experiences – is precisely what makes them so appealing.
Breakfast at a Vietnamese eatery might see you devour banh cuon nahn with your family – a fresh tumble of stuffed rice paper rolls served with sweet dipping sauce. A venture down the main drag of Hampshire Road on Clarke Street might unearth specialty coffee and feisty breakfast sambusas, best described as an East African riff on the samosa.
Green spaces & tree-lined leafy streets
Those who sing Sunshine’s praises say its green spaces are what make it special. Flushed with tree-lined leafy streets with spacious period homes, few city suburbs boast the same abundant open spaces. And there are more public green spaces and parks planned.
A significant player in Australia's history
Sunshine has played a significant role in Australian history for hundreds of thousands of years. Scattered artefacts along Kororoit Creek showcase ancient evidence of Aboriginal occupation, including scar trees, where canoes were carved from the bark of the red gums. The famous Harvester Works is now the site of buzzing shops and cafés, and its future is bright.