If Sydney, Australia is on your travel wish list, chances are you’re going to want to frolic on one of the many stunning beaches or you simply enjoy a show at the famed Sydney Opera House. Maybe you want to get up close with kangaroos and koala bears, or you could want to dive into the country’s ambitious food scene. No matter what you have planned, the coastal city packs a lot of charm, and one visit will show you why it’s a bucket list destination for travelers from around the world.
In Australia, Sydney and Melbourne, in particular, also serve as the home for many black residents from Africa and the African diaspora, and while the presence of black immigrants is relatively recent, the impact can be seen, felt, and tasted. If you want to experience many variations of black culture in a place like Sydney, we’ll tell you where to start.
Head to Newtown
The epicenter of multicultural Sydney, Newtown in New South Wales is home to a diverse community, with many African immigrants opening up restaurants and beauty supply stores to serve the black residents. On Enmore Road, you’ll find a slew of African salons and shops and restaurants, and Newtown is home to some of the best street art honoring black icons that you’ll find in the city.
See Murals Of Black Pop Cultural Icons Art
Scott March and Reubszz aren’t black artists, but their respective murals of icons like Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ice Cube, Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna and leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., are just some of the tributes to black pop cultural icons, many located in Newtown, that you’ll find in Sydney.
RELATED: Diary Of A Black Traveler: The Importance Of Being Unapologetically Black In Melbourne
Try The African Food In Sydney
The quickest way to tap into a city’s black community is to start with food. Cuisine from African and African Australian chefs can be found throughout Sydney, but only if you know where to look. Tinsae is a local chef that hosts pop-up Ethiopian dinner parties, where guests are treated to multiple courses and coffee from fellow Ethiopian Australian brand Djebena Coffees. Ethiopian refugee Joseph Bekele owns Jambo Jambo African Restaurant, where he serves food from his native country in Sydney’s Glebe neighborhood, and Lat-Dior African Eatery is one of the only places where you’ll find West African cuisine.
Attend An Event Like Africultures
The biggest celebration of African culture in all of Australia, Africultures is now in its 10th year and welcomes more than 18,000 attendees that all want to embrace and celebrate the vibrancy of the food, music, dance, art, and style from the African continent. More than a dozen local African restaurants serve up flavors from countries like Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Liberia and Ghana during the event, and 45 vendors and artists all use the day to showcase their goods and creations. There’s also a fashion parade where festival-goers are encouraged to model their best festive attire, so this is one event where you’ll want to dress to impress.
