Every journey starts at home. I recently moved to Marrickville, NSW, and quickly discovered that my new suburb was as full of life and colour as any overseas country I have ever been to.

Marrickville Council has the *highest number of people not born in Australia which lends the area a thriving diversity. Walking down the street, there are gardens with Buddhist altars hidden in the corners; leafy palms with a full hands of bananas hanging over fences; persimmon trees on every block and concrete front yards full of lovingly tended tomatoes and herbs.

One of my neighbours, an elderly Chinese lady, prays every morning with incense. The old Greek man around the corner shouts a cheery ‘giassou’ whenever you walk past and the Vietnamese family that run the pho shop know me by order only (spring rolls, salt and pepper squid, rare beef pho). I see them sigh whenever I walk in, thinking, ‘will she ever try anything else on the menu?’

This is a neighbourhood populated with restaurants, bakeries, Asian grocers and mysteriously, bargain shops. This is a neighbourhood full of Greek churches, Islander bars and dog owners who congregate at Henson Park.

Living in Marrickville is travelling without moving.

*Source: http://www.marrickville.nsw.gov.au/community/statisticalprofile/census2006.htm