Today Marrickville is a truly eclectic melting pot of different cultures and communities, but the area owes much of this cultural diversity to the arrival of Greek immigrants in the 1950s and '60s. In fact, so many Greek arrivals, numbering in the thousands, made their homes in the suburb during these decades that Greek was the predominant language spoken in Marrickville for much of the second half of the 20th century.
In recognition of this heritage and the cultural contribution of Greek migrants to the area, Inner West Council voted to officially rename the corridor of Marrickville between Livingstone Road and Victoria Road as 'Little Greece'. The renaming will be celebrated at a special ceremony on March 25, to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Greek Independence.
In a statement, Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said that the renaming was a gesture of respect, “to the Greek migrants who helped establish the Inner West as the birthplace of Australian multiculturalism.”
“By establishing Little Greece in Marrickville, we have an opportunity to reinforce Marrickville as one of Sydney’s great cultural assets,” he added.