(Yes it’s also neighborhood, for you Americans!)
I’ve never felt “home” in the 2.5 years I’ve lived in the little known suburb of Hampton in the better-known Bayside region of Melbourne’s sprawling south-east.
Experiences of unapologetic and (sometimes) blind privilege such as that I’ve detailed previously haven’t helped. I’m a boy of working class parents who grew up in the outer suburbs of Adelaide; I found himself at an elite private school on scholarship, followed shortly by living in one of Adelaide’s establishment inner suburbs.
None of these things were by my request or aspiration, and I’ve a keen eye and ear for snobbery as a result. Perhaps it was inevitable I would feel I never fitted-in where I found myself living.
Yet when I occasionally shared my thoughts on my neighbours with people working (as opposed to living) there, they expressed some disbelief. They thought the people very friendly! Was I wrong to judge this community on the basis of the 6-figure dollar SUVs and snobbish behaviours towards homeless people possessed by a few? Possibly.
A most desirable location in Melbourne’s property boom fueled by generous investment incentives and population growth, Hampton is certainly changing. Perhaps those who frequent businesses tend to be the old guard who moved in when prices were more reasonable and it was a fairly middle-income suburb, whereas the Maserati owners shop elsewhere. Or perhaps my snobbery detector is too finely tuned, flagging false positives?
Anyway, as they say in the classics: I’m outta here. I’m off to find a place which I feel comfortable calling home. And also an occupation with which I feel proud to answer when someone asks, “So what do you do?” — but that’s for another story.
Thanks for reading!
