Thank you to the supportive staff at Retail First for giving me permission to shoot and to the staff at Sunnybank Plaza for being so kind and friendly to me the whole time I was there.
Sunnybank is often called the real Chinatown of Brisbane. It is a unique multicultural hotspot with major influences from Brisbane’s Asian community.
Just as you enter Sunnybank, you are greeted with the major social and shopping hub of the community, Sunnybank Plaza. It is the place many people spend Lunar New Year and where many Asian cultural activities and events are held.
28% of the community were born in Asia, with 31% reporting Chinese ancestry, and Cantonese and Mandarin speakers together making up 27.8% of the overall population of the suburb.
The food scene in Sunnybank is the beating heart of its multicultural identity, where people come together to enjoy a diverse convergence of Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Japanese cuisines.
The Hoyts Cinema, which regularly screens foreign films, is a popular meeting spot for families and the after-school crowd. Located right beside the plaza food court, it has even hosted live performances in its front lobby, including appearances by the AusOriental Orchestra, whose traditional music beautifully complements screenings of the latest films from across Asia.
During Lunar New Year, Sunnybank comes alive with Lion Dance, Dragon Dance, and Qigong performances by students from local Wushu (kung fu) schools. The dancers weave their way through the plaza, as well as Sunny Park Shopping Centre and Market Square; two other prominent hubs of Asian culture in the area.
In the 1980s, according to local lore and Feng Shui Master Tom Lo—whose consultancy services apply feng shui principles to real estate—Chinese immigration to Sunnybank was partly attributed to the area’s favourable feng shui. Lo has identified the name and location of Sunnybank as symbolising prosperity, health, good fortune, and luck.
The area of Sunnybank has been continuously occupied for more than 20,000 years, with archaeological evidence indicating sustained human presence and cultural activity over this time. Today, this land is recognised as part of the traditional Country of the Jagera (Yuggera) people.
The impression from daily life in Sunnybank is one of community and exchange, where languages, cuisines, and traditions intertwine to create the vibrant heart of multicultural Brisbane.
