Lakemba -- Ethnicity and Streetscape in Sydney Website

LAKEMBA

Lakemba is situated in the southern part of Metropolitan Sydney east of Bankstown. Arabic is the first major ethnic language group (20.99 %), followed by Chinese (9.99 %) and Vietnamese (6.53 %). A mosque in the suburb revealed its centrality in the Arabic community. The following table and graph compare the population of the five major ethnic languages spoken at home with those speaking only English.

Location of the surveyed area at Lakemba:

The findings:

I surveyed Haldon Street south of the railway station, where most shops were located. There were many community service centres, such as cultural and migration centres. 36 % of the shops displayed Arabic, and 14 % displayed Chinese, Vietnamese, or both. This is consistent with the distribution of Lakemba’s ethnic population. The most prominent Arabic architectural feature in the suburb is the mosque.

A distinct clothing style is another prominent feature in Islamic culture. Lakemba Mosque — centre of the culture


A distinct clothing style is another prominent feature in Islamic culture.	Lakemba Mosque — centre of the culture