City bustle returns to Melbourne and Sydney – largely thanks to weekends and Taylor Swift

City of Melbourne data shows average general pedestrian activity near the town hall at the highest it has been since 2015, and two-and-a-half times higher than in 2020. Photograph: Ellen Smith/AAP

The pre-pandemic hustle and bustle of the central business districts of Sydney and Melbourne is returning, and in Melbourne’s case it’s busier than it’s been for nearly a decade.

But the weekend crowds appear to be doing most of the heavy lifting.