Melbourne gobbled up its surrounds to surpass Sydney. What if it continued forever?

There’s a timeless Melbourne tradition of the boundaries of more salubrious suburbs unofficially expanding to gobble up parts of those on its borders. Photograph: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Eleven kilometres south of Melbourne are two suburbs that defy the laws of physics. Brighton and its little sister, Brighton East – forming an affluent area rich with boutiques, pilates studios and actual richness – has been steadily spreading into neighbouring suburbs with fewer Phillippa’s Bakeries.

Over decades, its ever-expanding boundary has consumed parts of Gardenvale, Bentleigh, Hampton and Elsternwick.