Lived in the Leichhardt area for 3 years.
It's pure Italiano.
What I notice about places like this is that it is much like a Transit Lounge: You have Italians who come to this country and settle 'amongst their own' in Leichhardt where they either
1. Move out of Leichhardt and integrate with Australia at large and all of those within it.
2. Stay in Leichhardt as part of the 'Transit Lounge' experience.
3. Realise Australia is not for them and move back home or somewhere else.
I could always tell the 3 different types in Leichhardt of Italians - the ones that would branch out, the ones that would stay on the fence and the others who go back to their original home in Italy.
I think it's good that there are such areas to help people from around the world...
...just as there are 'pockets' of Australia around the world: Earls Court in UK, Whistler in Canada, Hamilton in NZ, etc.
I feel a tad sorry for the 'oldies' who are dragged by their kids into another country. They are set in their ways and find it the hardest to 'intergrate'. Strangers in a Strange Land for sure.
...Oh, and Leichhardt gave me a wonderful Italian experience, when I couldn't afford an airfare to visit.