Brisbane’s dawn economy is leading the world. Is this our unique identity?

It’s 7am in Newstead. The inner-city, riverside suburb is already a hive of activity. Early-morning, Lycra-clad runners are pounding the boardwalk. Cyclists dart between dog walkers. Cafes are packed. Pilates studios and gyms are full.

There’s a vastly different scene unfolding in nearby Fortitude Valley. A handful of commuters make their way from the train station past shuttered nightclubs and bars in Brunswick Street Mall, along footpaths stained by the previous weekend’s revellers.

It’s a tale of two economies: the late-night economy and the dawn economy.

Great cities need both, but the latter is Brisbane’s unique strength and could be our identity to market to the world ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games, according to University of Melbourne research fellow Dr Anna Edwards.

“Brisbane has one of the most active morning trading cultures in the country,” Edwards said.

In key districts of London, New York and Dubai, less than 10 per cent of businesses are open by 7am.

In Brisbane, one in three food and beverage businesses are open and serving customers by that time.

“That’s extraordinary by Australian and by international standards,” Edwards said.

“If Brisbane is looking for a distinctive story to tell the rest of the world over the next decade, perhaps it starts with dawn.”

“Put simply, the dawn economy is all economic and social activity that occurs before the traditional working day begins. It’s the nurse finishing the shift. It’s the tradie grabbing breakfast. The street cleaner sweeping the streets. The runner along the river,” Edwards explained.

The concept gained momentum last year following a LinkedIn post by Ivan Power, a Sydney-based investor and government adviser, who noticed that almost all the cafes along the beachside strip in his home suburb of Bronte were full at 6.30am.

The morning economy (5am to 11am) accounts for between 12 and 20 per cent of daily spending in Australia’s CBDs, Edwards’ research has found.

“It’s not just coffee, it’s groceries, it’s retail, it’s convenience purchases,” she said.

In 2014, Brisbane was crowned the world’s earliest-rising city in a study by fitness tracker Jawbone UP, with an average waking time of 6.35am.

Brisbanites lost that title to Colombians in 2023, who start their day a total of four minutes earlier at 6.31am, but River City residents maintain a reputation for making the most of the mornings.

Data collated by Edwards shows that long before most offices open, Brisbanites are already out and about, away from their homes.

“By 7am, there are already strong concentrations of activity aro