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Cafes on Church Street,Brighton.Credit:Michael Dodge

It's better known for its residents who sip coffee while wearing Lululemon leisure wear,own fluffy Cavoodles and drive BMW X3 four-wheel-drives.

So when the news came through that a terror-related hostage drama was under way on Bay Street,many were shocked. Not just by the violence of events but also,to a lesser extent,the location.

Church Street,Brighton.Credit:Rodger Cummins

"There are a lot of people at the school gate this morning saying'how could this happen in Brighton?'local mother Nikki Barkho said."The frightening thing about these extreme incidents,whether you are in Brighton or elsewhere,is they're unpredictable."

But that's the point of terrorism - a tool of the weak to shock a community and gather maximum attention.

That certainly happened in this case. Traffic along the Nepean Highway was down to 10km/h on Tuesday morning as drivers slowed to have a look at the cordoned off scene.

The dead gunman Yacqub Khayre spent his youth in Meadow Heights,recently confirmed asone of Melbourne's poorest suburbs,with an average income of about $36,000.

Police at the scene of the terror siege in Brighton on June 5.Credit:Matthew Talbot-Weichmann

Had he sprung the same deadly ambush near his childhood home,would the shock have been as profound as in one of the city'swealthiest suburbs?

Brighton has all the trappings of privilege,with the assumed protection this provides.

With an average house price that exceeds $2.6 million,the suburb is home to a mostly upper-class set that includes a host of retired sporting identities including Shane Warne,Chris Judd and Todd Woodbridge.

Brighton is dissected by the Sandringham rail line,which is often packed with uniformed kids on their way to the prestigious Caulfield,Firbank Girls or St Michael's grammar schools.

It is contained by Port Phillip Bay on one side and Nepean Highway on the other,with the more salubrious parts near the water of course.

Closer to the highway,the homes become less prestigious and there are a some newish serviced apartments,with rooms from about $130 a night.

The Buckingham Serviced Apartments on the Bay Street intersection,the scene of Monday's fatal siege,is one such place.

It is believed the dead gunman,Yacqub Khayre,rang up and booked a room that day,beforeluring a sex worker there to be used as a hostage.

The motivation of individual terrorists are multifaceted - a noxious blend of hate,envy and anger. Whether there is an element of class war in all of this remains to be seen.

While shopping on Church Street the day after the siege,grandmother Kay Seymor wondered why Khayre chose Brighton as his target.

"Why Brighton? I don't want to add to the guess work. None of it makes sense."

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