Revesby Suburb Review

Summary: Walking the line between the array of services of Bankstown and the decent amounts of greenery and personal property space for the price of Padstow, Revesby is a suburb more suited for those who prefer their slice of Sydney suburbia a little more active.

If the likes of Panania or Padstow are a little too boring or ill-equipped for you, Revesby provides an alternative with a lot more in the way of amenities and better transport while sacrificing some slight elements of safety and noise in return. It’s got excellent connectivity and an impressive level of house pride, though a lack of high-density apartments may price out some, and litter is a small black mark presentation-wise.

Key stats

Grouped into part of what we like to call the “Not-Quite-Western-Suburbs”, Revesby is a suburb that can basically be divided up into 4 main “slices” from north to south, with each of these slices having a wholly different character.

It’s part of the Canterbury-Bankstown council, and has elements of some of its less-reputable neighbours to the north while still offering a whole host of pleasant and safe streets with substantial greenery and personal space.

The contrast between the northernmost portion of Revesby and its southernmost section couldn’t be more drastic; one is a dense, busy and noisy hub of mostly warehousing, car dealers/smash repairs and light industry, while the other is a family-heavy and peaceful residential area dotted with schools and parks.

The M5 acts as the physical dividing line between these areas. While there’s some residential homes dotted throughout here, attempting to find a place as far back from the highway as possible is advised given the quantity of noise the road generates.

Also, while it’s not the most pleasant part of the region, it does serve as a practical artery for getting from A to B that coincides with Revesby’s first main strength: connectivity.

Going Places

Revesby sits on a train line that’s very well-serviced for a “suburban” area. It’s received upgrades to offer both regular and express services, and makes getting to multiple parts of Sydney – not just the city, but the airport and many other key suburbs – quite quick and easy given Revesby’s seemingly distant physical location.

30 minutes into Town Hall and a mere 15-ish to the domestic terminal is a pretty damn appealing prospect that not many reasonably-priced parts of Sydney can offer. Plus, if Revesby doesn’t have the line you need, Wolli Creek’s interchange is only one extra stop away as well.

Driving in and out of here remains a mixed bag. On the one hand, the M5 provides convenient east-west access to other key parts of the city; on the other, it’s notoriously traffic-packed, noisy, and prone to congestion.

The same goes for getting around within Revesby itself, as the likes of The River Road is a main artery from north to south that gets quite busy (especially at school pickup times) despite having two lands running each way.

This road also has some odd design choices in regards to layout, with sudden turns to be made from traffic lights that can be quite abrupt and confusing. Driving amongst Revesby’s more minor back streets is far more pleasant however; they’re generally quite wide, peaceful and roomy with only the occasional hoon breaking the peace.

The next layer in Revesby’s suburb “cake” sits south of the M5 and quickly becomes a lot more appealing. It’s an immediately more green and pleasant streetscape, largely dotted with a mix of older fibro/weatherboard and red brick free-standing and low-lying houses.

These are broken up by increasingly-common blocks subdivided into modern, larger duplexes and bigger, multi-story new builds.

It’s interesting in that Revesby either trends entirely toward the quite-old, 50’s and 60’s builds, or ultra-modern recent constructions; there’s not much of a middle-ground.

Likewise, those looking for any kind of apartment or high-density living won’t have much luck here as it’s pretty much all freestanding houses or complexes of townhouses and duplexes to choose from.

While this means some people may be priced out, it also helps minimise congestion and crowding and keeps the suburb feeling more spacious and open as a result.

Credit also has to go to the residents of Revesby for their level of house pride here. The suburb seems to be doing more than its part to keep the entire gardening industry in business; if there was some kind of award for “Best-Mowed Suburb” in Sydney, then Revesby would have to be a contender as many of its homes and their gardens are kept in tip-top shape.

Greenery is actually a pretty strong point overall in Revesby as opposed to popular perception – not only the homes themselves, but its dotting of a number of little reserves and bigger parks is pretty decent if not spectacular.

It’s a shame, then, that the public areas have a little bit of neglect. Johnston Reserve, for example, should be a clean, big and roomy pleasant public space, but like many main areas here is dotted with litter and takeaway packages.

This theme continues along many of the main public walkways in the suburb, too. Parts of Revesby feel like a prime candidate for a solid “Clean Up Australia Day” raid – after which it’d be mostly immaculate.

It’s down from here you’ll then encounter one of Revesby’s other key benefits. The centre of the suburb boasts an excellent array of services and eateries clustered around the area leading to its train station that has basically every kind of essential shopping and dining one could need for daily life.

It’s this which separates Revesby from some of its quieter and “more prestigious” peers. The two major supermarket brands sit among liquor stores, hairdressers, cafes, restaurants and fast-food joints as well as medical services, fresh food markets, butchers and misc other retailers all in one busy and convenient hub.

While it’s a little older on the north side and could probably do with a slight facelift, it’s still a major plus and feels like a proper focal point for a community. It doesn’t offer large-scale “big box” type stores, but for those occasions the Bankstown Central complex is only a short, 10-ish minute drive away.

Other non-shopping related amenities stand out, too. Its Aquatic and Leisure Centre is a great multi-purpose facility for exercise and sport, with amenities for skateboarding, swimming, oval (and adjacent park) for all sorts of physical activity.

On the more laid-back side, the Revesby Workers Club serves as a focal point for social drinks and indoor and outdoor eating, while the Revesby Pacific Hotel is an alternative for reasonably-priced drinks as well.

It’s not a nightlife-heavy suburb and not exactly a magnet for the younger crowd, but it’s more than most other suburbs of its ilk can offer. Add in the more modern Revesby Village Centre it’s adjoined to – with its shopping, bowling and more – and Revesby checks more of a “things to do” box than you might expect considering it’s otherwise fairly quiet as a whole.

These services and clubs also help make the suburb quite attractive for retirees as well, with activities such as lawn bowls and several more eldely-friendly cafes going hand-in-hand with the suburb’s larger blocks and their propensity to gardening and lawn maintenance.

The south side of Revesby is perhaps its most “desirable” part. There’s several reasons for this – it’s less prone to “spillover” of some of the ill effects of Bankstown, it’s home to several more schools and kindergartens, and it contains the best green spaces in the suburb as well.

Neptune Park and its playground are both expansive and good for kids, while Virginius Reserve is an example of more untamed nature than “manicured” park that spills over into neighbouring Padstow in which you can spot ducks and other wildlife.

There’s also clusters of larger and more modern homes here, which can jack up the price somewhat, however overall from a price perspective Revesby performs quite well.

The abundance of older homes that still exist in Revesby today means that sub-$1 million purchase prices are still very frequent – that’s pretty damn good for Sydney, considering Revesby is far from in the middle of nowhere and all the positives it offers.

The median purchase price for freestanding homes sits at $940,000 at time of writing, while the rental median for high-density is around $475 per week. That’s substantially less than Sydney’s average for a suburb that is not dodgy, and is well-connected, equipped and simply pretty darn pleasant in spots.

The reason we’d penalise Revesby slightly lower than it’s P-named peers next door largely comes down to some of the safety and cleanliness issues it faces. In addition to the “litter” issues we mentioned, there’s statistically a bit of a crime element involved in this as well.

“If there was some kind of award for “Best-Mowed Suburb” in Sydney, then Revesby would have to be a contender.”

While the majority of the residential areas of the suburb are largely safe and well-presented, some of the spillover from its more built-up areas means Revesby does rank above average for the major key crime statistic indicators we look at (Break and Enter for Dwellings, Domestic Violence Assault, Motor Vehicle Theft, etc.) versus the Sydney average.

There’s also some semi-frequent dodgy elements around its station and its small neighbouring park although these are more petty than anything truly dangerous. It had some issues and incidents with bikie gang related crime in previous years, but these are mostly long in the past.

The Verdict

Despite some of its flaws, Revesby still represents one of the best value propositions for those looking for a freestanding home within a ~30 minute public transport commute to the Sydney CBD. Choose another suburb within a similar radius from the city, and most will have a host of issues in terms of crime rates, uglier streetscapes, or lack of amenities introduced which Revesby does not suffer from.

Its abundance of older builds also means that properties can frequently go for around the ~$800k mark – or even lower if small or modest – which makes for a much more viable “starter” suburb for first home buyers priced out of many of the more exclusive Sydney suburbs with similar commute times as well.

Its lack of apartments means those looking for even cheaper options or to downsize won’t have much choice here; you’ll be looking at a townhouse or duplex minimum to call Revesby home.

For those who don’t want to have to drive elsewhere on a daily basis for the most basic needs or some kind of social life, Revesby also fills in many of the gaps that suburbs typically around its price range often lack. Its central hub can service the vast majority of retail needs outside of big brand chains, and those can be accessed nearby regardless.

No-nonsense and well-kept residential streets that are largely quiet and with neighbours who mostly obviously care about the condition their slice of Sydney is kept in help to add a positive atmosphere as well. It’s just a shame that litterbugs taint their efforts somewhat.

It’s a highly family-centric suburb that also trends a bit older, and is decently safe despite some of its statistical issues and proximity to other areas to the north with less-than-stellar reputations. Traffic during peak times is a concern, as congestion around Revesby means it’s much better if you’re able to take its trains instead.

If your main concerns for a place to live include some mix of public transport commute time, access to amenities, and price, Revesby may surprise you with how well it delivers the goods. If you’re looking for somewhere utterly pristine or that’s got more going on at night, you may want to look elsewhere.