Hipster-heavy, desirable location - but pricey.
Summary: A prime example of the trend of inner-city gentrification at work, Surry Hills – a formerly slummy haven for dodgy activity – has over several decades transformed into one of the trendiest and most convenient suburbs in Sydney.
Sitting right on the edge of the CBD and populated with a mixture of hip cafes, cool pubs, startup and established businesses, and terrace-and-tree lined streets, it now ranks as one of the inner city’s most desirable places to live – for the lucky few who can afford it. It’s also not without ongoing crime issues, with one of the highest overall crime rates in the city despite ongoing gentrification.
Key stats
Region: Inner East
Population: 17,000
Postcode: 2010
Ethnic Breakdown: English 20.9%, Australian 12.0%, Irish 9.1%, Chinese 7.0%, Scottish 5.9%
Time to CBD (Public Transport): 10 minutes
Time to CBD (Driving): 15 minutes
Nearest Train Station: Central
Highlights/attractions: Crown Street dining/pubs, Golden Age Cinema, Prince Alfred Park
Ideal for: Young professionals, small families
It’s amazing what a difference 20 or so years makes. What used to be a gritty, village-style slice of inner Sydney today has become a hub for young professionals teeming with a mixture of bars, pubs, cafes and high-end dining; you’re more likely these days to stumble over a pug on a leash than a junkie passed out on the footpath.
The current state of Surry Hills is largely reflective of most of the suburbs which fringe the Sydney CBD – its old, charming terraces have been given a fresh lick of of paint to coincide with its soaring property prices.
What was once a necessity of housing for poorer types who couldn’t afford fully-fledged standalone homes now ranks as a highly desirable home category that will seldom sell for anything less than $1.5 million, if they should sell at all. Renting is likewise pricey, with around $600 per week the general baseline as a starting point for anything acceptable in the suburb apartment-wise outside of studios or old and rundown 1-bedders.
It’s not hard to see why Surry Hills appeals to so many as a place to live: the city is within a 10 minute walk from most accommodation here, yet the streets are wide and tree-lined, and it boasts an entirely different atmosphere to some of the madness and crowds that occur just a few streets away.
This is a suburb of dog parks (although it’s lacking in sidewalk grass for your dog to do their business), streetside cafe dining, trendy arts and craft stores and up-and-coming businesses that still provides quite a “community” feel to the point that there is real variety in the faces that now call it home.
The massive Prince Alfred Park at the suburb’s city-side end is worth a mention as a public space, as it’s both huge and offers an array of amenities including walking tracks, kids playgrounds, basketball courts, barbecue facilities and even the simple enjoyment of a ton of benches for enjoying a work lunch in the sunshine.
Hipsters, startups, cool pubs and open minds
The area is (along with neighbour Darlinghurst) renowned as one of the most open and accepting hubs for same-sex couples as well, and is largely a diverse and welcoming environment for all races and other demographics.
The majority of its action all centres around its main hub road of Crown Street – an open and inviting stretch of road dotted with all sorts of cafes, high-end dining and niche stores (be sure to drop in to Gelato Messina for a touch of sweetness when passing by). Most cuisines are well-represented here, from Asian to modern Aussie fusion, to pub food, Mexican and much more – they’re not cheap, but if you’ve got a deep wallet and are a fan of food, you’ll be eternally entertained in Surry Hills.
Surry’s got several excellent pubs to choose from for those after a drop of the good stuff, both around the Crown Street area and further down around Devonshire Street closer to Central station.
Gentrification at work
While there are still some dodgy elements around – sticking to main streets as opposed to back alleys at night still comes advised, and there’s a few homeless around, for example – it’s largely safe and welcoming now. As a result it’s also become more family-friendly, although you’ll be lacking space in terms of larger housing availability unless you’re well and truly cashed up.
The suburb also boasts a quality primary school, markets, and excellent connectivity via public transport, with both buses and Central station only a short walk away which provides a springboard to literally anywhere you’d want to go in Sydney and its surrounding regions.
On the downside, its proximity to the city brings along with it the same burdens of bad weekend traffic, and finding parking is an exercise in frustration for all but the luckiest of drivers. Many apartments available in Surry Hills also don’t offer dedicated parking spots, so if you’re the type who can’t largely rely on public transport for your needs you may want to look elsewhere.
Despite its new, desirable reputation, Surry Hills also still faces ongoing issues when it comes to crime. Both its proximity to Central Station and its popularity as a nighttime hotspot for drinks combine to make it a statistical outlier when it comes to both drug offenses and alcohol-related violence, while its high quanity of break and entry related crimes are an on-flow effect of both of these.
“The majority of its action all centres around its main hub road of Crown Street – dotted with all sorts of cafes, dining and niche stores.”
Many of Surry’s back alleys are still quite dingy and not the place for, say, single women to be walking late at night. Stick to the main well-lit areas and you’ll be mostly fine, sure, but it’s still a notable factor that should be considered when choosing here as a place to live.
Combining all of the above, and Surry Hills will likely largely appeal to certain groups of people: those who don’t need too much space of their own to be satisfied and can deal with a little noise of night; younger uni-student-and-young-professional types who enjoy easy access to nightlife and are content to live in a smaller place; and a select few well-heeled home owners who use it as an easy launchpad to their daily grind in the city.
The Verdict
If you’re the type who rolls their eyes at hipsters or envisions having a huge backyard for your kids and dog to play around in, then Surry Hills – and inner-city Sydney life in general, by association – is likely not for you unless you’re heavily mortgaged or a millionaire multiple-times over.
But if you can afford it, or are willing to compromise on space, few suburbs of inner Sydney provide the blend of city life, trendy character, and a bit of extra breathing room that Surry Hills can offer.