Alexandria Suburb Review

Creativity, convenience... and congestion.

Summary: Heavy with new constructions and faced with ongoing traffic issues, Alexandria has some challenges to face. It’s a shame, as it boasts an ultra-convenient location for those looking to access the Sydney CBD, has a well-connected rail station nearby, and is a hub for a lot of startup and creative industry types that’s quite cool. Add in a duo of large, great parks and varied food and dining options and there’s plenty to like – if you can deal with its core, base-level cons.

Key stats

Alexandria has seen one of the most marked evolutions of any Sydney suburb over the past couple of decades, as its light-industrial history continues to be gradually phased out. Apartments continue to slowly replace industrial buildings, and the suburb’s employment opportunities have continued to shift from blue-collar towards the tech side of things too.

As a result, what was previously in the past simply a part of Sydney to grind away in warehouses or industrial storefronts, now draws in families, professional workers, and weekend visitors to diversify its demographics a lot more. It still feels fairly industrial however, and its streetscape remains a bit bland and mundane in a lot of places.

One of the most obvious examples of this change is exemplified by the construction around Green Square station on Alexandria’s eastern edge. It’s become a focal point for a ton of high-density, modern apartment complex construction for people who are drawn to the suburb for its mix of positives – the foremost of which remains its location.

Changing Faces

There’s no denying that Alexandria sits in a pretty damn convenient spot. Sydney city’s only a 10 to 15 minute train ride away, the airport is just down the road and neighbouring suburbs such as Erskineville and Redfern provide a bit of different character within an easy walk.

Alexandria itself is also no slouch when it comes to employment opportunities, meaning it’s possible to avoid a city commute and simply live and work within the suburb proper. There’s a definite entrepreneurial vibe here as it’s become home to a range of startups mixed with older-school warehouse-style companies that provide a variety of jobs in a range of fields.

Alexandria Park is one of two excellent green spaces here

This has contributed greatly to its popularity in recent years, and its property prices have ballooned as a result in line with the rest of Sydney. What used to be a bit of a “hidden gem” in terms of a fairly cheap property-price-versus-location scenario has now levelled out to be in line with Sydney in general. Expect to fork out around $1.4 million for a small 3-bedroom house, or drop around $600 per week for a 2-bedroom apartment rental.

Due to its density, housing options in Alexandria are pretty much limited to its smattering of charming (and expensive) terraces and its range of old and new apartment blocks. This is not the suburb for you if you’re looking for a full-blown freestanding house; but not much of inner Sydney is anyway.

It’s also fairly well-equipped in terms of retail options. Alexandria is a bit of a hub for bigger-box stores selling larger goods (think furniture, pet goods, et al) and mixes with some average smaller-scale retail to provide most of what you need for daily life. It’s not exactly a shopper’s heaven, and it’s lacking in full-blown shopping centres and the like, but it’s got enough to get by.

“There’s a definite entrepreneurial vibe here as it’s become home to a range of startups mixed with older-school warehouse-style companies that provide a variety of jobs in a range of fields.”

The other major drawcard to Alexandria is its cafe and pub scene. Many of the industrial and warehouse fronts have been converted into modern-industrial themed trendy offerings serving some truly excellent food and coffee. It has become a bit of a stealth-hipster hub, yet perhaps without the recognition of suburbs such as Erskineville or Surry Hills, and is worth a visit for those two elements alone.

Atmosphere-wise, while Alexandria is more charming than it used to be, it’s still got a bit of a bland and concrete-heavy facade. Outside of its two large and excellent parks – both Alexandria Park and, particularly, Sydney Park are wonderful green public spaces – it’s quite lacking in greenery as a whole. The roadsides are not particularly pet friendly, and a lack of living space adds to this fact.

Families may find the suburb a bit lacking for their needs in general, both in terms of space and schooling. Smaller housing means no real yards for play, and its rapid changing into a sudden residential hotspot – without an associated growth in family-oriented amenities – has meant there’s not much in the way of quality schools close by.

It’s the roads that form the major Achilles Heel in Alexandria’s quality of life, however. The area was never expected to balloon in popularity the way it has, and its narrow roads have never been particularly great for driving or parking in general. Add in a large increase in workers now heading to the suburb of a morning, and you’ve got a bit of a nightmare on your hands here.

Congestion in Alexandria and down to the Mascot side has always been an issue, and it’s only gotten worse with this continued wave of high-density residential construction going on. Infrastructure here is very strained, as they continue to to put more people crammed into what is already physically a fairly small space.

This has ripple effects for the quality of life in Alexandria as a whole – its cafes become more crowded, its schools more competitive, and its buses more and more delayed. Good luck driving in or out of here during peak hours, as there’s numerous chokepoints (such as Maddox Street) to contend with and more and more cars being added to the roads each day.

As with the other new rapid-construction areas in Sydney, the dubious long-term quality of some of these new building’s foundations also remains to be seen.

If you can get by for your daily transport needs via biking or even simply walking, then Alexandria suddenly becomes a lot more viable.

The Verdict

Alexandria is a bit of a weird one for living, as there are a few factors that combine to make it more, let’s say “awkward”, than anything else. Its location is technically physically good, but there’s some distance issues from stations, supermarkets, schools and other foundational elements that make it less great in practice than theory. It’s no longer a cheap secret like it used to be, and it’s still a little grey and featureless as a whole.

That said, for professionals without kids and/or small families that can get by with smaller living spaces, it’s definitely viable. It’s gradually developing its own character, it’s worth a visit for its foodie scene alone, it’s got a good mix of people, and its parks are a couple of the best such public spaces in all of Sydney. Likewise, if you can afford one of its charming terraces, then it’s very convenient.

It’s just a shame its infrastructure problems cast a pall over everything. For those who can live and work in Alexandria then it comes highly recommended, as it also does for those who can commit to a cycling or walking commute. Drivers will almost certainly want to look elsewhere, however.