Arncliffe Suburb Review

Fairly affordable, reasonably convenient yet unspectacular.

Summary: This nondescript inner-southern suburb mixes together residential buildings and apartment blocks with a smattering of warehouses, car shops, and various other light industry in a central location not too far from the Sydney CBD. Arncliffe is mostly a base for local workers, but offers relatively cheap property rental and purchase prices making it a viable option for commuters to the city too. It’s safer than its past reputation, and has a heavy Middle-Eastern influence with some great eats on offer as well.

Key stats

Spread out around its main arterial road of the Princes Highway, Arncliffe is a viable if unspectacular suburb that offers a reasonable balance of affordability and access to central Sydney.

Its proximity to the main transport hub of Wolli Creek Station while being less dense than Wolli Creek itself is likely to be its main selling point, as this provides a springboard for a sub-20-minute train ride into the heart of the city and all the benefits which that entails.

While it doesn’t have much character and feels a little bit like a “bridging” suburb between its neighbours, Arncliffe does retain a fairly tight-knit community vibe for long-time residents, although this is changing slightly as it continues to expand and prices continue to rise.

Demographic-wise, the suburb leans heavily Middle-Eastern and slightly Asian, with some great Lebanese food options on offer in particular; if you’re a fan of a solid kebab or high-quality felafel, this is definitely one of the places to be.

It also provides a mixture of plenty of smaller food stores along with a larger complex toward the Wolli Creek side with a supermarket and large liquor store for everyday needs.

There’s not much in the way of pubs or larger dining establishments here, but a short drive to the likes of Rockdale nearby opens things up considerably. It’s also quite close to the beach; head down to Brighton-le-Sands just down the road for a dose of waterfront goodness.

The noise factor

Noise can be a factor in Arncliffe in general, from a range of sources. The Princes Highway is a busy and loud road, serving as a popular thoroughfare for heavy traffic with plenty of trucks, while some parts of the suburb are located under the flight path which means aircraft noise plays a role as well.

Much of Arncliffe is warehouses and light industry

The highway is dense with traffic and heading in towards the city at peak hour is the expected exercise in frustration, however should you work away from the city then travelling in the opposite direction isn’t too bad.

It possesses a good bike path network that connects to the city for those willing to put in some extra effort, too; otherwise walking to Arncliffe station and taking the train will likely be the method of choice for CBD workers.

“Demographic-wise, the suburb leans heavily Middle-Eastern and slightly Asian, with some great Lebanese food options on offer in particular.”

There’s a slightly unsafe feel in general here, with some of its streets a little dilapidated and a fair few unsavoury types around its parks. Arncliffe used to also have a reputation for crime but this has been cleaned up substantially in recent years.

Not bad, not great

This may paint a picture of the suburb as being undesirable, but really it’s more just “average”, with no real standout characteristics either way.

Its main appeal will come with its relatively cheap property prices; the chance at fairly affordable multi-bedroom apartment living is actually possible here, and a standalone house in Arncliffe may even be within reach of some of us mere mortals.

Time things right, and you may be able to luck into a smaller house for under $1 million should you time things right.

The Verdict

And… that’s about all there is to say here. There’s a couple of public schools for families, Barton Park provides a green space for walking pets (during the day), and you’ve got easy access to Sydney Airport for travels domestically or abroad.

Not the greatest suburb nor the worst, living in Arncliffe is more a matter of keeping an eye on the market and seeing what property prices and availability for your needs is doing, then weighing the cost to benefit ratio from other suburbs nearby.