Burwood Suburb Review

Amenity-rich, and almost always busy.

Summary: Situated on the outermost fringes of what most would consider Sydney’s “Inner West”, Burwood is renowned for two main things: its range of shopping, and its Chinese community. Amenity-wise, this is one of the most well-equipped suburbs in all of Sydney, with a diverse range of large and small-scale retail, as well as heavy concentrations of restaurants. It’s busy and bustling at most hours of the day in its central portions, while its suburban streets are wider, quieter, and quite expensive. It’s a bit noisy and not exactly diverse, but its location and connectivity both definitely work in its favour.

Key stats

Burwood’s a suburb that almost everyone who lives on the more western side of inner Sydney will likely visit at least once, if not regularly. There’s multiple reasons for this, but it mostly starts with the suburb’s connectivity, being based around a pretty well-serviced train station and general public transport hub.

Burwood offers good train connectivity and a tantalising 15 minute commute time to the city, but sees less frequent services than neighbouring Strathfield, and expresses can be spotty with some key stops missed if trying to head elsewhere than the Sydney CBD. It sees plenty of bus services as well, but its bus stops can be packed and its traffic situation often leads to them being unreliable.

The suburb’s main thoroughfare and plaza sprawls out from the station along Burwood Road and is almost eternally busy at all hours of the day except the dead of night, as people are drawn from afar for its shopping offerings. In terms of retail opportunities, Burwood is hard to beat compared to almost anywhere outside of say, Pitt Street in the city.

Shop ’til you Drop

Burwood Westfield is obviously the main focal point of this, as it’s a huge, multi-level shopping centre populated with almost every major retail brand and restaurant one could want, however both Burwood Plaza and its range of small-scale street storefronts add even more choice. There’s multiple big supermarkets, banks, medical facilities and more – you’ll never be hurting for something to spend your money on in Burwood.

This crosses over to its dining scene as well. The suburb’s demographics are heavily Asian dominated – particularly Chinese – and its restaurants on offer reflect this directly; there’s a huge range of places to eat here with some of the best Chinese food in Sydney on offer.

Burwood’s streetscape mixes together the old and the new

There’s not much variety in other cuisines, however, so if you’re looking for a better mix of Western or Mediterranean-style dining then you’d be best to head further down Parramatta Road to the likes of Leichhardt or Petersham to get your fix.

Burwood’s growing popularity has resulted in a bunch of more modern apartment constructions closer to the station which have diversified its housing options. As a result, there’s now plenty of medium and high density property and accommodation to choose from not far from public transport – but this comes at a price.

It’s funny how Burwood is often considered the “budget” alternative to Strathfield, as in this case the term “budget” is still very relative. Property and housing-wise, Burwood is far from cheap; expect to fork out around $1.6 million for a basic, entry-level house, or $550 per week for a minimal 2 bedroom rental apartment.

This price obviously goes up the further you head from Burwood Station out into the greener back streets as well. These areas area nicer, home to some impressive old Federation-style houses.

In an ideal world, you’d want to live just on the fringe of where Burwood’s noise dies down but still within easy walking distance to the malls and station to get the best of everything, but the dollars this requires can be restricted to non-cashed-up buyers or renters.

“Burwood’s a suburb that almost everyone who lives on the more western side of Sydney will likely visit at least once, if not regularly.”

In the more affordable areas, Burwood is pretty noisy in general due to its high volume of traffic, buses and commuters as well as the trains. There’s also some flight path noise from planes, so if you’re a light sleeper it pays to ensure you’re living in a place with double-glazing if possible.

Burwood isn’t the greenest of suburbs, even considering the built-up nature of the Inner West in general. Its streets are a little grey, and it’s not the most pet-friendly suburb – with one main exception.

Burwood Park is a wonderful public space that’s not only visually appealing with its mix of quality landscaping and flowers, but also home to a range of interesting and significant events throughout the year. It’s the one main saving grace that helps break up an otherwise fairly bland cityscape.

On the flip side, while it’s not great for pet owners, Burwood is quite family-friendly. It’s pretty safe for starters, with relatively low instances of crime given its population density. There’s also a very good mix of both public and private schools on offer, spanning all age ranges. It’s also become a hotspot for international students due to its proximity and connectivity to higher education facilities nearby.

Burwood’s not the greatest suburb to drive in, with some significant traffic issues on its main arterials. Parramatta Road itself is never fun, and has become more congested as people attempt to avoid tolls elsewhere, and Burwood Road is fairly packed as an alternative route as well. This spills over to its bus services which can be frequently late as a result.

The main notable feeling overall from Burwood however is simply its lack of diversity. As with the likes of say, Manly, Chatswood, Stanmore or Hurstville, when a suburb is almost completely dominated by one demographic it dominates the atmosphere of the suburb so much that it loses one of the most magical parts about Sydney: the melting pot.

There’s a bit of an enclave-type homogenous feeling here, which can feel a bit offputting and honestly a little monotonous and boring.

The Verdict

If you’re the type of person that wants to live in a place that has pretty much everything one could want for daily life at your fingertips, Burwood delivers in spades. The fact that people often come here from elsewhere to get their shopping and food fixes means that you’ll never be too far away from something to buy, or eastern food to try.

For professionals commuting to the city, it also offers a decent balance of commute time vs. amenity access, and should you have the money to spare its freestanding houses in the back streets offer the best of both worlds for peace versus convenience. Burwood’s not cheap, but it’s also not as pricey as some of the higher-end suburbs so may form a decent compromise as an all-rounder for apartment renters in particular.

Its main hub area does feel quite hectic, and both noise and traffic are factors worth considering, while its lack of diversity can also make things a little blander than they should be.