Lane Cove Suburb Review

Pleasantly green and one of Sydney's most family-friendly suburbs - but a little isolated.

Summary: Incredibly green and leafy yet within quite a short (road-bound) commute to Sydney city, Lane Cove presents a pretty damn good balance as far as family-oriented suburbs go. While it’s not home to any sort of nightlife scene that will blow your socks off and could be considered “boring” by younger types, it’s very pleasant overall and has seen continued enhancements and upgrades to expand its range of amenities to now be completely self-reliant and comprehensive. Its only major black marks remain high prices, traffic and a lack of a train station, but it’s otherwise very well-rounded.

Key stats

For those looking for access to excellent green spaces and a bit of peace and quiet – without living out in the middle of nowhere – Lane Cove represents an especially intriguing choice. This Lower North Shore suburb sits only 9 kilometres from the Sydney CBD but feels a world away, with its proximity to large quantities of native bushland and pleasant waterfront a refreshing boon.

Upon visiting, it’s extremely obvious why this suburb has become a hotspot for Sydney families. There’s a general family-oriented vibe to the atmosphere with plenty of young kids taking advantage of public play spaces, an array of quality public and private schools and childcare to choose from, and almost every amenity one could want within easy reach.

Its growing popularity has brought with it continued development and ever-growing retail and service opportunities, and coupled with recent expansion of its main retail precinct around Longueville Road means that it’s lacking in almost nothing required for daily life. Medical clinics, dentists, every major bank, major supermarkets including both Coles and Woolworths, bakeries and handfuls of cafes – Lane Cove is nothing if not well-equipped.

For everyday life, this means that there’s seldom any reasons to have to leave Lane Cove other than for work; unlike many other Sydney suburbs that have one or two glaringly lacking essentials, Lane Cove suffers none of this outside of some big-box retail further away. Sure, you may have to drive up to Westfield Chatswood (not far away) when hunting for brand goods or specific fashions, but for everything else you’re basically covered.

Clean and Green

The other most obvious appealing aspect to Lane Cove is its abundant greenery. It’s an incredibly leafy suburb with a pleasant green ambience overall, and its streets are heavily tree-lined and grassed with many large and impressively well-kept lawns dotted throughout. A substantial proportion of the suburb is within reach of native bushland, and this all comes to a head at the gorgeous and expansive nearby Lane Cove National Park which can be reached within a reasonable drive away.

As a result, it’s one of the most pet-friendly suburbs in inner Sydney, with plenty of space both public and courtesy of the quite large housing blocks that the suburb offers. Add in a couple of vet clinics/hospitals in easy reach, and those with pups and some money to spare will find few better options without heading a lot further away from the CBD.

Lane Cove’s residential streets are incredibly leafy

It’s also quite quiet and peaceful in general outside of its moderate aircraft noise, especially considering its popularity. Outside of the main shopping and dining strip, there’s seldom any street-level noise other than the occasional bit of traffic, with the suburb’s position contributing a lot to this.

This position does also give Lane Cove a bit of a feeling of isolation, however. While its self-contained nature means you don’t really have to leave, it can feel a bit disconnected from Sydney in general – particularly because the suburb lacks a train station.

While Lane Cove still has good bus connections to the city and other working hubs like Macquarie Park nearby and sees very frequent services during peak hours, traffic here has been an issue for a while now and only continues to get worse as the influx of new, young families continues.

“Upon visiting, it’s extremely obvious why this suburb has become a hotspot for Sydney families.”

It’s never been great for parking, and some of its busier roads can be particularly annoying to drive with consistent speed cameras keeping speeds on the likes of River Road perhaps lower than they should be. Buses are impacted by this traffic, too, and what should be a relatively quick ~15 minute jaunt by road over to Wynyard can often balloon out substantially as a result.

This influx of newer residents into its newly developed high-density apartments seems to have caused a bit of contention between older, long-term residents and many of these new young professionals. The boom in popularity and desirability of Lane Cove has also lead to some increasingly eye-watering property prices – particularly if you’re aiming for a freestanding home.

Expect to drop around $1.9 million to get into the housing market here, as many of its properties are large and on large blocks with pricetags to match. There’s not much in terms of smaller-scale options for homes in Lane Cove – it’s either fork out lots of dollars for a big house, or look at an apartment instead.

There IS a good variety in apartment options here, however. While the newer, modern buildings are bringing high prices with them, there’s enough older apartments that are still well-made and can serve as a good alternative. For renters, expect to pay around $540 per week for a 2 bedroom mid-range apartment.

Lane Cove’s combination of peace, heavy rail isolation and a general lack of bars, pubs and the like often brings along the connotation of the suburb being “boring”. Certainly, for younger professionals who choose Sydney for its nightlife and drinking opportunities it’s got little to offer, although its restaurant and cafe scene is ever-evolving.

Plus, this “boring” atmosphere brings with it the benefit of combining with the suburb’s location for an easy night out in the city, then returning home to a peaceful night’s sleep of an evening. There’s no real nightlife, sure, but there’s also no street drama, and no other true disruptive factors to daily life. It’s also a highly safe suburb as a result, with a low crime rate and clean streets that are entirely lacking in graffiti.

The Verdict

While Lane Cove might seem like it’s a suburb strictly suited to well-heeled families and retirees, it’s gradually changing. Its growing popularity with young professional couples and new families along with more high-density housing means it’s gradually becoming more lively, and its continued council development expands both its retail opportunities as well as its parkland seemingly daily.

Its “boring” reputation still remains a little true, but that mostly depends on what you’re looking for on a regular basis. Lane Cove’s proximity to both Chatswood and Crows Nest means you have access to more options for shopping and dining within easy reach for more entertainment, while your daily needs can be catered for in-suburb.

Both traffic and transport remain a concern, as does how this influx of more residents will continue to add more stressors to its roads. Likewise, there’s no getting around the fact that it’s an expensive suburb where freestanding housing will be out of reach for many.

It’s easy to see the appeal for families who both have ample money or are willing to accept apartment living, however. Plenty of fresh, green public space for the kids, good schools, peace and quiet, safety, and a reasonable proximity to the city all score high marks – if you can afford the pricetag and dealing with driving on a daily basis.