Mosman Suburb Review

Pretty, pricey - and a bit overrated.

Summary: This ritzy North Shore Sydney suburb is teeming with wealth, boasting some of the most expensive properties in the region in a desirable location surrounded by greenery, water and some gorgeous slices of beach. Mosman as a suburb is also strangely quite isolated, however, with a disconnect from public transport and a nightmare road renowned for its terrible traffic putting some dampers on its otherwise gleaming facade.

Key stats

Ahh, Mosman – the land of towering waterfront properties, giant Porche Cayennes on narrow roads, excessive amounts of Lululemon, and baby boomers who have won the property lottery and probably never intend to leave.

Make no mistake, this is a prestigious suburb with some truly impressive houses – many of which boast some incredible views – yet for those mere mortals who need to go about their daily lives, the suburb is surprisingly lacking in convenience given the hefty price of admission.

Let’s start with the positives: there’s no doubt that Mosman has most of what one could want on its doorstep, with high-end bakeries and delicatessans in abundance, supermarkets, gyms and more, along with some great restaurants within close proximity. It’s also undeniably physically beautiful, with a bevy of greenery and national parkland on its east, and the lovely Balmoral Beach – one of Sydney’s best – within a stone’s throw away from most residences.

The many and varied dining options and stores of Neutral Bay aren’t far away, either, although that’s more a point in Neutral Bay’s favour than for Mosman proper.

It’s highly safe, pleasant to walk around (particularly its waterfront track that leads around to Cremorne Point, or can be done in the opposite direction and capped off with a meal on the water at Mosman Rowers or with a ferry trip back to the CBD), and is eminently pet friendly.

Mosman’s streetscape overall is undeniably pleasant. It’s home to a range of high-quality parks and ovals for outdoor exercise and entertainment, and the entire Georges Head portion is a wonderful mix of greenery, views and history courtesy of its military battery and myriad of tunnels and passages. The panorama looking out to Sydney Harbour is also impressive and worth a visit in and of itself.

There are a range of quality schools here as well which cater to all age groups, and provide some excellent learning opportunities should your little ones be lucky enough to make the shortlist.

The other side of the scale

And… that’s about as far as it goes. For a suburb that’s such an iconic example of wealth, there’s a fair bit working against Mosman as a whole.

It sure is hilly, for starters, and walking around here will soon put a burn in your calves. Good luck with parking as well, as the streets are narrow and very lacking in places for non-residents to put their vehicles even for a short time window, or perform turns to head back the way you came.

Its lack of connectivity to the rail network is a strike against the suburb for daily convenience, and while buses are technically an option, both their further out departure point and the road they have to contend with make for a transport method that’s better in theory than in reality. 

This is largely because its main artery which connects it to the city – Military Road – ranks as one of the worst traffic chokepoints in Sydney, as people scramble each day to cross the Spit Bridge and head into the city for work. The road and its array of lanes and sudden merge and turnoff points is a madhouse on a daily basis; add in even a hint of rain, and you can forget about getting to work anywhere close to on time.

While residents of Mosman may feel that this isolation from public transport does contribute towards keeping the suburb pristine, they themselves will still need to deal with the pain of driving (or being driven, in the case of its high-rollers). It’s a hassle that can accumulate quickly and make life far less enjoyable.

Exclusivity and exclusion

Housing prices here are exorbitant, as most property owners have been firmly entrenched for decades and have no real reason to leave; the average house price hovers around $3.5 million, however that’s warped by some of the extremes on the pointy end of the scale at which “Price on Request” (a.k.a “More Than You Can Afford”) instead of an actual list price becomes the norm.

Ferries offer one way out of the isolated Mosman

Ironically, apartment living here isn’t too bad; there are some older buildings in particular that offer a decent balance of quality vs. rental price for one-bedders, with some decent amount of single-bedroom stock available for under $500 per week rent.

However given you’ll likely be a young professional working in the city within that range, and there’s no real reason to choose Mosman in that circumstance over other similar high-end suburbs other than for the name recognition (unless you happen to work on the Northern Beaches and can stomach a bus commute).

“Its lack of connectivity to the rail network is a strike against the suburb for daily convenience.”

Its propensity towards wealth means the suburb skews quite a lot older than Sydney’s average, with most of the younger crowd you’ll see around likely visiting for the weekend or taking the kids to (the excellent) Taronga Zoo as opposed to locals.

If you’ve got sufficient cash, Mosman offers easy access to the waterfront, and boating enthusiasts will find plenty to love about its maritime-focused atmosphere with yachts and other craft a common sight around its shores.

The Verdict

In short, Mosman is one of the most physically amazing places in Sydney for a very select few who can afford the best of its offerings, and it’s highly recommended to all residents and locals to visit at least once. The atmosphere of the suburb is quite lovely (if pretentious), and Balmoral is worth a look in and of itself. 

As a base for your everyday living, however, there are plenty of high-end suburbs in Sydney that offer most of what Mosman does with far less hassle than is required to enjoy it. Its isolation, public transport and road congestion issues remain a factor, and it’s not exactly teeming with attractions or activities to encourage visitors to want to visit outside of the zoo.

If you’re willing to fight the traffic or rely on buses however, Mosman sure is pretty, and it’s not hard to see why its prestigious reputation lives on.