Rozelle Suburb Review

A highly family-friendly suburb that desperately wants to be Balmain - but just being Rozelle is still pretty damn OK.

Summary: Vibrant, green and absolutely packed with amenities, Rozelle has become a go-to suburb in inner Sydney among families who prefer a bit more action and variety as opposed to peace and quiet. It’s very well-positioned, with the Sydney CBD only a 10 minute drive away, and offers some truly great waterfront views – for those with the wallets to afford them. For pet owners, it’s a suburb that’s hard to beat, and boasts some great parklands in particular. Noise and traffic are its two main downsides, while rising prices haven’t helped matters, either.

Key stats

A suburb that’s extremely pretty in spots in and of itself, Rozelle seems to still suffer from a bizarre case of “Balmain envy”. Spend any decent amount of time in the suburb and you’ll encounter seemingly every park or public complex with BALMAIN on it in capital letters attempting to call itself Balmain This or Balmain That.

While historically Rozelle has always been something akin to the ‘ugly sister’ of its more famed neighbour, present-day Rozelle has come a long way and has a ton going for it as a place to both live and visit.

It’s got many of the same lovely historic elements – think a mix of sandstone and weatherboard buildings, interesting architecture in the form of sandstone brick banks, multiple colonial-style pubs and more – as well as enough of a mix of modern housing to cater to numerous types of budget levels and life stages.

Bordered by water on either side, much of Rozelle boasts an open and breezy feel that gives it a slight “resort” aspect while helping to keep things cooler on hot summer days. Much of its waterfront land has been capitalised on with some excellent parkland and high-end, American “condominium” style apartments that garner a great view over the Parramatta River towards Drummoyne.

This is despite it being mostly a medium-density suburb as a whole; it’s not as grossly built-up with towering highrises as other suburbs so close to Sydney city, and thus feels far less hemmed-in and obscured than some of its peers.

Its proximity to the Sydney CBD is one of its biggest assets. For commuters who work in the city, it’s a short distance to drive (assuming you have an assigned parking spot), while its being dissected by two main roads provides major arterial access to other major hubs on the North Shore or further out west.

In addition, while Rozelle has a disconnect from the heavy rail system, it receives extremely frequent bus services up and down Victoria Road so that you’ll seldom have to wait more than a few minutes for the next to arrive. Add in nearby light rail connectivity at Rozelle Bay (technically just outside the suburb’s borders) and the makeshift ferry options down at White Bay, and Rozelle does a good job for providing access in and out without a true train.

Victoria Road itself makes up much of the lifeblood of Rozelle in that it’s not only the primary way from one end to the other, but the main hub for the suburb’s extensive array of services as well.

This is one of the strongest points in Rozelle’s favour – it’s an extremely well-equipped suburb with pretty much every service and product available, ranging from the likes of its FoodWorks supermarket to chemists, gyms, car dealers, sports supplies… you name it, and Rozelle likely has it.

If it’s not to be found along the highway, then it’s likely to be on Darling Street, the posterchild for Rozelle’s excellent and ever-evolving dining scene. There’s a huge range of drinking and restaurant options here covering most cuisines, and cafe-lovers in particular will be almost overwhelmed for choice; if there’s one thing Rozelle and its residents like, it’s a good cafe.

So Much to Do, So Little Time

Rozelle’s range of hotels and bars is also a key highlight; it’s home to one of the highest densities of pubs and quality drinking spots of any inner Sydney suburb outside of the likes of Newtown, with excellent offerings like the Bald Rock, Welcome and 3 Weeds – among multiple others – providing nice atmospheres for a drop of the good stuff.

While as with any pub-heavy suburb with a good mix there’s also a bit of drunken drama that comes with it, it’s a small price to pay for having so many options on your doorstep for those living here.

In short, Rozelle’s got enough on offer to see, do, drink, and eat that you’ll seldom ever be bored, and you’ll actually have multiple reasons to invite friends over to your suburb for new things to try – or try yourself. Its Markets are another distinct highlight, offering the chance at an eclectic mix of random items and exotic foods that’s well worth a visit.

Add in other highlights like the Victoria Road Lookout, the chance to do the Bay Run for fitness fans, or for the wealthy to do a spot of yachting, and there’s plenty of diversity for activities and attractions on offer. This isn’t some quiet, uneventful upper North Shore suburb with little to do when the sun goes down or of a weekend without travelling elsewhere.

Make no mistake however, Rozelle is largely not a “party” suburb; in fact, it’s probably one of the most family-oriented spots in all of inner Sydney. Demographically, a large portion of its residents are families, and it’s not hard to see why they’re drawn here.

While it’s not particularly school-heavy, there are several options for quality schools both here and not far away, and its public green spaces are also great for those with kids. It’s a little hilly to get down by the waterfront, but worth the effort to enjoy the greenery and views.

The parklands down by the water along the river offer some excellent open spaces to run around, while Constellation Playground in particular offers a great array of play equipment (including even things like a flying fox) so keep the little ones occupied.

This is also probably one of the most dog-friendly suburbs we’ve encountered in all of Sydney. There’s simply a very heavy “dog culture” here, with seemingly every second person walking their furry friend, and along with its great parklands and abundance of petcare and vet services makes for one of the most pet-friendly suburbs on offer. Add in a full-blown pet hospital, PetBarn and more, and four-legged friends of all breeds won’t go lacking here.

Rozelle’s waterfront parklands are a standout asset

Rozelle’s not without a handful of flaws, however. Its most glaring is probably the traffic situation.

While inner Sydney in general is no picnic when it comes to traffic, Rozelle in particular cops a fair brunt of it largely due to the popularity of the Anzac Bridge as a thoroughfare for commuters to get from A to B.

The poor bridge is already running at capacity, and funnels so much traffic onto Victoria Road and beyond during peak that it’s never a fun place to be.

The effects of the WestConnex project – not only on its road situation but also the ambient noise and induced demand on the roads as a result – are another factor to bear in mind, and while buses can alleviate some of the stress of driving they’re still having to join that heavy traffic flow every day themselves.

Noise issues – both from traffic and elsewhere – can be a factor when living here. While most of its residential streets are pleasant and quiet, the west portion of Rozelle does cop some airplane noise from flight paths, and its ongoing constructions and general busy and popular nature can add some extra unwanted ambient sound to the streetscape.

“There’s simply a very heavy “dog culture” here, with seemingly every second person walking their furry friend.”

Another notable factor its the slightly condensed nature of its housing blocks. Outside of most of the elite homes on offer here, many homes sit on narrow blocks of land and sit directly alongside their neighbours. There’s also a distinct lack of garages in general, making on-street parking mandatory and parking in the suburb in general at quite a premium.

Rozelle’s home to quite a large number of impressive homes despite some of these narrow blocks, many of which are historic and have been wonderfully renovated and maintained. It’s got a pretty good housing mix in general, with enough medium-rise apartment and condominium blocks to keep things varied.

Rozelle’s far from cheap as a whole as far as property goes; don’t expect to acquire any kind of freestanding house in any sort of respectable condition for less than the $1.5-$1.6 million mark for a 2-bedder, or very small 3-bedroom offering. Add in an extra bedroom and $2 million can quickly become the baseline, with things escalating quickly from there.

Its high demand makes renting pretty expensive as well; its apartment rental price hovers around $600 per week, which is well above the Sydney median. While it’s possible to get a place for cheaper (particularly if you’re content with 1 bedroom), the quality quickly scales down proportionately as well.

The Verdict

Nowadays, Rozelle’s an upper-tier suburb that’s ideally suited for one demographic in particular: active families with a fair bit of money to throw around that may be a bit short of the truly elite cash-wise.

It’s not a peaceful and isolated spot to go and relax, although it does have relax-ing aspects to it – you’ll generally want to live here only if you’re going to take advantage of all its great array of amenities, otherwise there’s no point and you could get better value elsewhere.

It’s home to one of the best cross-sections of places to eat, drink, shop, and exercise in Sydney, while the waterfront aspect is eternally appealing and its proximity to all of the rest of inner Sydney works strongly in Rozelle’s favour.

Pet owners who want to live close to the city could hardly choose any better of a base, and families who enjoy a social aspect and enjoy eating out will likely be in their element here. For non-families or those who are particularly opposed to kids for some reason, this is not the suburb for you; younger partygoers can base themselves elsewhere and simply visit Rozelle’s/Balmain’s bars/pubs while saving coin on rent or property instead.

Its road situation isn’t great and price can be an obvious barrier from owning something substantial home-wise here, but if you’re in the “sweet spot” demographic-wise then you’ll likely find this a great place to stay for the foreseeable future – and not likely want to move out until a couple of decades later in life.

So here’s to you Rozelle: may you find happiness in simply being “Rozelle”, because that’s far from a bad thing.