Families

Summary: A suburb of notable contrasts, Homebush is a land where the ‘class gap’ in Sydney is highly evident. The variance in upkeep and atmosphere from one street to the next couldn’t be more different, with graffiti and rubbish-strewn sections on one side of the road and elaborate, stately mansions right nearby – often right alongside each other. It offers some unique features in terms of great sports-oriented parklands and outlet shopping opportunities, and boasts decent connectivity, but it’s got traffic issues, and property prices can be eye-watering for anything outside of a dingy apartment. Read Review

Summary: A very good value option of a suburb for those who like things with a little more space but retaining a touch of grit, Mortdale offers a balanced lifestyle at a pretty good price. Its distance from Sydney city is very manageable, it’s got a decent mix of amenities for daily life, and there’s a good mix of both large and small-sized housing options to cater to all income levels. It’s not particularly exciting or beautiful and it’s lacking in larger-scale shopping options, but as a choice for middle-class people on a non-ridiculous income it’s got everything one could need with a fairly nice community vibe to boot. Read Review

Summary: Dominated by large, impressive houses on big, roomy blocks and with wide and spacious streets to boot, Concord is an immaculately-kept suburb as a whole. The amount of living space on offer here is impressive given its decent proximity to the Sydney CBD, while its central retail and shopping strip is both charming and well-equipped. It’s highly green and family-friendly, too, although its slight disconnect from rail transport (for the time being) is a factor and a lack of high-density apartment options means it’s going to be limited to a select cashed-up demographic as a feasible place to live. Read Review

Summary: Blending together elements of the Inner West and the Canterbury-Bankstown region with obvious strong slices of Greek heritage, Earlwood is a highly family-oriented suburb in which you’re actually likely to know your neighbour’s names. Largely low-density residential homes on big blocks coupled with a gradually gentrifying main shopping & cafe strip, the suburb’s largely quiet and peaceful but also a little rough and ready. Rev-heads in particular seem to love it, and a bit of a disconnect from public transport means you’ll likely be driving to and from here. Read Review

Summary: Part low-density industrial warehouses and part expansive, freestanding residential homes on surprisingly large blocks, Peakhurst walks the line between a place to work and a place to live quite well. It also offers a very reasonable property size-to-price ratio while not being too far from the Sydney CBD to be excessive despite a disconnect from heavy rail. Wide, quiet streets and expansive park areas on the plus side contrast with a lack of shopping and dining to make for a suburb with some notable peaks – but also conspicuous valleys. Read Review

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. Read Review

Summary: Carlingford is a physically big and highly diverse suburb that spans three council areas and borders several different regions of Sydney. As a result, it’s home to one of the widest varieties of property types, atmospheres and services on offer of any suburb in Sydney, with some parts of it quite different to the next. It’s absolutely abundant in services and retail, has some very impressive pockets of greenery and nature, and major through-roads that connect to all the key parts of Sydney. Existing issues with accessing the CBD are about to be even more exaggerated as one of its key benefits is about to disappear, however. Read Review

Summary: Striking one of the best available balances of city-meets-country environments available to Sydneysiders without crossing one of the nearby southern bridges, Oatley offers a blend of exceptional nature and family-oriented amenities. In addition, while most other suburbs that offer this balance come with the pitfall of bad transport connectivity, Oatley remains an exception with solid heavy rail services. It’s a little lacking in things to do outside of the natural, and it comes with a decent pricetag, but its rental market is quite affordable given the positives it offers to make it one of the best suburbs in Sydney overall. Read Review

Summary: Technically located on the “tip” of where the Western Suburbs begin, Padstow is a pleasant and well-balanced slice of suburbia that offers both well-sized living spaces and solid value for money.

It’s got good connectivity by both road and rail, and its relatively central position between east and west makes access to either side quite reasonable. While around a quarter of the suburb is light-industrial, it still offers good greenery and also escapes some of the crime stats from which a few of its neighbouring suburbs suffer. Read Review

Summary: Featuring some truly stunning housing blocks along with some of the most impressive suburban greenery you’ll come across in Sydney, Turramurra is all about wealthy seclusion without sacrificing too much connectivity. This is a suburb of manicured hedge fences, tennis courts and immaculately-kept public park spaces that exudes wealth but still has a reasonably communal aspect. It’s got enough of a smattering of amenities to get by, and is ideal for wealthy families in particular, but there’s not too much going on and both price and distance from the CBD may be a factor for some. Read Review