Retirees

Summary: Fringed by water and offering impeccable views throughout, Drummoyne is a scenic part of Sydney where old and new wealth collide. If you’ve ever wanted to feel poor, this is the suburb to visit, as multi-level mansions and freestanding homes on large blocks dominate with some great angles of the Parramatta River.

It’s highly decked out with amenities along Victoria Road and has pleasant public spaces, while its location provides centralised access to other parts of Sydney. Price and traffic are its main negatives, but it’s otherwise a highly desirable place to live. Read Review

Summary: The suburb with the cool postcode, Penshurst sits in what we consider the “sweet spot” in terms of location in Sydney. It’s not too far south to feel isolated, and sits right next to a busy shopping and retail hub, yet still manages to feel secluded and tucked away regardless. There’s also a distinctly British atmosphere here on its northern side – think men in white playing cricket on the green, and red brick houses fringed by hedges. It might be a little too quiet for some and is lacking in major retail, but the overall livability here is very high. Read Review

Summary: Boasting a lingering Italian influence and with an aspect that mixes together convenience and nature very well, Five Dock is quite distinctive as far as Inner West suburbs go. It’s largely populated by big, low-density freestanding homes with more living space than its peers, it’s highly safe, and its handful of waterfront parks are particularly appealing. Property prices have ballooned with gentrification, traffic isn’t amazing, and it’s a little disconnected from public transport, while aircraft noise can also be a slight factor. Read Review

Summary: A seaside suburb with a “permanent holiday” feel, Sans Souci is sleepy enough to feel like an escape yet well equipped enough to not need to trek elsewhere for daily life. It’s walking distance to slices of beach with some panoramic waterfront views and boasts one of the best foreshore areas of any suburb in what’s still “inner” Sydney. Main roads are right nearby, but it’s awkwardly disconnected from the city via public transport and its popularity as a holiday home area means prices have continued to climb. Read Review

Summary: One of the “gateways” to Sutherland Shire, Como is an upmarket, green suburb which sits perched overlooking the Georges and Woronora Rivers, offering the chance at some impeccable water views. This is a land of boat ownership and outdoor enjoyment, with some excellent public spaces that are a boon for kids and pets alike. It’s pretty, green, quiet and safe, however it’s notably lacking in amenities for shopping and dining, and its distance from main arterial roads offsets its train station’s connectivity to the city a little. It’s also not cheap. Read Review

Summary: Large enough to almost be considered a self-contained town at this point, Hornsby is one of the most complete suburbs in Sydney when it comes to amenities. It’s lacking absolutely nothing in terms of services and shopping – both big and small-scale – and brings with it solid public transport connectivity too. A huge array of parks, playgrounds, schools and childcare add to this to make it perhaps the most family-friendly suburb in Sydney at good value to boot. Its only real negatives are distance, and a lack of nightlife. Read Review

Summary: A small, nondescript suburb of the Inner West, Lewisham is quite quiet, visually appealing, and highly leafy. Its main strengths lie in its excellent public transport connectivity with multiple options for getting from A to B, a great choice of schooling options for families, and its range of charming heritage style homes give its streets some lovely character. It’s got some notable traffic issues and is almost entirely lacking in dining, shopping and general “things to do” however, and is mostly best served as a pretty place to lay one’s head. Read Review

Summary: A heaping of public transport options combine with gorgeous back streets, a lovely little cafe scene, and a huge dose of greenery to make Dulwich Hill one of the highlights of Sydney’s Inner West. It’s home to some wonderful architecture and a range of home types to choose from, as well as plenty of flora-rich public spaces that make for a great atmosphere. Parts of it could use a fresh coat of paint and don’t convey the best first impression which is entirely deceiving to how nice it truly is, and rising prices have taken it outside of its former “sleeper” status, however. Read Review

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. Read Review

Summary: A land of long driveways, immaculately-kept gardens, and sprawling grand homes, Killara on the North Shore is an impressive concentration of greenery-draped wealth. Freestanding houses here rank among the upper tier of northern Sydney, however there’s enough of a selection of modern apartments to keep things viable for others at earlier stages of life. It’s leafy, it’s safe, it’s quiet, and it’s not too far a commute from the CBD – as long as you’re happy with not much to do at all in your own backyard, and willing to fork out some cash. Read Review