Small Families

Summary: Seldom-discussed yet solid all-round, Carlton offers a good blend of peace, access, greenery and choice to make for a suburb that needs to be considered in your Sydney search. It’s in a position that provides access to plenty of different “types” of Sydney nearby while being safe and pleasant in and of itself – and having a decent bit of Euro-influenced character to boot. Freestanding home prices aren’t great, but its apartments and other housing alternatives represent pretty good variety and value overall. Read Review

Summary: Aspirational, peaceful and highly green, Roseville is a high-end North Shore suburb that’s a land of sprawling and manicured gardens largely dotted with impressive Euro-influenced older brick homes. It’s located in a desirable position which provides peace and quiet without sacrificing distance or connectivity from Sydney city, and has a massive shopping counterpart right next door. It’s no surprise, then, that it brings equally massive pricetags, and is not what anyone would ever call “lively” despite some handy amenities. Read Review

Summary: Packed to the brim with a staggering array of housing options small, medium and large, Rouse Hill offers an extensive array of places to live for nearly all life stages and budget levels. Formerly a region of lush pastureland, it’s now a still-mostly-green land of rapid change with nearly every vacant block currently under some sort of development. This has brought with it a massive array of demographic shift, amenities and services for families in particular – a necessity given its access times & traffic issues to and from Sydney city. Read Review

Summary: Walking the line between greenery, value, high-end and working class very well, Kingsgrove is down-to-earth and unpretentious Sydney suburbia in full swing. Boasting good diversity in both property types and people, this is a suburb in which decent proximity to Sydney city comes with personal space and a very good array of amenities. There’s plenty of quality local dining dotted throughout, a solid selection of schools, and enough to see and do to keep things lively. Traffic and price are issues, but it’s quite well-balanced overall. Read Review

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: 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: Compact and convenient, Meadowbank is another Sydney suburb with the “split personality” of ultra-modern, high-density apartment living on one side and expansive, stately freestanding homes on the other. Its waterfront aspect gives it an open, airy feel while expansive and pleasant public green spaces occupy much of the suburb’s physical space as well. It’s very well-connected via public transport, however is notably lacking in amenities and its increasingly built-up status continues to put a strain on its infrastructure. Read Review