western suburbs

Summary: Tucked away and rarely discussed, Milperra in Western Sydney quietly offers a bastion of sneaky-good value living for those after a detached house not too far from the Sydney CBD. That this pocket of well-kept residential living is “hidden” behind half of a suburb which is otherwise unappealing warehousing and industrial estates allows it to fly under the radar.

Home to a healthy array of parks, reserves, ovals and other green spaces large and small, a nice little smattering of local shops and bigger stores on its fringes, and a low crime rate, Milperra only really has two real glaring flaws. With a lack of a train station its driving-dependent, while its homogenous housing profile means its “freestanding house or look elsewhere”; if neither of those apply to you, then Milperra provides a potentially great value place to live given its location. Read Review

Summary: Highly centrally located relative to the rest of Sydney and very well-equipped in terms of amenities, Bankstown is also one of the highest-crime suburbs in Sydney that puts a dampening layer over what would be its otherwise positive conveniences. It’s well-connected and offers a reasonable price for its diverse range of property, while international dining is another positive – particularly for those who enjoy Vietnamese food.

Price is its biggest asset, as well as access to jobs and other varied suburbs right nearby, however there’s still a layer of tension here – particularly at its train station and immediate surrounds – that’s far from the most comfortable environment in the world to deal with on a daily basis. Read Review

Summary: Sitting in a location that positions it quite central to the majority of ‘everyday’ Sydney, Beverly Hills is a suburb that offers convenience and some unique dashes of character in return for a few elements that could do with a bit of a spit shine. This is a fairly well-equipped suburb with a couple of interesting quirks in terms of dining – including Americana-esque ‘diner’ style food – alongside traditional restaurants and a decent array of amenities, all dissected by some highly-trafficked major roads.

This leads to a streetscape of contrasts, with surprisingly leafy and roomy residential streets that gradually fade away into busy and 80’s-Sydney-style amenity strips that are functional, if not exactly pretty. Where exactly you live within the suburb itself thus becomes fairly important, with ambient traffic noise an annoyance in some areas and a near-complete non-factor in others. Add in easy major arterial road access – albeit with typical Sydney traffic problems – handy train connectivity, a surprisingly extensive array of cute parks both little and large, plentiful schools, and this is a pretty eclectic suburb with both highs and lows on offer. Read Review

Summary: For a suburb that’s not physically too large, Wentworthville located to Sydney’s west packs quite a lot into the space it has. This is a slice of Sydney that contains a relatively balanced mix of everything, with a leaning towards the impressive side in terms of amenities – largely Indian-influenced – in particular. It’s home to a very diverse housing profile, centered mainly around clusters of single-level freestanding homes on occasionally-pretty streets that are gradually being encroached on by more and more low and mid-rise apartment blocks.

There’s an aura of ongoing construction and renovation to Wentworthville that can be seen in its continuing excess of higher-density buildings, but also its improving public facilities. While it’s not a “beautiful” suburb on the whole, it’s likely better than you think, and its above-average public transport, proximity to Parramatta, and somewhat affordable homes make up for its sometimes-hectic atmosphere and some traffic issues. Overall, it’s probably slightly underrated – particularly for families due to an abundance of childcare.
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Summary: One of the most well-equipped suburbs in all of Sydney, Lidcombe is home to an immense amount of variety in multiple forms – housing, businesses, restaurants, streetscapes, and even cultures. It’s one of the city’s best hubs for Korean and mixed international dining, while lacking for almost no single amenity; if there’s a shop or service you’re looking for – both large and small – Lidcombe likely has it. There’s simply a ton to potentially do here.

Its location sits in a convenient position for accessing both Sydney’s east and west, while its public transport connections see a high volume of services in either direction as well. This is a busy suburb that can be noisy and a little hectic, and its major road arteries experience some eye-watering traffic, but it also contains a large range of different “pockets” of living that can suit a wide variety of people of different budget levels and life situations – while being pretty reasonable value and quite safe, too.
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Summary: If the search for a larger-sized home for a more reasonable price – without compromising on either safety or connectivity to the Sydney CBD – is getting you down, don’t sleep on Holsworthy as a highly viable solution. Technically the biggest suburb in the city, Holsworthy’s main residential area is a trim and tidy concentration of family-friendly property on generally large blocks set up alongside a ton of facilities to cater to those with kids.

This is a suburb that’s home to a mostly-peaceful environment and pretty hefty helpings of bush-style greenery along with a collection of schools, townhouses and freestanding homes with enough amenities to satisfy daily needs as well. It’s a bit lacking in terms of dining and retail as well as apartment/unit options, and non-families may feel a little out of place, but with what you’re getting for the price Holsworthy still ranks as one of the best value suburbs in Sydney.
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Summary: A largely working class, fairly central Sydney suburb offering a mixed bag of good value prices, wide and varied public green spaces, iffy traffic and a solid array of amenities, Riverwood has a “little bit for everyone” that comes with a decent location along with the occasional surface-level blemish. It’s a bit of a hodge-podge without much consistency in design, layout and home styles, but this also offers wide variety in environments and property types to choose from as a result.

Good transport connectivity and proximity to main roads and highways help make it quite accessible, while its mix of demographics and cultures is reflected in its diverse blend of stores and restaurants. There’s some neglect in its otherwise impressively varied public spaces and nature strips and it has some statistical issues with crime, yet for families, pets, and general all-round living it’s about the best price you’re going to be able to pay this close and connected to Sydney city.
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Summary: The winds of change are slowly blowing on Canterbury, an older suburb now seeing multiple helpings of newer, modernised elements creep in. If you’re put off by the prices of the Inner West, yet not wanting to sacrifice much in the way of distance or location from the Sydney CBD, Canterbury is a solid fall-back option that doesn’t differ too much in the way of quality of life.

Its mix of location, connectivity and quantity of green spaces is exceptional for the price, while it’s also largely safe and peaceful outside of its main road-adjacent spots. At surface level, it could do with a fair bit of extra polish and maintenance and makes the suburb look “cheaper” in many spots than it actually is; that and its issues with traffic are its two main black marks. All of this otherwise makes for a good quality “sleeper” suburb that’s a decent spot to both live and invest, particularly with upcoming infrastructure projects on the horizon.
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Summary: Situated in a position where the “true” Western Suburbs of Sydney begin to come into full effect, Roselands is a solid all-rounder suburb that represents a pretty good house value vs. safety mix despite a few flaws. It’s in a slight no-man’s-land when it comes to access, with both the Sydney CBD and Parramatta a little awkward to get to due to traffic issues, however it boasts large and roomy homes along with a mostly pleasant and green streetscape in its many spacious residential areas.

Rich in amenities courtesy of its major shopping hub and strips of warehouse-sized stores, it’s also quite busy with multiple main arterial roads carving it up. Missing rail connectivity, limited green public spaces, and a lack of restaurant-style dining are its other notable weaknesses, but if you’re after a spacious home for a relatively decent price without being in the middle of nowhere it’s otherwise worth considering. Read Review

Summary: Walking the line between the array of services of Bankstown and the decent amounts of greenery and personal property space for the price of Padstow, Revesby is a suburb more suited for those who prefer their slice of Sydney suburbia a little more active.

If the likes of Panania or Padstow are a little too boring or ill-equipped for you, Revesby provides an alternative with a lot more in the way of amenities and better transport while sacrificing some slight elements of safety and noise in return. It’s got excellent connectivity and an impressive level of house pride, though a lack of high-density apartments may price out some, and litter is a small black mark presentation-wise. Read Review