Turramurra Suburb Review

Wealthy, eminently green North Shore haven offers massive blocks, seclusion, and appropriately high prices to boot.

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.

Key stats

Spacious, luxuriant and peaceful, Turramurra is high-end suburban Sydney at its greenest. Aside from its main concentration of retail and dining on either side of its train station, this is largely a suburb that’s draped in greenery and all about enjoying the combination of nature along with plenty of living space.

While on its south-west side there is a smattering of high-density apartments sprinkled in, Turramurra mostly consists of private, large houses enshrouded by greenery. Walk down any back street here and you’re likely to encounter stately mansions with Greek columns, semicircular driveways and un-ironic statues along with the occasional gazebo or two.

It’s also home to some of the most gorgeous front gardens of any suburb in Sydney; the effort that’s gone into both creating and maintaining some of these floral displays is truly impressive.

It’s probably no surprise, then, that Turramurra’s residential demographics trend to the older side of things. If you’re a wealthy retiree, this is a suburb that’s hard to beat – spacious, quiet and green while still offering decent amenities and medical care, you’ve got all of these benefits while still being able to hop on the train and access the Sydney CBD within a reasonable ~35+ minute commute from Turramurra Station.

While its demographic is changing slightly – more younger families are moving in from more diverse backgrounds – it’s still largely dominated by “old money”. The suburb’s also very safe, with low crime statistics and a fairly communal feeling courtesy of its respectable local cafe and restaurant scene, although it’s also a place in which people choose to live in order to keep to themselves.

Families with a decent amount of cash will likewise find plenty to like about living here. Turramurra is home to one of the most impressive ranges of public park and activity spaces you’re likely to come across in any suburb. Aside from its inherently tree-draped streetscape, the quantity of ovals, micro-parks and groves on offer here makes it eminently pet-and-child-friendly.

Walk around any corner and you’re likely to come across a park or field with either playground or exercise equipment, running tracks, or lined sporting fields. It’s no surprise as this is a slice of Sydney in which you’re likely to want to maximise your amount of time spent outdoors, as its greenery remains its major selling point.

The Price of Privacy

Families also benefit from its proximity to multiple high-end North Shore schools, both within the suburb itself and nearby at Pymble, Wahroonga and the like. It’s largely because of these schools’ renowned efforts that the demographic has been able to change.

Amenity-wise, Turramurra is ‘ok’ without being overly impressive. There’s a number of charming little local stores such as butchers, toy stores and the likes which give it charm, as well as pretty good supermarket coverage (Coles, IGA and [metro] Woolworths) to more than cover daily grocery needs.

It’s got a decent little mix of bakeries, cafes and newer ‘bar-ish’ spots such as the much-needed Kipling’s near the station that serve as good spots for a few drinks, but other than that it’s not exactly what anyone would call ‘lively’.

It’s otherwise lacking in larger-scale retail stores; you’ll likely be making regular trips up to Westfield Hornsby for bigger shops if living here. It’s also not home to the greatest number of restaurants given its fairly large size and population.

There are plans in process to attempt to “transform” the area and give Turramurra a batch of new shopping and dining options while retaining its village environment, but these have yet to come to fruition at time of writing.

The landscaping and gardens of many of Turramurra’s homes is truly impressive

Transport and traffic for Turramurra is a bit of a mixed bag. Its train station is an obvious plus and offers good connectivity and services, although the North Shore line has been notoriously unreliable in recent years making its fallback options a little more obvious. Bus services here exist but aren’t great, and while traffic in its back-streets is a non-issue, driving down south to the ‘working suburbs’ either via the highway or alternate routes down to North Ryde etc. are prone to congestion.

Given the suburb’s layout, it’s also easy to find yourself living further from the train station than you’d like if you’re not careful; this especially becomes an issue if living down on the south-west side of the suburb as it’s incredibly hilly and descends steeply downwards towards the back part of Kissing Point Road.

There’s not a great amount of parking near the station, so living in a place as close to the station as possible – yet away from the highway – should be the goal here. The west side of Turramurra is a little “wilder” in general, as it’s more wrapped in unkempt bushland than manicured greenery.

Outside of a slight lack of things to do other than revel in nature, price is going to be the other major discouraging factor for those considering living here. Due to its general lack of high-density housing options – and its propensity for “go big, or go home” style properties on huge blocks – it’s no surprise that Turramurra is an expensive place to buy into.

The suburb as a whole clocks in at over 50% higher median property prices than the Sydney average; while this is skewed by its range of truly palatial mansions, it’s still an expensive place overall. $1.9 million is the median housing price for buyers, and you can expect to go well over that mark for many of the grander properties here.

Add in the fact that they’re tightly-held by many long-term owners (why move if you own in such a pretty place?) and you’ve got a pretty challenging market to break into.

“Walk around any corner and you’re likely to come across a park or field with either playground or exercise equipment, running tracks, or lined sporting fields.”

Rental prices are likewise above average, with apartments hovering around the $570 per week mark for a small 2-bedder. What apartments there are have often been snatched up by downsizers selling their house elsewhere and moving into somewhere smaller and more manageable while still being able to enjoy Turramurra’s natural offerings as well.

The Verdict

If you’ve got money and are after one of the best possible balances in Sydney between being able to own a big home, with peace and quiet, while still being able to access the city when the desire takes you, then Turramurra will likely appeal.

It’s often jaw-droppingly pretty for what’s essentially “suburbia”, and many of the mansions here that come with name-plates and rolling gardens put the likes of even Mosman to shame. It’s very peaceful while still having major arterial roads easily accessible, and the quality of its education offerings and public green spaces will no doubt be highly desirable for families who aren’t quite cut out for “Sydney city” life.

It’s safe, it’s clean, and it’s got a good enough scene of small-scale shopping and dining to service all regular needs, although it does feel a little insular as a whole. The North Shore line giving access to both Hornsby and Chatswood not far away in either direction definitely helps.

As a retiree or established “empty-nester” couple, it’s easy to see how Turramurra would be highly sought-after, but for almost all younger types it’s likely to seem a pure example of the North Shore stereotype of being “dead after dark” in full effect. Families with money can find almost everything they need here for a very satisfying life, however.

The high prices here will also alienate many, as even apartment prices may provide out of reach for the average wage-earner. It’s a shame, as Turramurra is one of the greenest, cleanest and prettiest slices of residential Sydney on offer without hiking out to the true ‘national park’ suburbs on the city’s far extremes.