Sydney Suburb Guide
Sydney is divided into several general areas made up of different suburbs. Each area is distinct from the others when it comes to the type of properties available, the vybe of the neighbourhood, lifestyle, etc.
The guides below are derived from RealEstate.com.au and provide useful tidbits such as transport, schools, dining precincts, climate, entertainment, but more importantly you'll also get comments from locals who actually live there as well as real estate agents' predictions and comments on housing in the area. Each guide also includes local images and a fantastic informative video to help you really get a feel for the area before you purchase.
Please note that the guides below do not cover every single suburb in Sydney and some suburbs may also be listed under a different (neighbouring) area name. If the suburb you are interested in is not covered in the guides below, please feel free to contact us.
Sydney Eastern Harbour Suburbs
includes: Bellevue Hill, Darling Point, Diamond Bay, Double Bay, Dover Heights, Edgecliff, Ruschcutters, Watsons Bay, Parsley Bay, Point Piper, Rose Bay, Vaucluse, Woollahra
Post Codes: 2023, 2025, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030
One of the most sought after areas to live in Sydney is the eastern foreshore of Sydney Harbour from Watsons Bay to Darling Point. A lot of people aspire to live in these suburbs, many being successful executives and retirees. As the real estate is expensive there is a greater skew towards older residents than in most other areas of Sydney.
What makes this the most exclusive area in Sydney with the highest property prices is no doubt position, position, position! These suburbs have the best north facing harbour views, excellent access to the city, a cosmopolitan population, exclusive shops, a bevy of private schools, access to boating, netted harbour beaches, nearby ocean beaches, top competition golf courses, a choice of large shopping precincts and even bush walks on the harbour foreshore.
If you can afford it this is a great location. However there are down-sides, this area is oh, so busy. The through streets are crowded with cars, parking is difficult, the cost of living probably the highest in Australia. Having said that, for retirees with the ability to use any day of the week as their weekend, the beaches and facilities are remarkably quiet during the week days, the harbour virtually unused except for afternoon sailing races and the pollution minimal as it is swept away by harbour breezes. Many of the suburban streets off the main roads are quiet and leafy.
Learn more about the Eastern Suburbs
Sydney Lower North Shore
includes: Artarmon, Balmoral, Beauty Point, Blues Point, Cammeray, Castlecrag, Chatswood, Clifton Gardens, Cremorne, Crows Nest, Georges Heights, Greenwich, Kirribilli, Lane Cove, Lavender Bay, Linley Point, Longueville, McMahons Point, Middle Cove, Milsons Point, Mosman, Naremburn, Neutral Bay, Northbridge, Northwood, North Sydney, Riverview, Spit Junction, St. Leonards, The Spit, Willoughby, Wollstonecraft, Waverton
Post Codes: 2060, 2061, 2062, 2063, 2064, 2065, 2066, 2067, 2068, 2088, 2089, 2090
The North Shore of Sydney Harbour from Chinamans Beach to Lavender Bay is a highly sought after area by business executives and retirees. This area has a lot going for it and is slightly cheaper and less frenetic than the Eastern Harbour Suburbs directly opposite.
From either side there are great harbour views but from the Northern Harbour Suburbs there are some unique city views across the water. Another feature is direct harbour access for the public from many of the suburbs, such as the wonderful foreshore walk from Neutral Bay to Mosman.
There are also numerous foreshore parks. Ferries and buses provide good access to the city. The area has a good selection of restaurants and shopping centres, not to forget most residents believe the best harbour beach in Sydney is Balmoral (probably the only other harbour beach to rival Balmoral is Middleton in Albany, WA). Balmoral Beach is a paradise for swimmers and picnickers and also for fine dining, even though the council is doing its best to make it more and more difficult for visitors to park there.
Learn more about the Lower North Shore
Sydney Upper North Shore
includes: Asquith, Barra Brui, Berowra, Bobbin Head, Castle Cove, Cowan, Killara, Gordon, Hornsby, Lindfield, Mount Colah, Mount Kuring-Gai, Normanhurst, St. Ives, Turramurra, Pymble, Roseville, Roseville Chase, Warrawee, Wahroonga, Waitara
Post Codes: 2069, 2070, 2071, 2072, 2073, 2074, 2075, 2076, 2077, 2079, 2080
All ‘leaves and lawns' describes the part of Sydney known as the Upper North Shore. The suburbs which are popularly included as the Upper North Shore are in the Ku-ring-gai shire which extends from Roseville to Wahroonga. One school in Wahroonga is called the bush school which pretty well sums up this part of the world. A number of exclusive private schools are also located in the area, so it is fairly up market ‘bush'.
The houses are often large architect designed or federation style on oversize blocks with gum trees hiding some whole suburbs from the air. Many houses have swimming pools and although many of the tennis courts were sold off years ago to create battle axe blocks, courts are still a feature of the area which is more than you can say about most other parts of Sydney. Here the only noise you hear from the neighbours is the weekly lawn mowing ritual.
These are the highest suburbs of Sydney and it gets cold in the winter with occasional fogs. Turramurra also has Sydney's highest rainfall. The gardens in the area are beautiful so if you are a gardener this is an appealing area. Parts of this area are subject to bushfires as some houses literally have the bush for their backyard.
Learn more about the Upper North Shore
Sydney Inner West
includes: Abbotsford, Alexandria, Annandale, Ashfield, Balmain, Beaconsfield, Birchgrove, Breakfast Point, Burwood, Cabarita, Camperdown, Canada Bay, Chiswick, Clemton Park, Concord, Croydon, Drummoyne, Dulwich Hill, Earlwood, Enfield, Enmore, Erskineville, Eveleigh, Five Dock, Forest Lodge, Glebe, Haberfield, Homebush, Leichhardt, Lewisham, Liberty Grove, Lilyfield, Marrickville, Mortlake, Newtown, Petersham, Pyrmont, Rhodes, Rodd Point, Rozelle, Russell Lea, St. Peters, Stanmore, Strathfield, Summer Hill, Sydenham, Tempe, Wareemba
PostCodes: 2009, 2015, 2037, 2038, 2039, 2040, 2041, 2042, 2043, 2044, 2045, 2046, 2047, 2048, 2049, 2050, 2130, 2131, 2132, 2133, 2134, 2135, 2136, 2137, 2138, 2140, 2203, 2204, 2206
Sydney Northern Beaches
includes: Allambie, Avalon, Balgowlah, Bayview, Beacon Hill, Bilgola, Brookvale, Bungan Head, Careel Bay, Church Point, Clareville, Clontarf, Coasters Retreat, Collaroy, Cromer, Curl Curl, Currawong Beach, Dee Why, Elanora Heights, Elvina Bay, Fairlight, Freshwater, Great Mackerel Beach, Harbord, Ingleside, Long Reef, Loquat Valley, Lovett Bay, Manly, McCarrs Creek, Mona Vale, Morning Bay, Narrabeen, Narraweena, Newport, North Avalon, Oxford Falls, Palm Beach, Paradise Beach, Queenscliff, Salt Pan Cove, Sand Point, Scotland Island, Seaforth, Stokes Point, Taylors Point, The Basin, Tumbledown Dick, Warriewood, Whale Beach, Wheeler Heights, Wingala, Winji Jimmi
Post Codes: 2092, 2093, 2094, 2095, 2096, 2097, 2099, 2100, 2101, 2102, 2103, 2104, 2105, 2106, 2107, 2108
The northern beaches, also known as ‘the Peninsula', extend almost 30 kilometres along the peninsula from the Barrenjoey Lighthouse to Manly. Along the way are twenty two of the countries most stunning beaches which are to most visitors the focal points of this peninsula.
Most beaches have their own group of shops and cafes and enjoy expansive stretches of golden sand and great surf for board riders and body surfers. Each beach has its own unique personality. Some are more suitable for families with children and others are more suited to experienced surfers.
Less well known is picturesque Pittwater to the north-west of the peninsula. Pittwater is an expansive waterway bordered by national park bushland. It consists of calm water beaches, bays and islands such as Great Mackerel Beach, Lovett Bay and Scotland Island some with small communities accessible only by ferries, water taxis or private boats.
Pittwater is a fabulous waterway to cruise or sail without commercial traffic. Some residents of the northern beaches probably never go into the city; it has that remote holiday feel about it. You could be 100 miles away from the business action. In fact in the summer months many of the residents even wear beach attire when shopping, more like a resort town.
Manly is a popular tourist attraction which is crowded all year around. The real estate on this peninsula varies in price but the price for anything near the water with a view climbs steeply. The most up market suburbs are Palm Beach and Whale Beach which are near the tip of the peninsula.
