Mike Mikov

Suburb is good if you stay at home and are content with limited shops nearby. Commuting to the CBD is a pain. On paper it's 35-40 minutes, in reality, there's always something happening that takes this figure higher. I.e. trespassers on tracks, track congestion, canceled trains, etc. So usually it's closer to 45-50 minutes. Out of 6 months, Vline has been out of service for 2.5 months. Commuting to the CBD on train replacement buses easily takes 2-2.5 hours each way.

Driving out of the area is OK if not in rush hour, otherwise add an extra 20 minutes. Living in this area means you'd be spending A LOT of time in transit/traffic.

There's no swimming pool in walking/cycling distance. AquaPulse in Werribe is always packed and it's not even olympic as they split it in half.

People-wise it's safe. Mostly you see here Indian families who are quiet and keep to themselves. There are some youths of a certain kind who litter everywhere and can be rowdy but I personally haven't had dangerous encounters with them yet.

There's very few hoons in the residential areas and it is pretty quiet. Walking on the streets is pleasant and there's some nice areas with birds, ducks, and swans.

I've been living near Padstow North Public School and have been having a great experience overall. The suburb is walkable - you can walk to Coles, Woolworths Revesby, Max Parker Aquatic Centre, Bunnings, Muslim Brotherhood gym. Even Bankstown Shopping Centre is reachable on foot if you're keen for a longer walk. I rarely used my car and just walked everywhere which I enjoyed a lot.

Playford Park is nearby and offers some activities for everyone, and also a place to meet other parents and find friends for kids. Padstow Library runs some events for kids, too. There's a swimming learning centre for kids. Really, a great place for kids and again, you don't need to drive anywhere, just walk.

There are enough quiet streets where you can just wander around on your own or with a pram.

The cons of the suburb are - there's noticeable pollution and noise from M5. Grease from car exhaust fumes builds up on porch tiles and windows quite quickly. There is some through traffic in the suburb and some streets are affected.

There are a lot, really a lot of revving cars and motorbikes with modified loud exhaust pipes. Literary every 20th car driving past would be very loud. It's the whole Bankstown area affected by those hoons. They would even rev their cars next to cafes around Padstow station to disturb the peaceful existence of everyone.