Croydon, NSW 2132

Croydon is a great place to live with an abundance of charming Federation style homes, wide streets and trees. Very close to the inner west train line and around 20 minute to the city. The Strand is Croydon’s high street village shopping zone and is a great alternative to the hubbub of Ashfield or Burwood. Croydon Public school is fantastic and there are several high schools close by too.

A very nice place in the Innerwest with many good primary and high schools, childcares and parks. Peaceful and leafy.

I don't know why liveability indices wish to disparage it so much - possibly some bad experience, because living here is top notch for a family seeking decent costs in the inner west, it's greater than Summer Hill with a more family oriented feel. There are excellent schools in the vicinity, which is to be expected because inner west is the cutting edge of top notch private schools. Transport links are excellent, with frequent busses, and a great range of shops in neighbouring suburbs such as Burwood, Strathfield and Ashfield.

Kids are good. And so am I.

Hidden gem in the IW

This suburb, between Ashfield and Burwood, began with a grant to a convict’s wife. Isaac Nelson was transported for seven years, and his innocent wife, Sarah decided to follow as a free settler. She arranged her own passage and arrived in 1791. Three years later she received a grant of 15 acres on what is now known as Malvern Hill.

Where the railway station now stands was Hermitage Farm, a 100 acre grant made in 1794 to Baron Augustus Alt (1731-1815). He arrived with Governor Phillip in the First Fleet and as the colony’s first surveyor-general. Alt Street, Ashfield bears his name. From the 1860s to 1890s Croydon was a small village surrounded by the homes of wealthy businessman. One survivor of this period remains. The third Anthony Hordern, the retail baron, began in 1868 to build a property on 30 acres in Croydon. A splendid home, called Shubra hall, it was completed in late 1869. It was sold in the 1880s to J. Coghlan and in 1890 was acquired by the Presbyterian Church. The Presbyterian Ladies College, established in 1888, transferred there, where it remains today.

From 1867, when William Bottle had a small brickworks in Lucas Road brick making was an important local activity. By the 1910s three such firms were operating in the area. The area was known as Burwood or Ashfield, but when the railway station opened in 1875 it was called Five Dock. In august 1876, however, the name was changed to Croydon. This name, after the London suburb, was suggested by Ashfield Council in 1874 because Five Dock was a long way to the north of new station and some confusion had ensued.

Subdivision followed the coming of the railway, and Croydon and its neighbouring suburbs were known for their attractive Federation-style bungalows and two-storey, free-standing Victorian terraces. The latter usually have Australian cedar staircases with delicate carving and stained-glass windows. Renovation of some of these Victorian gems has uncovered original sandstock bricks used to decorate fireplaces and verandah areas. But times and trends have changed and may of the old houses have been demolished to make way for high-rise dwellings, which have altered the character of Croydon. The first school opened in January 1884, and the first post office on 1 January 1880.

Croydon Park is a small neighbourhood, on the edge of Croydon proper, and close to Dulwich Hill and Enfield, and achieved a separate identity because of the dissatisfaction of its residents. The public school’s Parents and Citizens’ Association considered that residents were rather left out of regular and efficient postal deliveries. A petition was prepared by their Member of Parliament asking that a post office be opened in the area, named Croydon Park post office. In 1914 their efforts were successful. The area was made a separate neighbourhood and took the name of its new post office.

The north western part of the suburb was part of William Faithful’s grant. Today Croydon Park Reserve bounded by Brighton Ave, Albert Rd and Croydon Ave on the Cooks River, is a well-known attractive park. A public school, important memorials perhaps to that early group of parents who established Croydon Park, stand in Georges River Rd. The post office is in Dunmore St, which honours John Dunmore Lang the first Presbyterian clergyman in Sydney.

Nestled between Burwood and Ashfield is the hidden gem that is Croydon.

Only 9 km from the City, Croydon is a commuters paradise. On the Inner West train line, coupled with great bus services at either extremity of the suburb stemming from Liverpool Road and Parramatta Road makes for easy public transport. The City West Link, Western Motorway and other major arterials pass around rather than through the suburb.

The village shopping centre has many cafes and resturants.

Great schools both public and private are in or very close to Croydon. Access to quality education is probably unsurpassed.

Croydon is a lovely suburb located next to Burwood. There are many houses around this area and some of these houses are of historical value. The roads are not as narrow as compared to places like Paddington. The streets are lined with trees and they are clean and well-kept. There are parks around the area for the kids too.

Croydon has a train station but this station is not serviced as frequently as Burwood station. There are some small shops in the heart of the suburb but this place is not as busy as the likes of Ashfield and Burwood. It is just a typical suburb. However, there are several schools here and this makes it a very attractive suburb to live in for families whose children are still in school.