Matraville, NSW 2036

Full of crime
Highly populated by people on government benefits
High turnover of men going into the Bay & out … it’s like it’s cool to not work live off benefits & a genetic cycle for single mothers over n over

Easy parking, good shops, very central

I purchased the house in Beauchamp Rd on a large 583 sqm block ten years ago. The biggest changes are in the gentrification. The houses have increased in value as the families of a higher socio-economic bracket moved in. The house in Matraville is actually good value for the money as the price of the house in Maroubra located just across the road is at least 20% more. There is a wonderful sense of peace and privacy in Matraville. Matraville is short distance to Maroubra, Malabar, La Perouse and Little Bay beaches and Coastal Walk. Very close to many primary and High Schools, University of NSW, CBD, Sydney Airport, Prince of Wales Hospital, Westfield Eastgardens and renowned Heffron Park, with its extensive playing fields, cycling paths and tennis courts. Family friendly Eastern Suburb and central to everything. Highly recommended.

A Matraville is changing! New developments and a new shopping precinct will see many new families flock to the area.

Matraville is situated less than 30 minutes to Sydney’s CBD and is growing into one of the popular & affordable areas in the Eastern Suburbs. Matraville is serviced regularly by public transport and is surrounded by local schools, parks and the beaches. It is a quite area with no traffic or noise pollution etc all in all a good place to live.

Some people are totally preoccupied with where they live and they need to trade down their expectations and lose their suburb snobbery. Sydney pegs people by geography in a way no other city does. Melbournites might peg you by the school you went to, but Sydneysiders are judgmental about which suburbs you live in. The obsession with harbourside and inner-city living is driving up house prices to unprecedented levels. The eastern suburbs and inner-city are notoriously expensive with slim pickings for first home buyers wanting a house, typically a safer long term investment with higher land value than apartments.

The houses at Randwick, Kensington or Kingsford are quite pricey and many buyers started to realize that if they move just a few kilometres further south-east they can buy a much bigger block of land and house for the half of the price. It's up to people to use their nous and work out where they can afford to live. Matraville is in the local government area of the City of Randwick.

With all the development currently happening including the massive upgrade of Matraville shopping centre, the ugly duckling is finally set to turn into a swan. Matraville is quiet and safe area not raunchy like King’s Cross and Darlinghurst if you're out late on weekends.

I am astonished to see that Matraville generated so much interest. It speaks for itself. No doubt that this suburb is becoming a very popular place to buy and live.

I might sound opinionated. Take me at face value, read between the lines. The wise man only believes half of what he hears, a genius knows which half.

We've all heard about Sydney's crazy house prices, but there are still affordable gems to be had. It really is depressing to see how little half a million dollars gets you in today's property market.Just five years ago, that kind of money bought a quality period property in a popular suburb not far from CBD.Today, it won't even come close.

The last remaining exception is the city's south - east where, at least for now, pockets of affordable quality property can still be found at or below the Sydney median house price of $625.000. There are some good tree-lined streets and there's an emerging shopping and cafe strip that's following the trends of other lifestyle suburbs.

Generally speaking, good capital growth — a doubling in value every seven to 10 years — is achieved by properties that are close to the city with easy access to public transport and all the amenities that entails. Matraville is one of these area in lower eastern suburbs that is "picking the eyes out of the market". It is close to city, famous beaches, University of NSW and eastern suburbs shopping mecca.

The suburb is undergoing a massive revamp. The recent developments in the heart of the shopping strip, the “Peninsula” and “Mawarra” were sold out in record time. The area near the shops is definitely the more desirable part of Matraville. Considering all these facts there is no doubt that the lower eastern suburbs will be a story for 2010 - plus.

The crime is an unfortunate fact of life. Every Sydney suburb is affected by this problem although worldwide comparison and statistics suggests that Sydney compares well as a safe city. Some suburbs are affected more than others. I lived in Darlinghurst for a couple of years and my car have been vandalised and broken into at least 10 times. Every single owner and resident has had their car broken into.Still, nice area to live , close to city and night life. I grew up on the upper north shore and that usually felt pretty safe. I now live in Pyrmont and its nice and quiet around here too but Ultimo is a stones throw away and I wouldn't walk around there.... that’s how quickly the "safety factor" can change.

You can't just single out certain areas because everywhere has potential to be unsafe at night when you're alone. It's unfair to just single out Cabramatta just because it has a reputation, has anyone saying they'll never go there actually experienced it for themselves? Bad things happen everywhere, not just in one area you can single out.

My office is in Matraville and I can confidently say that this suburb is safe. No worse than anywhere else. For people who feel unsafe I think that this is more likely due to general perception of the area or stigma attached to the certain suburb. Crime and violence seem greater than they are because the news sensationalizes them.

The idea that some suburbs are safer than others is a bit silly and some of Sydney's more affluent and perceived safe suburbs actually have more break-ins. Break ins are quite frequent in higher socio-economic areas for simple reason – there is more to steal. Living in more affluent suburb will give you the false sense of security. I would have no qualms about moving to Matraville but of course common sense city living rules would apply.

I wouldn't walk anywhere by myself at night in Sydney... but if you're the kind of person who enjoy walking around alone at night, try living in, say - New Zealand.

Obviously some people had unpleasant personal experience however we cannot generalize things based on someone's individual experience. Like anywhere else there are good and bad spots to every Sydney suburb. I grew up in area and my parents still live in Matraville near the shopping center (Australia Av.) Matraville is very quiet family area and very close community indeed. I think that there is different perception and this suburb is safer than generally believed. Our house has never been broken into and my opinion about Matraville is quite different and very positive. The latest NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research facts are very different from personal view expressed here by some individuals. Waverley or Woollahra are both ranked higher than LGA Randwick / Matraville for Break& Enter although the average B & E rate in all three LGA is higher than NSW average . Generally speaking (and according to the crime figures) the eastern suburbs appeared reasonably more safer than for example Inner City or Inner West.

Regards,

Emma Smith

http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/pages/bocsar_onlinequeries

Our family have lived there for the last 15 years or so and still there, it's just not as safe as it looks....You just don't know when you will have another break in.

Corner of Beauchamp Rd & Anzac Pde bus station is a little scary after dark. You never know who might be mugging or hassling you!

Another incident during dusk, when I stopped the car at the same traffic light junction - a teenager had tried to access my car while waiting without my knowing - luckily it was locked and the light changed for me to go. It is now made safer by patrolling security guards/police right at the lights.

Additionally, our house and quite a few others has been burgled numerous times and car windscreen been smashed in driveways - cars being broken into a few times.
So make sure you install alarms and lock your property if you are not home.

Love to see what happens after the Penninsula is built though - that's only down the road from us.
There's pockets of houses with the not so desirable residents - this makes this place simply unpleasant and you need to stay in constant guard.I would have bought a place of my own there, but these things are making us think twice about living there!

Sorry to bare the truth, but otherwise, the surrounding neighbours are great.
You will know when you live there long enough I guess.....
At least it's not as bad as Lexington Place which is across the Anzac Pde in South Maroubra.

Matraville, an older established area is situated approximately 9 kilometres by road south-east of the Sydney CBD. Matraville is in the local government area of the City of Randwick. It is in close proximity to all general services and amenities and almost walking distance to Westfield Eastgardens Shopping Centre and Maroubra, Malabar or La Perouse beaches.

The University of New South Wales is only 4 kilometres from Matraville and there is a regular and frequent bus service to CBD via Bunnerong Road, ANZAC Parade, ( UNSW) Oxford Street, Central Railway Station, Martin Place & Circular Quay.

The properties at Murrabin, Australia or Partanna Avenue have been well received by the market in 2009 and would most likely appeal to the owner occupier segment of the market. It is very quiet area too.

The house prices have gone up a lot recently as Maroubra and Little Bay are becoming unaffordable. Despite of this, you can still buy a Federation style house, close to the water on huge block of land for almost half the price of some of those in surrounding Eastern Suburbs for no reason. The growth hasn't been as dramatic as the surrounding suburbs however it's due to catch up.

Joshua Frank, Sydney

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matraville,_New_South_Wales

A quiet suburb with quick access to the city. Extremely close to beaches, shopping centres, parks, schools, hospitals. Some parts have city skyline views, some have water views. Cheaper houses can be almost half the price of some of those in surrounding suburbs for no reason.

The Sydney suburb of Matraville is situated in the Eastern Suburbs, 11 kilometres south east of the GPO in the local government area of the City of Randwick. It has a population of just over 8,600, 23% of whom are under 18 and 20% are over 60.

The suburb has a combination of residential, commercial and industrial sites. There is a small shopping centre on Bunnerong Road which houses the “House of Pie” which has won many bakery awards. Along Botany Road there is the Amcor paper recycling mill. There is also still one of the last traditional Chinese gardens. The houses in the area are a combination of private dwellings and housing commission. In the 1980’s a large housing estate was built on the site of the former Matraville Drive In, of both medium density public housing and private houses.

There are three primary schools in the suburb – two public and one Catholic. There is also Matraville High School – a piece of trivia – the first dux of Matraville High School was the former NSW Premier, Bob Carr! A child care centre/preschool is also in the suburb.

Buses provide regular public transport to the city and surrounding suburbs.

The suburb is lit up at Christmas with a large lights display – well worth a visit!