What are the Top 10 suburbs in NSW according to the rankings on here? (fill in the blanks please)

Hi Smither,

I am a Property Consultant I cover many area throughout Metro Sydney... Naturally what is best for one is not for another...

My professional and personal choices would be...

Balmain (For the Cafes, Boutiques, Location and good blend of family life and social life)
Beecroft (For your established, conservative safe village, beautiful early 1900's homes, ease to the City, Yet Zero nightline outside of some good local restaurants)
Dural area (For you semi rural properties, close to modern amenities, good schools and relative ease to the city)

Regards Denise

Denise

Thanks for the informative reply, and I think I can agree with you on Balmain and understand Beecroft (don't know Dural).

Given that Balmain can be considered "city" living, Beecroft "family" living and Dural "country-ish" living, I would be interested to know your thoughts on suburb of choice for "coastal/beachside" living...?

My wife and I are originally from the UK and have been renting in Sydney for the past 4.5 years (Darling Point for 1 year, and Mosman for 3.5 years) and now we have permanent residency we are looking for a family home/suburb. Mosman is great, but too expensive for the size/space we are looking for (3/4 beds & garden).

Whilst it appears we can get the size/space we want in St Ives/Upper North Shore we feel it is too early for that stage of our lives (daughter is only 2.5 yrs old) and we also feel that we moved out to Australia to enjoy some coastal living. We can't seem to find the right mix between the quality of the Upper North Shore/Beecroft-type suburbs and the coastal ones. Does it exist?

Thanks
Smifter

Forgot to also say, I am still interested in people filling in the blanks from the Local Voices ranking above as I have enjoyed learning about some new, obviously well loved, suburbs.

Hi Smifter,

I quess the rankings would change from time to time and i notice that you have Oatley at number 8.
As of today i am very proud to inform you that Dolls Point the wonderful suburb in which i work is number 8! and Oatley has gone to number 4
anyways i notice Dolls Point is not on your list so that fills in one of your blanks.
P.s and if you dont know of Dolls Point pack the kids and wife one sunday and come for a drive to the south from then on you will understand why we are in the top 10!

Belmore is a up & coming area. It still has the old-fashioned appeal of lots of indivdual shops rather than chain-stores, and this to me means personalised serviced by locals who know and remember you and your preferences when shopping. There are many fresh produce shops - butchers, green-grocers, many bakeries, seafood, specialised boutique supermarkets as well as health professionals, services such Post Offices, Banks, Newsagency, TAB, Solicitors, Hairdressers and light industrial such as mechanics etc. Burwood has also a lot of cosmopolitan eateries, a full range from your local take-away, to intimate cafes to ethnic restaurants. And there are a couple of clubs (Belmore RSL and Canterbury Leagues Club) and pubs. Transport is excellent, there is a train station in the middle of the shopping strip and buses also service Burwood Road.

Canterbury Council is investing big in the local shopping strip. Having already re-paved most of one side of the road in expensive modern large tiles, they are currently renovating the opposite side and also installing outside eating areas and new street furniture - all helping the great cafe culture that is evolving in Burwood Road.

It's not as busy as most inner-city shopping strips - you can safely cross the road - but it's just as good and interesting. The shopping is amazing, the locals really friendly. It's only 10-15 to Roselands or Campsie major shopping centres if you are after a Department Store too, so you do get the best of both worlds.

Watch out, Belmore is making it's mark!

For all your real estate needs, be it commerical, residential, to rent or to buy, call a long-term local.

Professionals Belmore
(incorporating Belmore Real Estate - est 1958)
Call us! 9758 2744

Thanks Adam and "ProfessionalsBELMORE" - great information and very interesting reading. Keep it coming!

Updated List (please help me find more)

1. North Epping
2. Tempe
3. Pemulwuy
4. Eastwood
5. Oatley
6. Barden Ridge
7.
8.
9. Dolls Point
10.

Hmm, how on Earth did boring old Dolls Point make the list? It's ok, but that's all ....... ok. There's PLENTY of better suburbs in Sydney.

Hey Kenneth - I am not quite sure how North Epping got to number 1 either...

Feel free to share the PLENTY of suburbs you know of - I am interested to know more.

Smifter, inner city living ........ Paddington.......... better still ........ Balmain. Fantastic close to city living/great social networking/culturally diverse. But as always anywhere in Sydney, bloody overpriced.

Vaucluse is a fantastic suburb. I owned a rather modest (for Vaucluse) penthouse there in the 80s, and I liked the ambiance of the place.

Wahroonga is a great suburb for family life with many interesting and nicely designed family homes ........ many of them older homes that are just lovely.

Despite the attractions of Sydney, I've actually spent the majority of my many years in the Aussie outback. The outback is "the" place to live for a lot of people ........ the place of choice; despite the misguided and often ignorant stigma placed on it by some city people who don't understand our nation's vastness and what it has to offer.

Yes, the outback and country towns and other regional centres also have a lot to offer. Certainly they are lower in cost.

That said, a lot of people remain in Sydney or want to buy in a capital city like Sydney for various reasons including being close to family, specialist work opportunities, specialist health and educational facilities and so on.

Personally my husband and I wanted to live out of a capital city, but aging parents needs and other family needs have required we live close by to them. Not to mention that my husband is in a specialist working field that has few work opportunities in anywhere but a capital city or overseas.

I doubt we are the only ones with this situation.

Smifter,

You could try the Northern Beaches areas. I know a lot are expensive, but certainly not as expensive as Mosman. Try Dee Why West, Narrabeen or Mona Vale. If you don't mind a little drive to the beach there is also Elanora Heights, Bilgola Plateau and slightly further away is Terrey Hills and the "Forest" area of Frenches Forest, Forestville, Belrose, Davidson. (I know these areas well as I used to live that way and grew up there). On the down-side public transport isn't great, but they do have a lot of facilities and work opportunites are increasing all the time.

Hope this helps.

Hi Smifter,

You may wish to consider Avalon or Clareville (Pittwater Side) this area could offer you the compromise you seek... No matter what area you select, you will receive many opinions. There are some really nice and affordable beach locations around Sydney that are not always thought of.

This is why my clients turn to me, for the Non emotional yet professional view. I know what it is like moving from another country with a vision of a new life.

All The Best

Denise

Smifter
based on what you've experienced and what you've asked for I respectfully submit that Normanhurst is a suburb that might suit you. Subsequently I have included a review of the suburb I have just put together this afternoon.

Normanhurst on Sydneys Upper North Shore is a suburb full of surprises.

Most visitor pass through Normanhurst on their way up or down Pennant Hills Rd, not realising that the suburb contains some of the best kept secrets in the area.

I walk every street of suburb weekly, and can attest to it having many beautiful, leafy, quiet streets hidden away from the main road which dissects the suburb into northern and southern sectors.

It has the advantage of being a suburb unencumbered with large shopping or entertainment developments which bring traffic, noise and filth - yet it is within a relative stone’s throw to Hornsby for those requiring their regular fix of retail therapy. Many shop at Hornsby for huge variety, although the Woolworths at Thornleigh Market Place (cnr Pennant Hills Rd & Comenarra Parkway) is one of that chains best. A 15-20 minute car trip will also see you in Macquarie Shopping Centre or 25-30 minutes to Chatswood (depending on time of day of course).

However all this aside, it must be noted that the small strip of shops adjacent to the train station are excellent for those last minute items. There is a great eatery, liquor store, newsagent, Laundromat, hair dresser and milk bar to name most, but not all, of those in that handy strip. Medical facilities at the end of the strip include a Doctors Surgery and Dentist. Child care and both public and private schools are in and about the suburb – some of the best in the country.

Sharing a common border with Wahroonga and with Turramurra & Waitara close by, Normanhurst would be an ideal stepping stone for those wishing to move south into the North Shore - if they chose to move on (which many don't). Many local residents will attest to having been breed, born and raised in Normanhurst - having never left, or unlikely to unless it’s in a timber box. There are quite a few instances of Gen X children moving back into the suburb where they grew up in order to raise their families. I think this is probably one of the best testaments to Normanhurst being a fantastic suburb for families, retirees and couples,….. and maybe singles that enjoy the quiet life.

Whilst the suburb is affordable for most, demand for property remains relatively high. No doubt this is also partly due to the rail corridor that transverses the suburb (running almost parallel with Pennant Hills Rd) from Hornsby to Epping, then onto Chatswood. There are 8 stops between Normanhurst station and Chatswood - with an "all stations" journey taking just 32 minutes. This gives residents good access to the city via Epping, or Hornsby if going the other way.

The median price for houses in Normanhurst in 2009 (covering 78 sales) was $655,000 whilst at the time of writing this review on 23/06/10 (covering 23 sales) it is now $690,000.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Michael Gill
0438 766 383
Keith Soames R/E

@Kennith123 - i think Dolls Point is an amazing suburb, what suburbs would you have prefered to see on the list?

Just noticed my favorite suburb has hit number 3! SANDRINGHAM.

If your wanting to be closer to the coast, I would suggest a couple of areas:

Manly or nearby - if you work in the city it has one of the best commutes in the world Manly Ferry (although, when they dont run the ferrys it takes forever) - My father's partner lives next door Balgowlah, that area is very nice, and you will be on the coast.

Eastern Suburbs - like Coogee or similar, this is right near the beach and also very close to the cbd - so not to difficult to get anywhere.

As for the best suburb - this all depends of your experience, and your likes and dislikes.

Personally I am quite fond of Cherrybrook & the Hills district, spent my teenage years there (however, didnt quite care when I was living in the area) but there are issues with these areas like no transport - so you have to rely on a car, and if you work in the city it takes you longer to commute to the city than it did for when I was commuting from Wollongong.

I love Wollongong - I know its not sydney, but its great as you get the small/medium size town with being a stone throw away from Sydney.

Currently I live in Guildford, again there are benifits and disavantages to the area. It's not really an area i would like to bring up kids if it stays the way it is now, however it quite affordable - and only a 45min train ride into the city, and very close to parramatta, and it might spike up in value - and that will change the area. So for potential this suburb could be the best.

Here's the current rankings, but I've noticed that these ranks change all the time.

1 Glenmore Park
2 Mount Annan
3 Stanmore
4 North Narrabeen
5 Bangor
6 Byron Bay
7 Alfords Point
8 Seaforth
9 Queenscliff
10 Dolls Point

I've put up something here where you can look at other states, worst suburbs, etc...
http://phreebie.com/suburbs/

Hunters Hill! Close to the city, quiet and leafy, very historic with lots of heritage buildings, on Sydney Harbour AND Lane Cove River. If you can afford it, then its a fantastic place to live.

Err... I'm starting to think that list is a pile of rubbish with suburbs like Glenmore Park, Mount Annan, Dolls Point, Hornsby and the list goes on... Some of these areas are high crime, highly developed, bogan trash areas but I guess some people like suburbs like that?

There's not enough people voting on this site, a suburb needs 8 ratings to get ranked. The rankings change all the time, currently it is...

1 Byron Bay
2 Nelson Bay
3 Queenscliff
4 Stanmore
5 North Narrabeen
6 Bangor
7 Maroubra
8 Alfords Point
9 Goulburn
10 Pemulwuy


If you change the min ratings to 20, you'll see that this is the top 10....

1 Byron Bay
2 Sans Souci
3 Mona Vale
4 Dover Heights
5 Mosman
6 Rouse Hill
7 Woollahra
8 Hornsby
9 Illawong
10 Coffs Harbour

Hi guys,

niknah is correct in that a certain amount of reviews is required for a suburb to get a ranking. The more reviews a suburb gets, the more accurate over time it is.

Also remember that reviews are an indication of what people think of living in those areas. While some people have very specific opinions of certain suburbs, they may not in fact live there. I know many people living in areas that are not considered 'fantastic' by the majority, but they LOVE living there.

AJ

Smifter, if you are a family man you cannot go past Oatley. I know I am biased (I live here) but it is absolutely PERFECT for families. It is a gorgeous, leafy green cul-de-sac suburb set right on the Georges River and only 10 mins drive from the big arterial freeway of the M5 which offers close access to the domestic and international airports. Oatley has a rail link that offers a relaxed 30 min trip into the CBD. All this without the crowds, pollution and horrific lack of parking of over-rated areas like Balmain, Paddington and Bondi! Oatley is close to EVERYTHING eg all the magnificent beaches of Cronulla, Shelley Beach and Oak Park, the second oldest national park in the world, the Royal National Park and surrounded by parklands, gyms, shopping and recreational areas. Oatley has a lively, trendy atmosphere with a fantastic (famous) pub and the suburb is spoilt for choice with lots of trendy cafes and restaurants. All this and you can wake up to the sounds of kookaburras (can't do THAT in the inner city!), rosellas, cockatoos and feel assured that your children will live in a safe, healthy and friendly environment. However, if you really want to live right next to a beach FORGET BONDI - its a transient and seriously over-rated suburb. My pick is Maroubra or South Cronulla which offer better ambience and a much more family oriented environment. Good luck in your search