Tempe, NSW 2044

I'm surprised Tempe has all these good reviews as it's not that good. The biggest downside for me is the always hectic Princes Highway which takes up a lot of space of the suburb. It's one of the most unpleasant roads to walk along. Just feels like an accident could happen anytime there with someone driving out of control which alot of people do there. If you live on the east side of the suburb you kind of feel trapped as you always have to go through it to get out. Then there's Unwins Bridge road which is parallel to the Princes Highway and is also unpleasant to walk along and so there's 2 ugly roads which take up a lot of the suburb. The newsagent on the Princes Highway also closed down recently as it's a dead and nasty place.

I recently moved to Tempe and love it! It has such a sense of community that I have not found in other suburbs. I was originally looking at other areas of the Inner West but the real estate in Tempe is much more affordable (recently voted as the second most affordable within 10km of the CBD) and the block sizes much bigger and I have not regretted the decision.

Transport is excellent - regular trains go from Tempe to the city and they only take 10-15 mins. Sydenham stations is only a short walk away too with more lines and more frequent trains. With the metro line opening in a few years at Sydenham this will open up even more options.

In terms of airport noise, I live towards the south end of Tempe and do not find it an issue at all. It seems to be much louder in parts of Marrickville, Petersham etc than here. Of course if you go down the road to Sydenham then you are closer to underneath the flight path and it’s louder.

Food options are growing as more cafes open up nearby - Meraki (who are now also serving delicious dinners), Clock On/Off, Tinhorn. Renzos pizza on the highway is a locals favourite. The General Gordon pub is reopening after being rebuilt. Plus all of the options in Marrickville and Newtown are so close.

There are plenty of open spaces around to enjoy - Tempe Reserve and the Cooks River area which is great for for cycling/walks.

Shopping is covered by a Woolies at both Wolli Creek and Marrickville. Marrickville Metro is also close and soon to be expanded.

We moved to Tempe recently. I was so worried about the noise I stood in front of the house we bought for a day to see if we can cope with the noise and went inside to have a coffee with the owner.
Tempe is a great place to live not because of the shops or the beach, but it has a great community where people look out for each other. We had a book club, a bewerery club and a Tempercise club, also an annual yard sale but most of all, the people that create the community. If you are after a suburb that people look after each other like in the old days or like in the countryside, Tempe is the place to be.
Schools are great (Ferncourt, Tempe PS and Tempe High) and it's still so close to the city or the beach -15 minutes to the city by train or to Coogee or Bondi-20 minutes by car.

We purchased in Tempe 10 years ago and have not regretted the decision. A lot of people still do not know where Tempe is and are surprised to find it is only 8kms from the city and even more surprised to find how affordable housing is there. Houses are bigger and around $50 to $100K cheaper than surrounding "in" suburbs of Newtown and Marrickville, yet Tempe is only 5 mins from either of these. Come to Tempe, you will love it!!!! Tempe offers the following:-

* fantastic parks with great facilities for kids
* great neighbours, our friends are shocked at how may locals we know
* swimming centre/gym (Col Jones Fitness)
* Enmore Aquatic Centre 5 mins away
* childcare centre, primary and high school
* bike tracks
* great public transport from Tempe or Sydenham stations, 10 mins and your in the city or south to Hurstville. Buses to Newtown, Rockdale, Marrickville
* easy access to the M5
* 5 mins to Newtown, Marrickville, 10 mins to Brighton-Le-Sands for the beach
* very minimal aircraft noise - probably one of the quietest suburbs close to the airport as planes go over Sydenham and Rockdale
* a great family orientated pub "The Stella Inn"
* Marrickville Metro shops with K-Mart, Aldi, RTA, Woolworths
* IKEA opening soon
* 15 min drive to Roselands or Eastgardens Westfield
* golf driving range and golf course (Marrickville)

I'd recommend people house hunting in Newtown, Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Summer Hill who are finding it difficult to purchase there to give Tempe a good look - you will find what you want at a fraction of the price, this suburb is an undiscovered gem and really good value for money.

Cut in half by Princes H'way with the western side homes generally sitting on large blocks of land. Quiet & surrounded by parks, schools, swimming centre and of course tempe & Sydenham Railway Stations only minutes away.

Close to airport - 10-15 minutes. Close to M5 motorway. 3 minutes drive to King Street Enmore/Newtown entertainment precinct.Short drive to marricville shops & Marrickville Mall.

Prices 2/3rds of Newtown with better homes.

Having lived in Tempe most of my life and having lived in a few other inner city suburbs I would still recommend Tempe. Mainly for me, its the ease of which you can get to the city. Train 10-15mins. Early morning, before traffic builds 10mins drive to city. Night-out in city, cabs are cheap. Has few eateries Labela Casa excellent pizza and the very popular Dinos Diner formerly Cobb and Co, Schools are great primary and high. Excellent family GP. Fitness centre/pool. HUGE park, Tempe reserve, with an excellent kids playground BBQ areas, tennis, football fields, golf driving range all by the ever cleaner Cooks river. The closer homes to Sydenham station are even luckier with train transport, Sydenham being a major station with trains to every direction and every few minutes. Great, safe outdoors for kids to play, adults to exercise, families to enjoy and even the retirees to relax. Only downside is the aircraft noise which you don't notice much after a while of living here, so to me its negligible. Remove the planes and houses here would easily reach $1.5 to $2million+ in my oppinion. Not to mention a 5 min bus trip to King Street Newtown with all its excitement and life. Very under-priced and under-estimated lifestyle. So if you work in the CBD i can't imagine why on earth you wouldn't live in Tempe, travel less and enjoy life much more.

Tempe itself may not have an abundance of stores & restaurants within a 5 minute walk, however it is ideally placed to Newtown & Marrickville so that numerous restaurants & shops are within a couple of kilometres. The main street in Marrickville is easily within walking distance. Tempe is also one of the safest areas 'crime wise' in the Marrickville Council area. Yes there is no disputing that there is aircraft noise in some pockets, but personally this is a small price to pay to live in a large house with a large yard within 5 minutes of Newtown & Marrickville & 20 minutes of the CBD.
One of Sydney's most affordable & best kept secrets!