Shepherd

I've lived in Chippendale since late 2009 and have seen it bloom. It's a quiet, trendy little suburb but you'd be hard pressed to buy a house for under $1.1 million as this "gem" is on the up and up. A new wave of boutique cafes and restaurants have opened, and Chippendale Creative (basically a collective of art galleries and creative businesses) have received council support to turn Chippendale into the equivalent of Chelsea in New York, that is an upmarket arts district. Chippendale has a lovely, peaceful vibe with community gardens and ample green space (Victoria Garden's and a bunch of smaller parks). Another good thing about Chippendale is that while it is becoming upmarket, the fact that there is a large student population (Sydney University, UTS, Notre Dame University, Boston University) ensures that there is a wide selection of cheap-eats and a lively pub culture. Also, there are always things to do in and around Chippendale (e.g., book club at the White Rabbit Gallery, life drawing at the Creative Arts Centre). There's no place like Chippendale when it comes to finding a vibrant community and tranquility on Sydney's doorstep.

I've been living on Shepherd Street for quite a while (the Broadway end). I love that it's quite and tree-lined - not much traffic. It's close to many great value restaurants, and I'm able to stroll through Victoria park every evening as it's only 2 minutes walk away.

I look forward to the development of the Foster's Brewery up the road, the the Frank Gerhy building in Ultimo - as these developments will make this end of town much more exiting.

I highly recommend this street for renters, it's a shame that not many houses go up for sale here.