HonestJohn

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.