MattH5

We came acorss this charming suburb purely by chance, and we're very glad we did as it ticks all the boxes for us as a early 40s couple with young kids. Perhaps the most surprising thing is the number of heritage properties and elevated streets with flawless views of the city and botany bay, yet properties with these amazing views are still very affordable compared to e.g. Marrickville or Earlwood. And a lot larger, with 400-500sqm appearing to be the norm.

Not bad for a suburb that's still only 9km from the CBD (5 stations to central). And don't be fooled by its position on the map - the suburb is right near the airport but it's between the north-south and east-runways - this is one of the few suburbs in Sydney where you can see the planes, but not hear them.

Recreation-wise, it's handy to everything, including an easy 15min drive on the M5 to any of the lower eastern-suburb beaches or 5min drive to brighton for a quick dip. While it's true that Arncliffe doesn't have much of a restaurant/cafe scene by itself (yet), it's a mere 5min to the good quality restaurants and cafes of brighton-le-sands, or 10min in the opposite direction back to our previous suburb Marrickville for a pork roll. Arncliffe does however have some of the best lebanese around, and grocery shopping at nearby Rockdale plaza (Coles, Big W, Aldi, 5min drive), Tempe Woolies (5min) or Arncliffe IGA are more than sufficient.

I'd say it's biggest con is that some parts of Arncliffe are pretty scrappy and a bit of a turnoff, but if you look a little harder, like the more elevated areas to the east of the suburb, you'll see a totally different suburb, with wide, quiet streets, sweeping views of the city and botany bay, and regardless of your budget, I challenge you not to be impressed.