Passionfruit

Breillat is one of two favourite streets (along with Annandale Street, north section). It's in the quiet north part of Annandale, and nicely elevated (which means views and a very pleasant breezy feel). Behind the street is laneway access, which is great for keeping ugly bins out of one's chic courtyard, and for parking access if desired. But given small land size, most people keep their car(s) on the street. Luckily parking is sufficient in the area (albeit can be hard to always get a spot directly outside your house). Overall, the street has a very pleasant peaceful vibe. Occasionally one hears a plane, or the chatter of children (several young families hereabouts). When the wind blows a certain way, one can hear the soft murmur of CityWestLink traffic (like the ocean) when on the street, but I can't hear it when inside my Breillat Street house or in my courtyard.

One of my favourite aspects of Breillat is the native street trees, and a few private native gardens. Nearby are little bushy reserves and parks. Often I can spend the day there and only hear lorikeets and the trees swish in the wind. Amazing that it's so close to the CBD! And light rail is just down the road, as are buses on Crescent Street. Just around the corner is the very popular Revolver cafe (my tip is get there before 12pm if you are wanting lunch as easier to snare desired spot).

Annandale is a leafy pretty wide-street suburb that's still a great buy in my opinion. All of Annandale is nice, but I particularly like the north section (near Rozelle Bay). It's quieter here (less planes - in fact, I barely notice them) and it has a great bushy vibe thanks to efforts of the council and volunteer groups. Also has fantastic parks and it's an easy walk to the harbour. Hard to believe this paradise is so close to the CBD!

Annandale has a wonderful, friendly vibe with people of all ages and many young families. And I love the villagey feel, great shops and cafes. If it weren't for the small land sizes, the place would be very expensive. Yes, it's hard to have a big backyard for the kids here, but it doesn't matter; several family-friendly parks make this unimportant. I also hear that the primary schools are very good. (Child-free myself.) Annandale is a great alternative to Balmain: you get the heritage houses and cafe culture (and close to harbour), but less busy and crowded, with greater ease of parking/driving due to wider streets. In fact, my big-car husband refuses to return to "that side of Victoria Road" due to the narrow streets on Balmain pensinsula. (As a bike-rider, I really appreciate the extra quiet wide streets of Annandale. And I often see kids on their bikes around here.)

Annandale is also a great place to invest in; no worries about finding good tenants, being so close to the CBD, Sydney University and RPAH. Overall, it's hard to find a negative.