PoolCleaner

I have lived in Dharruk for fifteen years. While Mount Druitt has many issues associated with lower socio-economic status suburbs such as crime - property offences, robberies, vandalism, and drug offences, it is one of the last example of the quickly vanishing Australian Dream.

I have wonderful neighbours which are courteous easy to get along with. I have never had an issue with any of them. I live in an area where the house on the quarter acre block is still the norm, and those houses have been occupied by the current occupants for decades which creates a positive community spirit.

Being a lower socio-economic suburb, Mount Druitt is not safe at night, and this is especially true at public transport sites, at choke-points, and in parks, especially around high-density housing estates.

That said, most of the Mount Druitt residents regardless of their educational background are very reasonable people, and despite the vulgarity of some, the community still resembles the days when the quarter acre block, the house, the car, and the dog, all were the norms of daily life.

This however is changing, and not necessarily for the better. Council incompetence, greed and/or corruption has allowed an unfortunate trend of increasing the population density without a corresponding increase in infrastructure. Many houses are being torn down and replaced by apartment buildings, and this has had a very detrimental effect over the last decade.

Road infrastructure is at capacity, and only getting worse. The worst examples of the 5pm rush hour of last decade is now the 3pm norm. The new higher population density areas are transient and do not have the same spirit or engagement as that of the original area, and there is a very large increase in the refugee population. This population while neither good or bad, does not seem to want to integrate. They form their own separate micro-community within the community.

Community services and access are top notch and far better than areas such as Botany, Parramatta, or Westmead, and rivaled by Penrith, and exceeded only by the Hawkesbury.

Mount Druitt Police deserve a special mention. They really are a top bunch of people who are doing a very difficult job, and have made, and continue to make this area a better place. Contrary to popular belief, they are held in quite high regard in the Druitt.

All in all, Mount Druitt is a far better place to live for those who still like driving motor vehicles, prefer local pubs over nightclubs, prefer houses to apartments, appreciate the mullet, and still hold to the ideals of yesteryear.