How to Choose a Suburb in an Australian City
Which Suburb?
Australia is crawling with suburbs! If you think you’ve got it tough deciding which city to live in, wait until you have to drill down and choose a suburb in that city. Australian cities, between them, have well over 1,000 suburbs.
So, as you can imagine, it’s very difficult for me to answer questions about good and bad suburbs around Australia.
That’s why I started the “Own Your Town” page, to invite people who do live here in Australia to tell us about their suburb and what it’s really like to live there. Hopefully, as time goes on, we’ll get more and more reviews in to help you make your decision.
I have broken all of the suburbs down for you for each of the big cities here on this website. From any page, simply hover over the “Living in Australia” link in the top navigation bar towards the left and the 10 major cities will drop down. Hover over your city of choice and to the right it will be broken down further into, usually, Inner, North, South, East and West.
Click on any one of those links, and at the foot of each page you will see a full list of every suburb for that particular part of that city.
And if anyone has chosen to “Own the Town“, then you’ll be able to view their video about it there. There may be other videos that I have found on video sharing sites for you to view as well. If you want to know more about that particular place, why not post a question in the comment box at the bottom. Someone who lives there might pop by and answer your question.
Hopefully that will help you choose a suburb. I’ll be adding videos of my suburb and a few other suburbs around me, and maybe some of other areas of Brisbane too. If you live in Australia, why not add a video, or just a comment, for your area?
More useful links:
There are some other very useful websites with some great information about Australian suburbs. First up is a website that will give you the demographics for each suburb, like how far it is from the city centre (CBD), the population, size by square kilometres, average age, median house prices and more…..
Visit: myboot.com.au
This next website is great for researching information about Australian suburbs. It’s also a portal for Australian real estate sales, so you can go househunting at the same time. But in this section of their website, select your state first and then the suburb from an alphabetical list. Click “view suburb data trends” and it will take you to a page full of useful information, mostly house prices and trends.
But if you scroll to the bottom of the page, you’ll see a box with an overall review of that area and a percentage mark for it. You will also see individual ratings for Parking, Neighbourly Spirit, Peace & Quiet, Clean & Green, Parks & Recreation and Pay TV Access.
And if you click on the red button inside the box that says “Read all Reviews”, then you can read reviews about that suburb. I checked mine out and there were five written reviews. Here’s the link to the site…
Visit: realestate.com.au/research
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Please help. We are immigrating to Australia. We would like to live in the Eastern Suburbs. Which suburbs are affordable and nice to live. We would like to drive around the areas in July 2011 when we come for our holiday. Please give some tips
Hi Dedrei
Well, Eastern Suburbs only really consists of Alexandra Hills, Capalaba, Thornlands, Gumdale, Tingalpa, Hemmant and Wakerley and I don’t really know much about any of them at all.
But I have been to Bayside and I’ve got some videos of a few of the suburbs there that I made. I’ll be adding them to this website soon on my page about Eastern Suburbs Brisbane.
So stay tuned.
Meanwhile, you will get a lot of information about the area and what each suburb is like by clicking through those useful links above. But it’s not the big area, you will get a good feel of it when you come here on holiday.
Hi DedreiBotha,
I would presume that you would be talking about the famous but very expensive Eastern Suburbs area of Sydney. Here is a description of the Eastern Suburbs (defining the cost to purchase homes there) :
The northern parts of the EASTERN SUBURBS surrounding Sydney Harbour feature the exclusive suburbs such as Vaucluse, Rose Bay, Darling Point, Dover Heights, Double Bay, Point Piper, Woollahra, Watsons Bay, Potts Point, Rushcutters Bay, Elizabeth Bay and Bellevue Hill. The old saying: “You need Double Pay to live in Double Bay is true”. Point Piper homes can range from around $20 Million (if they are right on the harbour). You will need SERIOUS money to live here.
South of these suburbs are Bondi Junction, Bondi, Bronte, Tamarama, Queens Park, Clovelly, Coogee, Randwick and Kensington. Homes in these areas are cheaper but are still expensive ranging well over AUS$1 Million to AUS$7 Million. These areas are great to rent as they are close to the eastern beaches of Bronte, Coogee, Tamarama and, yes, Bondi (which, btw, is NOWHERE near the nicest beach in Sydney).
To the west of Bondi Junction are the inner-city suburbs of Centennial Park, Paddington, Darlinghurst, Moore Park and the Kings Cross locality. The landscape in these areas is dominated by overhanging trees and renovated terrace houses. Homes can vary widely in price here but you will be paying over AUS$1.5+ Million for something that is a dump that needs renovating unless you want to live in a 1 bedroom Studio in Darlinghurst or Kings Cross for around AUS$600,000+. Rentals in these areas can range anywhere between $350.00 per week for a studio upwards but most of these type of rentals, you would need to sign a 6 months+ lease. In Sydney, furniture is not often provided with long-term leases.
Further south, the area is also known as “South-Eastern Sydney”. It includes suburbs such as Maroubra, Matraville, Malabar, Little Bay and La Perouse.
Personally, I think the Eastern Suburbs are over-priced, over-rated and over-crowded. My suggestion is to look to the Southern Suburbs along the Illawarra line, eg Campsie, Kogarah, Rockdale which are central to everything, on a rail line (close to the city) and with homes and units (apartments) that are moderately priced.
I’ve lived in Sydney most of my life and I think some of the best areas of Sydney (to live) are the multicultural St George district (which is spoilt for choice with beautiful parks, trendy restaurants, cafes and within 45 minutes from the city by rail) and right near the arterial highways of the M5 (with direct links to the city and Canberra). Also, Cronulla/Sutherland has some beautiful beaches. Homes and rental here are also expensive but a lot more reasonable than the eastern suburbs. The NORTHERN BEACHES areas of Sydney, eg Collaroy, DeeWhy and Narabeen are gorgeous!
My advice is not to restrict yourself to the EASTERN SUBURBS as they are extremely expensive areas with some issues relating to noise and street brawling. AVOID THE INNER WESTERN SUBURBS of Bankstown, Wiley Park, Punchbowl due to recent serious criminal activity, eg drive-by shootings (on targeted homes). The far western suburbs are inexpensive to rent and live but the areas beyond Liverpool and Parramatta are too far out from the city and there’s not much night life or cultural activity out there.
Northern Suburbs, Southern Suburbs, St George are lovely family-oriented areas which are a lot more reasonable to live in and rent and still quite close by rail. Good luck!
Gosh! Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs are a lot more expensive than Brisbane’s Eastern Suburbs! Not sure which Eastern Suburbs Dedrei Botha meant, but I hope for the sake of her bank balance she meant ones in Brissie.
Nice round up though Kathryn, thanks for that.
I think most people enquire about the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney because of the (undeserved) popularity of Bondi Beach. The area is notoriously expensive and you really don’t get much for your money there – there are other areas and beaches in Sydney that are much nicer.
I actually couldn’t tell the difference between Bondi Beach and Coogee Beach, as you can see from my post called Sydney. NOT the capital Australia.
But everyone raves about Bondi, no-one ever seems to mention Coogee. Strange.
Hi Sir,
First of all your site is briiliant as it contains all kind of info about Australia. I am from Pakistan and i would plan to get study visa to brisbane. I am very confused about the residence. I will move with my famiy, my husband and 2 years daughter. I am selected CQU which is at Ann Street. I want residence near it. Please give me some nearby areas which are low rented and suitable for family. I want studio or 1 bed.
Reply me please
Regards
Hi Ayesha
If you head over to my page about housing, you’ll find a link there to an online real estate search engine which you can use to find out the prices of housing, studio and one bed apartments to buy or rent.
If you mean Ann Street in the city centre, there aren’t many (or any) areas around there that are low cost. I suggest you search a wider area and specify the amount of rent you want to pay.
Good luck!
Dear Bob,
I’m 40 years old now, and very interested to the info on your e-book, and other source you provide. I’m from Indonesia (Jakarta), and I’m set a plan to move to suburb between Brisbane and Goldcoast, in the nest 1-2 years ahead. Where is your suggestions to choose ?
I prefer a home in quiet area, but not far from my son ( 7 & 8 years old) school. My skill is on handling home support, especially in green pest management/ green building management. I hope, I can get a job first for 6-12 months in Pest Control Company here, before I develop my own research for green pest management solutions.
Any way I happy that there is a person like you who provide this service.
Warm regards,
Thomas W.
Hi Thomas
I don’t really know the area well enough to make specific suggestions, but I do have some useful links on my page called Which Suburb. You will find a link to it underneath the Migration Advice link in the main navigation menu at the top.
Happy hunting.
Dear Bob,Im wanting to leave NZ with my eldest boy to Perth to live to be closer to my other little boy who is 2yrs,might i add my eldest is 10.My ex partner is living there in WA with him but will not help me in any way.We both are from NZ but i need to be closer to my bubba to.I have my eldest in my care and his mother has given me full permission to take my eldest over.Can i get assistance from the government to help me start off.My ex partner there has been living there for well over 3yrs and had our son there to.I would really appreciate if you can help me with some answers as i need to be with my young to.With Kind Regards Tom Parkes.Thank You Bob.
Sorry Tom, I have no idea. I imagine you would have to make enquiries with Centrelink.
good luck!
Bob
Hi Bob,Thank u for the reply i will indeed get hold of them.Very much appreciated.With Kind Regards Tom Parkes.Thank You.
P.S-Love ur site,Great info.
Thanks Tom and good luck!
Tom, here is a link providing you with information on Centrelink located at Perth:
http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/services/career_centres_outlets.htm#wa
However, you may have some issues in attaining financial assistance if you are not an Australian citizen. My suggestion is that you visit Perth (on a holiday) before you make any final decision about a permanent move. Use the time there to seek out employment opportunities, make enquiries about real estate (purchasing or renting) and what area(s) close to your young son’s location that appeal to you.
It amazes me that your ex-wife managed to get away with moving to another country with your child without your permission! Usually, spouses are not allowed to remove a child without the permission of the other parent. It may be a good idea to talk to a solicitor to ascertain your legal rights on this issue.
I assumed you did give your wife permission Tom. If you didn’t, you might like to read my post about moving abroad with children.
Hi Bob,
Was looking at some bed and breakfasts inBrisbane That are convenient to CBD, a couple that looked nice were in Paddington and New Farm, would like to get a feel for some of the suburbs. Do you have any info you can share on these two areas? Are they more expensive areas to live? What would be the differences – do you l,e one area better than the other (assuming you have some knowledge about them both)? Do you have any other suggestions on good areas to stay that have good transportation or walking distance to places of interest, restaurants etc. so you cold manage without a car for the time in the city? Appreciate your help.
Karen
Hi Karen
Both areas are very popular and trendy and both offer easy access to the city. My preference would be for Paddington, it has easy access to pubs and restaurants.
New Farm is really nice too, close to the river and also not far from Fortitude Valley, full of pubs and clubs. You wouldn’t need a car at either of them.
Bob
I was just surfing the web and found a great website for deciding on a suburb in Australia.
It’s called Cityhobo.com.
Hi Max
Yes, I’ve seen that website before, it’s not bad. Certainly doing better than my “Own Your Town” effort, which hasn’t really got off the ground.
But it’s not great either, I had a look around their Brisbane listings and my suburb doesn’t seem to exist. Shows how hard it is to get this sort of thing off the ground.
It’s worth looking at though, and maybe some cities have better coverage than others. Thanks for the tip.
Bob
Hi, we are moving to Brisbane from Melbourne in a few months. My husband will work in Manly. We have 2 primary school children. Can you recommend a good school/area to live in? Tx!
Hi Zelna
I think it’s all quite nice over that side, as long as you stay close to the coast. Not sure about the schools though, but I think there is quite a lot of choice. Have a look at my page called Which school? That’ll help you select a decent school.
Thank you Bob!!
Hi Bob,
I am enjoying your website, very informative.
My wife and I will be moving to Brisbane to live very soon and we would like and idea on an area that would best suit us.
We are in our early 50′s and we enjoy live music bars and good eating places but we also like to chill out by taking walks, I will be working in the city so I will probably depend on Public transport to get there so I don’t want to be to far away, any ideas Bob?
Many thanks,
Sandy
Most of the night life takes place in Fortitude Valley, New Farm, the West End and Paddington. I’d be inclined to choose somewhere that has good access to those places and the city, but you may find it too noisy or possibly too expensive to actually live in those areas.
The Gap might be worth a look, but I think you really need to check out some places for yourself when you get here.
Cheers
Bob
Hi Bob,
Your website is so useful and informative.
Myself, my partner and our daughter (13) are in the process of emigrating to Aus. Our query is, as a lesbian couple we would like your advice and knowledge as to where you think would be the most open minded and safe place for primarily our daughter.
Brisbane is the most appealing to us???
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanking you in advance,
Connie
Connie, my advice to you is to consider Sydney which is one of the most gay-friendly cities on earth! The inner (Sydney) city areas of Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Leichhardt, Newtown have huge populations of gay residents. Also, the Blue Mountains area of Katoomba (which offers a gorgeous alternative lifestyle in a World Heritage listed environment) is favoured by a lot of gay people as well as people who are artistic, theatrical or musical. Generally, Melbourne, Sydney or Adelaide are considered more liberal in their views than Brisbane or Perth (which are widely considered to be much more conservative). However, whichever city you choose, I doubt you will have any problems. Generally Australians accept people for who they are and are extremely tolerant. Discrimination against people due to their colour, race or sexual inclination is not only illegal in this country but is frowned upon by the large majority of the population. Welcome down under!
Good answer Kathryn, better than I could have done
You are probably right, Sydney would be the best option, but Sydney isn’t for everyone. Connie, when you say you are looking for “open minded and safe place for primarily our daughter”, I think they are two different things.
Sydney would certainly be the most open-minded for your situation, but maybe not the safest for your daughter. Although I’m not saying that Sydney is not safe, but Tasmania would probably be safer if you get my point.
But Kathryn has nailed it anyway, you will almost certainly be accepted anywhere and not discriminated against, and Australia is a pretty safe country wherever you go. So, perhaps you should try Sydney first, or maybe just go where ever you want to.
Please do let us know where you end up and what you think of it.