Inner-city neighbourhoods dominate the most livable suburbs in Australia’s biggest cities, but a few surprises were included in a new report.
Sydney’s eastern suburbs and north shore, Melbourne’s trendy inner-north and riverfront neighbourhoods in Brisbane dominated the list.
However, a surprise inclusion in Melbourne’s top 10 was Footscray in the traditionally working-class western suburbs that jumped to sixth spot.
Expensive Sydney suburbs came out on top with Milsons Point, Lavender Bay, Sydney CBD, Kirribilli, and McMahons Point the top five. Pictured: Milsons Point in Sydney
Bonus points were awarded for being close to the beach or coast, and for ocean, river and Sydney Harbour views
The Domain Liveable Cities study by Deloitte Access Economics and Tract Consultants examined more than 1,100 suburbs in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
They were ranked on their crime rates, access to public transport, traffic, and education and employment opportunity.
Also considered were the number and quality of cafes and restaurants, open space, tree cover, aircraft noise, and how easy it was to walk around.
Bonus points were awarded for being close to the beach or coast, and for ocean, river and Sydney Harbour views.
Expensive Sydney suburbs came out on top with Milsons Point, Lavender Bay, Sydney CBD, Kirribilli, and McMahons Point the top five.
North shore suburbs Wollstonecraft, Waverton, and North Sydney also made the top of the list.
Not far behind were several suburbs in Sutherland Shire like Cronulla, Jannali, and Sutherland itself, which scored well despite their distance to the city.
However, some of the richest suburbs scored worse than Parramatta and others deep into the west.
Melbourne’s best was dominated by trendy neighbourhoods that were once working class but long since gentrified and populated with hipsters. These included East Melbourne, Carlton, Fitzroy North, and Collingwood, though South Yarra (pictured) claimed the top spot
Point Piper was ranked 166th, Dover Heights at 159th and Hunters Hill at 225th, because there were few public amenities with everything lock behind iron gates.
Melbourne’s best was dominated by trendy neighbourhoods that were once working class but long since gentrified and populated with hipsters.
These included East Melbourne, Carlton, Fitzroy North, and Collingwood, though South Yarra claimed the top spot.
Footscray jumped from 76th to 6th, showing how much of a difference an influx of hipsters had made to the once-grimy suburb.
All top 10 in Brisbane were north of the river and not far from it, including Alderley (pictured), Wilston, Ascot, Paddington, and Newmarket
More than any other city, proximity to the city seemed to determine how livable they were – with no river or harbour to make up for the long commutes.
All top 10 in Brisbane were north of the river and not far from it, including Alderley, Wilston, Ascot, Paddington, and Newmarket.
Anxiety about growing populations weren’t always well-founded as experts found that denser suburbs were often more livable because they had more amenities.
‘Along with people generally comes new services and facilities, such as shops, cafes, open space, and public transport,’ co-author Adam Terrill said.
‘There is a definite correlation between density and liveability, in that a more dense suburb tends to have greater liveability.’
However, this could also lead to traffic congestion and trains packed like sardines that makes the area difficult to get around.