The Warringah area of the northern beaches has been ranked Australia’s top lifestyle location.
Sydney and NSW’s best places to live have been revealed, ranging from exclusive Harbour enclaves through to hidden gems offering an affordable refuge from soaring city prices.
And the lifestyle is so attractive that these areas have also been declared some of the best areas to own a home due to a long track record of consistent and above average growth in prices.
Much of this growth has historically occurred at the start of interest rate cutting cycles, with top lifestyle areas often leading the first charge upward in prices and other areas later playing catch up.
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The Warringah region of Sydney’s northern beaches reigned supreme among the areas deemed to have the best mix of accessibility, family friendly settings, nature, beaches, home value growth and more.
The region, which includes Dee Why, Collaroy, Freshwater, North Manly and 23 other suburbs, was ranked the location with the best lifestyle offering in the country, according to quantity surveyor group MCG’s latest Four-Pillar Lifestyle Index.
The eastern suburbs-south, which includes Coogee, Clovelly, Maroubra and La Perouse, also scored highly nationally. The city region was deemed the fifth best place in Australia to live.
Souce: MCG Four-Pillar Liveability Index.
There were also much more affordable locations in and around Sydney that scored well for lifestyle.
Wollongong’s northern suburbs – which include Thirroul, Austinmer and Coalcliff – along with Wollongong-West were deemed the top NSW lifestyle locations outside Sydney.
Median prices in these areas range from $820,000 to $1.5 million.
The Index analysed every suburb across Australia using SuburbTrends data based on its “intrinsic liveability” and the attributes considered most popular in Australia.
This included coastal amenity, green assets, metropolitan access and community depth, with each pillar weighted equally and run against historic property price metrics.
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Northern Wollongong also rated highly in the lifestyle rankings.
MCG Quantity Surveyors director Mike Mortlock said the purpose of the research was to guide Australians on the best markets to own a home over the long term.
“We looked at factors that are always in demand,” he said. “They’re attributes that help markets outperform over the long haul. We know buyers will pay a premium to have them.
“All the pillars we looked at were attributes that real estate agents have historically highlighted as the most pertinent points for home buyers, what they consider the most suitable for them.”
Mr Mortlock said it was far more important in real estate to consider the long-term factors pushing at a market because most people stayed in the same homes for at least 10 to 15 years.
Hamish Rollason and Brooke Eyles, with kids Elena, 3, and Sienna, 8 months, are selling their home in Allambie Heights. They said they love the northern beaches. Picture: Richard Dobson
“When we buy a home, and we’re looking at it from an investment point of view and trying to consider what it will be worth in future, the key question to ask yourself is who will buy this down the track?
“Who will it appeal to in 20 years? What you don’t want is a property or location that will only appeal to a (landlord/investor). For buyers like that, it’s all about numbers. Owner occupiers on the other hand buy with emotion and that’s who you need to appeal to.
“The markets that have proved to have more consistent growth have lifestyle components baked in.”
Northern beaches agent Tim Cullen of McGrath-Manly said it was the property offering in the area that actually made it stand out.
“It seems the secret is out,” he said. “It is a more expensive area, but it’s actually one of the more affordable places in Sydney to live close to the beach.
The Shoalhaven area also scored highly for lifestyle.
“We find people who move here as renters tend to stay and will buy in the area. Most people stay in their homes 20-30 years.”
Mortgage Choice-Dee Why James Algar said the northern beaches offered a lifestyle few other areas could match.
“People love the beaches,” he said. “There is a great sense of community and many have grown up here so its home. The outdoor lifestyle is also a major drawcard. And it’s close enough to the CBD to commute to work but far enough removed from the hustle and bustle of the city.”
Allambie Heights resident Hamish Rollason said he wasn’t surprised the Warringah area ranked as the best lifestyle location in the country.
“The northern beaches has an edge over some of the other really nice places to live,” he said. “There are so many more parks and on any given day you just take your pick of beach.
“There’s also lots of great places to eat and it’s accessible. You can get to work easily.”
Mr Rollason added that it came with a big catch. His family are currently selling their three-bedroom house at 2 Larissa Rd to upsize to a new home and expect competition to be tough.
“With more rate cuts probably coming, we’re expecting a groundswell of buyers. We’re hoping if we buy soon we won’t get caught in a situation of prices rising too quickly.”
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