Willoughby
GET TO KNOW
THE AREA
A gem on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, Willoughby is all about family-friendly living; picture book homes, lush gardens and plentiful parklands are the backdrops for weekend sports and backyard barbeques. Sitting proudly alongside some well-to-do neighbourhoods, Willoughby is a sprawling suburb that is quiet, wholesome and welcoming.
Lifestyle
Picture perfect, this cluster of suburbs on Sydney’s Lower North Shore – Willoughby, North Willoughby and Willoughby East – is filled with established homes fit for growing families and parklands aplenty, and it’s all easily accessible to major business hubs and prestigious schools.
Along Willoughby Road and Penshurst Street, cafes and eateries sit alongside homemaker stores and enduring watering-holes – Willoughby Hotel and The Bridgeview. High Street has a village-like feel that’s anchored by St Thomas Primary School and a small (but great) selection of restaurants and cafes. Down the road is Willoughby Park with its towering gum trees, fenced-in playground, and playing fields.
Read MoreLifestyle
Picture perfect, this cluster of suburbs on Sydney’s Lower North Shore – Willoughby, North Willoughby and Willoughby East – is filled with established homes fit for growing families and parklands aplenty, and it’s all easily accessible to major business hubs and prestigious schools.
Along Willoughby Road and Penshurst Street, cafes and eateries sit alongside homemaker stores and enduring watering-holes – Willoughby Hotel and The Bridgeview. High Street has a village-like feel that’s anchored by St Thomas Primary School and a small (but great) selection of restaurants and cafes. Down the road is Willoughby Park with its towering gum trees, fenced-in playground, and playing fields.
But no other park does it quite like Hallstrom Park and the grounds of Willoughby Leisure Centre. Neighbouring Flat Rock Gully’s walking and bike trails, Hallstrom Park is bustling every day of the week with the sounds of children playing, be it on the climbing structures or one of the many netball courts and playing fields. Sitting on the sideline is The Incinerator Café, a local brunch destination that is well-positioned to keep the hordes at bay.
Although Willoughby may be a quiet, sprawling area, it is within easy reach of major commercial hubs – Chatswood, St Leonards, North Sydney and Sydney’s CBD. A major shopping district, Chatswood is overflowing with big name brands and boutique stores, St Leonards is a burgeoning business district with a well-established medical precinct, and North Sydney and Sydney CBD are eight kilometres away, all of which can be reached by buses or trains from neighbouring Artarmon and Chatswood.
Neighbours
Growing families have long favoured Willoughby for beautiful homes and quiet streets. It is where established families of all shapes and sizes with white-collar parents at the helm have settled. Parents commute easily into Chatswood, St Leonards, North Sydney or Sydney’s CBD for work while their children attend local Willoughby Girls High School or one of the nearby private schools, such as Mercy College or St Pius X College.
Neighbours
Growing families have long favoured Willoughby for beautiful homes and quiet streets. It is where established families of all shapes and sizes with white-collar parents at the helm have settled. Parents commute easily into Chatswood, St Leonards, North Sydney or Sydney’s CBD for work while their children attend local Willoughby Girls High School or one of the nearby private schools, such as Mercy College or St Pius X College.
Area features
HALLSTROM PARK
Tucked away off the main road at the southern end of Willoughby, Hallstrom Park is a bustling playground with bike tracks, outdoor netball courts and playing fields for soccer, baseball and football. Willoughby Leisure Centre has heated indoor lap and plunge pools, a gym and indoor basketball courts.
THE INCINERATOR CAFÉ & GALLERY
Located between Willoughby Leisure Centre and Hallstrom Park, The Incinerator is a popular brunch and dining destination. With indoor and outdoor seating, this family-friendly café also has a coffee cart for those peak times on weekends. Set in an old industrial building, The Incinerator also has an art gallery on the lower ground.
SCHOOLS
Willoughby Girls High School is one of the most sought-after public high schools in the area, and there are private schools aplenty. In neighbouring Chatswood is Mercy College and St Pius X College, Roseville College is only moments away, and Monte Sant Angelo Mercy College, Wenona School, Shore, Loretto and St Aloysius are nearby in North Sydney and Kirribilli. For primary years, families have their pick of Willoughby Public School and St Thomas Primary School.
