Harbourside Hangouts: Sydney’s Coolest Suburbs

Although Sydney is Australia’s biggest city, the best bit about living here has in fact got nothing to do with the city itself. The outskirts in the suburbs is where the real magic lies – each enclave with its own captivating story to tell.

From neigbourhoods with charming terraces to beachside gems with famous golden sands, here’s our ultimate edit of the best suburbs in Sydney, and why they score high on our cool radar.

1. Paddington

If you’ve ever stopped to admire a charming, colourful and downright dreamy Victorian terrace somewhere in Sydney, the chances are, you were doing so in the suburb of Paddington. This picturesque neighbourhood is celebrated for rows upon rows of largely intact Victorian terraces — each of which provide a snapshot into Sydney’s colourful past. Beyond this, Paddington is also home to Oxford Street, a beloved dining, wining and shopping strip in Sydney, where you’ll find darling boutique stores such as Nice Martin, and trendy take away joints like Merivale’s The Chicken Shop. And should you wish to take your retail therapy to designer heights, you will find many well-known fashion labels here too, like Camilla and Marc and Acne Studios along Glenmore Road.

2. TheRocks

One of Sydney’s oldest neighbourhoods, TheRocks has had somewhat of a Disney-like makeover, transforming from one of thepoorest areas into one of the city’s poshest — and who doesn’t love aCinderella story? Today, both the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridgeact as a beautiful backdrop to this dockside location, with its sandstonealleys and heritage listed buildings. And there are few ways to experience thissuburb in all of its glory; you can join one of the daily walking tours hosted by localhistorians, as you listen to stories of this suburb’s rich history — or you canjoin the crowd on George Street for the weekly Friday Foodie Market — and course,you can always wander around at your own pace, at any given day, stopping atone of the many trendy cafés for a long, lazy lunch, such as the Fine Food Store.

3.Surry Hills

Year after year, this list could be re-writtenand without a shadow of a doubt, Surry Hills will always be included. And that’s because there is simply no denyingit — this suburb is the epitome of cool. Evidence of this badge of honour canbe found in the suburb’s influx of cool eateries (ChinChi, Nomadand The Winery) hip boutiques (The Standard Store and Nique), and trendy art galleries (Brett Whiteley Studio) — not tomention the overall laid-back, artsy crowd that it attracts. This is also thetype of neighbourhood where you don’t need a car – there are hidden gemsscattered all over the place, and the best way to reach them is by foot. Evenif you want to go further afield, Central Station is sitting almost right onyour doorstep, so you can easily hop-foot it anywhere in NSW from the comfortof your very own train carriage.  

4. Newtown

Agh, Newtown — the forever young suburb of Sydney, in which the vast student population who live and thrive here continue to keep this area, interesting, fresh and constantly evolving. It’s the quintessential hipster haven, where you’ll find Campos Coffee on Missenden Road, a café where coffee snobbery meets its match, or there’s Stanbuli on Enmore Road, a former hair salon-turned-Turkish meze bar, serving generous share plates, and let us not forget Enmore Theatre, the popular venue where you can catch amazing live music and cultural events year-round. What’s more, Newtown is also one the best suburbs for admiring street art, with so many artistic murals scattered throughout, you’ll likely stumble upon one just by turning a corner.

5. Darlinghurst

Being the host of Sydney’s annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Darlinghurst for this reason alone, scores big on the cool factor. But it’s not only this wonderful parade that marches proudly through Oxford Street which merits this suburb’s street cred, its welcoming vibe allows you to be whoever you want to be, tempting those who are looking to unwind outside the normal 9-5 work life, to come out and play. This is shown in Hinky Dinks, a tiki-themed retro bar with an unapologetic enthusiasm of the 50s cocktail culture, or there’s Govindas Restaurant, a sophisticated, vegetarian Indian buffet, with a charming little-known cinema that allows you to completely lie down on oversized, comfortable cushions.

6. Bondi Beach

It goes without saying that this list wouldnot be complete without including Sydney’s most iconic beachside suburb, BondiBeach. Not only is this arguably Sydney’s most famous neighbourhood – thanks toits white-sand beaches, with reliable waves and Icebergs’Instagram famous ocean pool – but Bondi also has a lot more to offer other thancrashing waves and golden sands. For example, you can join the locals in theiractivewear, as they take the scenic walk from Bondi to Bronte, or you can feelsuper healthy by paying a visit to Orchard Street,a health-consciousjuice bar with a charming exterior. And then there’s also Hotel Ravesis, where you can stopfor a cocktail downstairs, or stay the night upstairs in their revamped,boutique hotel – which by the way, is a Pinterest-worthy interior design dream.