Carlingford Suburb Review

Summary: Carlingford is a physically large and highly diverse suburb that spans three council areas and borders several different regions of Sydney.

As a result, it’s home to one of the widest varieties of property types, atmospheres and services on offer of any suburb in Sydney, with some parts of it quite different to the next. It’s absolutely abundant in services and retail, has some very impressive pockets of greenery and nature, and major through-roads that connect to all the key parts of Sydney.

Existing issues with accessing the CBD due to traffic are also currently exaggerated due to public transport links undergoing repurposing, however, although this will be rectified in future as new connectivity is added.

Key stats

Carlingford’s a suburb with somewhat of an identity crisis in that it’s hard to label it within the scope of any one particular ‘region’ within Sydney. Is it Northern Suburbs? The start of the West? Maybe a little spillover of the Hills District? While it officially falls under Parramatta, we’re going to go with the Northern Suburbs, but even that little debate should give an idea of the location in which Carlingford sits.

As a result, your experience living here is going to depend almost entirely on which part of the suburb you’re choosing to base yourself in. This isn’t just a matter of property prices, either; different parts of Carlingford seem to experience different levels of maintenance and public service depending upon which council jurisdiction they fall under.

One thing’s for sure: this is one of the most varied suburbs in Sydney, with a host of amenities on offer that covers the entire breadth of shopping and dining opportunities, bigger-box retail, nature walks, a large range of schools, and every type of home you can think of. Basically, if there’s a product or service you need, you’ll almost certainly be able to find it here.

This all starts with the obvious focal point of Carlingford Court: a large and comprehensive shopping centre, it contains major department stores and supermarket chains, a food court, and plenty of other large-scale white goods and other product suppliers under its roof. It also extends to elsewhere in the suburb where warehouse-style hardware stores, big gym chains and furniture providers dot the streetscape.

The suburb’s obvious Chinese presence also shows in its abundance of Chinese restaurants, groceries and other smaller-scale retail; add in its multiple strips of services and shops along Pennant Hills Road and elsewhere, and you’ll seldom need to leave the suburb to purchase something of need.

Life on the Road

The suburb’s size means you’ll likely have to drive to acquire some of these purchases however, which brings up one of the other main notables of Carlingford: its road/location/access situation. Carlingford’s both quite big and fairly hilly, so getting from A to B within the suburb is typically done by car.

This exacerbates what is already a very drive-heavy suburb, with busy roads at the best of times that become truly hectic at peak. Pennant Hills Road is the main arterial, which is terrible during prime time but actually provides very good flow and access outside of the crazy hours.

In addition, while its bus services are quite good and its proximity to Epping and its Metro connections are handy, Carlingford’s recently suffered another blow in terms of access with the closure of its heavy rail connection.

While Carlingford’s train station was always a little bit of a joke in that it wasn’t the greatest train line in the world for connectivity, it closing was nonetheless a blow.

A 50+ minute trip into the Sydney CBD was never ideal, but it was still a nice option to have and now puts even more of an emphasis onto putting more commuter cars back onto the road. This will, fortunately, be somewhat remedied with the conversion of the line to light rail which is set to once again open soon.

This plays even more of a factor given the evolving nature of Carlingford’s housing scene.

Historically a suburb oriented around large, low-density housing blocks, Carlingford now is home to quite an abundance of newer, mid-sized and high-density apartment blocks, with more popping up all the time. While it’s not on the massive scale of say, Mascot or Rhodes, these developments will be adding yet more people with more cars to the roads.

On the plus side, all of these apartment blocks have helped diversify Carlingford’s property market somewhat.

This is one of the suburb’s biggest strengths; big or small, reasonable or ridiculously expensive, you should be able to find a home here to fit your current financial situation or life stage.

Complexes of low-rise duplexes and villas often sit across the road from some staggering mansions; in Carlingford you’ll see a lot of this:

But also a fair bit of this:

…all living in relative harmony with one another.

Add in its mix of larger old red-brick type properties on the west side, and Carlingford’s mixed past and present are easy to see. Compare the ultra-modern apartment blocks on Carlingford Road with the absolute mansions on Sandringham Drive, and it sums up Carlingford in a nutshell.

With wide, decently leafy streets that are generally quite quiet and safe, it’s easy to see how Carlingford would be appealing for families in particular.

The suburb’s abundance of quality schools at all levels also helps, with one of the highest quantities of primary, high and specialist education amenities of any suburb in Sydney.

“One thing’s for sure: this is one of the most varied suburbs in Sydney, with a host of amenities on offer that covers the entire breadth of shopping and dining opportunities.”

In terms of nature, Carlingford’s home to a decent helping of landscaped parks and reserves, but also some surprisingly good pockets of bush as well. It’s embedded within swathes of dry Aussie bushland, offering a number of decent little bush walks and cycling tracks for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy.

Eric Mobbs Park offers both a lookout point and further walking opportunities, while Balaka Falls (when it actually rains) offers a nice little retreat from the buzz of the main roads beyond.

Price-wise, Carlingford is quite expensive as an average, but again that’s a little deceptive given the sheer range of property types on offer. Given its abundance of large blocks and bigger houses, $2 millon is the general starting range, but even that’s misleading as older 3 bedroom houses in the “less desirable” sections can still go for quite a bit less.

Part of this may be attributed to massive power lines/towers which run through parts of Carlingford as it’s home to a transmission station and some big power stanchions, so be sure to do your research prior.

While it’s not foolproof, the general rule is: the closer to Epping you get, the higher prices will be. The rental market here fares quite well given the perks of the suburb; $650 per week can net you a decent 2 bedroom apartment rental, which is quite good by Sydney standards.

The Verdict

Carlingford’s diversity, service offerings, generally peaceful residential streets and good mix of nature and family amenities are all major positives that work in its favour. It’s quite a classy suburb for homes, with impressive houses in one section, sleek modern high-density in others, and older balances between the two for those with a bit less cash to burn.

Schools are a major positive here, and those with children in particular will likely want to consider it as a place to live if you’re content with living up north.

Its location and access are probably going to be your main deciding factors. Those who have to frequently access the Sydney CBD could likely do better, as the daily driving headache may not be worth it, and the train station being out of action until it’s converted removes that as an option.

Don’t work in the city but instead commute to Parramatta, Ryde or Macquarie Park for work? Then Carlingford suddenly becomes far more viable, as each are then only a much more reasonable drive away.

It can be a little pricey, but the huge array of options to downsize or go older helps alleviate this too. In short: if you’re not a frequent driver to the city but don’t mind the car, and especially if you have kids, Carlingford’s a great choice. For others, there’s likely another suburb which may suit you better.