Chatswood Suburb Review

Summary: A highly well-equipped suburb that’s turned itself into a major hub for both transportation & shopping over the years, Chatswood is one of the more active spots on the North Shore.

With an extremely strong Asian influence, Chatswood’s main strip is teeming with quality multicultural dining and shopping opportunities, has several good schools nearby, is largely safe, and benefits from a conveniently centralised location as well.

Its ballooning population has brought with it high housing prices and an increasingly busy/crowded central hub area, as well as some significant traffic issues that let it down somewhat, however its western portion also offers an entirely different, lower-density, leafy (and even more expensive) residential streetscape – for those with the money to afford it.

Key stats

Located at approximately the “upper” portion of what could be considered the Sydney Lower North Shore, Chatswood – and chiefly its ‘hub’ area around its main station complex – has developed into something of a “mini-CBD” in itself in recent years, offering all the good and bad which that entails.

On the one hand, it’s eminently convenient, particularly from a connectivity standpoint – trains and buses are connected to a wide array of line services granting access to most of Sydney’s key areas, and there are countless restaurants, stores and highrise and office buildings continually popping up.

On the other, it’s become increasingly hectic and chaotic, with people both local and from elsewhere in Sydney drawn to its Asian dining opportunities, or as a place to shop or visit the cinema.

As a result, for those who visit the suburb and only take a brief look or a stroll around this central area, you might come away with the impression that high-density uber-development is what Chatswood is all about… however really this is actually only limited to a relatively physically small radius around its train (and now Metro) station.

Head just a bit further out on foot from this main “Chatswood Interchange” hub, however – particularly once you cross over to the western side of the Pacific Highway – and you’ll soon discover plenty of older houses and leafier, tree-lined streets that reflect a more distinct version of “old Chatswood” as well.

In many ways, this balance works in Chatswood’s favour, particularly for those who can afford a detached house here.

Due to its “split personality” nature, those who can live further back from central Chatswood gain the dual benefit of access to a ton of amenities (and basically every store one could want for daily shopping needs courtesy of its dual complexes of Westfield and Chatswood Chase), while still remaining within quite a leafy and quiet environment in its lower-density residential street areas.

Of course, apartment living also plays a pretty big role in Chatswood living, and for those without extremely deep pockets, if you want to live here then high-density accommodations will likely be the name of the game. Almost 70% of the suburb’s population now live in apartments, and that number’s only likely to continue increasing as things continue to densify.

Eastern Influences

Demographically, the suburb is highly Chinese-dominated (reflected in its census data), bringing along the various pluses and minuses which come along with it.

Heavy doses of Chinese investment and construction have resulted in a changing cityscape, and in many ways present-day Chatswood resembles something of a “posh Chinatown” with more of a focus on newer and higher-end brand stores, pop-up highrise apartment buildings, and increasingly more commercial businesses as opposed to older mum-and-dad Chinese restaurants.

It’s a more modernised spin on suburbs like Hurstville or Burwood elsewhere in the city, with more shiny surfaces & less history behind them.

If you’re after quality Asian food, obviously Chatswood does not disappoint; it’s home to some of the best Asian restaurants in all of northern Sydney, with not only Chinese but also Malaysian and Korean featuring prominently as well.

The Price of Convenience

Its train station’s prominence as a transport hub means you can expect a less-than-20-minute train ride into Sydney city, particularly with the speed of the new Metro & its frequent services, while the Northern Beaches are also not too far away via a road-based trip for those after a dose of seaside air.

The suburb boasts a relatively low crime rate and is largely safe for families, while several quality schools and higher education bodies also call Chatswood home, and it’s for these reasons in particular that the suburb is seen as desirable by many families.

For pet owners, how good a place to live Chatswood is will entirely depend on what category of housing you can afford; detached homeowners will be fine, but given an increasing portion of the population will have to live in an apartment, it’s not exactly ideal – especially given its main parks are located fairly far from its main apartment building clusters.

Chatswood does lack a little in the “attractions/things to do” category outside of dining and shopping however, and is missing any real notable landmarks, flagship must-visits, or other forms of entertainment outside of simple retail therapy. In some sense it does lack a bit of “soul”, especially with the increasing rate of generic mass-produced concrete construction which is happening.

“Residential Chatswood” – that is, the lower-density suburban streets that populate its east and western fringes – is where the main concentration of the beauty of the suburb lies. The majority of its residential streets are well-kept by residents, they’re reasonably wide, and local council has done a good job at keeping them both clean & appropriately tree-lined.

This is also where you’ll find pockets of public greenery, highlighted by picturesque, grove-like Muston Park and its flower-laden tunnel that’s highly pretty during bloom season, and the large Beauchamp Park with its sporting fields & solid array of playground equipment.

Transport & Traffic

The driving and road situation here ranks toward the lower end of the desirability scale; it’s home to some of the highest figures of common road accidents of any suburb in Sydney, while Chatswood’s slice of the Pacific Highway also ranks as one of the worst roads in the region for congestion and peak hour delays.

Its recent Metro construction aims to alleviate some of these concerns, however its overall impact on how many people will actually make the switch from driving to public transport remains to be seen.

Given the population continues to grow anyway, it may simply be immediately offset, and it’s definitely done the already-congested road situation no favours with all the extra density that’s been added as time goes on.

“Chatswood does lack a little in the “attractions/things to do” category outside of dining and shopping however.”

Housing-wise for those looking to either buy or rent, due to its ‘dual’ nature of both high and lower density living areas, Chatswood delivers a decent mix of both apartment living and larger, older homes. Detached house prices here have skyrocketed along with the rest of Sydney, and given Chatswood’s fairly premium location you’re now looking at upwards of 3 million dollars for purchase of a moderate-sized house.

As a result, those considering living here may first wish to rent and judge the lifestyle before committing to a long-term investment, or settle for an apartment instead.

Even its apartments these days have become pricey, as recently-added supply was quickly gobbled up and two-bedroom apartments easily go for over $1 million, or rent for over $800 a week, which is obviously quite a lot for what you get… and given some of Chatswood’s not-insignificant downsides, doesn’t fully quite justify that kind of premium.

The Verdict

In all, Chatswood is one of the most internally-contrasted suburbs in Sydney; it’s a suburb-of-two-faces propped up in one part by “new foreign money”, and high-level Sydney suburbia in another. It’s not hard to see why many find it desirable and property prices have taken off as a result; the blend of location, connectivity, quality school access and other strong points are pretty obvious.

It also offers a balance between amenity and convenience that not many other higher-end suburbs offer; most of the similarly-pricey North Shore suburbs are veritable deadzones that, while pretty, don’t provide access to retail, dining and transport like Chatswood does. Add in the fact it being situated in a spot that makes CBD access simple for professionals (who can rely on public transport, at least) that it’s easy to see why it’s continued to grow so quickly.

The problem nowadays though its simply related to the sheer volume of people who now do/want to call it home. Prices are extremely high, traffic is a nightmare to the point it takes ridiculous amounts of time to drive relatively short distances elsewhere, and for those on average salaries you’ll likely be restricted to an apartment anyway – so why not buy somewhere else that does apartment living in a less-hectic nature instead?

If you’ve got the cash for a detached house & don’t have to frequently rely on a car, then Chatswood has a ton of positives; however that’s an increasingly shrinking subset of people that it might be better to simply live elsewhere and pay a visit to Chatswood now and then instead.