Hornsby Suburb Review

Summary: Large enough these days to almost be considered a self-contained mini-town at this point, Hornsby is one of the most complete suburbs in Sydney when it comes to amenities.

It’s lacking absolutely nothing in terms of services and shopping – both big and small-scale – and brings with it solid public transport connectivity too.

A huge array of parks, playgrounds, schools and childcare add to this to make it perhaps the most family-friendly suburb in Sydney relative to the price of admission. Its only real negatives are distance, and a lack of nightlife, and that it’s no longer a bargain like it once was.

Key stats

If you’re looking for a safe, green, and well-equipped suburb in a pretty part of the greater Sydney region to raise a family – without dropping millions of dollars on property – then Hornsby offers an option that’s still within financial reach; although not as easily as it has been in the past.

Let’s get the obvious negative out of the way first: Hornsby is far enough away from the Sydney CBD to be pushing the boundaries of what most would consider “true Sydney” for those who have to drive on a daily basis, but its good public transport connectivity helps alleviate this somewhat.

You’re looking at around a 40 minute commute from Hornsby to Wynyard – 35 on a good day – and any kind of train delays can blow this out drastically.

Hornsby’s rapidly growing population and desirability as a place to live also means that traffic during peak hours has deteriorated rapidly, as a huge quantity of commuters are cramming onto the already overpopulated roads that connect it to the city. It’s also a school-heavy suburb, so peak hour almost extends through to school pickup time as well.

Lastly, its large train station’s heavy use does not extend equally to the amount of parking on offer – especially since the suburb’s size means it’s a fair distance from many houses/apartments here to the station proper. You’ll have a bit of a walk to the station if living on the suburb’s extremities, and it’s quite a hilly suburb when crossing from east to west.

The (many) Positives

Still with us? Good – because other than this, there’s almost nothing else wrong with Hornsby, and if you look at our scores, you’ll see it’s currently sitting as a highly-rated all-around suburb on our list at time of writing. There’s multiple reasons for this, and they’re all good ones.

First, is price. It’s no secret that property prices are one of the most distressing factors for those living in, or moving to, Sydney and its suburbs, and what you sacrifice in Hornsby for commute time comes back in return for affordable places to live – at least compared to other options on the North Shore.

While its ballooning property price rise since the pandemic means it’s not as cheap as it once was, the ability to actually have a shot at a 3-bedroom freestanding home for just over the median purchase price is a rare thing in a Sydney suburb that’s still safe and reasonably connected.

Sure, it might not be the most modern construction in the world – many of Hornsby’s cheaper properties are quite old – but you’ll actually have a driveway to park your car, and proper space for the kids and pets to play.

Likewise for apartment buyers and renters, as Hornsby’s populated with a huge mix of both new (mostly near the station) and old (further out) high-density apartment blocks with a massive variation in sizes, construction dates and rental prices to choose from.

It’s this versatility that makes Hornsby so appealing; it’s not just that the suburb is so suited to families, but also that it’s suited to such a wide array of families.

This isn’t one of those Sydney suburbs that prices out those without ridiculously high salaries by default – there’s something here for almost everyone, with its ample higher-density housing having helped keep something of a cap on affordability. Median apartment rental prices still hover around $600 per week for a solid 2 bedroom apartment, which is below the Sydney average.

And it’s not like you’re in some tumbleweed-filled backwater, either; Hornsby is stacked with amenities of all kinds for daily needs and entertainment. The obvious starting point here is its Westfield – a massive shopping complex with almost every store imaginable, it also still retains some green elements in its surrounding arcade that’s quite nice.

Unlike other Westfields throughout Sydney, Hornsby’s is wider rather than taller and feels less concrete-jungle with outdoor play areas and dining mixed in. It’s a proper hub area rather than just plonked in a dense city, and a great place to shop as a result.

“Hornsby is stacked with amenities of all kinds for daily needs and entertainment.”

Elsewhere throughout the suburb Hornsby is dense with not only small retailers but most big-box stores and outlets too. This extends to its restaurant scene; while Hornsby’s not renowned for being a culinary hotspot, there’s a wide enough range of dining that most major cuisines are covered, both near the station area and in its thoroughfare along Peats Ferry Road.

Hotels, RSL clubs, numerous cafes, Asian cuisine… it’s all here and it’s all quite accessible. It’s not much of a nightlife hotspot outside of street and pub-type drinks, but there’s enough entertainment (including public sporting facilities, cinemas, etc.) to make it more interesting than some of the smaller, rich-and-green suburbs further down the North Shore line.

The streetscape is thus nice and varied between developed parts and greenery. Hornsby’s history also means it’s got some interesting older buildings mixed in for variety, too. Its council building, courthouse, churches and several other historic architectures combine with its many trees to keep it from being too generic a suburban landscape.

Hornsby is no slouch in the greenery department itself, either. Despite this array of amenities, it’s also a highly verdant slice of suburbia with a massive amount of public green spaces. Few suburbs can match its quantity of parks-per-capita, and nearly all of these are decked out in playground equipment for the kids.

This is a suburb that seems to have been specifically designed for those with kids in mind; you can’t walk around a block here without finding a great park, from the smaller grass-and-playground-only variety up to the larger James Park with its basketball courts, picnic and barbecue facilities.

The quantity of childhood education amenities in Hornsby reflects this as well. There’s a host of quality private, public, co-ed and single-sex schools in the area, and plenty of daycare centres to cater to those with younger kids as well. Its crime rate is low, and it’s peaceful throughout most of the suburb other than the unit blocks closer to the train station so the little ones won’t get disturbed of a night.

Add it all together, and you’ve got a largely self-sustaining suburb that can cater to families of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and income levels.

Perhaps its only other flaw is a bit of a lack of major white collar employment opportunities; there’s some larger-scale warehouses and light industry towards the North East, but most will have to commute either elsewhere on the North Shore (e.g North Sydney) or into the Sydney CBD proper.

Otherwise, Hornsby’s northerly location means that you’ve got a lovely getaway option of the Central Coast and multiple National Parks within easy reach come weekends or school holidays, too.

The Verdict

On paper, Hornsby scores pretty high marks all around. It’s not and won’t ever be a “party town” for the foreseeable future, but it’s not as dead as some other North Shore suburbs either; it strikes a fairly nice balance in this regard.

Likewise, while many other suburbs that offer this blend of amenities, safety, transport and pleasant public spaces usually cost an arm and a leg, Hornsby is still in a realistic spot property price-wise. It’s usually the “Affordability” ratings in our criteria that hit these kind of family-friendly suburbs hard, but that’s not as much the case here, even taking into account recent price rises – particularly for those content with an apartment.

Its traffic situation isn’t great for drivers who have to use a car for work – but if you’re willing to stomach the commute further south or have/can land a job on the north side of the Harbour Bridge and either have or are looking to start a family, Hornsby should be near the top of your Sydney suburb list unless you’re truly hurting for money.

It’s varied and pretty enough with just enough going on to justify a day trip from elsewhere for visitors, too.