Rushcutters Bay Suburb Review

Summary: A small, quaint and still highly picturesque waterfront suburb on the waters of Sydney’s inner-east, Rushcutters Bay has plenty going for it in terms of both topography and location.

It’s tucked away slightly so there’s less noise, it’s got great water views, and it’s fringed by other suburbs which provide entirely different opportunities right next door. It also ranks as one of the best higher-density inner Sydney suburbs for pet owners, with its signature park a major plus for those with a pup.

The combination of price and lack of detached housing will mean it has limited appeal to certain types of resident, as living here means you’ll be exclusively restricted to apartment living, while its highway-adjacent housing also comes with some noise issues, however.

Key stats

Rushcutter’s Bay is certainly a cute little thing, situated in a handy position that provides the best of several worlds all in one.

It’s got plenty of greenery and leafy streets, yet its main New South Head Road behind provides access to proper shopping and plenty of restaurants, while neighbouring Kings Cross couldn’t be more different in terms of atmosphere and provides all the nightlife and drinking opportunities one could want.

It’s a bit unusual that a suburb’s most striking feature is simply a park, but that’s the case here: Rushcutters Bay Park is a darling of dog owners city-wide, not only due to its huge amounts of wide open space but also its gorgeous backdrop right on the water that offers great views from yachts stretching out to open water.

Great views are only one of the benefits of the suburb’s location; while it does not have its own dedicated train station, both Edgecliff and Kings Cross are within reasonable walking distance (under 15 minutes) and provide connectivity to the rest of the city.

Getting out onto the main arterial roads in the mornings isn’t great, but it’s a better traffic situation than most other inner city suburbs that’s better regulated via traffic lights making merging easier.

The parking situation in Rushcutters Bay is fairly bad however, as the streets are narrow and hilly, and the smaller footprints of some of its apartment buildings means a fair few are lacking in dedicated parking spots. Its housing that runs alongside New South Head Road also suffers from the expected ambient road noise, making double-glazing something of a must.

If you can subsist on a diet of public transport, living here is highly viable however.

The rich and the reasonable

Buying freestanding homes here will basically be a non-starter for most, both due to their limited quantity and massive sell prices, however its apartment market provides not-too-exorbitant opportunities for buyers and renters alike given its pretty premium location.

Many of its apartment buildings are older, yet their build quality is generally good and the open spaces available nearby mean that living with a smaller sized home doesn’t feel as restrictive or oppressive as it can in more heavily built-up parts of Sydney.

There’s a big jump in price between some of the older, little one-bedders and a more modern 2 bedroom, with the former a not-too-bad-by-Sydney-standards hovering around the $650,000 mark, and then quickly vaults up into the $1.5 million+ range for any kind of newer and larger two bedroom units.

The suburb’s age means there’s also quite a lot of very old, tiny, one-bed & studio apartments that go for dirt cheap, so for those on a tight budget willing to compromise quality (or invest some cash into renovations) they may make for a viable option if you’re accepting of cramped living spaces. If you can deal with the size, you’re still living in a pretty prestigious & handy part of the city.

“Demographic-wise, the suburb leans heavily Middle-Eastern and slightly Asian, with some great Lebanese food options on offer in particular.”

Demographic wise the suburb reflects its property market variety, too – it’s quite an eclectic mix of cashed-up older property owners driving their Mercedes, with younger dog enthusiast professionals and everything in between.

In addition, while it’s quite close to the (still slightly-dodgy) Kings Cross/Darlinghurst corridor, the suburb itself is generally safe and not too much of its neighbouring seedy element tends to spill over – largely a result of there being ‘not much to do’ in Rushcutters Bay itself.

It’s also quite quiet and peaceful too given its proximity to the city, and makes for a good option for those who want to work in the CBD but still have a bit of a slice of semi-escapism from it. This also means that there’s not very much going on and it has a slightly “sleepy” feel, but a short walk is all that’s required to remedy that entirely.

The yacht club makes for an enjoyable (if pricey) spot for a meal with a nice view, and other than that there’s not really much to it.

The Verdict

For those not looking to purchase a mansion, there’s quite a lot to recommend in Rushcutter’s Bay’s favour if you’re willing to compromise on size of dwelling, and those looking to move to (or relocate more central to) Sydney city with a dog in tow would be well served giving the suburb a look – if at least for only a year while you get settled and familiarise yourself with the rest of the city and its other locations.

And, if you’ve got pockets deep enough that you can afford a decent-sized, multi-bedroom apartment here, you’ll likely find it one of the best balances of any spot oriented around higher-density living that still retains some character, as opposed to more generic and newer mass-density builds in other suburbs.