Summer Hill Suburb Review

Summary: Fairly self-contained and with a distinct, charming vibe quite drastically different to its surrounding Inner West suburbs, Summer Hill boasts a cosy, intimate feel with a very communal atmosphere to boot.

Oriented around its main village-style shopping street, the suburb is dotted with a range of lovely low-density housing of a number of interesting architectural styles, with streets that present a good balance of greenery versus gentrification.

There’s a heavy heritage feeling here that gives it character, and it’s extremely well positioned in terms of commute and access to Sydney city. All this adds up to highly in-demand detached housing that brings along with it accordingly high property prices – its only real downside, as this is otherwise a highly desirable place to live. Apartments can still be had here for rental at a fairly decent price given the quality of life on offer, however.

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Many of the suburbs of Sydney’s Inner West have their own distinct character, and Summer Hill is no different – although for quite different reasons than most of its neighbours.

While much of this region prides itself on and gets praised for its bohemian art, its nightlife and bar opportunities, and general mix of gentrification and “gritty” atmosphere, Summer Hill is more quiet, laid-back and quaint.

There’s an undeniably classy feeling here that comes courtesy of a mix of a few things. The majority of its streets are both wider and cleaner than many other Inner West suburbs, and its abundance of heritage housing are generally far better externally maintained than many of its neighbouring peers.

After visiting other suburbs nearby, its lack of rubbish on the ground and graffiti in its streets becomes immediately obvious, and sets the scene for what else is to come.

As a result, walking through here is both quite charming and photogenic – there’s a lovely mix of Victorian and Art Deco architectural styles dotting Summer Hill’s back streets that are nothing if not “Instagrammable”.

A Charming Streetscape

Many of its properties also come with bigger blocks of land and higher-end terrace housing than some of its neighbouring suburbs, leading to the suburb feeling a bit more “open” and less oppressive as a whole.

While there’s a bit of a lack of green spaces – the streets’ nature strips aren’t heavily grassed and there’s only dotted small parklands throughout – it’s also less of a concrete jungle than elsewhere in Sydney’s Inner West.

Its burgeoning little retail and dining hub also feels very village-esque while still providing quite a good range of conveniences at your doorstep. It’s got a full-sized and well-equipped IGA supermarket to go along with its mixture of charming bakeries, cafes, butchers, boutique stores and the like which are mostly concentrated along Lackey and Smith streets.

Its cafe scene is likewise quite cool, if not massive. Semi-converted homes with charming courtyards and friendly service make for a really pleasant spot to dine or enjoy a coffee, while those after a proper drink can head to the Summer Hill Hotel for a good selection of beers on tap and quality pub food.

While it’s not the type of dining hotspot of say, a Leichhardt, there’s still a decent mix of little local restaurants as well. Japanese, Italian, Indian and several other major cuisines are all represented here.

There’s most things you’ll need here to get by on a daily basis, although it obviously lacks bigger-box retail; hop on the train and pop over to nearby Ashfield for your larger-scale shopping needs on those occasions.

This train connectivity is another obvious plus, as its Summer Hill’s location in general. The suburb sits in a pretty idyllic spot for experiencing a mixture of the best of Inner West living; Ashfield is there for shopping, Leichhardt and its diverse dining is just a walk away, and the livelier Marrickville and Newtown aren’t far either. Its train also offers a ~30 minute trip in to the Sydney CBD, while driving can take around 20 minutes.

“It’s a great suburb to live in. The location is the best thing. Close to the city and in the inner west with all the coolest pubs, bars and restaurants,” says one Summer Hill resident.

“The drawback is the same as anywhere this side of the ‘latte line’, the price.”

Given this central position, it’s quite surprising how quiet Summer Hill is. Other than a small hint of aircraft noise (although nothing compared to some of its neighbouring suburbs) and the sound of its trains, it’s peaceful as a whole owing to its family atmosphere.

There’s often a bit of communal activity of a night in its main strip, but outside of that you’ll likely be able to get a good sleep here.

“This may just be the best little suburb in the Inner West – go have a look, grab a coffee, and judge for yourself.”

Families as a whole with the money to spare should view Summer Hill as a highly viable inner Sydney suburb; outside of those with a larger gaggle of kids who will likely need more living space, the suburb is fairly well equipped to accommodate families as a whole.

Safety-wise, Summer Hill also fares very well. The suburb’s more family-oriented and community-centric leaning than many other Inner West suburbs combine with a low overall crime rate of just 0.08% per capita – which puts it well toward the bottom quarter of Sydney suburbs in terms of safety – make for a place in which kids can largely play in the streets and parks without supervision.

It’s combination of being home to high-rated schools, the safety level, and providing a pretty short commute for parents who work in the city to be able to return home and spend more quality time all rank as positive points in the family category. Its one minor weakness is a slight lack of larger playground spaces, however.

Given all these positives, it should be no surprise then that Summer Hill is an expensive place to live – increasingly so with a sprinkle of pandemic price rises thrown in. In recent years, many people have caught on to this previously unassuming suburb and what it offers, and property prices have soared in Summer Hill as a result.

This combines with Summer Hill’s relative lack of high-density housing – there’s only a handful of apartment blocks, mostly near the station – to make it a hard market to crack into. Expect to pay around $2.4 million to acquire a freestanding home that’s not going to be too big.

In contrast, its rental market for those satisfied with apartment living is actually quite good value given the quality of the suburb. The ability to rent a 2-bedroom apartment for around $600 per week in a mostly-pretty spot this close to Sydney city is quite rare, yet in Summer Hill there’s still often such properties available.

In addition, while its demographic orients much more toward the 30s-40s age group as opposed to the 20s who might like a more lively environment, Summer Hill’s proximity to the “party suburbs” nearby still makes it a good choice. Go out in Newtown or Marrickville for some drinks, then you’ll be able return home to Summer Hill for an undisturbed night’s sleep.

If it’s not clear at this point, we think very highly of Summer Hill- but just like every other suburb it’s not perfect.

There’s a general lack of parking here, although it’s quite good in regards to traffic as a whole as it’s still fairly under-visited compared to more popular Inner West hubs. It also feels a little bit insular due to its exclusivity, and its price makes it a hard market to break into in the first place.

There’s also not much going on in terms of nightlife outside of the pub, and no real signature attraction or highlight that would give you reason to come here to visit outside of having friends or family living here, but these are minor quibbles.

The Verdict

Summer Hill isn’t one of the most recognisable suburb names in Sydney, or even in the Inner West, but it may just be the up there with the most underrated for living. Safe, clean and quiet are three things that are typically hard to get all of in Sydney without dropping exorbitant amounts of money and not being miles away from the CBD, but Summer Hill offers one of its best possible mixes.

While freestanding property prices might be out of reach for younger buyers here, it’s still very worth considering for Sydney city working commuters, and it just “feels nice” to be in as a whole. As a temporary rental spot there’s a lot to like; enjoy the blend of cultures and dining surrounding Summer Hill at your leisure, and have a mixture of excellent little pizza restaurants, cafes and public spaces at your fingertips.

Overall, Summer Hill simply ticks all the major boxes one could want among the “classier” side of this part of Sydney; its streetscape, its connectivity, its cleanliness, access to amenities and its peace and quiet are hard to match.

It’s not particularly green, and the likes of retirees looking for bigger gardens may want to look elsewhere, but this may just be the best little suburb in the Inner West, and one of the best in Sydney overall – go have a look, grab a coffee, and judge for yourself.