Newtown occupies a unique place in Sydney’s Inner West. From buzzing King Street to the narrower back streets, the suburb is known for pushing the boundaries in art, theatre, fashion and food.
Newtown has a lot to offer shoppers from everyday staples to one-of-a-kind finds. King Street’s lengthy stretch of shops and boutiques is one of Sydney’s leading alternative shopping destinations and a rich source of arty knick-knacks, edgy fashion and op-shop treasures. Markets with fresh produce and local artisans’ wares are held every Saturday. You can stock up on groceries at a variety of independent stores, but if a mall is more your style, Marrickville Metro and Broadway shopping centres are also nearby.
Eating out is an art in Newtown with restaurants offering a true melting pot of global cuisines. In terms of budget, there’s something for everyone from cheap and cheerful diners to expensive high-end eateries.
In recent years Newtown has overtaken other areas of inner Sydney to claim the crown as Sydney’s nightlife capital. Trendy modern bars and old time pubs draw crowds for drinks and live music. You can catch both arthouse movies and blockbuster releases at the Dendy Cinema. For live theatre, The Enmore Theatre is a local institution and, after its recent makeover, is continuing to attract audiences from around Sydney to its shows. Theatregoers can also see mainstream and fringe productions at the New Theatre on King Street.
The rows of terrace houses are what gives Newtown its distinctive streetscape and they make up the majority of available housing in the area. A smaller number of freestanding houses and higher density unit developments can be found in some pockets.
Newtown is one of Sydney’s most heavily leased areas where renters outnumber owner-occupiers in a roughly 60/40 percent ratio. Despite the competition for the best properties, however, there’s always lots on offer with new rentals coming up frequently.
Current average rents in Newtown are $900 pw for a three-bedroom house and $650 pw for a two-bedroom unit.
King Street runs through Newtown from Sydney University, through the Enmore Road junction on to Sydney Park and St Peters. There’s no denying that the traffic can get overwhelming at times and walking, cycling or catching a bus or train can be the best option for getting into and out of the suburb.
Happily, the CBD is such a short distance away, you can be in the centre of Sydney in a relatively short period of time even if you’re driving.
Newtown Station is on the Inner West railway line and has services running through it from Homebush and Parramatta onwards to Central and the City Circle stations.
Frequent buses run along King Street, ferrying passengers around the Inner West, to the CBD and to the eastern suburbs.
