Sydney's little Little Italy is a walkable suburb with history.
Five Dock has a low violent crime rate and a low property crime rate for Sydney.
Located in Sydney's Inner West region, Five Dock is a hub of Italian culture thanks its inhabitants: roughly 1 in 5 claim Italian heritage, with the main influx of immigrants from the boot arriving between the 1890s and 1930s. This heritage has spawned a half dozen Italian restaurants, coffee shops, and delis, an annual festival – and the occasional rumors of ties to the Mafia. In recent years, Five Dock has been shedding its working class roots and is becoming a popular (and expensive) destination full of young families.
There's a bustling commercial area about half a kilometer long along Great North Road, the main thoroughfare running north/south. You'll find salons, restaurants, a butcher, chemists, pubs, delis, banks, yoga, and more along these blocks. (For history buffs, the Great North Road is also the location where the 240 kilometer long "Convict Trail" to the Hunter Valley was started. You can still visit preserved parts of the road today.)
Five Dock makes it easy to get outside and enjoy the Sydney weather. There are three parks here, including Five Dock Park, which features a sports field, tennis center, and skate park. On the western side of the suburb there's a walking and running path that hugs Canada Bay. Golfers can play an affordable round at the local course.
Five Dock's annual Ferragosto Festival celebrates all things Italian. Over a hundred stalls serve up Italian food, wine, arts and crafts, clothing, and jewelry. There are also musical performances, carnival rides for kids, and celebrity appearances.
Housing-wise, you'll predominantly find charming, single-story Federation-style homes. There are some low-rise apartment buildings, however, as a well as a large condo complex near the golf course.
The neighborhood is well-served by buses, but the nearest train station is a suburb away. One other piece of advice: Five Dock is under the flight path of planes landing at Sydney's airport so residents do have to deal with that noise.
Five Dock is bordered on the north by Wareemba and Russell Lea, on the east by Rodd Point and Iron Cove, on the south by Haberfield and Croydon, and on the west by Canada Bay (suburb and body of water).
Commute:
CBD: 9.6 km / 20-45 minutes by car / 45 minutes by transit
Chatswood: 11.8 km / 20-45 minutes by car / 75 minutes by transit
Parramatta: 17.4 km / 25-50 minutes by car / 60 minutes by transit
Five Dock LOCAL schools
Photo Credits: Thanks to @nina_burrito, @simonebusi88, @talodes1911, @yes.ssss, @jakee_watts, @cli_mingly, @_tigerwooski_, @stellaandsoda, @simon_sees, @niconorelli, @mfkphotography18, @rhconcord, @ppuunnxx, @fionahellamsteam, @yaren, @caitlinc__, @clynch60, @kelsiesibley, @kelvin.wright3, @goobgoob_bakery for your great photos of this neighborhood!
