Sydney's Little Italy is an upscale neighborhood still hanging on to its roots.
Leichardt has a low violent crime rate and a low property crime rate for Sydney.
Located in the Sydney's Inner West, Leichhardt is unofficially known as the city's "Little Italy". The influx of Italians occurred just after the end of World War II and Italian is still the second most common language spoken here after English (though it is a distant second place with just 7% of the population speaking it). Leichhardt's Italian character is fading a bit as this desirable suburb gentrifies and attracts a younger, hipper crowd. It still has a tightknit community vibe, however, where residents rave about their friendly neighbors.
The heart of the neighborhood is Norton Street, which is packed with restaurants, cafes, and bars. On a sunny weekend the sidewalk tables will be full of young families, singles, and couples enjoying a good coffee or meal. There is also plenty of shopping, including Italian delis, grocery stores, clothing boutiques, toy stores, and more. You'll also find the Italian Forum, a self-styled piazza surrounded by (mostly) Italian-oriented businesses and apartments.
There are eight parks sprinkled around the suburb that are normally full of children. Adults get exercise, too: runners aren't far from the 7 kilometer long Bay Run around Iron Cove.
Each year Leichhardt celebrates its Italian heritage by closing off Norton Street and hosting the Italian Festa, which attracts 100,000 visitors. This one-day festival packs in the fun with a cooking stage, tons of live musical acts, the city's largest collection of Italian-made cars and motorcycles, food and merchandise stalls, and competitions.
Away from Norton Street are tree-lined residential blocks full of modest (but not cheap) Federation-style bungalows and low-rise apartments.
In addition to young families and singles, Leichhardt is also a big draw for professionals thanks to the easy commute into the CBD.
Be warned: planes arriving into Sydney's airport fly low over this suburb, rattling windows (and nerves) of people who live here. You do get used to it after a while, apparently.
Leichhardt is bordered on the north by Lilyfield, on the east by Annandale, on the south by Petersham and Lewisham, and on the west by Haberfield.
Commute:
CBD: 6.6 km / 15-35 minutes by car / 30-35 minutes by transit
Chatswood: 13.7 km / 30-50 minutes by car / 55-60 minutes by transit
Parramatta: 20.7 km / 30-50 minutes by car / 50-60 minutes by transit
Leichhardt LOCAL schools
Photo Credits: Thanks to @fairlyhappy, @mark_randall_sydney, @rachaelmaryhall, @danigirl__78, @elevationhair, @zaclachlan, @kazuhiro_ymkw, @themanchesterrambler, @jazzrowland, @true_property, @velushomaz, @katecurr, @meg_ln, @itsafixer, @rangavibes, @ppueyo, @quirky_way, @sexincolumbia, @katelees_ for your great photos of this neighborhood!
