Focus on Lindfield
Lindfield enjoys pretty, leafy streets and a relaxed village lifestyle with a cosmopolitan edge, all only 30 minutes from the city by train.
From large family homes with expansive gardens to contemporary apartments offering the ultimate in lifestyle appeal, there’s a home in Lindfield to suit everyone.
History
Lindfield was first the home of the Ku-ring-gai indigenous people.
The first Europeans to settle in the district were timber-getters, and around 1810 a government convict timber-getting camp was established. Most early settlement took place near the Lane Cove River, the primary transport artery at the time. From the 1840s, fruit growing and farming became the area’s main industries.
In 1884 an early resident, Francis List, named his newly built cottage Lindfield, presumably after the town of Lindfield in Sussex, England. When the railway came in 1890, the name was adopted for the station and the suburb. It means ‘a clearing in the lime forest’1.
The presence of the railway line saw land values increase as business and professional people moved to the area, drawn by the promise of a healthy lifestyle for families away from the pollution of the city but within easy reach of it.
The Australian classic novel Seven Little Australians was written in Lindfield, inspired by the time its author Ethel Turner spent living there with her family in the early 1890s.
By the early 1900s Lindfield was home to a post office, churches, schools, cricket and tennis clubs, and retail shops.
Between the wars a second block of shops was built along Lindfield Avenue. Significant growth followed in the postwar years, and more recently apartment blocks have been built along the Pacific Highway and Lindfield Avenue.
In 2021, Lindfield had a population of 10,943, with almost 4,309 houses situated within the vibrant suburb. It recorded a median age of 40 years old, a year older than the NSW median age of 39 years old2.
Furthermore, 58.9% of residents are employed full-time, recording a higher index than NSW’s 55.2%. Only 28.7% are working part-time in Lindfield, with residents earning a median $2,833 weekly.
What the locals love about Lindfield
1. A choice of top-notch schools
Lindfield is home to a great mix of well-regarded schools, with a school to suit every family. Lindfield Learning Village is the suburb’s newest school, opened in 2019 in the former Ku-ring-gai campus of the University of Technology Sydney, and arguably its most unique. Catering for students from K – 12, the innovative public school groups students by learning needs rather than age. Its waiting list includes families from across Sydney.
When it comes to primary schools, Lindfield locals are spoilt for choice. Both Lindfield Public School and Holy Family Catholic Primary School are considered excellent primary schools. Prestigious Newington College’s primary school campus at Lindfield feeds into its secondary campus in Stanmore for high school. Cromehurst School on Nelson Road caters for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.
Some of Sydney’s best high schools are within easy reach in neighbouring Upper North Shore suburbs, and the train line provides a convenient link to Chatswood, North Sydney and beyond for more education options.
2. Dynamic new community heart
Lindfield is soon to be the site of the largest urban renewal project in the 100-year history of Ku-ring-gai Council with the creation of a vibrant urban village, just 150 metres from Lindfield Station and the Pacific Highway.
Lindfield Village Hub is set to be an attractive village green complete with cafes and dining areas facing onto a new public park. It’s planned for the site of the current Woodford Lane car park between Beaconsfield Parade and Bent Street.
The current Lindfield Library will be superseded by a new cutting-edge library, along with a new community centre and childcare facility. There are plans for underground car parking, green public spaces, a town square, new housing, and dining and retail outlets including an underground supermarket.
In the meantime, Lindfield offers plenty of places to wine and dine. Locals enjoy traditional Italian feasts at Marciano’s and French bistro vibes at Café Lyon, while the superior coffee and all-day brunch menu at Goodfields Eatery, just across from the station, are hard to beat.
3. Healthy active lifestyle
Lindfield locals have plenty of recreation options right on their doorstep.
The Lindfield Sports Centre, known as the home of 5-a-side soccer (or futsal) in the north, runs leagues for kids, juniors, men and women of all ages all year round. The licenced clubhouse serves up food and drink, with seasonal menus, and hosts comedy nights and live music. There’s a bowling green too.
Running along Lindfield’s western border is the Lane Cove River. The river is nestled within a beautiful pocket of bushland and is the perfect place to spend a day out, picnicking with the family, kayaking along the river, bushwalking through the National Park or mountain biking along the fire trails.
For a more sedate outdoor experience, Swain Gardens is a popular venue for family gatherings and children’s parties. Classed as a significant local heritage item, the garden is a shady landscape of camellias, magnolias, Japanese maples and rhododendrons, reflecting the character of English gardens in a bushland setting.
Sales market update
Lindfield offers buyers a choice of spacious freestanding homes and convenient modern apartments. Families seek out Lindfield’s elegant heritage homes and luxurious contemporary estates, often set on large leafy blocks. Meanwhile Lindfield’s units, offering the ultimate in lifestyle appeal, are prized by downsizers, professionals, first home buyers and property investors alike.
As of November 2023, the median house price in Lindfield is $3,759,000, down 2.4 per cent on December 2022’s median of $3,812,500. Lindfield’s unit prices have also risen over the past twelve months, with today’s median price of $1,171,250 is 1.8 per cent higher than December 2022’s median of $1,140,000. Over the past five years, houses in Lindfield have experienced a compound growth rate of -2.4 per cent, while units have risen 1.8 per cent3.
Rental market update
Approximately a quarter (28.5%) of Lindfield’s homes are rented2, making it home to more renters than other areas of the Upper North Shore and worth the consideration of property investors.
Houses in Lindfield lease for $1,500 per week (1% growth) and units $722 (11.2% growth). As of November 2023, Lindfield’s vacancy rate was a very low 1.67 per cent4, a reflection of the suburb’s sought-after status. The median annual rental yield for houses in Lindfield is 2.0 per cent, and 3.6 per cent for units3.
The stable growth in Lindfield’s property market, complemented with a lively and relaxed suburban community a few minutes away from cosmopolitan living, makes it an attractive option for young families and home buyers looking for a place just outside the hustle and bustle of Sydney’s business districts.
References:
[1] Ku-ring-gai Historical Society: Lindfield NSW
[2] Australian Bureau of Statistics: Lindfield 2021 Census
