Sydney’s Little Bay Suburb: A Hidden Gem Well Worth Exploring
While one would be hard-pushed to call any stretch of the eastern Sydney suburbs as undiscovered, Little Bay is close as it gets to be called a hidden gem. Nestled between much more recognized Malabar and La Perouse, Little Bay has been a haven of house-hunters who were priced out of more expensive neighbouring suburbs like Coogee, Clovelly, Maroubra, Randwick and Kensington.
Unassuming history
Initially established as a “tent city” to quarantine small pox patients of the Sydney epidemic of 1881-82, the government later decided to build a permanent hospital on the site, which would isolate and treat patients with highly infectious diseases of the time. This coastal hospital became invaluable during the outbreak of bubonic plague, and even more as the troops returning from WW1 and WW2 came down with influenza. Close enough to Sydney, but still isolated from healthy neighbourhoods, the facility became known as Prince Henry Hospital.
Steady development
At the turn of the 2000s, the hospital was relocated and the site was zoned for residential development. Since then, Little Bay has been a chic coastal village, with a constant release of new homes and apartment blocks, along with all the modern amenities that a thriving community needs. Apart from a retail village, public transport and multiple parklands, a museum was opened in the old hospital, which is said to be haunted.
Outstanding position
A lot of newly built apartments in Little Bay have outstanding ocean views as their selling high-point, while all over Little Bay there is a renovation frenzy which sees knocking down of larger blocks. A part of such a popularity the suburb owes to a fact that Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD) is only 15 kilometres to the north, while the future Kingsford light-rail terminus is planned only seven kilometres from the neighbourhood. Vastly on the up, the suburb of Little Bay has a clearance rate of 47%, a median house price of $1.9 mil, and a median unit price of $1.198 million.
Popular across generations
Its position and relative obscurity among other more populous Sydney suburbs made Little Bay well-loved by both younger families and senior citizens looking for a peaceful neighbourhood. It shouldn’t surprise then that the site has been a home of an awarded dementia care program with highest standards of physical environment and progressive care needs. Situated on the heritage Prince Henry site, only 14 kilometres from the CBD, its residents enjoy an idyllic lifestyle in resort-like surroundings, a stone throw from the blue waters of the Little Bay.
Easy to love
According to Steve Ausling, a real estate agent from NG Farrah Little Bay, once they arrive, buyers tend to stay for good. There is a strong local spirit, especially with people who grow up around here. They like to stay there forever and their kids, too. After selling properties to five generations of the same families, Ausling is somewhat of an expert for the neighbourhood, witnessing the redevelopment of the sprawling coastal site into apartments, accompanied with a lesser number of townhouses and detached homes.
The future is bright
Little Bay is expected to be an evolving community with established schools such as La Perouse, Malabar and Chifley Public schools, Matraville Sports High and St Andrews Catholic Primary School. Since February 2016, the median house price for the suburb has been on a 23.4 % increase, with the average rental yield of 6%. The area has seen buyers and investors moving from nearby Mascot and Botany, but also from more remote inner western suburbs such as Dulwich Hill, Erskineville and Summer Hill. One would be challenged to find better value for money along the eastern suburbs coastline.
Current local listing digest
The fixer-upper on a 500-qaure-metre corner block at 27 Woomera Road is ripe for renovations, with plenty of room for a duplex. The north-facing units at 307/1-5 Pine Avenue offer multiple views over the leafy suburb, and the best part is that it’s squeezed in the strip of cafes and shops. With the built-in bedroom wardrobe and balcony access, it’s expected to sell for around $775,000.
What once was a sleepy little suburb 14km south east of Sydney’s CBD has now completely evolved into architecturally designed residences enshrouded in greenery and enjoying ocean views. The site has come a long way from its beginning as a quarantine hospital, and now is an attractive for both young families and seniors, as well as investors.