There’s no question that Oatlands is a wonderful place to raise a family. Tree-lined streets, parks-a-plenty, prestigious schools – and all the exciting developments of Parramatta CBD less than 10 minutes drive away.
30 kilometres north west of Sydney’s CBD, Oatlands is often described by residents as a quiet oasis with a safe, suburban feel. Bordering The Hills District and North Parramatta, it benefits from its close proximity to a range of amenities.
The A28 and Pennant Hills Road runs along the northern edge of the suburb, and Kissing Point Road along the southern edge, providing easy access to the A40. Its central location to the main arterial links (M2, A4/M4) also means there are two options for a 30 minute drive into downtown Sydney.
Melissa Farr, who founded The Bells Road Social cafe with her husband Daniel, loves that Oatlands has managed to retain its suburban charm in amongst its more metropolitan neighbours.
“We love the close knit community feel of Oatlands, it’s a very welcoming place to operate a business.
“We’ve been supported by the community since we opened in December 2017 and have grown to know many of our regulars who are predominately a mix of retirees, young families and executives with older university students who are still living at home.”
Demographics
The average age of people live in Oatlands are in the 40 – 59 age bracket, and families make up 55 percent of the population. Homeowners are also the largest portion of locals, at 38 per cent. Those purchasing a property are close behind at 36 per cent, with only 26 per cent of residents renting.
The 2016 census accounted for almost 6,000 people living in Oatlands.
Transport
Melissa notes that the city buses just around the corner from their cafe on Kissing Point Road are very convenient for commuting into the city CBD. Both the neighbouring suburbs of Telopea and Dundas, which are only a 10 minute drive away, also have trains.
She also finds Oatlands is quite an easy in-between location to travel to, even for those people driving from The Hills District.
Shopping
So where do the locals shop? Oatlands itself is a little quiet on the retail front, because it is predominantly a residential suburb. However on the main shopping strip there is a local IGA, post office, grocer, chemist, butcher and hairdresser – all the necessities.
Melissa and Daniel like to shop local and support local businesses, so they get all of their fresh produce for the cafe from Jo at Oatlands Village Fresh.
“His seasonal product and customer service is exceptional and as the name suggests, is always fresh. The local business owners create a great village feel, knowing most of their customers by name.”
But further afield, Westfield Parramatta is only four kilometres away, and there are many retail developments currently in construction alongside the Parramatta River foreshore.
Dining
There aren’t a lot of eating establishments in Oatlands, apart from of course Melissa and Daniel’s cafe The Bells Road Social – open Tuesday to Sunday. It is the local cafe of choice, especially for young families as it’s situated right next to the Fred Robertson Reserve Park – so parents can relax in the park with a takeaway meal or coffee while their children play.
Again, having Parramatta and The Hills District on the doorstep of Oatlands means there are plenty of dining choices for both day and night.
Parks and recreation
The suburb is home to plenty of green spaces, from the Fred Robertson Reserve which is a beautiful park with plenty of shade and a bush reserve to explore, to the Vineyard Creek Reserve with lots of family-friendly bushwalking trails to explore. There is also the Robert Green Forest, and a golf course. A five minute drive away is Lake Parramatta, which has plenty of waterside walking tracks.
The Fred Robertson Reserve is also home to a public street library, that was donated by Parra Parents. It is maintained by Melissa from The Bells Road Social, and Kellie Darly from Parra Parents.
Schools
Oatlands prides itself on being family-friendly, and has a range of educational institutions. There are four childcare/kindergarten options within a small radius of the suburb, and it is only a five minute drive to the prestigious Kings School and Tara Anglican School.
It is also situated very close to catholic schools such as St Patrick’s in Dundas and OLMC in Parramatta, and there are a number of public schools as well.
The University of Western Sydney’s Parramatta campus is a short drive away.
Real estate update
Demand to enter the suburb of Oatlands is stable, with houses considerably more desirable than units, and this is what Melissa feels makes it stand out from the crowd.
“It really has retained its village like feel and it is good that high rises can’t be built in the area. Suburbs like this are becoming harder to come by – you feel like you can escape the hustle and bustle of the busier surrounding areas upon entering Oatlands.”
According to domain.com.au, the median price for a three-bedroom house here is $950,000 – $30,000 less than just down the road in North Parramatta. Sale prices dipped only slightly in 2018 compared to 2017, but are still well up on 2016 and continuing on an upward trend since 2012. The average days on the market is around 69, and auction clearance rates are sitting at just under a third.
Units are harder to come by, but any type of property in Oatlands achieves significantly more rent per week than in Parramatta CBD. Data on realestate.com.au has a three-bedroom house in Parramatta obtaining around $500/week, with Oatlands averaging $50 more.
To find out more about the Oatland’s property market, call our team on 02 8116 9444 or email us using the form below.
