Many think of harbour views when it comes to Mosman, but the suburb is also blessed with lush national parkland.

‘You feel a million miles away’: The seven tree-change suburbs you can move to without leaving Sydney

Sue WilliamsDomain ReporterNov 22, 2018

Sydney is blessed with bush suburbs; the kind of places where you can be surrounded by wild greenery and feel a million miles from the city that is, in reality, within reach.

Take Mosman for instance, home to Sydney Harbour National Park. “When you think of Mosman, you’re far more likely to think of harbour views,” says Dino Gatti, of The Agency North.

“But, there are parts of Mosman where you can have very much a bush outlook, like with this house. You don’t really expect it but it can be everywhere if you look, even this close to the city.”

Helen Street Reserve in Lane Cove NSW — Helen Street Reserve is one of the green scenes putting Lane Cove on the map as a tree-change destination. Photo: Steven Woodburn

It is easier to find great swathes of bush the farther north you travel. Lane Cove, for example, has lots of bushland along the Lane Cove River and by the sides of the creeks that flow through it, with the Lane Cove National Park and the Lane Cove Bushland Park close by.

“There has been a lot of development in the suburb around the main shopping centre, but a lot of the area is still undeveloped and surrounded by trees, big blue gums, and bushland,” says Stuart Bourne, of Raine & Horne Lane Cove.

“I think people find it very relaxing to have the bush so near, it can be something of a sanctuary, while outside of peak traffic, you can drive to the city in 10 minutes.”

In the Hills district are places such as Dural and Glenorie.

Cafe Botanica in Dural NSW — Cafe Botanica in Dural, another suburb blessed with an abundance of greenery. Photo: Steven Woodburn

In Dural, LJ Hooker’s William Brush says he has a lot of people from inner-city Sydney moving to the area. “We have a lot of both bushland and arable properties as well as an increasing number of high-end homes, and it’s very family friendly. It’s a great area for kids to run around the bush and ride motorbikes, and it’s still only 40 minutes to the city, and maybe less when the new train station arrives next year.”

Farther east on the northern beaches, Terrey Hills is another bush favourite with the mildest temperatures of any area in Greater Sydney largely because of its vast tree canopy cover, by Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.

“You’re surrounded by national park here,” says Taylor Snell, of Sydney Country Living in Terrey Hills.

The Sydney suburb of Bundeena NSW — Bundeena offers both sandy beaches and bushland trails. Photo: Steven Woodburn

Bundeena, on the southern side of Port Hacking, opposite Cronulla, is surrounded by the Royal National Park. Debbie Donnelley, of Phillips Pantzer Donnelley, has a house there and says having beach on one side, and bush on the other, makes it an amazing place. “You feel a million miles away, even though it’s only an hour’s drive to the city.”

Suburbs like Oatley, by the Georges River, has bush parks and reserves.

“There’s so much bush, you feel like you’re a little bit removed from the rest of Sydney, much more than you actually are. says Fraser Glen, of Ray White Oatley.

Our top three tree-change homes

Mosman

This magnificent house fronting the Sydney National Park has been transformed from an original 1950s brick home to a more extensive retreat that interacts with its setting.

“Living at Burrawong House is the very essence of tranquility,” says owner Kathryn Ogawa. “It evokes a quiet meditation.”