Sports tragic? A look at Australia's vintage sporting suburbs

They’re Australia’s top sporting suburbs – and they’ve never been in as much demand from sports-loving property buyers. 

From homes around Sydney’s Moore Park to those in East Melbourne, from Sydney Olympic Park to St Kilda, from Woolloongabba in Brisbane to Perth’s Burswood, living close to major venues for many just can’t be beaten.

New South Wales

Moore Park in the city’s eastern suburbs has always been popular for the Sydney Cricket Ground and the old Sydney Sports Ground, replaced in 1988 by the Sydney Football Stadium. The stadium was recently demolished, but homes in the suburb are likely to be even more in demand when the replacement is finally built, says Ballard Property’s James Ball.

“I grew up at that stadium, and my mum worked there as a personal trainer,” says of Moore Park in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. “We’d train there in the morning, go to watch a football game and cricket in the summer.

“You can have something to eat in Paddington on the way to a game, then a drink nearby afterwards on the way home.”

Sydney’s other top sports suburbs include Sydney Olympic Park, with the facilities and parklands there a major drawcard, and Eastlakes in the east, a former horseracing site now with no fewer than four golf courses within striking distance: The Lakes, The Australian, Eastlake and Bonnie Doon. The suburb is now also attracting significant investment to lure more property-buyers to the area, like the $1 billion Crown Group development, Eastlakes Live.  

“It’s going up and up all the time,” says Joe Recep of NG Farah. “It’s so close to the airport and beaches, and has one of the best golf courses in the country where they play the Australian Open and the Australian Masters.” 

Victoria

In East Melbourne, it’s all about being within walking distance, or having views, of the MCG. That’s a feature always promoted in any property sales campaign since potential buyers may be fans of cricket, Australian rules, rugby union, rugby league, football, athletics or wrestling, or simply want to attend any of the entertainment events taking place. 

The area is a genuinely vintage setting for sport, too. It has a long Indigenous history and was used by the settlers from the 1850s for sport, with some of the earliest games of Australian rules held in Yarra Park, back then known as the Richmond Paddock. 

Today, the lure endures. “The MCG is absolutely iconic, just like a southern Harbour Bridge,” says Gabriel Mercuri of Nicholson Real Estate. “Its sporting precinct is the recreational hub for the best sports entertainment in the world. 

“We are a sporting city, so we all do spend a lot of time at and around the ‘G, so it’s great to live in the same suburb. It’s well-positioned too, with transport, and you can walk into town or to the casino as it’s so central.”

Queensland

Other capital cities also have their favourite sporting suburbs. In Brisbane, that would be Woolloongabba, home of the Brisbane Cricket Ground, better known as the Gabba.      

The area has long had strong sports associations with the ground first earmarked for cricket in 1895. The first Test match was played there in 1931, and, as well as cricket, it’s also hosted athletics, Australian rules, rugby league, rugby union, football, baseball, cycling and, until 1993, a greyhound racing track encircled the ground.

Today, it’s also used for the Big Bash League for both men and women, is the home of the Brisbane Lions in AFL and the Queensland Bulls in domestic cricket, and is a stage for large concerts. 

“Being close to the Gabba definitely is an attraction when it comes to buying real estate,” says James McKinlay of Place Estate Agents. “Then there’s the precinct behind it with lots of cafes and restaurants for the people who come for the games.

“The new underground railway [the Cross River Rail] being built goes from the city to the Gabba and will be finished in just under four years. That infrastructure spend is increasing demand for homes in the area, not only locally but also from investors in Melbourne and Brisbane and, with property quite tightly held, that will translate into rising prices.”

South Australia

In Adelaide, being within walking distance of the Adelaide Oval – in the parkland between the Adelaide CBD and North Adelaide – is a huge selling point, according to Belle Property Adelaide City agent Sumit Khatri. 

“It does make a difference when you’re selling property,” he says. “There are quite a few apartments close to the oval where they allow short-term leases, and every weekend they have people staying who are going to something there.

“That means investors find apartments there very attractive, particularly with interest rates so low. We’ve had demand too from South Australian buyers looking to downsize into an apartment, and also interstate and overseas buyers who find our prices affordable.

“People also love having a view of the oval. If you’re not actually there, watching, then it’s a great substitute to watch on TV and look out of the window and see the lights.”

Western Australia

Over in Western Australia, the Perth (Optus) Stadium, opened in January last year, is in Burswood. For a long time before that, the main cricket/AFL ground in Perth was the WACA Ground, in the suburb of East Perth, which will continue to host Test matches against minor nations, and Sheffield Shield cricket.

“Fifteen to 20 years ago, Burswood was a suburb frowned upon,” says Simon Deering of Simon Deering Property. “But it’s all about location and Burswood is close to the river and the casino, and the stadium has really put the icing on the cake.

“They’ve also changed the zoning in the past five years, so more development is being encouraged. As a result, Burswood is so much more desirable, and a lot of people are looking to buy here for investment or lifestyle and being near the stadium and planning their calendars around what’s on there.”