Sydney 10 Years Of Outperformance

It was Autumn of 2002 when I first moved to Sydney. Back then, the Eastern Suburbs were a lively, outer suburb of the main hustle and bustle of the CBD.

As a South Sydney boy, I trained at South Juniors gym, swam at Maroubra beach, and, in my job as a Sydney Window Cleaner, worked mostly around Coogee and Bondi.

Life was never dull, and there were occasional rumbles of discontent, such as the Cronulla riots, and Maroubra beach episodes. However, with 10 years away, my how things have changed!

The first thing you notice, when you return to Sydney is the ambience. Gone are the quiet mornings in the burbs, the leisurely drive  into the city. Now, take for instance, Anzac Parade, Kensington. What was a big road, is now a congested artery of bumper to bumper traffic, with the occasional trams to add variety. Gone are the days when it was easy to find a parking space one or two roads back from Bondi beach. Now, the atmosphere is one of organized chaos. 

As an example, my ife and I thought it would be a good idea to take the kids to Bondi beach. We looked for the parking spaces in the back roads, that we have used so often in the past. However this time, we were thwarted in our plans. The parking spaces had all gone, to the extent that we drove 45 minutes around and around trying to locate one, all to no avail.

Maybe the southern suburbs don't have the high rise buildings of the city, however, they have the feel of the city. It has taken only 10 years for Sydney to outperform, for it to change it's identity from popular tourist destination, to that of a big metropolis.

But, what is the reason for this change? It has long been known that Sydney and Melbourne have been almost 'competing' for the status of being Australis's biggest city. And, with expansion not always an option, especially with both cities having water as one of their boundaries, the only way to expand is to grow upwards. 

Single storey dwellings are extremely expensive, so developers have chosen to build Muti-family dwellings, what we might term 'blocks of flats'. This has resulted in the ability to increase the number of people who can live in a small area, and allow population growth to occur in those areas that are deemed to be the most popular.....the inner city areas.

If history has taught us anything, it is that mankind, which was once a race of mixed agricultural, and urban dwelling folk, is now more and more likely to be solely one of urban dwellers. Therefore, cities such as Melbourne and Sydney, which have outperformed in population growth, are likely to continue that trend for the foreseeable future.

Sydney is outperforming. Expect that trend to continue, and, accelerate in years to come.