Bondi? Pretentious. Bronte? Perfect

西关少爷

SMH

PETER WEST emerged from the grey winter sea at Bronte this week looking traumatised, but as he gasped for breath to speak he asked: "How good's this?"

A self-declared Bronte "diehard", it now seems Dr West is not alone. The suburb has been declared the best of 641 Sydney suburbs by the Herald's Good Suburbs Guide.

The guide was compiled by the Herald's property experts, assessing each area on its median property price, investment growth, access to transport, natural environment and all-round "liveability".

Some suburbs were chosen as great investments, such as Alexandria, North Sydney, Parramatta and Ultimo.

Others were singled out for their lifestyles, such as Balmain and Avalon, while Manly Vale, St Peters and Banksia made the list of suburbs offering great value. North Ryde and Redfern were considered up-and-comers.

Some of Sydney's most exclusive suburbs - Point Piper, Palm Beach, for instance - were shunned for awards altogether.

The guide's editor, Stephen Nicholls, the editor of the Herald's Domain section, said only Bronte had the full package. "It's got a great beach, great cafes, a great primary school and [it's] so close to the city. And the median apartment price is still reasonable at $535,000, so you can still pick up an Art Deco apartment there. Where else in the world can you have a suburb with so much going for it?"

He said parking was a problem, but that was common in Sydney and at least there were buses.

The news came as little surprise to Dr West, who said Bronte's demographic sets it apart from the rest of Sydney.

"People in Bondi are too pretentious," he said. "In places like Bondi and Coogee, there's a very young population - people are in their mid-20s and have very fast-paced lives. Whereas Bronte is more relaxed."

One thing that has changed over the years, says Dr West: the development of Bronte's cafe culture. A weekly influx of people seek their coffee fix along the Bronte Road beachfront.

At the famous Bogey Hole Cafe, Jane Hinton is a regular and tried to downplay her beautiful surroundings: "We don't want you to publish something and ruin our little secret down here," she said.

Dr West enjoys observing the weekly influx. "It's fascinating watching them, they're like lizards. They come out when it's sunny and bask in the sun. And if it's really hot they might wander down to the edge of the water and have a dip. But the diehards, we're here all year round."

The Good Suburbs Guide (Penguin Books/Fairfax Books, $29.95) is at bookstores, www.smh.com.au or call 1300656059.

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