Lurnea, NSW 2170

A compact, family-oriented suburb about 35 km south-west of the Sydney CBD in the City of Liverpool, home to 10,057 people at the 2021 census. Lurnea's name means 'a resting place': the area, originally known as Hillview, was subdivided as a soldier settlement after World War I (post office opened 1921) and redeveloped in the 1970s, including housing for Vietnam War veterans and newly arrived Vietnamese refugee families — heritage that still shapes its streetscape of post-war and 1970s-era homes with newer infill. It is strongly multicultural: at the 2021 census only 49.4% of residents were born in Australia (Iraq 10.2%, Lebanon 6.3%, Vietnam 3.4%), Arabic was spoken at home by 32.1% of people and Islam was the largest religion (28.9%). Households are typically couples with children and the dominant age group is 0-9 years, though median household income of $1,255/week (2021) trails the national average. Local reviewers rate the suburb's parks, recreation and medical facilities among its strengths (Homely, 4.6/5).

At a Glance

Transport

Bus-based: Lurnea has no railway station. Transit Systems runs five bus routes through the suburb plus another three along Hoxton Park Road, which forms its northern edge and links to Liverpool to the east and Hoxton Park to the west. The 865 route connects Liverpool station to Casula Mall 'via Lurnea Shops' — direct evidence of the local shopping strip's role as a bus destination (busmaps; TransSee; Transit app). For rail, residents catch buses to nearby Liverpool station (T2/T3 lines) or Casula station (T2), both a short ride away; the M5 South Western Motorway and Westlink M7 are both easily accessed from the suburb.

Schools

Three schools sit within the suburb : Lurnea Public School — NSW government primary opened in 1960, catering for about 475 students K-6; Lurnea High School — NSW government co-educational high school opened in 1965, catering for around 650 students in years 7–12 and also housing an Intensive English Centre and a Hearing Impaired Unit; and St Francis Xavier's Primary School — a co-educational Catholic primary school.

Shopping & Amenities

Lurnea's village retail core is Lurnea Plaza on Hill Road — a small neighbourhood centre anchored by Lurnea Supermarket (Shop 9, Lurnea Plaza, Hill Road) with local shops and services, and it is prominent enough to name the bus route that runs 'via Lurnea Shops' (Yellow Pages; busmaps). For major retail, medical and civic services residents head to neighbouring Liverpool, which borders Lurnea to the north and east: Westfield Liverpool (Coles, Woolworths, Big W, Myer and specialty retail), Liverpool Hospital and the Whitlam Leisure Centre are all within minutes (openinghoursau; whereis).

Parks & Outdoors

A small, leafy suburb of roughly 2.6 km² with about 14 parks and reserves covering nearly 10.5% of its area — mostly local playgrounds, sports fields and neighbourhood reserves that suit its young-family demographic; locals list 'parks and recreation' among the suburb's strengths (Homely). Lurnea does not itself front the Georges River (the river corridor sits north of Hoxton Park Road around Liverpool and Warwick Farm), and the suburb's original name, Hillview, reflects that it was chosen for its elevated views across the Liverpool area.

Property Market

The median house price in Lurnea was around $1,155,000 (CoreLogic via Your Investment Property, 85 house sales in the 12 months to May 2026); Cotality/OnTheHouse automated median house value $1,054,647 as at 31 July 2026; realestate.com.au lists the median at $1,000,000 (71 sales over 12 months) (mid-2026). See our full Sydney property price map for how the suburb compares across the city. Trackers diverge on the house median — roughly $1.0M, $1.055M and $1.155M — reflecting a thin but active market of about 85–108 sales a year. Only 55.1% of homes were owner-occupied at the 2021 census, household income is below the Sydney average ($1,255/week) and most workers are in machinery-operator/driver occupations, so Lurnea has traditionally been one of the more affordable family suburbs in the Liverpool area — though double-digit annual growth and ~3.5% yields are attracting investor interest. Housing stock is predominantly older post-war and 1970s brick homes on full blocks, with newer infill development appearing.

New Developments

Lurnea has no large in-suburb masterplan: renewal is happening through steady individual redevelopment and infill — Liverpool City Council DA activity for the suburb is tracked on public registers such as PlanTrack and covers new dwellings, subdivisions and alterations on its older housing blocks. The suburb's population grew 8.0% between 2016 and 2021 and profile writers describe a 'mix of older homes and newer developments' as the local character (htag). The bigger growth story sits in the surrounding Liverpool LGA, including the South West growth areas and Edmondson Park precinct nearby.

Jobs & Local Economy

The suburb's largest occupational group is machinery operators and drivers, with most households earning their income in lower-to-mid wage jobs. Local employment centres on retail and services around the Lurnea Plaza shops, while the big employment draws are a short commute away in Liverpool, the industrial and logistics precincts along the Hoxton Park Road corridor toward Prestons, and the Sydney CBD via the M5.

Nearby Suburbs

Cartwright, Liverpool, Casula, Prestons

Sources & method

Researched 4 September 2026 from named public sources — census and government records, transport authorities, council and planning documents — plus published sales data. Where sources disagree on a figure, the guide says so rather than picking one.

Sources cited in this guide:

• Wikipedia — Lurnea

Corrections are welcome — if something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will fix it.

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