Sylvania, NSW 2224

A family-oriented suburb on the southern shore of the Georges River, roughly 22 km south of the Sydney CBD in the Sutherland Shire, best known for its large waterfront properties and restaurants. Mostly residential with areas of native bushland and commercial development along the Princes Highway and Port Hacking Road, it grew around the Holt–Sutherland Estate from the 1880s — the name comes from the Latin 'sylva', meaning forest land. At the 2021 census Sylvania had 10,749 residents, 71.9% Australian-born with the largest overseas-born groups China (3.3%), England (2.5%) and Greece (1.8%); households are predominantly couples with children, 74.9% of homes owner-occupied and most residents in professional occupations. Housing is a mix of detached family homes and apartment blocks, concentrated around the Southgate/Princes Highway corridor, with Sylvania Heights a locality in the suburb's west.

At a Glance

Transport

Sylvania has no railway station — public transport is bus-based, with services operated by U-Go Mobility along the Princes Highway and Port Hacking Road. The Princes Highway crosses the Georges River over the Tom Uglys Bridge at Horse Rock Point, linking Sylvania north to Blakehurst and the St George area. The nearest train stations are Miranda and Gymea on the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line in the adjoining suburbs, a short bus or car trip away.

Schools

Sylvania Public School — NSW government primary school at 46 Princes Highway, Sylvania; the suburb's first school opened in 1884, closed in 1891 and reopened in 1925, and the school celebrated 100 years of public education. Sylvania Heights Public School — NSW government primary school opened 1955, serving the Sylvania Heights locality in the west of the suburb. Sylvania High School — NSW government comprehensive co-educational secondary school (Years 7–12) established 1970 in Sylvania, famous for its cameo in the 1979 book 'Puberty Blues'.

Shopping & Amenities

Southgate Shopping Centre sits at the corner of the Princes Highway and Port Hacking Road in Sylvania, about 20 km south of the CBD; anchored by Coles, Kmart and Woolworths with 55-plus speciality stores, it adjoins The Crest Hotel Sylvania and a McDonald's. A further small group of shops and restaurants lines the Princes Highway near the foot of Tom Uglys Bridge, and commercial development also runs along Port Hacking Road.

Parks & Outdoors

Sylvania fronts the Georges River along its northern edge, and Gwawley Bay on the suburb's eastern side is where Thomas Holt built Sutherland House on the foreshore in 1818 — the river foreshore offers water views, parkland and access for boating. The suburb contains areas of native bushland around Sylvania Heights and 11 parks covering about 4% of the suburb's 4.4 km².

Property Market

The median house price in Sylvania was around ~$2.0–2.1M: CoreLogic via YIP puts the Sylvania median house price at $2,086,250 (126 sales, 12 months to May 2026) and Cotality's AVM median house value is $2,028,701 (as at 31 July 2026) (mid-2026). See our full Sydney property price map for how the suburb compares across the city. Two independent CoreLogic/Cotality-based trackers agree closely on a ~$2.03–2.09M house median and ~$1.27–1.32M unit median for 2026. realestate.com.au's divergent snapshot of $1,630,000 (−10%, 73 sales) appears to cover a narrower filtered set, and the spread illustrates how waterfront stock on the Georges River and around Sylvania Waters lifts headline figures. Houses spent about 48 days on market and units 22 days, with 126 house and 82 unit sales over the 12 months to May 2026.

New Developments

Infill apartment development is concentrated along the Port Hacking Road corridor: a new apartment project at 152–158 Port Hacking Road & 195 Box Road is being marketed off the plan, and 130 Port Hacking Road is being promoted as a development site, with sold apartment complexes at 44–46 and 54–58 Port Hacking Road.

Jobs & Local Economy

Retail is the suburb's main local employment base, anchored by the Southgate Shopping Centre complex on the Princes Highway, plus the small shop and restaurant strip near Tom Uglys Bridge. Most residents work in professional occupations and many commute to the Sydney CBD roughly 22 km away via the Princes Highway corridor or T4 rail from neighbouring Miranda/Gymea stations.

Nearby Suburbs

Miranda, Sylvania Waters, Blakehurst, Kangaroo Point, Gymea, Kareela

Sources & method

Researched 5 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 — Sylvania High School
• NSW Government

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

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