Established, leafy residential suburb on the lower North Shore about 8 km north of the Sydney CBD in the City of Willoughby local government area — the suburb that gave the LGA its name, even though council's administrative centre and the district's major commercial centre sit in the adjacent suburb of Chatswood. Settlement dates to the 1850s and the suburb is home to a large Armenian community whose families began arriving in the 1960s–70s. At the 2021 census Willoughby had 7,124 residents (up 8.9% since 2016) living predominantly in owner-occupied homes (67.5% in 2021), typically couples with children in professional occupations, with a median household income of $2,947 a week — well above the national median. The village feel centres on small shopping strips along Willoughby Road, Mowbray Road, Penshurst Street and High Street, with family homes on tree-lined streets between the Chatswood commercial edge to the west and the Middle Harbour bushland suburbs to the east.
At a Glance
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Region | North Shore |
| Council (LGA) | City of Willoughby |
| Postcode | 2068 |
| Distance to Sydney CBD | Willoughby sits about 8 km north of the Sydney CBD, with typical commutes around 25–35 minutes door-to-door.… |
| Median house price | $3.84M (CoreLogic via YIP — median house price over the 12 months to mid-2026, based on 65 sales, +8.6% over the year); Allhomes put the 12-month median house sale price at $3.678M — medians swing between trackers on this low-volume, high-value market (mid-2026) |
| Median unit price | $1.5M, an elevated figure reflecting premium and new-build stock across the 2068 area; for comparison… |
| Typical rent | Houses around $1,385/week and units around $920/week ; view.com.au lists the median two-bedroom unit rent at $800/week |
Transport
Willoughby has no railway station — Artarmon station on the T1 North Shore line is the nearest, just across the suburb's western border, and Chatswood's major interchange (T1 trains plus the Sydney Metro City line, which opened 19 August 2024) is only minutes away by bus. Buses are the local workhorse along Willoughby Road and the other main roads: route 115 runs Chatswood–North Sydney via Crows Nest along the Willoughby Road corridor, and other services serving the area include 205 and 267 (Chatswood–Greenwich Point).
Schools
Three schools sit in the suburb: Willoughby Public School — NSW government co-educational primary (K–6) tracing its origins to 1863, when the North Sydney National Public School opened in Willoughby with Mrs Eliza Davies as its first teacher before moving to a two-acre lot near the corner of Penshurst Street and Mowbray Road, donated by William Lithgow; the school was renamed Willoughby Public School in 1891. Willoughby Girls' High School — NSW government single-sex high school (Years 7–12) established in 1934 and the only comprehensive government girls' school on the lower North Shore, enrolling around 1,000 students, with Willoughby Public and Northbridge Public among its feeder schools. St Thomas' Catholic Primary School — Catholic primary (K–6) in the Catholic Schools Broken Bay system, with about 277 students and an ICSEA of 1161.
Shopping & Amenities
Shops, restaurants and hotels are grouped through the suburb, with the main strips along Willoughby Road, Mowbray Road, Penshurst Street and High Street. Village landmarks include the Bridgeview Hotel on Willoughby Road and The Willoughby Hotel on Penshurst Street, the Willoughby Fire Station on Laurel Street and the 1st Willoughby Scouts hall. Willoughby Leisure Centre is the suburb's recreation hub, with a 25-metre lap pool, spas, children's pool, swim school, gym, basketball courts, netball courts and a baseball field. Two heritage-listed sites anchor the suburb's history: Laurelbank at 85–87 Penshurst Street and the Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator at 2 Small Street. Immediately to the west, Chatswood — the LGA's major commercial centre where council is administered — is within easy reach for shopping and services.
Parks & Outdoors
Bicentennial Reserve, which includes Hallstrom Park, provides a soccer field, T-ball and softball fields and a children's playground, and Willoughby Park — a sportsground with an oval used for rugby and cricket (including a turf wicket) on Warrane Road and McClelland Street — anchors the suburb's eastern side. CoreLogic via YIP counts 11 parks covering about 5.8% of the suburb, and the bushland corridor of Flat Rock Gully and Flat Rock Creek runs along the suburb's southern boundary toward Naremburn. The suburb's leafy eastern fringe steps down toward the Middle Harbour bushland suburbs of Castlecrag and Northbridge.
Property Market
The median house price in Willoughby was around $3.84M (CoreLogic via YIP — median house price over the 12 months to mid-2026, based on 65 sales, +8.6% over the year); Allhomes put the 12-month median house sale price at $3.678M — medians swing between trackers on this low-volume, high-value market (mid-2026). See our full Sydney property price map for how the suburb compares across the city. Housing is dominated by owner-occupied family homes (67.5% owner-occupancy at the 2021 census), with apartments and townhouses concentrated along the main-road corridors. Median house prices ranged roughly $3.7M–$3.84M between trackers in 2025–26, illustrating how volatile medians are on ~65 house sales a year. Units look pricey ($1.5M median) partly because the 2068 postcode and CoreLogic suburb geography pull in premium new builds and larger strata homes. Median household income was $2,947/week at the 2021 census and the predominant age group is 40–49. Buyers often compare Willoughby against adjacent Chatswood and Northbridge, trading off village character for slightly better value.
New Developments
Willoughby Grounds (5 Walter Street) — a large apartment project by First Quadrant and Qualitas that adds 160 apartments of 'house-sized' one-to-four-bedroom homes set in gardens; first residents were moving in around mid-2025, with local commentary questioning whether the suburb's infrastructure can absorb the influx. Council is also processing significant in-fill: an integrated development application (DA-2025/183) lodged in October 2025 proposes demolition of existing structures and redevelopment of 35–49 Penshurst Street. With the NSW Government's December 2024 medium-density housing reforms enabling multi-dwelling housing in low-density zones, more low-rise infill is expected along Willoughby's corridors.
Jobs & Local Economy
Willoughby's local employment base is retail, hospitality and local services along its village strips — Willoughby Road, Penshurst Street and Mowbray Road — plus the Willoughby Leisure Centre and the suburb's three schools. Most residents commute to professional jobs, predominantly in the adjacent Chatswood commercial centre, North Sydney, St Leonards or the Sydney CBD.
Nearby Suburbs
Chatswood, Northbridge, Naremburn, Castlecrag, Artarmon
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:
Corrections are welcome — if something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will fix it.
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