The places you’ll likely want to avoid when living in, or visiting, Sydney (last update: July 2020).
As a whole, Sydney ranks as one of the safest global cities in the world; it was even recently ranked 5th out of the top 10 safest to visit during 2019 by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Generally well-lit, with solid infrastructure and low total crime rates, there are few spots in Sydney where you’ll ever have to feel truly unsafe – even at night.
As is the case with any large greater urban area however, Sydney does have a number of areas that both crime statistics and the “eye test” will mark as dangerous suburbs overall.
The reasons for this can be mixed – being bases for organised crime, hotbeds for drugs and distribution, or concentrations of housing commission, for example – and combine with general ‘atmosphere’ to make a suburb dangerous in general.
Here’s our list of the 10 most dangerous suburbs in Sydney, based on a mixture of crime stats provided by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics & Research as well as a dose of personal experience. Note these are not ranked in any particular order.
Visit our Sydney Suburbs Crime Statistics page for a full statistical breakdown of crime rates for all major crime types in every suburb of Sydney per population.
10. Blacktown
Blacktown’s status as a member on this list is something of a shame, as on the surface it has quite a lot to offer as a suburb in terms of daily conveniences.
It’s got good facilities for shopping, a decent mix of people from all different demographics, solid NBN coverage and also serves as a key transport interchange with good connectivity.
It’s also one of the biggest places on this list, so the raw quantity of its criminal offences is always going to be larger – however Blacktown also boasts one of the highest crime rates per capita as well.
Step outside the station and you’ll often be immediately harassed by teenagers for money, while pickpocketing is also common.
“Sure, there’s potentially good value for money in terms of the property market considering Blacktown’s nice mix of facilities – but when prices are relatively low in Sydney despite this, it’s a sign something’s up.”
There’s a high quantity of obvious drug users in almost every public park space, and the constant presence of police patrols are an indicator of the “high alert” level you have to be when visiting here at almost all times of day – particularly at night.
For potential residents, it also has a high rate of home theft as well as one of the highest instances of robbery (without a firearm) in all of greater Sydney. Sure, there’s potentially good value for money in terms of the property market considering Blacktown’s nice mix of facilities – but when prices are relatively low in Sydney despite this, it’s a sign something’s up.
Lastly, there’s nothing much to do here other than some alright-ish local markets so there’s no real reason to visit when you can stick to the likes of Parramatta not far away anyway.
9. Doonside
Doonside is another fairly well-equipped Sydney suburb that’s well-serviced by public transport (both bus and train) and has decent amenities to go along with its reasonable property prices.
It’s also a suburb that has two faces in that there’s a literal “wrong side of the track” demarcation that separates its standard, better area from its concentrated slice of housing commission spots. Basically: south equals bad, north equals better.
There’s a strong history of welfare dependency here and high rates of unemployment, which go hand in hand with prominent drug use to paint what is not a very pretty picture. Fighting in the streets, frequent muggings when coming home from the station at night, and even past instances of machete attacks and murders have all occurred in Doonside.
“It’s a suburb that has two faces in that there’s a literal “wrong side of the track” demarcation that separates its standard, better area from its concentrated slice of housing commission spots.”
Being harassed for cigarettes and spare change on public transport are frequent occurrences, and the suburb also boasts a high instance of domestic violence. If visiting, you’ll also want to avoid parking on the streets as there’s a good chance you’ll end up with a smashed car window if leaving your vehicle there for too long.
You have to feel for the hardworking residents on the “good” side of the tracks, as while it’s better it still carries the stigma of the suburb as a whole which can be a turn off when trying to sell property.
Merely having a decent collection of shops can’t offset enough of these negatives, and even those shops themselves have a much higher than average history of being robbed.
8. Claymore
While the Campbelltown region as a whole has gradually been improving after recent revitalisation efforts and continued development, Claymore remains one of greater Sydney’s most disadvantaged suburbs.
When there’s even a movement a few years back to rename the suburb to try and shake its negative reputation as a rebranding attempt, it should tell you something about what to expect.
Housing commission-heavy, the suburb ranks as home to the highest likelihood of home burglary in all of Sydney so you’ll want to secure your doors and windows if living or renting here. It can trace this heritage back to the 1980s when it was designated a housing commission project and has not had much luck or chance to evolve ever since.
“When there’s even a movement a few years back to rename the suburb to try and shake its negative reputation as a rebranding attempt, it should tell you something about what to expect.”
Claymore was also ranked among the five most disadvantaged suburbs in all of New South Wales during an independent study conducted in 2015 factoring in a mix of indicators ranging from education levels, criminal convictions and juvenile offences.
It’s hard not to feel bad for those who have been institutionalised here since birth with no real way out of the system, however even those with generous souls will want to stay away as a single person won’t be able to solve multi-generational social problems in a single visit.
7. Fairfield
Unlike most of the other suburbs on this list, Fairfield’s crime doesn’t just originate from inherent social problems or lack of employment opportunities.
Many of its problems can be traced back to its use as a location for the concentrated resettlement of refugees and other immigrants without proper planning or giving them much to look forward to – as a result, it’s been the site of some high-profile gang wars over the years.
These have combined to make it home to one of Sydney’s highest occurrences of robbery with a firearm, and while one could argue that those not members of gangs are never the intended target, it’s still not conducive to a safe-feeling environment. Police officers have been killed in the past, and it also ranks very highly per-capita for drug related offences as well.
“Unlike most of the other suburbs on this list, Fairfield’s crime doesn’t just originate from inherent social problems or lack of employment opportunities.”
It’s a shame as the multicultural element here and in South-Western Sydney in general does bring with it some great diversity in terms of food and dining options – Cabramatta nearby for example has improved a lot and offers some of the best and most underrated little restaurants in all of Sydney, as well as meeting people from different cultures and expanding your horizons.
Fairfield’s also home to some nice little streets that are quite leafy and offer reasonably-affordable housing given its location as well as good road access – but its layer of crime puts a damper on daily life here.
6. Merrylands
Merrylands is a bit of a tragic tale as far as Sydney suburbs go, having been transformed from decent to bad after a large quantity of housing commission was plopped within its midsts.
Since that point the situation has only continued to deteriorate, with it racking up firearm usage records and becoming renowned for topping the drive-by shooting rankings over the past decade.
There’s nothing like the sweet sounds of gunfire or police helicopters hovering overhead to rock yourself off to sleep at night.
Merrylands has also been cited as the origin point for a number of terrorist plots within Australia by special police forces, and it also tied first for its quantity of attempted murders over the last calendar year.
“Merrylands is a bit of a tragic tale as far as Sydney suburbs go, having been transformed from decent to bad.”
Car break-ins are frequent and abandoned cars can often be found on the streets, with many streets crammed with cars from large families sharing a single dwelling. Add in the unpleasantness of dumped furniture or garbage and a general lack of roadside greenery, and its not a very pretty package.
Gang activity has also been a regular occurrence here and in nearby Lidcombe. All of these variables greatly outweigh its pluses such as proximity to Parramatta and connectivity to the Sydney CBD, and good multicultural dining can be had elsewhere in more pleasant environments as well.
5. Shalvey
*1950’s radio announcer voice* “Want to be able to afford a house with a big yard in Sydney? Welcome to Shalvey, where you’ll want to invest half of that budget in home security, and the rest in weapons for those times you DO leave your new home!”
Another unfortunate housing commission hotspot that’s stuck in a perpetual poverty and welfare cycle without seemingly any chance of recovery, Shalvey (as well as the other Mt. Druitt satellite suburbs such as Whalan, Bidwill and Dharruk – basically the 2770 postcode as a whole) is dangerous, plain and simple.
Full credit goes to any and all social workers who put their time and safety on the line to aid such places, but there’s a generally depressing aspect to such situations as a whole.
“Another unfortunate housing commission hotspot that’s stuck in a perpetual poverty and welfare cycle without seemingly any chance of recovery.”
Massively high unemployment rates and no real local economy to speak of combine to make a formula for a bad situation, and that’s definitely the case here. Regardless of if it’s an institutional failing or not, there’s simply a very high ratio of, shall we say, “not nice” people here overall.
Car break-ins are frequent, residents drinking and swearing at passersby in the middle of the day outside their houses is a common occurrence, and simply making eye contact can unintentionally create an unpleasant incident. When there are literal street signs attempting to remind people not to commit domestic violence, well… you get the picture.
It’s been the location for famous documentaries such as Struggle Street which brought average Australians into the households of some of these disadvantaged communities, and a reminder to the rest of just how lucky we are (and how grateful we should be) simply to be middle-class.
4. Bankstown
A true all-rounder in the Sydney crime statistics olympics, the Bankstown region scores high points in all the key undesirable stats you’d want to avoid in a suburb to call home. Assault, rape, drug offences, theft, even a spot of murder – they’re all frequent entries in Bankstown’s portfolio on a per-capita basis that removes its large population from distorting its total figures.
It’s a large area in total and quite diverse from one part of the suburb to the other, with again a large multicultural community that offers good dining options that’s mostly offset by its generally dirty and hostile atmosphere.
Bankstown is improving and seeing continued development, but it’s far from where it needs to be yet, and despite it being a fairly major commuter hub many travellers will often actively avoid getting off at the station here.
“A true all-rounder in the Sydney crime statistics olympics, the Bankstown region scores high points in all the key undesirable stats you’d want to avoid in a suburb.”
Much of this development and waves of “new immigration” have pushed some of the undesirable elements further out to the likes of Liverpool (see below), but a high population of criminal element still calls Bankstown home.
Bikie gangs have used it as a base for decades, and much of its current immigrant community is still very insular and hostile against other demographics. Its crime rate has seen an annual decrease in recent years, however this has come from such a high initial base that it’s still worth being on high alert while here at night in particular.
Amenity-wise Bankstown is very well equipped and offers a wide range of big and small scale shopping as well as a pretty desirable 30 minute or so commute to the Sydney CBD, but property prices have risen quite a lot in recent years which has removed its other major benefit.
3. Liverpool
Liverpool is a prime example of a Sydney suburb in which a handful of good is outweighed by a larger blend of bad. It’s living proof that simply having a Westfield shopping centre and decent educational facilities along with good public transport can’t offset the overall culture of a suburb despite the efforts of local authorities to paint it as such.
Its malls and shopping areas are a haven for a range of miscellaneous hangers-on with a mix of alcohol and drug problems, and harassment is frequent for people simply walking while minding their own business. It’s also a hub for petty theft and break-ins, while assaults and homicide rates all rank inside the top ten per capita for all of New South Wales.
“Liverpool is a prime example of a Sydney suburb in which a handful of good is outweighed by a larger blend of bad”
As with many other suburbs with high levels of immigration without integration, much of Liverpool’s crime can be traced back to voluntary isolation of foreign communities rather than being that pleasant mix of sharing culture and attitudes that transplanting from elsewhere abroad should be. A hostile atmosphere soon follows, and turns people considering moving there from elsewhere or even visiting for the day to do some shopping off.
Even visiting the hospital here feels unsafe, which should be the last place you’d want to have that inkling. It’s probably appropriate, given the occurrence of multiple stabbings which haven taken place in its public spaces over the years.
As with Bankstown, Liverpool also nowadays suffers from high property prices that are not justified by the quality of living the suburb offers. Throw in high rates of drug use and distribution, and pretty much any other suburb not too far away – such as Holsworthy, Panania or even Cabramatta itself – would serve as a much better alternative to live than Liverpool.
2. Kingswood
Any time you have a brothel sitting proudly alongside your high street’s chemists and bakeries, you know you’re not exactly in the classiest place on Earth.
Its one saving grace will be proximity to the University of Western Sydney and TAFE, but that does nothing to detract from Kingswood’s numerous incidents of crime that occur in plain sight on a daily basis.
It all starts with the suburb’s large concentration of housing commission blocks around its train station, which leads to all the associated drama, petty crime and other social issues that entails.
“Add in a dose of theft from your clothesline, break-and-enters and all-round petty crime, and there’s almost no reason to choose here to live.”
Witnessing fights amongst drug users at the station doesn’t exactly make for a pleasant backdrop for the morning commute, yet this and other lovely occurrences are part of daily Kingswood life. At night, the train station becomes even more of a crime hotspot (particularly through the parks) making any potential walks home a literal roll of the drama dice.
As with other houso-heavy suburbs there’s a high rate of domestic violence institutionalised here, and frequent drug raids are carried out by police on a regular basis. Add in a dose of theft from your clothesline, break-and-enters and all-round petty crime, and there’s almost no reason to choose here to live – particular given Penrith’s newfound up-and-coming status.
Only the very outskirts of the suburb could be considered “sort of nice”, and even that is pushing it.
1. Tregear
The unfortunate and lingering posterchild for the correlation between high quantities of housing commission and crime rates, Tregear – another of the satellite suburbs fringing Mount Druitt – ranks as the cheapest place to buy property in Sydney for a reason.
Home to the highest crime rates per capita for a number of violent and dangerous crimes such as arson, attempted murder, breaching violence orders and an array of break-in related offences, it’s a downtrodden area despite continued attempts at intermixing private homes with public housing.
It’s again an area with little infrastructure, employment (one of the highest levels of unemployment in the state of NSW), or hope overall despite having some quality nature in the impressively roomy and well-equipped Tregear Reserve. Where unemployment rates head over a rate of 40% to those aged up to 24 years old, it’s no surprise that desperation and crime soon follow.
“Tregear ranks as the cheapest place to buy property in all of Sydney for a reason.”
If anything, the prevalence of suburbs such as this on high-crime-rate rankings is a testament for why creating entire suburbs clustered around public housing based on dated models and planning principles just doesn’t work.
The relationship between these and not only crime, but homelessness, mental health issues and drug addiction unfortunately continue to play out in full force here.
Street brawls involving poles and machetes, thrown bricks, intentionally hitting people with motor vehicles and more – while not regular or frequent occurrences – have all occurred in Tregear over the past several years. Domain also gave it the worst possible score of all suburbs in Sydney for crime during their annual liveability survey for 2019.
