Why everyone wants to move to Thornleigh

The tightly held suburb of Thornleigh was once called Pleasantville and the name still rings true today. With its excellent schools, generous blocks and community-minded locals, it’s a wonderful place to raise a family, and ideal for retirees and downsizers, too.

Like many of Sydney’s established and sought-after suburbs, Thornleigh is seeing a generational shift of late, as new families and first-time buyers move into the area, drawn to the many excellent schools, along with its bushlands, gum trees and village atmosphere. The suburb is surrounded by natural parkland, making it a wonderful weekend base for families.

Thornleigh is also attractive to those homebuyers who want to commute to the CBD – it’s around 45 minutes each way – yet also value easy proximity to bushland, lots of greenery, and an unpretentious community atmosphere.

“Bushland, gum trees and a village atmosphere”

Blocks tend to be generous and the homes, when they come up, are usually well maintained and have been renovated by their owners, who’ve often raised their own families here.

While the biggest fans of the area tend to be families with school-age kids, there are also young couples buying here after selling a city apartment, and retirees who wish to stay in the area.

The easy commute to the CBD or out of town, along with the proximity to so many local attractions, make this a suburb that appeals to a wide cross-section of buyers.

• Thornleigh for families

“Spoilt for choice with top-quality schools”

Thornleigh is arguably one of the best suburbs in NSW for its choice of easily accessible schools, making it a great suburb to raise kids and a steady investment. We’re spoilt for choice with schools here, from state secondary and primaries, state selective schools and co-ed to single sex private schools. Here are some of the top schools in the area.

• Normanhurst West Public School (public primary school)
• Thornleigh West Primary School (public primary school
• Turrumurra High School (public high school)
• Pennant Hills High School (public high school)
• Loreto Normanhurst Catholic School (private Catholic girls’ school)
• Barker College (private school; soon to be co-ed)
• Abottsleigh (private Anglican girls’ school from preschool to year 12)
• St Leo’s Catholic College Wahroonga (private co-educational Catholic college)
• Normanhurst Boys High School (selective boys’ public school)
• Hornsby Girls High School (selective girls’ public school)

For couples who are relocating to the area and thinking of starting a family, it’s also reassuring to know that there are excellent preschools and daycare centres, along with home-based centres, that cater to the many families with young children in the area. These include:

• Larool Preschool
• Normanhurst West Community Pre-School
• Chilverleigh Early Learning

Finding the dream family home in Thornleigh

Now that the schools are covered, what about the house?

There is a diverse array of housing ‒ from modern homes to older-style homes, townhouses, units and community living like Wild Ash Grove in Thornleigh ‒ attractive to potential buyers. Add lush surrounding greenery and wildlife, including rainbow lorikeets, kookaburras, cockatoos and wallabies, and you have particular Australian charm.

Townhouses offer all the benefits of living in Thornleigh without the upkeep so will suit downsizers and young professionals.

Developers are responding to the need for smaller homes for single or two-person households – including both retirees and downsizers – with some new unit builds, and retirement homes. All of these are attractive options for those who want to eventually downsize and stay in Thornleigh, but with less work and the ability to ‘lock and leave’.

Living the Thornleigh lifestyle

Thornleigh is perfect for many as it offers easy access to the central coast and is in close proximity to beautiful native bushland including Berowra Valley National Park, meaning busy weeks of school and work can be balanced with weekends in greenery.

The Hawkesbury River is just 30 minutes away by car, and many families in the area love to take a boat out on weekends or head there for a picnic or bushwalk.

For more local recreation, there’s the Brick Pit Playground and a putt putt golf course, as well as a basketball centre, a skateboarding park and gyms.

In neighbouring Westleigh, you can shop at ALDI and IGA, while Thornleigh Marketplace offers healthcare, plus a great selection of independent shops, cafés and supermarkets including Woolworths, and some great local eateries including Thai and Malaysian restaurants.

For the big shopping trips, Westfield Hornsby is a ten-minute drive, and is close to an aquatic centre, while Pennant Hills is also great for healthcare, shopping and eating out.

Looking for your dream home in Thornleigh? Talk to me.

Thornleigh is a tightly held community where people really do look after each other. It’s always been known as a place where people are kind and offers a wonderful lifestyle and easy access to the city and the central coast.

When looking for a home it’s important to feel that your agent can empathise with your situation. I have lived in Thornleigh since 2000 and have raised my own children here, so I can understand why people are looking for their dream family home here, or have lived in the area and wish to downsize or look for a smaller, more manageable property.

Please contact me if you are thinking of selling or buying a home in Thornleigh. I know the area and the buyers, and I love to help people find their perfect home in Thornleigh.