Bronte: The suburb where locals race each other to snap up the short supply of listings


There’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it quality to the property market in Bronte, where homes are being snapped up by locals in such a frenzy that outsiders are hardly getting a look in.

Demand for Bronte's limited real estate has made the suburb's market very competitive. Photo: Vaida Savickaite

“It’s just so fast and competitive,” says David Tyrrell, a Bronte resident and agent at PPD Real Estate.

“More than 80 per cent of our Bronte properties are selling prior to auction. The average number of days on the market before being sold is 18 in Bronte, which is the lowest we’ve ever seen as an agency.”

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In Bronte, more than 80 per cent of homes are being sold before auction. Photo: Vaida Savickaite

With its spectacular beach, park and playground, lush gully, eclectic dining scene and homes ranging from modest units to prestige waterfront piles, it’s little wonder Bronte is at the top of many buyers’ wish lists.

Unlike Bondi and Coogee, with their pubs, bars and tourist accommodation, Bronte embraces a more low-key style of living.

“It’s more of a family-oriented suburb,” Tyrrell says.

“When you get to nine o’clock at night, it’s quiet.”

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Bronte enjoys a more quiet lifestyle than its neighbouring suburbs. Photo: Vaida Savickaite

Listings are so rare and the competition so fierce that local upgraders are often winning the race to sign on the dotted line – even edging out recently returned expats.

“What we find is that people who already live in the suburb are our target buyers,” Tyrrell says.

“They recognise that it’s a premium suburb and they’re more willing to pay premium prices. Expats are almost priced out of premium beachside suburbs at the moment.”

Seven kilometres south-east of the Sydney CBD, Bronte is bordered by Tamarama to the north and Clovelly to the south, past Waverley Cemetery.

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Buyers already living in Bronte are pricing out the suburb for returning expats and other groups wanting to live there. Photo: Vaida Savickaite

The suburb lays claim to one of the oldest surf clubs in the world, which is appropriate, given it also has some of the most intimidating surf of any of the eastern-suburbs beaches.

For less experienced swimmers, the Bogey Hole and ocean pool offer a tamer alternative.

There are public and Catholic primary schools in the neighbourhood.

St Catherine’s School, Waverley College and St Clare’s College are all within easy reach, and buses transport students further afield.

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With its easy access to the city and popular beaches, the suburb is a lifestyle favourite. Photo: Vaida Savickaite

For city workers, the quickest public-transport option is a bus to Bondi Junction then train to the CBD.

Three Blue Ducks put Bronte on the foodie map when it opened on Macpherson Street in 2010.

That strip recently welcomed a Cali Press and Woolworths Metro, adding to a selection that also includes Huxton’s, Pilgrims vegetarian cafe and Iggy’s Bread.

More cafes are dotted throughout the suburb, including near the beach on Bronte Road and Macpherson Street near Arden Street.

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The Macpherson Street strip homes the suburb’s culinary highlights, most famously Three Blue Ducks. Photo: Vaida Savickaite

Colette Reynolds runs The Bronte Sewing Room on Macpherson Street, where classes range from after-school sewing for children to knitting workshops, crochet lessons, pattern-making and adult sewing sessions.

“For me, Bronte hasn’t changed very much,” says Reynolds, who has leased the shopfront since 2003 and also lives in Bronte.

“Yes, it’s a very affluent area and property prices have gone absolutely bonkers but it hasn’t got that pretentiousness. There are very well-known people who live here and they can just blend in.”

One to watch

3/15 Lugar Brae Avenue, Bronte NSW 2024

3/15 Lugar Brae Avenue

Couples, small families and investors have been scoping out this art-deco apartment in a block of four.

The flexible layout includes two sunrooms which could double as a home office or nursery.

Ornate ceilings and timber floorboards add yesteryear charm.

McGrath Coogee take the home to auction on June 19 with a guide of $950,000.

 

By ELICIA MURRAY