Just 3km from the CBD, quaint and charming Paddington is one of Sydney’s best-known suburbs. It’s renowned primarily for Oxford Street, the vast boulevard which runs north to south through the entire suburb and is one of Sydney’s premier shopping destinations.

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Lined with interesting boutiques, high-street shops and eclectic specialty stores, it’s also the home of the Paddington Markets, held every Saturday in Paddington Primary School. Glenmore Road (The Intersection with Oxford Street), William Street and Five Ways have also emerged as world-class shopping strips, and it’s here that you’ll find some of the city’s most fashionable boutiques.

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Paddington plays host to a vast array of revered galleries, including the famed Sherman Galleries, which congregate primarily around Glenmore Road and the prestigious tree-lined boulevard of Paddington Street. Paddington is an entertainment mecca, with attractions such as Fox Studios and the Sydney Football Stadium.

It’s well-known for its pub culture, with traditional hotels such as The Royal, Bellevue, The Four in Hand, The Grand National and The London and The Paddington Inn offering great pub food at reasonable prices. A firm favourite among trendy inner city types and executives, Paddington’s increasingly high prices mean that the affluent have a firm foothold on the suburb.

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Paddington is famous for the ornate Victorian terraces which dominate almost every one of its meandering streets. Still quite working class up until the late ‘80s, Paddington’s rapid gentrification saw these formerly rundown residences snapped up and renovated at a rate of knots, with the high demand sending prices skyrocketing into the million dollar stratosphere.

Located 10 km south of the CBD, Maroubra is well serviced by schools and transport, with a campus of the University of New South Wales located nearby.

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One beach south along the coast from Coogee, Maroubra is quieter and less densely populated than its neighbour Bondi. Its beachfront promenade sports only a few cafes, rather than a hectic waterfront strip, and its laidback, down-to-earth atmosphere is favoured by families.

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While the beachfront is not nearly as developed as other Eastern Suburbs beaches, its white sands and renowned surf breaks prove attraction enough. Its main shopping hub, Maroubra Junction, is located along with main artery of Anzac Parade, which contains a large shopping complex with all amenities, eclectic eateries and a host of sporting clubs and facilities, highlighting the active nature of its residents.

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Highlighting its rapid development in the 1920s, classic California bungalows and solid brick homes are the most common in the area. The ‘60s and ‘70s saw the construction of numerous apartments, with many exclusive residences springing up, reflecting the area’s increasing stature.

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Just 2km east of the CBD, this picturesque, diminutive harbourside enclave is one of Sydney’s most charming, with its elegant architecture reflecting its early heritage. Many Elizabeth Bay properties enjoy spectacular harbour views either back to the city or north across Rushcutters Bay.

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Built between 1835 and 1839, landmark Elizabeth Bay House was designed by the most fashionable and accomplished architect of the day, John Verge, for the Colonial Secretary, Alexander Macleay. Set proudly above Arthur McElhone Reserve overlooking the harbour, it now provides an elegant setting for functions and exhibitions.

While Elizabeth Bay itself has only a local corner store and a couple of funky cafes, it’s surrounded by the dining and entertainment meccas of Kings Cross and Potts Point.

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As a particularly high-density area, Elizabeth Bay is home primarily to gracious apartments built between the 1920s and ‘40s. Freestanding homes are rare, but the several that are found here are some prize pieces of real estate, including Billyard Avenue’s waterfront Spanish mission residence, ‘Boomerang’, which once set the record for Australia’s highest property price and notably featured in Mission Impossible 2.

During the height of Sydney’s urban development prior to the Olympics, a number of local hotels such as The Sebel, The Manhattan and The Gazebo were all redeveloped as luxury apartments to cope with soaring demand for inner city property.

Dover Heights is located just one suburb north of North Bondi just 8km from the CBD, and is characterised by the dramatic oceanfront clifftops which create its eastern border.

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Dover Heights is peaceful, essentially residential and family oriented with wide streets, an abundance of parks and oceanfront reserve. There are a variety of local village shops, however for more choice, residents generally head to the shopping hubs of Bondi or Rose Bay for culinary delights and supermarkets.

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The elevated position of Dover Heights means that many of its properties enjoy views back to the harbour and city skyline, and often as far as the North Shore and Blue Mountains. Architecturally, its original homes are generally freestanding Californian bungalows, along with some prime examples of classic P&O design.

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Increasingly however, in an effort to make the most of the views, substantial contemporary homes are dominating the landscape, especially along the Military Road strip.