Surry Hills is a Bohemian mix of creativity and impeccable style. This makes Surry Hills a fascinating place to live in.

Surry Hills sense of style is enhanced by the large established shady street trees so you can keep your cool as you wander the rolling streets from chic boutiques to cafes on a Sunday afternoon. You might want to wander up Devonshire Street, Cooper and Foveaux Streets or meander up Oxford, Crown or Bourke Streets.

AIDS Council of NSW
o 9 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills

Child Care
o Surry Hills Child Care Centre – 443 Riley Street, Surry Hills
o Neighbourhood Centre Playgroup – 28 Norton Street, Surry Hills

Chemists (After Hours)
o Blooms – Shop 12, Surry Hills Village, cnr Baptist & Cleveland Streets, Redfern
o Stevens Pharmacy – cnr Bourke & Campbell Street, Surry Hills
o Surry Hills Pharmacy – 608 Crown Street, Surry Hills

Churches
o Belvoir Street Baptist – Belvoir Street, Surry Hills
o Chinese Presbyterian – cnr Albion & Crown Streets, Surry Hills
o Holy Trinity Anglican – cnr Bourke & Ridge Streets, Surry Hills
o Metropolitan Community – closest is 96 Crystal Street, Petersham
o St Peters Catholic – 243 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills
o St Michael’s Anglican – cnr Flinders & Albion Streets, Surry Hills
o St Sophia’s Greek Orthodox – 411 Bourke Street, Surry Hills

Community Centre
o Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre, 28 Norton Street, Surry Hills

Hospitals
o Closest is St Vincent’s – Victoria Street, Darlinghurst

Library
o Surry Hills Library – 405 Crown Street, Surry Hills

Mosques
o Surry Hills Mosque – 175 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills

Medical Centres
o Oxford Square Centre – cnr Riley & Oxford Streets, Darlinghurst
o Surry Hills Centre – 573 Crown Street, Surry Hills
o Surry Hills Village Centre – Shop 13, cnr Baptist & Cleveland Streets, Surry Hills

Police
o Central Police Headquarters – it’s that big ugly concrete bunker between Campbell & Goulburn Streets. The shop front police station for locals is on the corner of Riley & Goulburn Streets, near the chequered sign.

Salvation Army
o 339 Crown Street, Surry Hills

Schools
o Bourke Street Public School – 590 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
o Crown Street Public School – 356 Crown Street Surry Hills
o Sydney Boys High School and Sydney Girls High School – Moore Park, Surry Hills

Synagogues
o Closest is The Great Synagogue, Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills

On the first Saturday of the month, don’t miss the eclectic Surry Hills Market at Crown Street’s Shannon Reserve, where you can score second hand Dean Martin Albums, last years Sass & Bide jeans and kitsch Australiana nic nacs. Anyone for a kangaroo salt and pepper set?

A history of crime and sleaze is what turned Surry Hills into one of the most colourful suburbs in Australia. In the late 1800’s the area was a haven for criminals, boasting 200 rough-as-guts pubs. Campbell Street was well known as South Sydney Hell. And around Commonwealth Street where the ragtrade industry is now based, were the Chinese opium and gambling dens and the brothels too.

In the 1960’s Surry Hills became Sydney’s answer to San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury area with hippies, artists and uni students shacking up in derelict four storey terraces. One of those was the late Brett Whiteley who became one of Australia’s most significant artists. His intimate studio at 2 Raper Street is open on weekends where you can see current exhibitions and his private workspace with unfinished paintings.

Music can be found at:
o The Hopetoun Hotel (Bourke Street), a rock music institution since the 1980’s
o The Gaelic Club – (Devonshire Street), for an eclectic range of international and local performers
o The Excelsior Hotel (Foveaux Street), for jazz buffs
o The Belvoir Street Theatre, one of Australia’s most respected performance spaces

Dining
Eating out is a favourite pastime of Sydneysiders and residents of Chelsea Court are spoilt for choice with some of the best restaurants and dining spaces in the city, just minutes from their door. Bills, Billy Kwong & Marque are your Chelsea Court co-residents, all being located in the same block with their entrances on Crown Street. (hint: phone to tell them that you’re a Chelsea Court resident, leave your name and number and they’ll call you when your table is ready, while you entertain your guests on your own balcony)

Further up Crown Street is Neil Perry’s swanky XO restaurant; Fuel (located within the Peugeot dealership); and many inexpensive eateries continuing all the way to Cleveland Street. Head the other way up Crown Street towards Oxford Street and you get to choose from the fabulous RQ restaurant, the Mah Jong Room; Yipiyiyo and Wagamama. Don’t miss renown Longrain on Commonwealth Street.

Casual eateries abound with Lemon (Crown Street); the new Fifi’s (cnr Foveaux and Crown Streets); Vesbar (Crown Street) Foodgame (Campbell Street). In Bourke Street keep a look out for the latest new things to open in the new St Margaret’s Village redevelopment.

If you’re looking for a flashy drinking hole that also provides equally flash food, try the Dolphin Hotel; the Clock Hotel: the Whitehorse: or the Trinity Bar (all along Crown Street between Albion & Devonshire Streets). On Devonshire there is Mohr Fish; Mohr and Mohr and the O-Bar.

With so many cafes, bars and restaurants all within stumbling distance of Chelsea Court you cannot only forget the parking hassles, you can save a fortune on cabs too!

Shopping
There a number of new shops soon to open in the St Margaret’s redevelopment just 100m away, including a mid-sized Woolworths. Otherwise the Surry Hills Village on the corner of Baptist and Cleveland Sts contains Coles, the Post Office & numerous shops.