The Inner West is the region this guide covers in most detail. Its streets hold Victorian and Federation terraces, Californian bungalows, workers cottages, converted warehouses and newer apartments. Beaconsfield and Earlwood are filed here by web address, although they sit in the inner south and south-west.
What shapes plumbing here
In older houses, kitchens and bathrooms have often been rebuilt more than once while the underground drainage stayed put. Narrow lots, shared walls and rear lanes limit access. Tight sites make the position of fixtures, valves and inspection openings worth documenting, and renovations in particular can leave awkward connections between old and new pipework.
- Find and label the mains isolation valve, which can be inside or out.
- Expect clay drains in older streets, with joints that roots can enter.
Suburb guides in the Inner West region
- AnnandaleVictorian and Federation terraces on sloping streets
- AbbotsfordA Parramatta River peninsula of waterfront apartments and older homes
- EarlwoodInterwar and post-war brick homes near the Cooks River
- AshfieldFederation houses and apartments around a busy rail corridor
- BeaconsfieldA small inner-south suburb beside Alexandria
- ConcordLarger blocks and a mix of Federation, interwar and post-war homes
- Dulwich HillCalifornian bungalows, Federation homes and semis
- ErskinevilleCompact workers terraces and cottages close to the city
- LewishamOlder houses alongside newer apartments near the station
- MarrickvilleCottages, interwar homes and converted industrial buildings
- NewtownTight terraces, lanes and converted buildings
- PetershamVictorian and Federation terraces and semis
- CroydonFederation and interwar homes on generous blocks
Other suburbs in this part of Sydney
These areas share much of the same character. They do not have their own guide on this site yet.
- Leichhardt
- Summer Hill
- Stanmore
- Haberfield
- Five Dock
- Burwood
Choose a suburb below, or read the broader guides on blocked drains, plumbing in Sydney and the emergency steps.