Choosing where to build your home is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make. The suburb you pick shapes your daily routine, your kids’ schools, your commute, and the kind of community you grow into over the years.
South West Sydney and the Macarthur region are two of the most active residential growth corridors in the whole country right now. New estates are opening, infrastructure is being delivered, and thousands of families are building their first or forever homes across these areas every year.
But not every suburb suits every family. Some are brand new and still finding their feet. Others are fully established with everything already in place. Some are perfect for families building fresh on vacant land. Others make more sense for homeowners who want to knock down and rebuild without leaving the neighbourhood they love.
This guide covers five suburbs where ABM Homes builds — Austral, Oran Park, Figtree Hill, Menangle Park, and Chisholm NSW — and helps you work out which one makes the most sense for where you’re at.
What Makes a Good Suburb to Build In?
Before we get into the suburbs themselves, it’s worth knowing what to actually look for. A great suburb for building isn’t just about house prices or block sizes. For families, the things that matter most are usually:
- Schools — public, private, primary, and secondary options nearby
- Everyday convenience — supermarkets, medical centres, and shops within a reasonable distance
- Getting around — train access, motorway connections, and how long the commute actually takes
- Green space — parks, walking paths, and room for kids to be outdoors
- Community — is it the kind of place where you’d actually want to put down roots?
- Growth — will the suburb improve around you over time, or is it already at its peak?
With those things in mind, here’s how each suburb stacks up.
Austral — For Families Who Want to Get in Early
If you’re looking to build in a suburb that’s right at the start of something big, Austral is worth a serious look.
Located about 42 kilometres south-west of the Sydney CBD in Liverpool LGA, Austral has grown from a quiet semi-rural area to one of the fastest-expanding residential communities in NSW. Population projections have it hitting 55,000 residents before the end of this decade — the infrastructure investment happening around it backs that up.
Why Families Are Choosing Austral
Austral attracts young families and first home buyers who want genuine value — more land, more home, and more room for the family to grow — without paying inner-Sydney prices.
The area has been planned with families clearly in mind. Most blocks sit within a 400-metre walk of a park. Schools are already operational, including Austral Public School and faith-based options like St Anthony of Padua and Unity Grammar. The multicultural community here is strong — around half of residents were born overseas, and the suburb reflects that in its culture and community infrastructure.
What’s Driving Confidence Here
The Western Sydney International Airport at Badgerys Creek is around 20 kilometres away and due to open in 2026. The M7 motorway is already accessible. Leppington Station connects residents to Liverpool, Parramatta, and the CBD in around 50 minutes. A planned town centre with full retail is on the way.
This is still a suburb in the making — which means early movers are getting in before the area fully arrives.
If you’re thinking about building in Austral, read our full guide: Building in Austral, NSW: What You Need to Know Before You Start
Oran Park — For Families Who Want Everything Ready Now
Oran Park is what Austral is working toward — a fully realised, award-winning masterplanned community where everything a family needs is already in place.
Located about 60 kilometres south-west of Sydney CBD in Camden LGA, Oran Park sits on what was once the famous Oran Park Raceway. Since its first residents moved in back in 2014, it’s grown into one of South West Sydney’s most popular suburbs for families.
What’s Already There
The Podium shopping centre has more than 60 stores, including two supermarkets, fashion retail, a food court, and childcare on-site. The Oran Park Leisure Centre — a $67 million facility opened in 2024 — includes a 50-metre pool, leisure pool, gym, spa, and crèche. Multiple public and Catholic schools are operating, with Oran Park High School catering to older students. A Notre Dame University Study Centre even gives local teenagers access to university preparation programs.
The parks are exceptional. Dawson-Damer Park has water slides, a ninja warrior course, and trampolines. Julia Reserve has South West Sydney’s largest skate park. Doohan Ovals offers four sports fields and an all-abilities playground.
Why It Works for Families
There’s very little you’d need to wait for in Oran Park. The community is active, the streets are walkable, and the events calendar is full. If you’re building with kids who are at school age right now — not in five years — Oran Park delivers from day one.
Explore everything the suburb has to offer: A Guide to Oran Park
Figtree Hill — For Families Who Want Nature on the Doorstep
Figtree Hill is unlike anything else on this list. It’s South West Sydney’s first all-electric masterplanned community — built around sustainability, natural bushland, and long-term energy efficiency.
Located in the suburb of Gilead in the Macarthur region, Figtree Hill is just 8 kilometres from Campbelltown and about 50 kilometres from the Sydney CBD. The joint development by Lendlease and Stockland is planned to deliver 1,700 homes across 216 hectares.
What Sets It Apart
The community is net-zero ready — every home is all-electric, without gas connections. Solar panels, battery storage, and heat pump systems are all part of the picture. Stockland even offers a $10,000 rebate for buyers building all-electric homes here.
Beyond the environmental credentials, the lifestyle is genuinely appealing. There are more than 35 hectares of green open space, six parks, six kilometres of walking and cycling trails weaving through 20 hectares of protected bushland, and wildlife corridors protecting the local koala population. The Wollongong beaches are about 42 kilometres away.
Macarthur Square — the largest shopping centre in South West Sydney — is 7 kilometres from the estate. Macarthur Train Station is 8 kilometres away, with around 60 minutes to Sydney Central. The Western Sydney International Airport is 35 kilometres away.
Who It’s Best For
Figtree Hill suits families who want their children to grow up surrounded by nature, who care about sustainability, and who want a home that’s built for lower running costs from the ground up. It’s a slower-paced, community-focused estate — not a suburb for people who want to be in the heart of it all.
Read the full community guide: A Guide to Figtree Hill
Menangle Park — See Your Future Home Before You Commit
Menangle Park is a little different from the other suburbs in this guide. It’s worth including here because it’s home to one of South West Sydney’s newest display villages — and visiting a display home changes the way you think about building.
The estate is located in South West Sydney with direct Hume Highway access, close to Menangle Park train station and within a short drive of major shopping. As the community grows, plans include a town centre, local parks, and a primary school.
Why a Display Village Visit Matters
Reading about floor plans online only gets you so far. Walking through a display home — seeing how the kitchen actually sits at the centre of the living space, how the alfresco connects to the indoor areas, how the bedrooms are laid out for a family with young kids — gives you a completely different level of clarity.
ABM Homes has a display home at Menangle Park open seven days a week. It showcases 4-bedroom family layouts, multiple living zones, rumpus rooms, home offices, and seamless indoor-outdoor flow. It’s designed to feel like a home people actually live in, not a showroom.
If you’re still comparing suburbs or designs, visiting Menangle Park is a practical step — not just a nice-to-have.
Plan your visit: Menangle Park Display Village Guide
Chisholm, NSW — For Families Who Already Love Where They Live
Chisholm sits in the Lower Hunter region near Maitland — a well-connected, family-focused suburb with modern estates, generous blocks, and a strong local community. For some families reading this, the question isn’t which suburb to move to. It’s how to upgrade the home they’re already in.
That’s where knockdown and rebuild comes in.
What Knockdown & Rebuild Means in Practice
If your block in Chisholm is solid but your home isn’t — whether it’s too small, poorly laid out, or simply ageing — knocking down and rebuilding gives you a brand-new custom home without changing your address, your kids’ schools, or your daily routine.
ABM Homes manages the full process: site appraisal, planning, demolition, and construction. The result is a home designed around how your family actually lives — open-plan living, multiple zones, modern energy efficiency — on a block you already own, in a suburb you already know.
Is It Right for You?
Knockdown and rebuild suits homeowners in Chisholm whose renovation costs are starting to approach new-build territory, or whose homes simply can’t be made to work with another renovation. It’s a clean solution that delivers certainty — fixed pricing, a guaranteed build timeline, and a 7-year structural warranty.
Find out if your block qualifies: Knockdown & Rebuild in Chisholm, NSW
Which Suburb Is Right for You?
| Suburb | Best For | Stage | Commute to Sydney CBD |
| Austral | First home buyers, young families, long-term value | Early growth | ~50 min via Leppington Station |
| Oran Park | Families who want everything already in place | Established | ~60 min via Camden Valley Way |
| Figtree Hill | Sustainability-focused families, nature lovers | New community | ~60 min via Macarthur Station |
| Menangle Park | Buyers ready to visit a display home | Growing | ~60 min via Hume Highway |
| Chisholm NSW | Existing homeowners looking to rebuild | Established | Lower Hunter region |
Build With ABM Homes Across NSW
ABM Homes builds new homes and manages knockdown-rebuild projects across NSW and the ACT. We work across all five suburbs covered in this guide, and we know the planning environments, council requirements, and practical realities of each area.
Whether you’re at the early research stage or you’ve already picked your suburb and you’re ready to talk designs, we’re happy to have a straightforward conversation about what makes sense for your situation.
Visit us at abmhomes.com.au or drop into our display home at Menangle Park or Googong any day of the week.
ABM Homes — Building across NSW and the ACT.