Guide to living in Austral, NSW

The short version

• Austral is a new suburb in Sydney's south-west, in the Liverpool council area, about 20 kilometres from Western Sydney International Airport.
• The airport opens to passengers on 25 October 2026, with freight flights from 26 July 2026.
• At the 2021 Census Austral had 6,847 people with a median age of 31. Liverpool City Council's forecasts have it at 69,049 by 2041.
• Council has at least 17,350 homes planned, with over 2,000 lots registered so far and roughly 175 more each quarter.
• Rawson's Eucalypt Grove sits across the road from the Western Sydney Parklands, near the planned town centre and the M7.

If you haven’t yet heard of Austral, that’s ok! No, it’s not short for (or a misprint) of Australia. Austral is one of the new suburbs developed in NSW over the past decade. Situated in Sydney’s south-west, Austral is ideally located for access to transport (including the new airport), schools and nature. 

Let’s find out more about this exciting new suburb in our Austral NSW suburb profile. We’ll look at its history as well as what Austral offers in terms of lifestyle and home prices. Might Austral be a future home for you?

Austral at a glance

Where is Austral?

Austral is a small suburb located in south-west Sydney. At just 20 square kilometres, Austral is part of the Liverpool Local Government Area (LGA) and sits just north of Leppington, east of Kemp’s Creek and west of both the M7 motorway and the Western Sydney Parklands. 

Austral, which has the postcode 2179, is close to the major hub of Liverpool and is conveniently located for getting to Narellan and Campbelltown. There’s also easy access to major roads, including the M7 motorway, and public transport via buses and the Leppington Train Station. 

Importantly for work and travel opportunities, Western Sydney International Airport is around 20 kilometres from Austral, and it has an opening date. According to the Prime Minister's media release on the opening dates, passenger flights start on 25 October 2026, with freight flights from 26 July 2026. 

A brief history of Austral

The name ‘Austral’ was first given unofficially to the area in the 1800s because land was owned by Austral Banking and Proprietary, a private bank. The name became official in 1972 when the area was formally gazetted. 

Fun Fact: Gurner Avenue is named after John Gurner, a solicitor who was one of the first land owners in the area.

The Austral Public School opened in 1893, closely followed by the Austral Post Office in 1894. A bush fire brigade was established in 1938 and electricity arrived to the area that same year. 1939 saw the first water pipes laid and the first bus service.

The predominance of small acreage style land changed in 2013, when Austral was rezoned as part of the NSW Government’s South West Growth Area planning, all with the aim of providing well-located housing for Australia’s growing population.

Who has their home in Austral?

Perhaps a better question to ask is ‘Who will have their home in Austral?’

That’s because Austral is currently being transformed from a peri-urban area with large land blocks into a lively new suburb. Once this process is complete, Austral will have at least 17,350 homes, according to Liverpool City Council, and a population heading towards 70,000. 

To illustrate the size of this change, the ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Austral counted 6,847 people living in 2,261 private dwellings, with a median age of 31. That was already more than double the 2016 count.

Liverpool City Council's population forecasts (prepared by forecast.id) put Austral at 69,049 people by 2041. That's roughly ten times the 2021 figure.
 

Liverpool City Council says more than 2,000 lots have been registered so far, with about 175 more coming through each quarter, and around 100 hectares of the precinct is set aside for open space. We anticipate this will mean that a significant part of Austral’s demographic will be young families, who will appreciate the planned new infrastructure, like the Austral Town Centre.

What's the property market like in Austral? 

The property market in Austral is currently focussed on new residential developments. After land was rezoned by the NSW Government, Liverpool Council is now responsible for overseeing development by builders, like Rawson, who have secured land in order to create family-friendly homes and communities.

There's now enough sales history to put some numbers on it. Domain's 12 month figures put the median for a four bedroom house in Austral at around $1.135 million, and a three bedroom house at around $1.02 million. Take those as a guide, since most of the housing here is newly built and the numbers will move as the suburb fills out.

So, understanding the property market in Austral is about getting to know the different developments happening and making sure you're speaking with reliable builders with a strong history in new development builds.

We are delighted to introduce you to Eucalypt Grove, Austral. We’re obviously biased but even looking objectively, it’s easy to see that Eucalypt Grove’s location is ideal given that it’s right across the road from the Western Sydney Parklands, just down the road from the planned Austral Town Centre and has some of the closest access from Austral to the M7 motorway. 

See below for some specific home designs that might just be ideal for your move to Austral. But, let’s first look at schools, shopping, transport and leisure options that await those choosing to make Austral home.

Schools in and near Austral

Remember the brief history guide to Austral above? That primary school that opened in 1893 is still going strong! Austral Public School provides education to primary aged students right in the heart of Austral. 

Preschool to Year 12 education is offered by both St Anthony of Padua Catholic College (located in Austral) and Thomas Hassall Anglican College (which is also only minutes away). For those seeking Islamic-based learning, you can choose between Arrahman College, the Liverpool campus of Al-Faisal College, and Unity Grammar school.

For the little ones, there are other preschool and childcare options available. And, at the other end of the age spectrum, you’ll need to travel further but Western Sydney University as well as the Liverpool Campus of the University of Wollongong are both in commuting distance.  

Transport for Austral

Austral is located just under 50 kilometres south-west of Sydney’s CBD. By car, central Sydney can be accessed via the nearby M7 then switching to the M5 motorway. By public transport, the nearby Leppington Train Station is well positioned. 

Of course, not everyone wants to travel regularly into the centre of Sydney. Austral is also well located for access to Liverpool, whether for work, lifestyle or health reasons. Again, both road and train options are available. 

Austral is perfectly positioned to make the most of Western Sydney International Airport, which opens to passengers on 25 October 2026 (and the surrounding Aerotropolis as that’s gradually developed). Whether for travel or work reasons, this 20 kilometre trip will be smooth given you’ll be travelling against the traffic through sparsely populated areas. 

You’re also well situated for further afield trips, like south-west to Canberra (along the M31) or north along the A9 to head into the Blue Mountains.

Eating and shopping in and near Austral

The yet-to-be-built Austral Town Centre will offer all you could want in terms of shopping and dining. Stay tuned for specific details but this centre is proposed to have at least one supermarket, a full range of specialty and market-style produce stores, and lots of yummy places to fill your belly.

In the meantime, you have Club Austral for family-friendly fun as well as nearby hubs like Liverpool’s CBD.

Leisure near Austral

As well as enjoying your new home and garden, there are easy ways to find a leisure-filled lifestyle within nature close to Austral. 

For a start, there are the expansive Western Sydney Parklands, complete with walking and cycling paths. You’ll love finding your favourite locations within the parkland. Maybe it will be the Shale Hills Dog Park? Or perhaps Badu Lake? 

You can also head a little further north to Sugarloaf Ridge, the Moonrise Lookout and playground fun at Lizard Log and Bungarribee Park. Then there are the smaller open spaces within Austral itself, some which are part of the master planning for Austral’s parks. Council's plan for the precinct sets aside around 100 hectares of open space, and Liverpool City Council aims to have all Austral residents living within 400 metres of a park! 

Depending on your preferred sport and code, you’ll find cricket, soccer, rugby, netball, softball, tennis, bowling and AFL clubs all within a short drive. And be on the lookout for news of the planned regional indoor sports and aquatic facility.

Let’s get down to floor plans for your new home in Austral!

With Austral undergoing such rapid development, Rawson Homes has taken out the hard work of decisions by curating home designs that enhance the natural parkland environment.

Each home has been carefully chosen to enhance the block of land, as well as provide choices to suit your lifestyle and budget. 

You can see all the lots available and their pre-matched home designs on our Eucalypt Grove, Austral page but to give you a sense of what is awaiting you in Austral, here are overviews of two options, ranging from a more compact home ideal for a smaller family, to a larger double storey home:

1. The Zen 14 is designed to bring zen-like simplicity into your life! This three-bedroom home offers two bathrooms and an open-plan living and kitchen area, complemented by a single car garage. Like all Rawson designs within Eucalypt Grove, you can choose from two or three different facades and a range of external and internal colour schemes.

2. The Leona 28 is a four-bedroom, double-storey home complete with double garage and an alfresco living area. The upstairs sleeping zone is complemented by a rumpus retreat and two bathrooms. Downstairs, there's an enclosed lounge in addition to the open-plan living-dining-kitchen zone and an undercover alfresco area.

Whichever home design is best for you, your family and lifestyle, we are excited to be part of the growth and development of Austral and would love to help you consider whether this is an ideal place for you to call home.

Why not visit our Sales Centre, which is handily located in Leppington (3 Cato Circuit)? It’s open Monday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Or, contact us to talk about calling Austral home.