Ashfield is in Sydney’s inner-west, about 9km south-west of the CBD, in the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield. It boasts a strong public transport presence, affordable housing stock, pleasant natural environment and excellent amenities.

Ashfield's population is culturally diverse, with a large number of Chinese-speaking residents. The town centre features an array of Chinese restaurants with a distinct Shanghai influence, as well as Asian grocery stores, making it a popular destination for shoppers and food lovers from all over Sydney.

Ashfield’s urban density is relatively high for Australia, with the majority of dwellings a mixture of mainly post-war low-rise flats (apartment blocks) and Federation-era detached houses. Among these are several grand Victorian buildings that offer a hint of Ashfield's rich cultural heritage.

The main shopping precinct is along Liverpool Road and features street-level shops and Ashfield Mall, a shopping centre containing supermarkets, a discount department store and specialty shops. This commercial area extends into Charlotte Street and Elizabeth Street on the northern side of the station. A second commercial precinct is located along Parramatta Road, comprising mostly automotive-related retail and light industry.

Ashfield is located at the intersection of two major roads. Parramatta Road runs from Sydney city to Parramatta, and continues on as the Great Western Highway through Penrith and the Blue Mountains to Bathurst. Liverpool Road runs from Parramatta Road at Ashfield to Liverpool and continues on as the Hume Highway to Melbourne, via Goulburn and Albury. Another major road is Frederick/Milton Street which connects the City West Link Road at Haberfield with Georges River Rd at Croydon Park.

Ashfield railway station is on the Inner West line of the CityRail network, with express and all-stations services to the City Circle, Bankstown, Liverpool and Campbelltown. Several bus services also service the suburb.

There are three primary schools: Ashfield Public; St Vincents (a Catholic school); and Yeo Park Infants. There are three high schools: Ashfield Boys High School; Bethlehem College (a Catholic girls school; De La Salle College (a Catholic boys school).

There are no public hospitals in Ashfield but there are two private facilities, The Sydney Private Hospital and The Wesley Private Hospital, a well established mental health facility. The nearest public hospitals are Canterbury Hospital in Campsie and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown.

The major community event in Ashfield each year is the Carnival of Cultures. Held every year since 1996 in Ashfield Park, it includes performances, food stalls and children's entertainment. In recent years, the Sydney Writers' Festival has also held part of its program in Ashfield as part of the regular Authors at Ashfield series of talks.

Leichhardt is in Sydney’s inner-west, 5km from the CBD. It is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt. Leichhardt comprises a mix of residential and commercial developments and is best known as Sydney’s ‘Little Italy’.

The main commercial area is on Norton Street. There is a mix of residential buildings, restaurants (Italian and others), cafés, eateries and retail outlets including bookstores, grocery shops, hotels, a cinema and two of the suburb’s three shopping centres. There are also commercial developments along Parramatta Road.

The Italian Forum, just off Norton Street, is notable for its design which seeks to emulate the feel of a Mediterranean town piazza. A pedestrian-only central courtyard featuring outdoor and indoor dining as well as Leichhardt Library is surrounded by small shops and boutiques on the level above, and overlooked by residential apartments. Nearby Norton Plaza is a shopping centre anchored by a supermarket and surrounded by eateries and specialty shops. The third shopping centre, Leichhardt Market Place (formerly Market Town), is located towards Haberfield on the main cross street of Marion Street.

Leichhardt can be accessed by several main roads. The City West Link Road runs along the suburb’s northern border, part of Metroad 4, and crosses the ANZAC Bridge to the CBD.

Leichhardt is well serviced by buses through city and cross regional services. Residents use Petersham railway station, on the Inner West and Bankstown lines. Lilyfield light rail station is a terminus of the Metro Light Rail located close to Leichhardt’s north-eastern border.

Leichhardt has several primary schools and one secondary school.

Leichhardt is home to many creative industry workers and is known for its colourful and inventive mural art, and boasts several galleries.

The Italian community has a wealth of social and cultural organisations and they provide a range of culturally and linguistically appropriate services to enhance the quality of life of the community and promote Italian language and culture in NSW.