Places to live in Sydney

kmmr

Hi,

I know this is a UK board, but I am sure there are the odd ex-pats around so I was hoping for some advice.

I'm thinking of moving to Sydney, but I am a but uninspired by some of the houses and flats, and don't really know where to live. I am from Australia (oddly enough!) but haven't lived there as an adult much, and don't want to just go and live where my parents do.

We would initially rent, but eventually looking for a nice 2/3 bed semi or detached house with entertaining space. Doesn't need to be too big, and easy enough to commute to the city. I suppose less than $1m as a purchase price, and less than $1000 per week for renting (I don't know if that is a lot or a little).

I was thinking Cremorne, or Neutral Bay, or in town - somewhere like Surrey hills. Anyone got better ideas!

Thanks in advance.

marlasinger

Those are nice areas, but very expensive. If you can afford it, then anything on the North Shore (areas you've mentioned, plus places like Artarmon, Crows Nest, Willoughby,etc.). A wee bit further north are places like Roseville, Frenchs Forest, North Ryde, and Epping (which is the Hills District and have bigger houses) which are still nice, and a bit more affordable. If you prefer the beach life, then the Northern Beaches (Dee Why, Collaroy, Narrabeen) are a good choice.

Generally I'd say anything East of Hornsby and Ryde, and North of the harbour.

There's loads of buses from the Northern Beaches, and trains and buses from the North Shore, so commuting shouldn't be a problem. There is also plenty of work in places north of the city (so you won't have to bother going into the city) - Chatswood, North Ryde, North Sydney, and Frenchs Forest to name a few.

I moved to the UK about 7 years ago, and looking at the prices in Sydney I don't think I'd be able to afford property there anymore. :eek:

Thrugelmir

Freshwater.

You can then catch the Ferry into the City.

abankerbutnotafatcat

The two most established residential areas are the North Shore and the Eastern Suburbs:

Lower North shore: Neutral Bay and Cremorne are trendy areas with lots of eating/drinking out areas that attract a lot of young professionals particularly UK expats!! Obviously, there's Manly too. Away from the coast but with the advantage of being on the train line (albeit the infamous North Shore Line) as already pointed out above there's suburbs like Wollstonecraft and Crow's Nest (St Leonards) which are a little less trendy but you'll probably get more for your money.

Inner East/Eastern Suburbs from Darlinghurst (where I lived) to Bondi there are Surrey Hills, Paddington, Woollahra, Edgcliffe, Elizabeth Bay, Rose Bay etc. all the neighbourhoods have pluses and minuses and some are extremely expensive but all are attractive. I think you need to wander around them as they all have very different characters but i'd happily live in any of them.

The Inner West tends to be younger, more alternative (lots of students). Pyrmont, Glebe and Newtown are probably the most established areas. Areas like Alexandria, Waterloo and Redfern have become gentrified in the last few years. Alexandria and around is a former light industrial area. Redferrn had a terrible reputation but in recent years the combination of govt. incentives and a lack of space left to build in the housing boom has led to lots of new, expensive developments taking advantage of the excellent public transfport. Older Sydneysiders will turn their noses up if you said you lived there but then they did that to me living in trendy and expensive Darlinghurst. Times change.

Happy to try and answer any specific queries.

hcb42

Sis is in Collaroy, I used to live in Crows Nest and work in North Sydney.

I always liked Turramurra.

Why dont you visit www.britishexpats.com - yes I know you are not technically an expat, but lots of helpful threads about Aussie life on there.

agrinnall

My pal lived in Manly when he moved to Sydney, which from what I remember was a pretty nice area, lots of bars and restaurants and a good beach (the memories are a bit dim as it was more than 20 years ago). Getting the ferry into the city centre was great, although trying to get home in the early hours a few days before Christmas was not quite so much fun.

xylophone

According to a relation of ours, Rose Bay's the place to be.

kmmr

Thanks all,

I am a north shore girl, so I know the upper north areas a bit, but not been there for a long time. The job I am going for is in the city, so I will be commuting.

This has all really just confirmed that I probably will go for the lower North shore, so long as it's a nice place and easy to travel. I have friends in Turramurra, but as we don't have kids or need a lot of space, I don't really see the advantage of moving that far out. Freshwater also looks lovely, but the ferry can be a pain sometimes. I'll maybe look at the apartments on the ferry side of Manly.

I was looking at some lovely rental in Kirribilli... maybe we could splash out for a few months while we look for somewhere to buy and be very non-MSE with a harbour view for a while!

spottydog

I live in Balmain (inner west) and love it. I have restaurants and pubs for evening entertainment and know all my neighbours and I get a ferry ride for my commute each day.

What do you want from the area you live in?

The inner west (and Surry Hills, Pyrmont) is a fairly lively area with lots of cafes, restaurants and pubs and people walking more than driving, the houses tend to be smaller terraces.

The north shore tends to be bigger houses and people drive much more with less evening entertainment. Unless you are really rich then you are unlikely to abe able to afford a house on the lower north shore. I always find places on the north shore line are very commuterville and if you aren't on the line you are on buses and at the mercy of the spit and harbour bridge.

Manly and the Eastern Beaches are very beachy and tend to attract the surfer crowd and backpackers. Hence they are lively but may not be the sort of place you want to live if you are the wrong side of 35.

Rose Bay, Watsons Bay areas are the upmarket Eastern beaches but come with a price tag to match.

Sutherland shire down south is a great family area and an easy train ride to the city, it tends to be cheaper but has a reputation for being a bit inbred.

A rent of $1000 a week will give you a property with a purchase price of more than $1m, in my area it will just about get you a basic 3 bed terrace in need of some TLC (the rest of the inner west in slightly cheaper), on the lower north shore/beaches you'll still be looking at flats but if you go to Ryde or upper north shore area you should find a fairly significant 3 bed house.

HTH