2OZweGO Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 We are moving from Brisbane to Sydney. Not our first choice, however, an employment opportunity arose in Parramatta that puts us in the position to relocate again. When we moved from South Africa to Brisbane Jan’12 it was a daunting task to get to know the lay of the land and which suburbs to consider. The forum was extremely helpful and our primary source to decide on a suburb.I will be working in Parramatta and will either drive in (have been allocated a parking spot at work) or take public transport (depends on which is faster). I have no clue at all which suburbs we should consider, however, I’ve done some reading on the forum and checked out realestate.com and have homed in on a few options. These are St Ives, Castle Hill, Cherrybrooke, Bella Vista, Kellyville, Westleigh, Hornsby, and Wahroonga.We are looking for a family friendly suburb with the usual family amenities like good schools (our son is 3.5), parks, leafy areas, bike trails, church, etc. It will also be ideal to be around other saffers as we do not know anyone in Sydney. It will be great to be closer to the ocean, but I understand rent is more expensive and traffic will be horrible from there to Parramatta. Our current budget for weekly rent is up to $720 (so St Ives might be out). I will genuinely appreciate guidance as to which suburbs to consider. Please HELP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willa Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 The Hills area is very popular with the South Africans, Cherrybrook, Castle Hill, Kellyville, Glenhaven, Dural, Pennant Hills or West Pennant Hills. You can have a look at Wahroonga and Hornsby. From the Hills you can easily drive to Parramatta, think less than 45 mins. Trains from Pennant Hills station and you'll have to switch lines, think it will be at Epping. Not to sure about the busses, but I'm sure they will go from Castle Hill Towers to Parramatta.With your budget you will easily find good accomodation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieter7 Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 HiWe live in Baulkham Hills, near Castle Hill. I drive to work in Leichhardt, pass through Parramatta North and then take the M4. Up to there is normally about 20min. So you should easily be able to get there in about 30 min. There is also a few of busses on the Old Northern Rd going to Parramatta. We rented up to the beginning of this year and paid 520/week for a 3 bedroom. My son started school this year in Baulkham Hills North Primary, it is a great school and he really loves it. We are looking for a family friendly suburb with the usual family amenities like good schools (our son is 3.5), parks, leafy areas, bike trails, church, etc.We live close to the school, walk to church, and take the kids to the park for some cycling or just playing around. We have easy access to castle hill shopping mall, the motor way to the city. There are a lot of family activities around in the area. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanitaS Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Hi Dieter;Thanks so much for the feedback, we have been looking at suburbs and the commute to the city last night and got really worried about the traffic and the lack of train transport available in the Hills area.It really helps if someone living there can just guide you in the right direction. Thanks so much!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heymanse Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Hi Dieter;Thanks so much for the feedback, we have been looking at suburbs and the commute to the city last night and got really worried about the traffic and the lack of train transport available in the Hills area.It really helps if someone living there can just guide you in the right direction. Thanks so much!!!Hi Juanita,Although there is no direct train line from the Baulkham Hills or Castle Hill you do have the option of taking the M60, 600 and 603 busses that all travel directly to Parramatta from the Castle Hill Interchange (have a look at the transport page 131500.com.au). These busses are very frequent especially during peak time and you would get one every 5-10 minutes going to Parramatta. My daughter works in Rydalmere, a suburb next to Parrramatta and she drives to work from Castle Hill. She's learned where to take short cuts and it takes her about 25-35 minutes to get to work every day. I on the other hand work in Chatswood and it takes me 30-40 minutes to get to work every day (also driving). Our bus services in the Hills are really some of the best and you will find buses travelling on Old Northern Road from the Castle Hill Interchange almost every 5 minutes - travelling to the CBD, Parramatta, North Sydney, Macquarie Park and Hornsby. They are currently busy with building the northwest rail link (http://northwestrail.com.au/) which will be completed by 2019 and will be a direct line to Chatswood from Rouse Hill. From Chatswood you can get the train going directly to Central Station. For now, taking a bus to the Sydney CBD is as easy as hopping onto a M61, 610, 610X bus. It takes the bus about an hour to the city at a cost of around $4.20 per trip. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanitaS Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Thanks so much for all the info, Sydney doesn't look that daunting anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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