Sydney - Assistance

[sa2auz]

If anyone is new to Syndey or wants any assistance, advice, schools, suburbs, shopping or just a shoulder to cry on please let me know have been here since 2005 and will help out where I can.

[Survival]

Hi, We will be moving to Sydney next month from Melbourne.

Initially the company will arrange for accommodation but no idea where in Sydney to settle down. Initially we will rent. My office is very close to the opera house. I have a wife and baby of 1.5yr.

I only moved to Melbourne beginning of March but because of better job offer in Sydney we've decided to pack up here and move to Sydney. Wife and baby only be arriving in Melbourne in next two weeks for a short stay. All help much appreciated.

Ons is Afrikaans, my vrou sal graag mense will ontmoet met kinders dieselfde ouderdom en ek ouens wat van braai en rugby kyk hou.

Francois

[sa2auz]

Hi there

I am sure you will be very happy in Sydney. I arrived on the north shore 18 months ago and have made a lot of friends, through the children, schools and the forum who have in turn introduced me to friends they have made. We now have a nice circle of mostly South Africans and a few are Afrikaans who I will introduce you to if you would like. The north shore is a wonderful area to settle and the communte to the city is easy as it is on the main train line. Please pm me if you have an specific questions and I will help best I can.

S

[Johan Swanepoel]

Thanks for the offer.

We will be there soon, end of the month.

I will be sure to remember your offer. Thanks

Regards

Johan

[Swerwer]

We will also be moving to Sydney within the next 2 months if all goes according to plan. I'm going to work in West Ryde and we are looking at renting in the Hills region.

[sa2auz]

Hi all

It will be great to meet you all when you arrive please pm whenever you need anything or if you need to borrow pots, pans etc before your stuff arrives I am sure that there are a few of us that can lend a helping hand with stuff, we've all been there.

I know there are a few familiies arriving in the next few month or rather I know of a few families arrriving I am sure there are tons more that I don't know of but it would be great to get togther. We also have a group of ladies that get together for a chat and laugh once a month so be sure to contact me about that also, its a great way for moms and kids to make new friends.

Hope to see you all soon, good luck.

S

[australian]

Its so nice to see so many South African's that are moving to Sydney. I was beginning to get a bit nervous as everyone we meet is going to Brisbane or Perth. We will be moving to the Hills or North Shore depending where we can find a rental at the end of the year. Look forward to meeting you all!!

[sa2auz]

Hi there Australian

I agree, at one stage I thought everyone was heading to Brissie or Adelaide nice to see there are a handful heading my way. Can't wait to meet you all, we will have to have a huge BBQ.

S

[Estelle Jacobs]

Greetings from a somewhat cold Centurion,

We will also be moving to Sydney - do not know when yet, initially my husbands company will arrange for accommodation but no idea where in Sydney to settle down. We currently hail from Roosihuiskraal in Centurion. Have a son aged 11 and a daughter aged 6. Anybody else from Rooihuiskraal?

Which would be 'good' areas to look at and also where would good schools be. My son has Williams Syndrome and we will need to find a special needs school for him. My husband's office is in Moorebank and his company talked about Engadine or Menai?

Also, I need some advise on taking over of personal affects ie: fridge, freezer, dining room suite, bedroom suites, washer & tumledryer etc. What would the quarentine limitations be?

Thanks

CJ & Estelle

[saffer2]

Hiya.

We arrive in Sydney on 30 June 07!! Our 2 boys have places at St Lukes School in Dee Why....looking to rent/buy around school area!!

Would be great to catch up when we arrive!!

Cheers, Reid

[sa2auz]

Hi there and welcome

E & CJ

Sydney is wonderful and is an incredible place to live. As far as I know the areas you mention are to the south and I personally would consider moving more North or North West of the city. You could also go east to be closer to your hubbies work but then you are looking at expensive areas like Bondi etc.

There is a special needs school in St Ives, on Ayres Road I am not sure of the needs catered for, I think it is call Sir Edmund or Edward Memorial School.

If you look at areas like Cherrybrook the Hills etc it is more affordable with large project homes and the North Shore is more expensive but closer to the beaches and railway lines.

I would suggest you have a look at Magna Internationals site they have lots of info on quarantine etc and they have free seminars which you could go to with a list of questions or give them a ring and ask for a free quote. We used Crown International and they were brilliant, we bought over everything and we are glad we did. Our tumble dryers element didn't survive the move but otherwise everything was fine. You can't bring over anything that is natural eg, shells, untreated wicker, plants, feathers, animal skins, untreated wood etc.

My very close friend Nadine lived in your area and moved to Brisbane when I moved you could pm her she is on this forum, she also used Crown.

You will find great links on the moving companies sites and you will also find links on this forum. Have a look at the pinned threads at the top of diffent sections there is tons of useful info and Riekie has posted a great list of things to do before you go which will be a great help and get your mind ticking.

Good Luck and chat soon

Reid,

Dee Why is on the northern Beaches and there are some great areas around there depending on your needs. The properties around the beaches are generally alot smaller but also more trendy. You could look at areas like fairlight, Narabeen, Frenches Forest, Brookvale, Allambie Heights. The closer you go to Manly the tendier smaller the properties and obvioulsy with beach views they will be more expensive.

There are alot of good Catholic Schools further north if you need to be on the railway line, like Corpus Christi etc If you are wanting a school that goes from pre school to high school Northern Beaches Christian School in Terrey Hills has a good name. Sydney Grammer is also good.

It will be great to meet up with you and I am sure you will settle well

[G & M]

Hi

We arrived in Sydney about a month ago - found a place in St Ives and just love the area - people are frienly and it's easy getting to the CBD (well N Sydney that's where my office is). Have a 2.5 year old and a 4 month old. My wife made freinds very quickly and we found day care for our 2.5 year old not far from where we life. We are going to the Reformed church in North Ryde - 80% South African's at the church. We stayed in Perth before moving over to Sydney and not sure if we will be going back. Sydney is a great place to live. Originally from Ellisras/Kathu/Stellenbosch/Pretoria/Groblersdal well we love to travel.......

Gerhard

[sa2auz]

Well you do seem to be World Travelers. You seem to have settled really well and the schools in the area are brilliant.

Would love to meet up please pm me and we can make a plan. There are a few of us from the forum that get together regularily so it would be nice for you to join us.

Sydney rocks

s

[antzy]

Hi all,

i'm in the process of deciding how(which visa option), when and where(geographical) i want to be in sydney...this particular topic has reassured me that sydney is "livable" and not too expensive.

i'm a single parent(38) and have a3yr old daughter-i'm a radiographer(xrays)....any input as to where some good schools/daycare facilities are, the costs for these facilities and local hospitals...?

i am looking forward to hearing from you.

antz

[Coenraad]

Hi...So we are also about to make the "BIG MOVE". I am getting a company transfer to Sydney and we should be there early in the new year. Lot's of things happening at the moment as it came a bit suddenly so all the preparations needs to be condensed in a short timeframe. Major worries is where to stay in Sydney? Looking Northshore, Manly area etc as my office will be in North Ryde. This is then also linked to a choice for school for my 2 boys, aged 8 and 10...Any pointers will be helpfull.

[slingshot]

Hi all,

i'm a radiographer(xrays)....any input as to local hospitals...?

antz

Hi Antzy

I will PM you with some details I have as a radiographer.

Lizette

[Elana]

hallo Coenraad

Ons is nou amper 'n jaar hier, van die Kaap. My seun het hierdie jaar 10 geword, en het baie maklik aangepas. Hy was in 'n klein skooltjie in St Ives, met 'n totaal v 180 kinders. Kon nie juis Engels praat toe ons hier aankom nie, en klink nou nes 'n Aussie as hy Engels praat. Ons het besluit om hom volgende jaar in 'n privaat skool te sit, want die dissipline was nie vir ons goed genoeg in die staatskool nie.

Ek dink ons was dalk ongelukkig met die keuse v skool in ons 1 ste jaar hier, en jy word beperk tot die opvanggebied vd skool. So, alhoewel ons geweet het die ander skole in die omgewing is beter, kon ons hom nie daar inkry nie, want die huis wat ons gehuur het, het ons tot die spesifieke skool beperk. Dus, kyk mooi voor jy 'n huis huur, dat jy in die regte skool opvanggebied is. As jy 'n huis geïdentifiseer het, bel die skool en vra of daardie adres in sy opvanggebied is.

Die skole in die North Shore is meestal baie goed. Sommige is dalk meer akademies as ander , en party, soos sy skool, is meer "nurturing", maar nie akademies genoeg na ons sin nie. Die staatsskole bied ook nie die sporte aan wat ons in SA ken nie. Hier is keuse v sokker, modball en krieket, na gelang v seisoen. Rugby word by die klub gespeel, tensy dit privaatskool is. Swem word ook by privaatskole aangebied, andersins by swemskole. Tennis is privaat.

Ons woon in St Ives, naby aan treinvervoer na stad, en binne rybare afstand na North Ryde. Na gelang v julle begroting is Pymble, Gordon, Turramurra, Wahroonga en St Ives baie lekker dele om te bly. Gemiddelde huispryse in die dele so tussen $800k en $900k. Goedkoper in South Turramurra en West Pymble. OZ is ongelooflik duur, maak julle gereed daarvoor. Hou op in rande dink sodra julle land.

As jy meer raad oor spesifieke skole nodig het, mail my.

groete

Elana

[Marina]

Hi All

We are moving to Sydney from Johannesburg early in March. I also thought that all the South africans were heading elsewhere. I am so glad that we are not alone. we are, as most of you, not sure where to settle down. My offices are in George Street and I will prefer to either be close to the office or be able to commute easily. We wil be renting for at least the first 6 months after which we might buy. I have seen some great properties in the northern suburbs, but have been advised that it will take me about 1 hour to commute to the city.

Any advise will be more than welcome. I look forward to meeting all of you and am sure we will settle in quickly.

Regards,

Marina

[sakazima]

Good morning all,

I am relatively new to the site. I was looking for a job in Brisbane but ended up getting two very good offers in Sydney, so that is where I am headed. I am also a single mother - of a four yeald old, so apologies in advance if I am on this site every five minutes asking questions...

First, does anyone know where Prestons is, as it seems that is where my work will be based, which area should I be looking for a place to stay - and schooling.....oh my head is going to explode

Edited December 6, 2007 by sakazima

[Coenraad]

Hi All

Thanks for all the advice I have received, it was so helpful. Things have really moved fast on our side and we received our 457's on the 18th of December, 4 weeks after application!! My wife, Elmarie, and I were in Sydney at the time on a househunting trip sponsored by my employer, and we have set our sights on living in the Hills area after looking around a bit.

We are planning the big move for the week of the 7th of Jan and will be arriving on the 13th, so hectic times on this side, packing, getting rid of "THINGS" etc. We are really looking forward to getting there and settling in. Thanks for all the good advice received on the forum.

"Min Dae!!"

[Sonskyn]

I just like to know how safe are the following areas and any information about these places will be highly appreciated.

Northern Beaches

Baulkham Hills

Campbelltown

Loftus

Nepean

Wetherill Park

[Ajay]

Hi there,

My personal recommendation would be for you to look in two main areas:

Northern Beaches (which is a collective name for all the suburbs that run along the Northern Beaches - some names are Frenchs Forest, Dee Why, Curl Curl, Brookvale). These are very close to beaches and about a 30-45 commute to the city. A very popular suburb amongst South Africans is St Ives (jokingly referred to as St Africa by the locals ). Although not quite as close to the beach, it is a lovely area and some of the other popular surrounding suburbs are Gordon, Killara, Pymble and Turramurra.

The Hills District - also a collective name for some of the North West suburbs - Cherrybrrok, Castle Hill, Pennant Hills, West Pennant Hills, Baulkham Hills, Kellyville are some ideas. These are about 40-45 minutes from the beaches, and about 40-50 minutes to commute to the city using public transport. Generally, you get more bang for your buck out this way in terms of housing.

I live in Cherrybrook, which also has a large SA contingent, and I love it here. On the North side, we are surrounded by reserves, so we have loads of bird life and plenty of trees etc. Really pretty.

Happy Hunting!

Ajay

[RobynHat]

You can also try the Ryde area (that's where we live). It's not as pretty and spacious as the Northern Beaches or Hills Area but it is often less expensive and is a rather easy commute to the city centre if you want to take public transport... some of the other areas really require you to drive to work and parking in the city is not fun unless your company gives you your own parking space. I think there must also be quite a few South Africans around here too as the Reformed Church in North Ryde is mainly South Africans and even has an Afrikaans service once a month.

If anyone is moving to this area I would also be happy to help you find your way around. I'm not South African (my husband is) but I do speak pretty fluent Afrikaans and I can tell you exactly where to go to buy boerwors and biltong! We have a 5 month old baby now too and it would be nice to find some Afrikaans speaking playmates for her!

Robyn

[blue]

If anyone is new to Syndey or wants any assistance, advice, schools, suburbs, shopping or just a shoulder to cry on please let me know have been here since 2005 and will help out where I can.

[blue]

Thank you for your offer of help. Could you please tell us where is the best place to stay whilst our container still has to arrive. I believe it can take upto 3 months. Do you recommend guesthouses or fully furnished apartments, gotta watch the dollars though. Looking at a family of 4.

Thanks

Blue