DurbanGal Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 Hi everyone......so we have arrived in stunning Sydney! The first few days were lovely as we came straight to a serviced apartment in Mosman! However we have one more week and we are on our own! Scary thought as rentals are few and far between especially the reasonably priced ones. So my question is, we love the north shore areas however my husband has a job interview in Padstow.....not even sure where that is yet so now need to research a few areas on that side of Sydney. Any advice on good areas to live with good schools etc as we have 2 boys (5 and 8) and i work in the city so we need a realistic commute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosFam Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 Exciting times, all the best for what lies ahead. Not sure where Padstow is , but anywhere up the North Shore line would be good and about 30 mins commute into town. Lindfield, Gordon, are further up and Chatswood , Roseville as closer to town but still very livable places with some good rentals if you have the time to find them. My pic would be Lindfield, it had a certain charm for me. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rozellem Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 I had to google Padstow too. The only one I know is in the SW of England.... If the job looks like its going to materialise, I would get in contact with the formite BriD. They had their hearts set on Melbourne, actually lived there for a few months and husband got a job close the the airport in Sydney. They live in the area of your husbands job, I think Oyster Bay or somewhere close. They have done all the research and by all accounts are happy with the area they settled in. Give her a PM and go from there. I am "sorry" for you that you arrived to a serviced apartment in Mosman of all places. Talk about backsides and butter! Sadly this fortunate landing will effect the way you see areas that dont look as comfortable as Mosman. Sydney, and most of Aus, looks a bit ugly initially. Its only when you have lived somewhere for a while does your eye acclimatise. So, persevere and dont be put off by a few uncut verges when you view a place. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nallan Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 Hi DurbanGalHope u find time to enjoy Sydney between the chaos of arriving and trying to find a place to live;What your budget like - what is your max per week? How many bedrooms - flat or house?The areas you mentioned are good and the schools should be fine too, Australian primary schools are generally very good.I believe you have to view a house before you put in an application - that's if I'm not mistake; rental properties are generally on view most Saturdays for 15-30min so you have to schedule your time on Saturday to view as many properties as possible.If the place is nice it goes very quickly, generally by Monday/Tuesday - don't think about it too long, put in an application if you like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleasantlySurprised Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Hi everyone......so we have arrived in stunning Sydney! The first few days were lovely as we came straight to a serviced apartment in Mosman! However we have one more week and we are on our own! Scary thought as rentals are few and far between especially the reasonably priced ones. So my question is, we love the north shore areas however my husband has a job interview in Padstow.....not even sure where that is yet so now need to research a few areas on that side of Sydney. Any advice on good areas to live with good schools etc as we have 2 boys (5 and 8) and i work in the city so we need a realistic commute! Hi DurbanGal Where have you found to stay? Very interested to hear your take on things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsta Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) Hey,First up. Schools are ranked by their HSC results. HSC is the equivalent of a matrix. There are various web sites that list schools by their HSC results. I know its only high schools.. But you will want to send your kids to a feeder school in the area. Also don't aim too high. You probably won't live in mosman and send your kids to north Sydney Boys High.Sites like realestaste.com.au and domain.com.au may have suburb reports if you dig around on them. A suburb report will tell you things like average rentals.Finally, There are various areas in Sydney. The locals tend to classify you by which one of these areas you come from.Eastern Suburbs. This is bondi, double bay (but not mosman) It's trendy and expensive. Bondi shopping centre is really good. The beach is unimpressive.Inner west and CBD. Again expensive because its close to thee city. West. Inclides cities like Paramatta. The west is the cheaper area. A lot of migrants from thew middle east.North Shore. Includes cities like Ryde and Mosman. These are wealthy suburbs being taken over by apartments. Shopping is excellent.Hills. Think Seven Hills or West Pennant Hills. This area is for people who want a house they may actually afford. The hills is Sydney's "suburbia".Northern Beaches. This includes Belrose and Dee Why. This area is isolated as it's quite far from the city time wise. So it is its own little community. Shopping options are limited and not much goes on. But the locals seem to love it. Again its a slice of suburbia.Finally, south and the airport. I don't know too much about South Sydney. They love rugby league! Its not as posh as thew north shore.A lot of migrants start out in places like Ryde. A lot of forum members have moved to the hills a to get a house. I even saw a post from someone who lives in forestville on the northern beaches and loves it there. Forestville isn't my cup of tea... Its too quiet and forestville shops are out of the 80s.I hope that helps! Edited January 7, 2015 by monsta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 We live in "The Hills" - your typical Wisteria lane suburbia with very new, very modern suburbs in some suburbs and and older "70's & 80's" style homes in the older suburbs. Many new suburbs are developed all the time and you can buy a house off the plan or brand new. Many South Africans and other migrants live here. Lots of shopping malls, parks, nature reserves, churches, schools and about an hour's drive on a good day from Sydney CBD. Public transport from the newest areas is a bit more tricky but the new Norwest rail link will sort that out when it opens in 2017. At the moment, I have to take a bus and two trains and walk about 1.5km to get to work and it can take up to two hours depending on how you make (or don't make) your bus/train connections. Very frustrating. The older areas in the Hills are more linked up with public transport and it takes about an hour to get to the city. A trip to the beach by car takes about 40 minutes and a 30 minute car ride gets you into the Blue Mountains. Ideally located if you want to be close to everything but not right in the heart of it.Life in The Hills is very family oriented - lots of families, lots of kids and lots of older people. (55% are established families or older established families, 64% were born in Australia, 36% are immigrants and 28% do not speak English at home). The bulk of migrants in the Hills come from England, China, India, Korea & South Africa. I would definitely reccomend The Hills for families with children but not for young couples/singles, especially if they're new arrivals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macca Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 We will be heading to the "Hills" very soon, any suggestions on where to stay until our containrr arrives?Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsta Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 (edited) You might not find much temporary accommodation in the hills. You will find more choices closer to the city. North Sydney is a bit too close. But maybe Ryde or Lane Cove? Macquarie park (in Ryde) has a two train stations, a large shops, busses to the city and the hills and its right near the m2 motorway (the motorway to get to the hills from the CBD). In fact the M2 runs through Macquarie Park. Ryde has a large migrant community, so you might find a good few temporary accommodation options there. I have got a friend who leases a furnished apartment above St Leonards train station. She loves the convenient location. But that area is very built up.But wherever you land up, use the directions feature on google maps. You might find a cheaper place but it's probably cheap because the public transport options are limited. Sydney's public transport system has several black holes. That's why its good to ask google how long it is by public transport to go from yor rental to the CBD at 9pm on a Sunday morning. Edited January 21, 2015 by monsta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshB Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 Try Carlingford we have been here for over a year now . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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