elfindiamond

Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of moving the family (3 girls, all under 5!) from Northern Ireland to Sydney. We are all citizens as I lived in Perth as a child (parents moved back to Ireland many moons ago) so visas aren't a problem. However having never been to Sydney, I'm finding picking an area to live is difficult confusing so would appreciate any guidance. I will probably work in the city, however, the hubby has got a job already, the job is quite far west of the city though. Would like to live near a train line to aid commuting to work. Can't afford to live too close to the city.. suggestions welcome.

paddyo

Where in 'quite far west' is hubby working? I'm assuming you will be looking at childcare for your children as well? You mention you are ALL citizens, including Hubby??

Gibbo

Knowing where your husband will be working would be a great help in suggesting areas for you to consider.

paddyo

One thing to consider is that Sydneysiders think nothing of commuting long hours/distances. Public transport, compared to the UK, is cheap and plentiful but just like all cities has its failings.
Things you will want to consider are:
Demographics - Are YOU comfortable living in an area which is multi-cultural, or indeed of one major culture, which may not have a large populous of caucasians/anglo saxon types.
Costs - Generally speaking the better value for money houses are in the not so good areas, stands to reason. So if you see a property and think 'Wow!! That is such a good price'...then you should look for then reason why. This applies to both rent and buy.
Suburb type - Do you want to be close to beaches, harbour, mountains, rail stations etc etc. This will depend on your needs and wants, those of hubby and your kids.
Children - Think of child care costs and schools, in all honesty there are few really bad schools for infants/juniors and those that have a bad reputation can soon be found out.
Commute - think of your workplace, hubbys and the hours of child care. Look at worst case examples of commute, using public transport as a guide and base location on that. Draw a big circle around suburbs within your preferred distance/time.

As an example, I live on the south coast and its a 2 1/2 hour commute to my office in Rydalmere (wasn't originally but company moved....grrr!) by train/bus. It is not unusual but also not too common, but few people say WTF???? By car however its only 1 1/4 hours....so we have just got a second car for me to use! But it does mean I have quite a lot of time out of the house during the week but all weekend we live in a great traditional Aussie beach suburb, safe, good for families and direct train link into the City....and as much beach as your tongue can handle!!

elfindiamond

My hubby is working in Minchinbury. He's a permanent resident, myself and the girls are all citizens. We'd love to live withing 30 mins of a beach, hubby doesn't mind commuting to work to live closer to the city and coast. We were looking south of the city eg Cronulla, Sutherlands etc. Don't mind living in a multi-cultural area as long as it wasn't too predominantly one culture over another (if that makes sense).

paddyo

Looking at where Minchinbury is and thinking of the commute and your desire to live within 30 mins of the beach near a train line then Sutherland seems to be your best option. It has very regular trains into the city, easy 20 minute drive to Cronulla beach and also easy access to the Royal National Park and southern beaches. Also look at neighbouring suburbs such as Woronora, Loftus etc.