mumomonty

Where will the alpacas sleep in Cronulla?

Poppy 2

Sorry, I've obviously missed that one!!!!!

arkon

Thanks poppy, I must admist Cronella isn't a place that I would have even considered because of all the bad press. This time or I want to pick somewhere UK or here that is a very good area with as little bad points as possible. Once bitten and all that.

Poppy 2

The press can blow things out of all proportion! on the anniversary of the troubles, there were tv cameras there, desperate to try and find something, but we were there and everybody just gets on with their own business and didn't bat an eyelid, all nationalities sitting on the beach just chilling! We have spoken to locals and been no trouble since and wasn't any prior!

Good luck with choosing anyway.

moneypenny20

There are stacks of good places but Utopia does not exist. It's a western country with all the negatives that go with that - no different from the UK or the USA etc.

The only way I can see you settling anywhere else in Aus is if you and your wife have a major change of attitude to life and the world in general. And that's not being rude or negative, just that after your experiences, it's all gone too deep.

I would love to see you happy here but I honestly don't think it's going to happen.

khoardiroy

I've walked home from Gosford at 1am on a Friday. Trouble...try living in Glasgow.

Central Coast is great and so many of the areas are cheap as chips as well as close to the station. I work in the centre of Sydney. Hour and 15 on the train. 2 hours in the car (and no toll roads),

Some the areas mentioned are beautiful but expensive and basically boring - with no facilities. Matcham - go there if you are a millionaire. Greenpoint is lovely and prices are going up. Gosford Town Centre isn't nice but Point Claire/Tascott are lovely - at the water but not a lot of land. If you want land and cheap and on the railway line then Lisarow of Narrara are good.

Erina good shopping but actually Gosford has excellent shops in its two malls and Tuggerah is fantastic.

Lots to do - friendly people. Not really busy and the tourists go the the enterance.

Depends what your family want. We could have bought at my work but love being on holiday every weekend here.

4 beds, backyard, pool, garage, study...all under $400,000

2 mins to groceries and video etc. (walking)
10 mins to malls/cinema etc.
10 mins to beaches
10 mins to train
15 mins to freeway
Great social life

arkon

Thanks for the info khoardiroy. I will have another look before we move.

joho

I think a poll might be in order to see if we are all able to cope with Arkon in our community............


Only joking Arkon

Jo

joho

I used to live on the next street, Australia Avenue Green haven is a nice street with some nice houses and tucked away.

Jo

Lord Pom Percy

Arkon are you still interested in Canberra, now are you considering Gosford, l thought you said once the Alpaca farms sold its straight back to the uK? Have you considered Victoria? Maybe on the coast 1 or 2 hours outside Melbourne.

arkon

Crikey I get asked this so many times, It's complicated. Parents live here, Relatives live here, Boy is an Australian citizen and our 2 dogs are here. Wife has been offered her old job back in the UK and my boy by default then gets to go to one of the best private schools in the country. On the other hand, the farm is a millstone around our necks and what we do next totally depends on how soon it sells. If it sells before he is 4 then we stay and explore melbourne and Canberra for however much time remains before he starts school. Then again, if whilst trying out Mel and Canberra we decide we like the place and find a school of comparable standard to the one he would go to in the UK then we might, and I stress might stay. Currently I'd say there is about a 10% chance we will be here in 2 years time.

Unfortunately life isn't as simple as some make it out to be, things are complicated. Who knows I may or may not decide to recreate my old company here and make a few bob plundering the market here. So everything not as black and white as just go home if you don't like it.

lightr0d2o

Hi Arkon,
Dont post much on here but Ill throw in my two ozzie cents worth.
When we landed here we spent 4 weeks in umina looked all over the central coast for properties and jobs. I grew up in London and from what I saw gosford is no rat race, as with all of the places mentioned. Terrigal, the entrance, woy woy umina, etc, etc.
We found that most people there are very friendly and helpful. like most places there are good and bad.
I did the train journey from umina to sydney. It is at least an hour, but from what im told there are two trains, one does not stop at every stop so is a bit quicker.
Umina is I would say predominantly a holiday or weekender town.
terrigal is more lively but no train station.
Gosford has a shopping center a bowling club and not too much more.
Here im going to bolster up Poppy 2, as after being in the central coast for four weeks, we moved to carringbah. Right next to Cronulla. This is only my opinion and I dont wanna upset any one but, The beaches are better, the houses are better, the shops are better, work is more plentiful and yes you are a true 30 mins to Sydney on the train or on a good day by car.
we made our decision on a few factors, it is more lively here than the central coast, but I with my wife have two teenage daughters to keep amused.
What works for us though may not work for another.
We would go back to the central coast, but not to live. if you like fishing there are some cracking spots there.
Hope you find what you are looking for.
But do have a look at the Shire as well..

All the best ROB

joho

I have lived in Umina now for 19 months and it is not a predominantly weekender place, although as specified by me before a lot of Sydney siders do use it as a weekender place but you wouldnt notice it. The beaches are relatively quiet most of the time and definatley not like bondi etc. Everything else I agree about except living here of course......

Having said that I haven't been to cronulla or bondi so I am only going on what I've seen on the tv, but I still think our beaches are beautiful and varied from surfey to tame mill ponds.

There are 2 trains, the North Shore and the Express, the express only stops 4 or 5 times and takes you down a different route, the North Shore goes down the North Shore.... but stops quite a bit, it all depends which area you need to get to.

I come from a small town/village and not used to much partying. Umina doesnt have much night life.

Jo

Jo