dave76

Has anyone done it and is it manageable?

Also could you, knowledgeable folks list the top 3 suburbs that you think are the most convenient for "pedestrian" living? groceries shopping-wise and all. I'm not talking Manhattan style but at least similar to London?

commonwealth

i would say west ryde/meadowbank area...

louie

I lived in Kirribilli for 18 months without a car with no problems. Got around by ferry, walking, train or sometimes taxi (and of course had the odd mate with a car). Did "big shops" in the supermarkets at Neutral Bay, ferry with connecting bus there, usually taxi back depending on how heavy the bags were.

Occasionally hired cars for day trips to the Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley, etc.

Cheaper and less hassle than owing a car and finding somewhere to park, etc.

This was before the days of car sharing clubs like this one existed; when we move back we will be returning to Kirribilli and will probably investigate whether this would work for us.

asher

any of the inner suburbs as long as you are near a station or a bus stop we did it in Edgecliff and friends in Kirribilli and Mcmahons point do it too

mecheng

Good luck! I am of the opinion (don't beat me up Greenies) that a vehicle is essential for living anywhere in Oz.

Kooky.

Hi Dave, we discussed this a few weeks ago so you might be able to find the thread if you search.

Where will you work? I'm of the opinion that it's certainly doable, and I know a lot of people here without cars, but it does depend on your circumstances.

My husband works out on a business park at North Ryde and, certainly when we arrived 18 months ago, a car was pretty much essential. That said, a friend commuted from the Eastern Suburbs with a combination of train and company-provided shuttle bus. Now there is a new train line. Then again, my husband goes to a lot of client sites so really does need the car I guess.

I work in the city centre (edge of Chinatown/Darling Harbour) and I take the train in; we live on the Lower North Shore so it's only about 8 minutes walk up the hill to the station and ten minutes on the train. I'm half an hour max, door to door.

I don't want a car, I wish we could do without one (I am a greenie, after all ) but I have to admit that it's great for the shopping! Especially in the thunderstorm we had yesterday. Spent 6 years without one in Asia, so it's still a bit of a novelty, but if we didn't have one I'd soon adjust back. Just wish they'd stop taking the trains off on a weekend for track work.

Friends here use the car-share thing, they say it's cheaper than taxis for the odd occasion they need to get out of town.

Ozzidoc

I've done it in Edgecliffe, Ashfield/Croydon and Kensington.

jmg

I've lived carfree for 3 years in Sydney. The first year in Mosman and then in Pyrmont. Pyrmont is the easier of the two, since I can walk into the CBD for work/shopping/entertainment. Mosman wasn't too bad either as there is a regular bus service into the city but I prefer to be able to walk.

I use a car share scheme for the times when I really need a car to make a local journey, which isn't very often, or for weekends away. There are 5 cars within a 10 minute walk of where I live, so there's never any problem getting one.

I'd say you can easily live without a car in any of the inner suburbs of Sydney, as long as you also work in the city.

dave76

cool. so I won't look like a lunatic walking the streets alone.
seasider, I don't know where work will be, but pretty sure Inner. I'll be there end of month and then will see.

isgraham

I wouldn't say so I live in Cremorne and don't use my car much at all in fact I didn't get a car until I had been here for 2 years I get to work either by bus ferry or walking and have super markets near by. I only use it at weekends and it gets filled up once every 5 - 6 weeks so it is very infrequently used (it gets washed even less only 1 wash in 2 years). For traveling around my oinion is that if I have to drive for 3 hours or more it's a flight.

northerner

I may be wrong but I think mecheng may have been referring to the fact that to actually get out and about you need a car.

Obviously if you plan on staying in sydney every weekend then no prob, I know many people who don't have cars - they live inner city, work inner city, pretty much spend most of their lives inner city. Personally I couldn't cope without the freedom a car gives us in terms of getting out and about every weekend/holiday. We're always up and down the coast, camping, scuba diving, seeing friends etc.

I guess comes down to what you plan to do with your free time.

Cheers,

Graham

mecheng

You're not wrong. Exactly what I was getting at. For getting to work etc then you can probably live without a car. To be able to explore a bit further afield, a car gives you that freedom instead of being confined to the city. It's like London, you don't need a car but once you go beyond London's borders, then a car is a necessity.

louie

But you don't necessarily need to own a car to use a car. Seems to me that we would manage fine with this most of the time and we could always hire cars as necessary as we expect to be living and working near the centre (can't think of anything better than getting the ferry to work ). I had no idea how many cars were available from GoGet; I'm impressed - though would like to hear feedback from any users.

Most people really don't give much thought to the cost (including depreciation) of owning a car versus paying for use of a car as and when you need it.

mecheng

I have never known anyone in Oz (and I don't know everyone) to hire a car as required. I'm sorry loui but that just seems nonsensical to me. Catching a ferry to work may sound very romantic when you never use that form of transport normally but from people I know using it up in Sydney, it gets tiresome pretty quickly. In Oz I never considered the cost of owning vs paying as needed because I didn't want to concern myself with having to organise a car when needed. It works well when trips are planned but not when they are spontaneous.

Kooky.

On the contrary, as I said above, I have friends here that hire cars by the hour when they need them. They've been here over ten years and think we're mad to own a car. It's not a hassle to organise, no booking needed, you just go to one of the places they're parked and pick them up. Have you read louie's link? No neither have I but I know what she's on about.

I also have quite a few colleagues that live in Manly and take the ferry to work. The only time it's a problem is when the ferries are cancelled due to dust storms and that happens, hmmm, let me think...

A lot of people cycle too.

If you have a family, that's another matter, but we don't.