Katherined0

I have happily lived in North Ryde area for the past 5 years. All the local primaries are good schools and have good reputations.

You will get something OK for $500 but going up to $600/650pw would give you more options. The area between Lane Cove Road, North Road, Epping Road and vimeria Roads are good solid family areas. The advice you have been given above is also very sound with regard to other local areas like Marsfield, Carlingford, East Ryde.

I dont find it a bland place to live at all. There are loads of good parks, playgroups etc. and some lovely streets once you come off the main roads. I have found it to be a safe, quiet and community based area in which to live. Traffic is terrible around the area at peak times so living close enough for hubby to walk/cycle would be an advantage. Some (very) recent work has been done on local cycle paths.... not perfect (the aussies dont do cycle paths that well!) but it has linked up North Ryde to Lane Cove via bike tracks.

Good Luck

Katherined0

[There are no restaurants or bars, or anything beyond the Vegas style North Ryde RSL, which is pretty dire.

There are a number of smaller local restaurants on Coxs Road (Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Fish and chips...) as well as others locally (Midway, Fiveways, Epping, East Ryde) While the nightlife isnt exactly buzzing -- you can certainly get a nice meal out in the North Ryde area....

Tr1boy

Is 'Bastardos' still going strong?

gabby_cat

This is all brilliant advice everyone, thank you - think we will up our budget a bit as I understand there is quite a lot of competition for rental too so I guess we will need some flexibility. Sounds to me like there are ok and nice areas but not really any no-go areas around there. We're finding it really hard to make sense of the cost of living in Sydney but definitely taking on board the advice to public transport..........

Tr1boy

Not any 'no go areas' really, but I would avoid anywhere very close to Mac Ctr and the area immediately west of the Uni. The first is just plain dirty and noisy and the other is like townhouse Legoland.

Not my business but hubby would need to be pulling in excess of $120k plus ben plus super IMO to meet the bills, if you are not going to work. But I've seen people do it on less and seen people who need much more, but I would have thought that's about ballpark.

chris and farideh

I imagine you guys would be coming over on a business visa, which might mess all your budgets, as you have to pay for your children schooling under that visa even if you register them in a public school it'll be around $4,500 P/c & other cost for their schooling.
We live in upper north shore there are a few places you can rent for $500 but it's total dump & it's usually 2 bedrooms, the REA have really good photographers cause most of the time what's in the picture isn't in reality.
Over in upper north shore to get a decent rental you need to up your budget to $700 + p/w.

IvanM

The area is a horrible magnet for traffic. I drive due to the location of the office away from a station.

For North Shore above the posh bit a 3 bed house will be 600 a week and not special. Rents do seem to be dropping but the quality is crap.

seayork2002

We live in Epping (renting though) and although we are not sure on Epping itself, shops etc. the houses are great.

Kooky.

My husband works at Macquarie Business Park and commutes from the Inner West (Alexandria). It can be very busy at peak times but he goes early and wouldn't dream of leaving bang on 5pm, or he just sits in the car trying to get off the business park for ages. On a good day he can be home in half an hour.

I also know people who work there and take the train from Redfern, no problem. Not that I think you'd want to live in Redfern with a family, I'm just saying don't restrict yourself to the North Shore. (We started off in McMahons Point in a tiny cottage for over $600 a week.)

I can post a detailed breakdown of our living expenses if you want me to, although they'll be for a childless couple. They're already on here, you might find them if you search for Sydney Cost of Living.

martin1978

I've just moved out of an ok 3 bedroom house with 3 large bedrooms, large kitchen, laundry, decent sized living area and a large garden right in the middle of Ryde. I was sharing but the total rent pw was $500. Plenty of houses around that area for that sort of price. The trick is getting them before everyone else.

IvanM

El Rancho is classo

paddyo

OK, a couple of Do's and Don'ts..........

Do read all the advice given on here.....DON'T take it all as gospel, its just opinions even though mostly well meaning!
Do have a good look on Domain.com for rental costs and locations ....DON'T believe the photos!!
Do take into account schooling/child care costs as they are bloody high.....DON'T think its all free, nothing is free in Oz except fresh air and park barbecues!
Do think about a short term lease when you first move to get used to the area and to look at your options when settled....DON'T even think about buying until you know the areas.
Do ask your prospective employers for Relocation assistance, this includes short term Serviced apartment near North Ryde while you look for a lease property PLUS a Relocation Agent to drive you around all the suburbs and get early viewings, helps massively....DON'T get depressed about the queues for viewing a good property when you get here, its a way of life!
Finally.........Do come here with an open mind and an attitude of 'Hey, its something new so things will be different and even Wells can be a shite hole to some people".....DON'T get depressed and miss your family within the first 6 months, it won't help anyone and if you feel that would happen, then don't come....believe me, it will be painful and could ruin your marriage!

dpwilliams

It's possible to travel from Pennant Hills by bike each day through the Lane Cove National Park to North Ryde which is a beautiful ride. You'll need a mountain bike because the track is a little rough in parts and it normally takes me 30 minutes to North Ryde and 40 minutes home. It will also depend on which part of North Ryde you partner is working and what the roads are like between the national park and his office. Pennant Hills also has some good schools and a railway station for days which are too wet to cycle.

IvanM

How did you go yesterday?

pomE

The Hills district would certainly fit your needs for good schools and green open space, although you might have to think more about your rental budget.

I work in the CBD and commute in from Westleigh on the train every day (which goes thru North Ryde). Takes me about an hour, so to North Ryde would prob be about 1/2 of that.

Westleigh (in Hornbyshire), is nicely located close to the Northen Beaches and is on the Northern Line. Other areas are Hornsby itself and the surrounding areas.

To be honest, commuting on a bike would be a nightmare. I planned on also commuting, but the traffic is deadly (although there are some cycle lanes depending on your location/ destination).

To give you an idea, we're a family of 3 paying $780/ week. Expensive I know, but we probably pay a premium for having a largish pool.

Cherrybrook is also nice and has some of the best schools/ colleges in the area- perhaps even Sydney. It's not on the train line, but has buses or you can get bus to Pennant Hills and jump on the Northern Line there.