EmmaJane23

Hi everyone,
I move to Sydney in 2 weeks and can barely contain myself - my excitement is palpable, my visa confirmed and my Australian bank account all set up and raring to go. However, the only cloud on the horizon (so far) is that finding somewhere to live is, I fear, going to be a tricky task. I start work on the 17th of October and arrive in Sydney on the 9th giving me a solid week or so to get settled into a charming double room in a good area for no more than 300 dollars a week - no problem, right?
The areas I'm looking at are: Glebe, Newtown, Darlinghurst and Haymarket and my question is this... one of you gloriously lovely people don't happen to know of a property fitting the above description do you?
I'd be eternally grateful and could probably be persuaded to buy you a pint/glass of champers/herbal tea.

Alternatively, any advice as to a good hostel for me to stay in while i get my act together would be swell.

Awaiting your responses with baited breath

Thanks Emma

petkez

I think it will be very hard to find anything at the price range you seek so close to the city. Sydney has very good public transport. I sugest you look further away from the city centre along the train lines. Areas on the north shore ( Chatswood, Hornsby etc.. )

Kooky.

For a flatshare? I'd say it's quite a reasonable budget.

Sorry OP, don't know of anybody offering a room right now. I think, due to stories of scams, your best bet is to get yourself here and into a hostel - as you say - and then onto Gumtree, etc. (Do not hand over any money without seeing the place and meeting the people involved.)

We've had a few threads on this lately so might be worth having a search on Sydney hostels.

Bikergirl

Cant recommend anywhere sorry, but have you thought about asking your new work colleagues (when you arrive) if they can suggest somewhere or if they know of any shares that are available? - or maybe ask your hiring manager by email now to put a notice up for you asking for a houseshare.

Alternatively I have seen notices stuck to lampposts, traffic lights advertising house/flat shares with pull off contact details along all the main streets in Sydney when you arrive.

EmmaJane23

It would be for a flatshare - does anyone else think 300 a week is too little for a central location? I could potentially stretch to more but would prefer not to and having suffered the commute on the london tube I was really looking forward to walking to work so don't particularly want to compromise on the location.
Bikergirl, thank you for your suggestion I emailed my new manager who has gone one better and has arranged an apartment for me for the first 2 weeks - I can't quite believe it! hopefully this is a sign of things to come ... lovely Australians!

saveme

The YHA hostels are nice - at least the one I stayed at - Pitt & Rawson Central. 'Bounce' hostel looked OK when Iv'e walked past it on Chalmers St too.

I was just recommending to someone else to think of staying in a pub - I stayed at the Orange Grove Hotel in Lilyfield, thought it was OK - no private loo but you get a TV. Get yourself a bar fridge to store a bit of food for breakfast say.

I stayed here for a couple of weeks - used to drink there anyway and it's a nice area not too far from the City.

Accommodation
The Grove has 11 rooms which have recently been refurbished in early June 2009.

For enquiries call us on (02) 9810 2835

AVAILABLE FOR SHORT OR LONG TERM STAYS

RATES Weekday
Nightly Weekend
Nightly Normal Weekly Long Term Weekly
Standard Room $70 $90 $250 $220
Deluxe
Room $80 $100 $280 $250

Azzy

You could easily find a flat share for $300 in the locations you are looking. Just a quick suggestion though, as well as looking on gumtree there are often notices for flatmates wanted in the uni's so maybe make a trip up to Sydney uni and UTS (uni on broadway) and have a look once you get into Sydney. There are a lot of UTS and Sydney uni students living in Glebe and Newtown

pomE

Perhaps not the area you are looking in particularly, but flat shares at that price should be possible. Check this one for example:

http://au.easyroommate.com/ramsgate-...90423033084853

Kooky.

Let's clear this up once and for all - I think petkez must have misunderstood the OP and thought she meant for a whole unit.

You could rent my whole unit - 3-bed, 2-bath, 2-carspace, pool, gym, yadda yadda - within walking distance of Newtown for about $680 a week. Not that it's up for grabs, but hopefully this will reassure the OP that a "charming double room in a good area" is entirely possible.

(No, you wouldn't want to live in the apartment in that link - unless you're a planespotter - but the site looks handy.)

pomE

(or a kitesurfer )