CMT

Could someone please tell me something about Richmond or Windsor (near Sydney (ish))? Things like what type of areas they are, schools, distance from beach etc.

Many thanks!

CPW

Quite a long way out (30 miles - a guess). They are one of the five so-called Macquarie towns, founded by Governor Macquarie to the north-west of Sydney, and until maybe 15 years ago they were still towns, but I think that they would now be considered suburbs by most people.

They are near the foothills of the northern part of the Blue Mountains - Bell's Line of Road (one of the two routes over the Blue Mountains) starts at Richmond, for example. The area that they are in, however, is very flat, being the flood planes of the Nepean/Hawkesbury River. (The Nepean is in fact the same river as the Hawkesbury - Richmond is on the Nepean, Windsor on the Hawkesbury, just to be confusing.) Flooding is no longer a problem, generally, however, because of the Warragamba dam upstream on the Nepean.

Not good for the beach - Richmond and Windsor are a long way inland. They are also, I have to say, very hot during the day in summer - sometimes a good 10 degrees Celsius (=18 degrees Fahrenheit) or more hotter than the centre of Sydney. Winter nights and mornings can also be rather chilly.

Travel into the central business district is not ideal - train service is there, but slow (a branch line via Blacktown, I think), and it is a fair distance before the M2 motorway starts (and this is a toll road). Not so bad for places like Parramatta.

I can't comment on schools there.

It might seem as if I have painted a rather depressing picture; however, these two towns are a lot more pleasant (and inherently interesting) than many of the suburbs that a bit closer into town (such as Kellyville). My money would be on Windsor if I was going to live in that area. But I'd want air-conditioning!