NickyC

Apparantly it was no longer viable because attendance had dropped and insurance premiums had become huge. It closed in April 2004.

I only ever went once when the kids were little - but thought it was a great place.

SydneyStace

Apparently it wasn't making the money since Luna Park re-opened. They have put a big LG warehouse on part of the land now & have taken all the rides down.

We have just bought a 3 bedroom house in St Clair (nr St Mary's) on 919sq metre block - big enough for a pool - & it's perfectly quiet & not rough at all. There are some suburbs pretty close that I wouldn't go to without my baseball bat :scared: but when you drive around them you get the idea of what they're like by how they look! It takes 1 hour from St Mary's to Central station, but they have the fast trains which can get you there quicker I believe.

Stace

soapy©

oh hello u, how was the uk

Wigan Warrior

Thanks Soapy.

Good idea with the map. One question, if i circle the map with CBD Sydney as centre, how far out shoudl i be looking? i.e. what is furthest point i should be looking to set compass to (Cronulla ??).

Cheers,
Martin

soapy©

i think collaroy is about as far noth as i would go (check for trains in the area though). cronulla for the south. look at some of the areas ABC and nickyc pointed out. they know sydney a lot better than me. they have never got anything wrong when i have asked.
try this thread

teddy78

Hornsby or Chatswood as they have good shopping centres, distance from the city is under 1hr and not far from the famous northern beaches.
Hornsby also has excellent girls' schools.

ABCDiamond

How much rent do you want to pay ?
Do you want an apartment or house with garden ?

That will greatly influence your areas of choice.

Jimclevs

Soapy/OP

No train line through the Northern Beaches - but why not??!!

They've been talking about it for years but no result yet!

The best way in to the CBD from there - IMO - is by express bus.

Alternative is the Manly ferry/jetcat but you have to get to Manly first and find somewhere free to park - not easy.

Driving in is not really an option unless you have a parking spot at work and can face the commute.

Re - up here on the Central Coast - commuter trains run from Gosford through Woy Woy on to Hornsby and the city - good and comfortable and "usually" on time - approx 1 hour - compared to the Kent line into London they are almost luxurious

You get much more for your dollar on the housing front up here but the downside is the lack of night life if that is what you want. It is great for kids though with plenty of lovely beaches, national parks etc.

Shopping is much the same here as anywhere else - all the usual suspects -Woollies, Coles, Myer etc - no different to UK in that respect.

For the OP - hope that has helped a bit.

For Soapy - although we never got to meet you - your posts have been (usually) amusing!! Enjoy yourself with the Queensland mob.

Jim

SydneyStace

Hi Soapy, how are u?
UK was good, it was great to see all my family & friends and it confirmed my reasons for moving to Aus & that I had done the right thing. I couldn't get over how depressed everyone looks! I couldn't wait to get back to Aus as it really feels like my home now. I have my sister & cousin out here for Christmas & NY plus now have 2 puppies (1 English Staffy & 1 Bullmastiff) so life is pretty hectic at the moment!
I have put in for stage 2 of my spouse visa so should have PR on January 19th with any luck! And have also just bought a house & that completes January 16th....plus Dave's 30th on the 14th so it'll be a triple celebration!!
I read you're heading North? When are you going? Did you manage to get jobs up there?
Stace

gedge

No train line to the northern beaches is fine imo. Just take a look at the problems in the eastern suburb beaches...
The northern beaches may be insular but that's fine by me!
We live in Avalon and a commute in to the city is 1 hour drive or about 1 and a half on an express bus. To be honest it's not a bad commute, I have known much worse.
The Manly ferry option is a great one if you settle in Manly/Fairlight/Queenscliff/Harbord suburbs, but any further away becomes too much of a hassle getting there. We used to live in Queensie and a city commute would be a 20 minute walk and 30 minute ferry. The closer you are to the ferry, the more expensive places are.

Martin, what sort of IT work are you looking for? Are you certain you'd be in the CBD? That's what I thought, but it wasn't to be. I ended up commuting out of the city

russmcp

Here Here! And paddy's market is great as well. Lovely spot of Sydney

soapy©

great post jim, just what the OP needed. its funny i was at a mates house in the north last week and he was moaning about not having a train line. i just forgot lol.
thanx for the nice comments mate. thers a lot of people on here i wish i had met. theres a thing, i might post them all later lol

soapy©

fantastic stuff Stace. i cant wait to read the thread....ive got it , ive got it , iv got it all in the one month lol
just a shame we didnt get the chance to catch up before we left, but u never know, i might visit sydney while theres a meet planned
ive got work waiting, just waiting on pauline gettin her finger oot her arse lol

Wigan Warrior

Looking to pay no more than $400 pw.

As we will be living of savings until get a job, the cheaper the better and then maybe look at moving to better suburb once have a job.

Would have to be a house not apartment.

cheers,
Martin

Wigan Warrior

Work in mainframe (PL/1 - COBOL) and Teradata. Currently working as Teradata DBA for LloydsTSB.

No guarantees would be working in CBD, just another persumtion I've made. I don't have a job to go to, looking to go for Skilled imigration and then get job out there.