michdp

You'll be pleased to know that The Sands is still there but has been completely done up & is now called The Sands Hotel. I haven't been in there though so couldn't say what it's like although looks good from the road!

I know exactly what you mean when you come up the hill from Dee Why & look over to Long Reef headland - it feels like coming home! In fact, I'm just off to walk my dog round there!

deryans

Hi, Thought I'd introduce ourselves.

We are Irish/London expats, 12 years LHR, 1 Adelaide, and now last 6 Sydney, we've basically lived in the inner west Balmain/Birchgrove since 2001/2. 2 kids + one on the way

We pay 570 odd for a pretty much waterfront/parkfront house in mort bay, lots of english/irish around here, and plenty of historic pubs in the balmain area!!!! Resteurants are getting a little "not too much value for money" but are generally kid friendly.

Kindergarten is a nightmare to get the kids into, Lotti Te Keri (spelling?) had to queue from the early hours at our local school to get his son in, sp there is no easy way to ensure that your kids get into the local school other than camping out overnight (which one woman with triplets did!!!)

Day Care is expensive, expect to pay anywhere from 100 per day (birchgrove) to 70 pday in outer burbs (and that's not a full day, 0930 to 1500)

VickyC presents pretty much a clear picture regarding most burbs, Try and stay away from the west burbs if you have a young family and are intending to rent for a while, you'll get a much better standard of life by renting in and around the city (within reason).

Manly is very popular with expat brits and irish, although the corso can be a llittle bottle strewn at weekends. but the beach is wonderful, houses rare, more apartments and not a lot can be got for the dosh compared to elsewhere. Ferry to Circular Quay a leisurely 40 mins, jet cat about 20 or 30 if they have trouble docking it, cat costs more and runs less often.

Driving your car from Manly to the CBD on a daily basis would be foolish, most if not all key main arteries into sydney are toll, we use circa 1K in tolls per annum and that's for personal use, ie. Zoo, Down south, XCT etc


Northern Beaches are a dream area for families, but are getting more and more expensive and it is a difficult commute, there is no rail from Manly and teh Buses take quite some time along the spit and military road.

If you are in the CBD then your best bet is try and get near a ferry wharf, otherwise perhaps the inner west, lane cove, etc

I work at the airport and ride a (push bike) most days, takes 30 mins, if I worked in the CBD I'd be there in 15 mins.

frankly ,I would not even entertain the suburbs VickyC mentions as unsuitable with a small family.

Feel free to ask anything , I've juist joined and I don't know if anyone knows about google maps, i.e maps-dot-google-dot-com-dot-au, and use the get directions tool, fantastic for figuring out a commute.

also try dubya-dubya-dubya-realestate-dot-com.au for rentals and purchases!

anymore info, feel free to ask


cheers

deryans

saveme

What is like cycling in Sydney now? I used to have a bike when I was at Narrabeen and enjoyed going up Ocean St to Mona Vale or up Powderworks Road and down Mona Vale Rd (def. not UP). But when I moved to Surry Hills I put my bike in the garage and never touched it again.

I love cycling in The New Forest but I'm very careful if I go into Southampton. I was in London for a week's holiday at The Strand Palace Hotel and I couldn't get over how brave - reckless even - the cyclists were. I always wear high viz, helmet, have lights but I saw plenty in London in dark clothes and no lights zipping around buses and cabs. When I come back out to Sydney I want to start cycling again and I can't imagine Sydney drivers being any more or (probably) less considerate than their London counterparts.
Dave
ps The Strand Palace Hotel is BRILLIANT! Bit more than I usually pay (£90 B & B) but lovely hotel and in a superb location,walking distance to Covent Garden, Trafalgar Sq, Nat Gallery, Leicester Sq, etc, etc.

deryans

Hi Saveme,


Cycling is becoming more popular, However you have to ride primary position , drivers especially those who are distracted, ie cabbies, women with children are quite dangerous and sydney drivers are often quite selfish, many bike lanes around, but often these are often along parks with dogs, kids, and so forth and so are unsuitable for commute cycling.

Been up the powerworks run up to , arkuna bay , cottage point climb a few times, early sat mornings it's wonderful and back to manly for brekkie at 10am.

Cycling is the go for me to get to the airport, 30 min avg each way, by public transport it's about 60 min minimum, more often 90 mins and costs about 12aud by car (tolls) or indeed public transport as the stations are privately owned and not part of railtrack!!! :curse:


Strand palace sounds a steal for that, is that a room rate or pp ?

saveme

That was a single room en suite and prob averaged out over six nights. I was worried before I booked it as there were plenty of negative reviews but I couldn't fault it. Staff were friendly & courteous, food was good, room was nice (en suite) & not a 'shoebox'. I loved London too. I know it was just the City and did not venture to any 'suss' suburbs but I never felt the slightest bit of trepidation walking anywhere.

There was a buzz about the place too, felt it as soon as I went out into The Strand. One day I strolled to Oxford Circus, via Covent Garden, Leicester Sq (got a £25 ticket for Swimming With Sharks with Christian Slater & Helen Blaxandale) Picadilly, Regent St, Carnaby St! Hamlyn's toy shop. If you listen to some people you'd think you were going back to The Blitz! I can't wait to go back.

The only disconcerting thing was seeing people getting ready for bed in their cardboard coffins on the pavement. Odd watching them get up in the morning too. Where do they wash? Pommie shower perhaps??? (sorry should not be facetious) and thanks for cycling advice. I love going out on my bike here just as long as I've got the wind behind me coming home. Did Marchwood (where I live) to Brockenhurst & Lyndhurst & Ashurst recently, partly on road, partly thru the inclosures.
Dave

saveme

pps I forgot to mention nasty incident in Southampton last year. Woman has just been convicted of death by dangerous driving after she went thru an intersection too fast and texting and knocked a young bloke off a bike. I will admit that he had gone thru a red light but what is it about mobile phones?? I saw a woman recently on a bike with a kid behind her in a seat and she was on her phone. WHY couldn't she just stop and get off to do it? What is so URGENT?

paddyo

sounds like a good hotel, when I stay in London now I stay at the Premier Travel Inn at County Hall, £99 room rate and that for as many occupants as you book, i.e. 2 adults, family etc. Great location, traffic free and close to all buses and trains.

paddyo

My wife runs her own Home Child Care business here in UK, do you think its a reasonable option for her when we come out? I was against it a bit as I thought it might leave her home bound in a brand new country and wanting some adult company.

deryans

Hi Paddyo, not at all, but you'd be well advised to ensure that you follow exact protocol with respect to insurance, OHS and other stuff.

Our youngest went to french child care with no more than 4 kids for the first while, who was quite in demand, t


as regards housebound, 0930 to 1500 is hardly house bound ? all things considered , and childcare is not 9-5 5 days a week, it's a 3 day week thing, I'd look into it seriously, but make sure you have the proper advice vis a vis insurance, liability etc.

we almost had to cancel a bouncey castle once because a woman of american background was worried her child would bounce off and get hurt, same woman did not want coloured pencils for playgroup because they could be used as weapons............


so you never know who you are dealing with.

NickyC

Just to clarify...

Birchgrove School is one of the (very) few state schools in NSW that has a government pre-school attached to it. This is what the queuing was all about a couple of weeks ago - parents trying to get their kids into the relatively cheap pre-school which has a limited number of spots.

Kindergarten is the name for the first full year of normal school. All children who live in the catchment area will get a place at Birchgrove School for kindergarten if they want it - you certainly won't have to queue up like that for it!

paddyo

Thats all understood, we follow all the regs and she is fully accredited. Some parents can be over protective but luckily enough we have a fantastic relationship with all her parents and she is extremely popular as she is very creative and definately not a 'sit the kid in front of a disney dvd for 4 hours' kinda carer. Lots of outdoor walks and library visits and home painting etc, our house is more child friendly and safe than a Mothercare creche!!
I have looked at the Oz child care site and much of what she has can eb transferable. By homebound what I meant was its a whole new thing for both of us and with no neighbours, initially, or family to lean on she might feel a bit lonely and I want us both to enjoy it and for her to develop her own social circle. As for coloured pencils as weapons.....they are nothing compared to the threat of a soiled nappy being wiped aginst you!! ugh!!

paddyo

Our son is 3 this march so I assume that we have a year or so to worry about kindergarten, when we decide where we are going to live then the headache of childcare and my wifes work will start!!

NickyC

Yes, you shouldn't have to worry about school until January 2010 for your son and there are lots of child-care centres and privately-run pre-schools in most suburbs. Some people say there's a shortage of child-care but that only really applies in the far-flung newish suburbs out in the sticks (not the sort of places on your list ).

deryans

Hi VickyC,

That's true about Birchgrove Public Kindie, however there are more kids than places within the catchment which implies a queue regardless, 80 kids wanting 40 places means 1/2 will lose out, hence the queue mechanism (I don't have exact numbers), plenty of our British friends had to queue, my wife and I chose a different kindie, but will take the public (year 1) place for both when it becomes available.


Birchgrove does not take kids outside its catchment because it cannot satisfy the demand within, which makes me smile and think of the time we did the interview with the RC catholic priest at the St Augustines school (near the london pub), and I felt like I was in short pants seeing the head Jesuit again for an obscure latin translation...........


I hope my kids apreciate this............

Rich_Lyn

hi, mind if i join in? I would ask people moving to Sydney, when you arrive, find a nice spot where you can relax and talk with the OH, and when discussing where you want to live, think about why you left the mother country. For us, it was to be near the beach (and all that lifestyle has to offer, inc boating / fishing), as well as less crime and a better future for our son (15). I tend to agree with most of the quotes on this thread, in terms of location / proximity to CBD, affordability etc. I know people who live on the Eastern beaches, North Shore, Northern Beaches, Castle Hill - no one says they do not like where they live. A lot of my colleagues live nr Collaroy / DY /Avalon + it is a great beach lifestyle with "OK" commute to CBD.
Think about the schools for the kids, and proximity to rail / bus links. Our son is able to get almost anywhere from St Ives, but it does require a few changes (EG going to Manly). We are hoping to move to the Northern Beaches, and like Mona Vale / Bayview. Avalon is a "few bends too far" for me, especially on the weekend, but it has a great "villagey" lifestyle feel. The only problem for me is that i believe that there is a bit of a teenage problem in Avalon, kids getting drunk on the street etc. Not sure about crime, but property prices have come down recently.
Happy Hunting!