sjn2003

After our recce a couple of weeks ago (dim and distant memory) I came to some surprising conclusions about where i wanted to live in Sydney.

Fancied the Northern Beaches - lovely no doubt but very very expensive and toooooo quiet. Avalon had a few shops but sleepy does not describe it well enough. Palm beach and the rest are gorgous maybe for the weekend, but to live there??? Not for me for all that money.

Maybe its because I'm a city boy and I quite like that ???????

Loved manly, especially running along the front in the morning and getting the ferry to work - but in a strange way I can see why they call it the insular peninula.

Bondi - a bit too Blackpool. Scared that it will be overrun in summer although the cafe bars have my sort of vibe. Bronte v nice but felt expensive compared to Bondi. Coogee liked a lot but heard bad stories about drunken travellers

Think we will start off Eastern Beaches, prob Coogee, renting and see how we like it. Bit worried about the commute into CBD (hate crowded buses) preferred the ferry.

Anyone any idea which is better for mothers and small babies ie groups, clubs etc??? Bit worried Swaffy will have no friends nearby.

Didn't go West - too far from the sea which we decided was important as from London we have none.

Northern Sydney is really nice but be warned very expensive and dead in the day - many very rich mothers doing lunch at Balmoral. If thats your thing then good luck to ya.

I think the key thing to those who have not done a recce would be go for an area similar to what you know - you will be surprised to feel how quiet suburbia is after leaving a city. You may find thats not what you wanted after all.

Any comments on Eastern Beaches, esp Coogee - good and bad much appreciated

Pants

Hi only comment I will say is hope you have alot of money. Seems that many places by the sea are expensive. We looked at house prices in Cronulla the other day just for the sake of it and we were gobsmacked at what they were asking..still it is a lovely place !

Bondipom may be a good person to ask....Bondi??I nominate you !!lol

I am out west and it takes us an hour and a bit to get to the beach. All depending on what beach that is.We have a lovely house for sale here if you are interested?!!!!!

Good luck with your decision....not an easy task.!

cheers

Pants

bondipom

I rarely make it down to Coogee but the backpacker issue is down to the street you live in. I have heard 2 backpacker parties this summer which finished about midnight. Not an issue but can be bad on other streets.

The tourists that hit Bondi mainly go to the strip between Ravesis and the Swiss Grand. I hate that bit of road and avoid it. Yep the rest is busy but I like the buzz of the place. I live on the South end which is leafy and close to Bondi Road.

Both Bondi and Coogee have primary schools and there are plenty of young families.

The hardest thing is finding an appropriate rental property but the rates are cheap. I pay $300 a week for a small 2 bed flat with on street parking. It is crammed in but that is Sydney city living.

For a good range of rental property Bondi and Coogee are good.

And yep they seem to be boring teetotalling meddling anglo ned flanders types up North hence the lack of action.

Worst aspect is prices of places to buy. There are noisy parts of both suburbs but if you chose to live around the corner from a pub or between a backpackers and a pub you are asking for it. I live 3 mins walk from Campbell parade and hear nothing.

Anyhow I enjoy living here, enjoy the surf, the buzz, the cafes, restaurants, pubs and I dread the day I go suburban kath and kim.

MikeStanton

Northern Beaches are good if you want a family environment. But, as you say, they are expensive - and most are a pain to get into Sydney for work.

As somebody who lived next to Manly (in Fairlight), I'm biased! Manly is a good mixture of 'close to city' (by ferry) and quieter suburbs. However, like any city, all the most desirable - especially beach-side - places are the (relatively) most expensive.

I agree with your comments on Avalon - too far out and too boring. Of course, you could always go a bit further out to Palm Beach (very expensive) and watch them film 'Home and Away'

So, if you do decide northern beaches, I would recommend the ones closer to the city: Manly, Fairlight, Balgowlah, Seaforth. By the way, did you visit North Balgowlah? It's not as expensive as Balgowlah or Balgowlah Heights.

Although those suburbs are good for families, more goes on in the Eastern suburbs! The buildings also have more character (ie there is more of a mix of old and new). This reflects the fact that Eastern suburbs were amongst the first to be seriously populated - Northern suburbs much more recently. A lot of the Eastern suburbs were settled by immigrants from mainland Europe and Russia, which adds to the variety.

A friend of mine used to live in Bronte, then moved to Coogee and he loved it.

sjn2003

Cheers guys for the replies !

Think we'll give Coogee/Bronte a go to start with and just try and avoid the backpackers pubs.

Finally starting to warm up in the UK now - roll on last english summer for a while

NickyC

I live in Coogee - been here for over 10 years - and prior to that we were in Bronte for 8 years.

Both my children were born in the eastern suburbs and there's no shortage of doctors/hospitals/childcare/playgroups/pre-schools/schools etc. Everything you could possibly need and more, including heaps of activities for the kids. There's an excellent selection of schools (state, catholic and private) in the eastern suburbs so you cannot go wrong here, if you have kids.

Coogee is fine to live in as long as you avoid anywhere too close to the two pubs - Coogee Bay Hotel or Beach Hotel. The backpacker hostels are clustered around the main shopping area in Coogee Bay Road so steer clear of that area too.

Coogee is really a giant bowl so avoid the flat middle bit and pick somewhere up a hill (almost everywhere is up a hill) and you'll not be bothered by noise or drunken backpackers.

sjn2003

Cheers guys for all your replies !!

Looking like Coogee/Bronte is favourite so far. All we have to do now is sell the house and get our arses over there.

Roll on September

bondipom

Between the 2 is Clovelly and Gordons Bay . My favourite is Bronte but decent rental property is hard to find.

Maybe you should go on the Piss one night at the Coogee Bay hotel for noise research purposes.

sjn2003

Yeah, and I could spend the next 4 months in the Backpackers/Walkabout pubs around London to absorb myself into Aussie culture....purely for research purposes you understand. Don't think that will wash with the missus though!

There's one in Kings Cross, London that does a imfamous Sunday all-day drinking session called The Church - to see the casualties falling out of there at 5/6pm on a Sunday evening is enough to put anyone of emigrating to Oz

kevmitch

We're up in Warriewood (just south of Mona Vale, just North of Narrabeen), whilst it looks 'sleepy' there is a bit of life here and South. To the North, Newport & Avalon are primarily well established family areas, Palm Beach is for the super rich.

As you've spotted, the biggest problem is getting off the Peninsular - there's only the bus and/or manly ferry. We're 12km North of the CBD, but it takes an hour door to door (and there is a bus within 200 yards of the door)

Kev

sjn2003

Lovely part of the city - maybe when it's time to buy a place and I've had enough of living where its busier and noisier, I'll head up there somewhere. We also know people nr Narrabeen and they love it.

Ansy

Avoid the Western burbs. The farther west. Try to avoid any area west of Strathfield:because of dodgy infrastructure, far from city's major attractions, more crime and less tolerant people.

North shore areas or eastern burbs are quite nice. The nicest burbs in my opinion are: Edgecliff, Maroubra, Mosman, Manly, Mona Vale, Palm Beach, Paddington(some areas), Bronte, Coogee as long as they are away from Backpacker hostels. Hope this helps....