Thinking about Newcastle
 

After visiting Sydney twice in the past year I feel like my mind is made up and that is where I want to live. Only problem is how expensive it is to buy a house.

Somebody suggested to me that Newcastle would be an ideal place to buy as it’s more affordable and starting to boom.

Anybody live in Newcastle? What’s it like, it’s it a more affordable pace to live and buy property?

Re: Thinking about Newcastle
 

Newcastle is on the crest of a wave, new apartments being built all along the harbour front, light rail being built from the New Interchange at Wickham to the city center and new businesses moving/opening in the area. However the mining boom is over and new businesses are mainly health, money or tourism related.Lots of established retail and food/drink businesses and more opening all the time. A great place for a night out, plenty of bars and restaurants.

Housing is not much cheaper than Sydney, but the further away form the city you go the cheaper it gets. Travel to Sydney on the train can take 3 hours, driving is about the same. The main route is the M1 ( previously F3 ) which is often congested and currently undergoing upgrades to 3 lanes. The coastal route through the Central Coast is slow.

Its a nice place to live these days, lots of heavy industrial areas are becoming residential, areas like Carrington are becoming very 'on trend' and house prices soaring. Maybe the completion of hundreds of new apartments in the city over the next year or two will level prices off a bit, but many new developments are already advertising "all sold'"

Half way between Sydney and Newcastle is the Central Coast, very family friendly, a bit ( but not a lot ) cheaper and can be quiet unless you are somewhere like Terrigal which is a popular holiday destination. Commute to Sydney by train is 1.5 hours plus the time it takes to get to a station, so typically 2 hrs all up.

Newcastle would be my choice if you can work there, we are on the Central Coast and considering moving up there when we become empty nesters, as we would be bored shitless here on the Coast when we are left to our own devices. We like good bars, pubs and restaurants and the Central Coast has been left behind in that regard. When we have a good night out we book a hotel in Sydney or Newcastle and make a weekend of it.

It really depends what you are looking for, but Newcastle overall is a good place to be, ten years ago it would have been a different story but its on the up and up !

Re: Thinking about Newcastle
 

I have to agree with Spuddyo. Its certainly changed a lot and on the way up.

The drive is 2 hours with no traffic. That's not commutable in my book. Depends what you do for a job.

Here is the draft transport plan for Newcastle.

https://future.transport.nsw.gov.au/react-feedback/supporting-plans/greater-newcastle-future-transport-plan/about-the-draft-greater-newcastle-future-transport-plan/

There is also a 10 year plan to straighten the train track between Sydney and Newcastle allow for medium speed rail rather than the slow ones we have today (3 hours).

Have you considered Wollongong or actually done a property price comparision between Northern Beaches or Cronulla locations and Newcastle?

Have you also figured out what salary you can earn then figured out what you can afford. Exchange rate calculations just don't cut the mustard. Just looking at property prices then converting that to pounds is a mugs game.

Re: Thinking about Newcastle
 

I’m in Newy and I love it. I’ve been here for almost 5 years.
Fab beaches, vineyards close by, great communities, close enough to Sydney, great weather (most of the time)

The CBD was awful when we arrived and Newy was all about the suburbs, but the CBD is being regenerated now.

I’m very glad we ended up here � ����

Join Newcastle and Hunter Expats on Facebook for more local info

Re: Thinking about Newcastle
 

It's fabulous if you want somewhere fairly city-ish but don't want the congestion and if beaches and bush and space are a little more important to you than the vibrancy of a big city. We've just passed our second year and the longer we spend here, the more we love it. I don't think it's somewhere that makes its charms immediately apparent but once living here you soon start to realise this is one hell of a place to wash up.

But property prices are booming so, tbh, I rather you don't add to it by moving here - we don't have a place of our own yet!