ozrocks

Hi

We are looking at the Pittwater area to live when we arrive in Sydney at the end of the year. We have driven through there and stopped for coffee and it all looked v. nice - but what is it actually like to live there?

We are mid 30s with a young family. We need a good primary and soon a good high school.

Do most kids go to the public schools or are a lot shipped over to the private schools?

Is it full of 'older folk' or 'hippies' - or is it a mixed bag? Do easy going people fit in well or is it a bit snobby?

We like the cafe culture, eating out etc... I believe that there are plenty of places around there that should fit the bill.

Ta.

gedge

It's a great place to live to be sure. Bayview a little too sleepy for me and Newport far too much the other way. Would you go as far as Avalon? Good schools, shops, cafes, beaches, lifestyle...

ozrocks

Thanks for the post...

How much further is Avalon (driving time)? I may need to drive to North Ryde at commuting time (hopefully not but I need to allow for the possibility).

I can imagine Bayview being a bit sleepy for my taste too. Maybe for my retirement.

Is Newport a backpacker/transient place? I didn't think that kind of thing went much past Dee Why...

I had heard reports that Avalon was a bit cliquey and not too friendly to newcomers - they were a couple of comments I read on the web and maybe they were posted by people who were not very nice ;-)

We do plan to have a boat on Pittwater so easy access to there is important.

Do you live in the area?

DrWho

We live in Mona Vale and are shortly to move to Newport. There's a whole lot of work going on in Newport at the moment with the main drag being redone... something like a Manly Corso but with lanes of traffic going through it...! Commute wise people tend to say that you don't want to live past Newport if you need to commute due to the Bilgola bends; there's a roundabout at the end of them which can be a nightmare depending on the time you hit them. Avalon's very nice, a bit sleepy, posh (!), and tick capital of the planet... Newport I think has a younger, more vibrant feel to it, and a decent pub in the Newport Arms.

ozrocks

Decent pub sounds good ;-)

Would you say Newport is more 20 somethings with no kids/1 designer baby? Or is it more 30 somethings with a couple of kids?

I actually have a strange fascination with ticks and sit for hours pulling them out of the dog and/or me. Maybe I should move to Avalon ;-)

DrWho

We've a couple of staffies and wouldn't live in Avalon because of it... Stories of horrible deaths from the Vets saw to that one...

Personally I'd have said Newport was more 30's or older and Avalon even older still...! The price of houses has pretty much stuffed anyone wishing to buy in Avalon - mind you that's pretty true of anywhere up here now...

Potato_potato

Personally I like going to the northern beaches for a drive and a bit of lunch on the beach. However I could never live there as I find it fake and pretentious. Mona Vale and Narrabeen aren't so bad.

On the weekend you get all of the snobs come to the northern beaches from the north shore. So it makes the place even busier and more miserable.

Look around on the northern beaches. Watch people. Notice how no one ever smiles or shows emotion. It's depressing.

emigratingherberts

Hey I live on the North Shore and consider myself to be quite a nice person actually

Potato_potato

Yes, anyone can move there.

emigratingherberts

True, might not be able to stay though - too expensive

Potato_potato

It might be a good idea to move if that's the case.

Many people these days fall in to the trap of living beyond their means. Just because a bank will lend you $1 million to buy a house and a BMW X5 (which are highly over rated anyway) doesn't mean you should take them up on the offer. Most genuinely wealthy people live in sensible areas, pay their mortgage off as fast as possible and then invest in appreciating assets. Many flashy people on the north shore can't afford to do that, they're too busy being owned by a bank to live in suburb that offers nothing more than those 1/2 the price.

emigratingherberts

Haven't got a BMW or a $million mortgage thx (although a million wouldn't get you much on the North Shore anyway). Where are you from? Would you recommend it?

gedge

Oh yes no one ever smiles. Everyone is fake, pretentious and a snob. A right miserable lot.
KMA

gedge

Avalon, well the bends can add an extra 20 mins to your commute home. Never bothered me as it's not bad scenery and they work in your favour if you live there as it tends to put people off coming and makes it quieter than the beches south.
Newport does have more a greater element of surfers coming in for the summer, so you potentially have new neighbours every year imo.

Avalon has to be the friendliest suburb I lived in. A great sense of community and certainly family friendly. Yes there are very rich people living here, but real people too. Again imo but some may say different.

tasmas

Didn't you jump on someone else's back on another thread for generalising? You must be friends with a lot of people on the North Shore to be aware of their financial status. Considering they are all flashy miserable people we can only come to the conclusion that you are the same.