Ferrit

Hey everyone,

I am new to this but hopefully you guys can help me out?

I have been offered a role in Sydney, based fairly centrally, and am waiting for my 457 Visa to be processed for myself, girlfriend and 4 month old son.

I have been doing some research on nice areas to live that have plenty to do (shops, gyms, parks, beaches, restaurants etc), have a reasonable level of British in the community and are situated within a nice commute to the city (20-30 mins on ferry, train or bus).

I have identified the following areas and was wondering if I am on the right track? - neutral bay, mosman, cremorne (lower north) and balmain, drummoyne (inner west).

I will be looking at renting a 2 bedroom apartment/flat so when you first start out are you required to pay the bond as well as a month's rent up front, this will help with budgeting etc.

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks, ferrit

NickyC

They're all perfectly nice suburbs. Bit of aircraft noise around Drummoyne as it's closer to the main flight path. None will be cheap but you get what you pay for.

What's a 'reasonable' level of British? I have no idea how many British people live in those areas - but I can definitely confirm there will be lots of Australians there.

You do have to pay the bond as well as the rent up-front.

Ferrit

Thanks NickyC

I think my budget will be around $400-550 per week and I have managed to find some "nice" places in those suburbs. I am certainly leaning more towards the lower northern areas.

A "reasonable" level of British would just be a few around, in bars, on the beach etc.. Its not that important though. I know there will be lots of Australians but I am sure some suburbs would have more Brits than others?

Thanks again

commonwealth

i myself do not know who the british are in the neighbourhood. but it doesn't matter because the people are nice and decent regardless of their nationality/ethnicity.

Ferrit

Thanks Commonwealth, you are spot on, it doesnt matter at all but was just something I was wondering to potentially "ease" the transition of moving to the other side of the world.

I would be on my own for the first couple of months so would imagine it could be a little lonely, that was all.

Bermudashorts

I really don't understand why people move to the other side of the world but want to find a "British suburb" or whatever. To put it bluntly, if you want a British suburb then stay put.

The areas you mention are nice, mildly surprised you would find anything for $400 - $500 a week, but I have not looked and if you have seen things in this range then go for it.

Ferrit

You have me all wrong, I certainly dont want to find a "british" suburb but I am just thinking it may be easier to settle if there were a few around.

I am excited about meeting new people from all countries, hence Sydney was an attraction in the first place due to its cosmopolitan culture.

steen1976

Must agree. Last time I would have searched those areas online would have been over a year ago but there wouldnt have been much nice round there for that price.

Before we came out here our budget was $500 per week. We realised quickly that we had to up that and rent now for $700.

Ferrit - one thing to know about Sydney real estate ads is they are packed full of bullshit and photoshopped pictures. Quite often an ad will show pictures from when the place was last decorated - 10 years and 5 tenants ago. On so many occasions the reality of a unit is far far removed from the advert.

MAR001

Nice places to live in but I really doubt you will find something decent for 500 pw. We found a fairly decent 2 bedrooms flat in Willoughby (northern suburbs) for 550pw but we were lucky to found it after inspecting many worthless and ridiculously expensive flats around. - Also, to give you an idea, to me Mosman is the equivalent of Putney (London) so price may be even higher as the area is nice and popular.

An advise from my experience is that be prepared that perhaps the worst and most stressful part of coming over is to find the accommodation (and forget about any bargain power here). Actually if I was you, I jump over first at least one month to take care of all the hassle before bringing the family.

Good luck with your search!

fabianess

Bit of aircraft noise around Drummoyne as it's closer to the main flight path. None will be cheap but you get what you pay for.

MAR001

Oh! Also take into account that the system here is different than the UK system,

here is one or two days scheduled inspections per week with all the candidates at the same time, so prepare to compit if you think you found "the one". Also you may need a car (or be prepared to pay the taxi) to move from one inspection to another, manage your time efficiently and prioritise your favourites as it may be an overlap with the inspection times.

Mister176

There's nothing hard to understand. If you were to move to South Africa for the sun and a better lifestyle would you prefer to land right into a majorly black neighbourhood? And it's nothing to do with ethnicity, its about way of life, security and avoiding a sudden cultural shock when you are still a new immigrant (after the first few weeks when the initial excitement had worn off).

Plus, many people come to Oz in search for better employment opportunities, if they could live the same lifestyle in the UK they wouldn't have chosen to leave it behind, so they don't need to reject everything British in order to embrace all things Australian. In fact, why Oz in many aspects are like the UK? It's all because the early settlers and successive governments wanted Oz to look and feel more British! They wanted to combine the best of both worlds - Best of "being British" and best weather!

commonwealth

not in the 'Asian century'

Bermudashorts

Well there its the difference between you and me. I didn't move thinking I would get UK in the sun and I know that the quality of my lifestyle is all down to me. Never moved to South Africa, but I did move to Bermuda which is 60pc black population and no I did not make efforts to avoid them. I guess that is another difference between you and me.

commonwealth

accdg to latest census 1/3 of sydney residents are foreign born