Hi there,
I 'm quite new to this site and it seems really friendly here's hoping someone can help! My hubby has been offered a job working in the western sydney area and i would really like to know which are the family friendly suburbs (with more of a ccommunity feel as opposed to being in the middle of nowhere) to concentrate on I need a good Secondary school as our boy is 12, our baby girl is nearly 2 . I have found various places like Beaumont Hill, Acacia Gardens etc but i also wanted to know how safe they are if you know what I mean..... If some one could point me in the right direction possibly with a website that describes the suburbs would be really helpful.
The suburbs that you mentioned have newer styled houses, which are very close together and boxy. There is a sort of sterile feel to the place. If you can afford it, Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills and Pennant Hills are much better areas which are well established.
Castle Hill High is very good and so is Matthew Pearce.
I live in the Hills District in the suburb next to Baulkham Hills.
Its a nice area and is alot quiter than the city life yet only 40mins on a train(from seven hills).
My daughter is attending a local school and loves it. My wife is Australian so we are familiar with all parts of the area.
baulkham Hills, castle hill, Kings Langley, Winston Hills and Bella Vista are all nice areas.
matthew Pearce is a very competitive school with high demands on kids but we have many other options if that does not suit in the hills area!!!!!!
Good luck with your plans.
Andrewlee.....your a bit optimistic with the train travel. We often have used Paramatta station (which runs express trains often) and is a closer proximity to the city than Seven Hills and the travel into say Town Hall Station takes on average at least 40 mins.
You also have to factor of driving to the station, parking and then waiting for the train. The minimum journey time to the CBD is around 1hr 15mins. The further you go out e.g. Castle Hill, the more distance you have to drive to a station. The alternatives are to drive to the city....if you can afford it and still sit in heavy traffic.....or catch an express bus...... and sit in traffic.
The infrastructure in the Hills isn't the best and with more and more houses being built in areas like Kellyville, Rouse Hill, Castle Hill and Bella Vista, the commute will only get worse.
Hi Andrewlee,
Thanks for your reply, still searching areas but keep coming back to the hills, just hope the houses will be affordable, is there plenty going on for children? my boy whose just 12 now is well in to sport are there any sports clubs in the area soccer, etc what are the amenities like? are there more than a handful of shops wouldnt like to be in the middle of nowhere, sorry for so many questions but im eager to find out as much as i can about the area, you mention primary schools what are the secondary school like?
Thanks again
I would not say a bit optimistic but it depends on your start location and the train you get onto.
My train from seven hills to town hall takes me about 40-45mins tops. Depending on the amount of tops it may take longer, again its personal choice on each train.
Driving in Peak traffic can be a drag of maybe about 1hour+, but I would say in the times I have driven from home to Bondi in peak morning traffic it has taken an average of 1hour tops.
The new T-way is also running well and can be hopped on in many locations throughout the hills. Running to westmead or parra train staion or stright to the city which I have done and takes about 50mins.
More houses are being built but also there are plans fro extended train lines and adjustments with bus routes. I dont say when or how these will happen but its seeming like the powers that be recognise this and are trying to find the best options for all.
Thanks for your reply though you raised 1 or 2 interesting points.
I am glad I maybe able to offer an insight into your ponderings.
The sporting opportunities in the hills are massive and there are teams all over the place. Winston hills, castle Hill, Baulkham hills and more!!!! All sports would be covered I am sure. We have the oval in Baulkham Hills for athletics and attatched to that isa massive swimming pool(fullsize i think).
Sports is available anywhere in Sydney but we do have alot of reserves and parks in the area so its never too hard to find somewhere to have a game of footy!!!
As for shops I must admit there are lots over here too. I have 3 ALDI's within 5-10mins of my house and also have 3 big shopping centres with all you major stores within 5-10 mins too.
The big thing for me is the sheer space around the homes here it means your $$$ go alot further than nearer the city. I am not anti anywhere else by anymeans I just enjoy living in the hills district!!!
I would not say a bit optimistic but it depends on your start location and the train you get onto.
My train from seven hills to town hall takes me about 40-45mins tops. Depending on the amount of tops it may take longer, again its personal choice on each train.
Driving in Peak traffic can be a drag of maybe about 1hour+, but I would say in the times I have driven from home to Bondi in peak morning traffic it has taken an average of 1hour tops.
The new T-way is also running well and can be hopped on in many locations throughout the hills. Running to westmead or parra train staion or stright to the city which I have done and takes about 50mins.
More houses are being built but also there are plans fro extended train lines and adjustments with bus routes. I dont say when or how these will happen but its seeming like the powers that be recognise this and are trying to find the best options for all.
Thanks for your reply though you raised 1 or 2 interesting points.
Thanks for listening to my point of view. I hope the planners do plan well and don't spoil the area too much. Baulkham Hills and Castle Hills are the most liveable areas, in terms of space, community and house design. But Sydney isn't for us on the whole. Went to Brisbane for a short break and loved every bit of it.
Western Sydney Suburbs
