NSW - Cronulla with a Commute or Eastern Suburbs with High Rents?

We are are just by the Blacrock Brasserie that opened last year near BMW garage, been to the Chinese but we love Mikes a Bar and grill and The Crest has changed hands and very good.

Only a stones throw away. The crest, the old local.

i miss Sylvania, it was handy for everything for us, the best bit I liked was being able to walk to the pub and being so close to the boat ramp. My little tinny would be in the water within 5 mins of leaving home.

@Marisawright - You have mentioned that you lived in Oatley a few times. Was there much to do? Did you like it?

Were people friendly? Was there any good pubs and social places?

I know you don't have kids, but did you notice if there was good stuff to do around there for kids (between the ages of 6, 9 and 12) - i.e. not toddlers. bigger kids and early teens.

soz for the 20 questions! but thought it's easier to ask in one go.

Hope you can help a bit.

Much thanks

Matthew (Roberts)

Hi,

I live in Cronulla and work at Martin place in the City. The commute is about 1 hour. The train is, so far, very reliable. There are some nice restaurants and live music on the weekends. I could tell you more about the primary school and children`s playgrounds than pubs and bars I am afraid :wink:

Hi Maruska, we are also looking at Cronulla, we are transferring from NZ to Sydney next month. I have a 4 year old who will need to go straight into school, so would you be able to give me some info on the primary schools and playgrounds pls?

@Marisawright - You have mentioned that you lived in Oatley a few times. Was there much to do? Did you like it?

 

Were people friendly? Was there any good pubs and social places?

 

I know you don't have kids, but did you notice if there was good stuff to do around there for kids (between the ages of 6, 9 and 12) - i.e. not toddlers. bigger kids and early teens.

 

 

I know the local school in Oatley has a good reputation. If you take a look at Google Maps you'll see there's an enormous park at the end of the main street which seemed to be popular with mums and bubs.

The pub in Oatley is famous. It has an extensive outdoor area with umbrella-shaded tables, very nice for a cooling ale on a hot afternoon. It gets very crowded with young people on Friday and Saturday nights (they have bouncers on the door). They have regular live music and comedy nights. There's a couple of nice cafes and a small high street with a good butcher, good baker, deli etc. Lacking in restaurants but the pub does good food and there are several restaurants in Mortdale (the next suburb).

Hurstville is the nearest big shopping centre. It's a bit soulless but it has everything you could need.

The big advantage of Oatley is the train. It's a good line, never crowded and the trains are reliable. You can be in town in 40 minutes. In the evening we used to drive to Mortdale (5 minutes drive) and take the train from there, since all trains stop at Mortdale (but they don't all stop at Oatley). That way if we were coming home late at night, we still had a good choice of trains.

Thanks @Marisawright - much appreciated. Seems like a good place. It's affordable and the train is a great bonus.

Hi Maruska, we are also looking at Cronulla, we are transferring from NZ to Sydney next month. I have a 4 year old who will need to go straight into school, so would you be able to give me some info on the primary schools and playgrounds pls?

Hi,

are you looking for a primary school or a preschool? My daughter is 4 and a half and she starts Kindy next year. Cronulla preschool is supposed to be good but runs at the same time like regular school - 9 am till 3 PM, no child care before or after ( I looked into that last year but haven`t heard of any changes).

You have a choice of 2 primary schools - Cronulla and Cronulla South. Teeny bit further away is another good school - Burraneer Bay. You can take a look at their NAPLAN results online.

We are spoiled for choice with playgrounds. There is Gunnamatta park with playground next to the beach, Shelly park also at the beach. They both have free and well maintained grills . Another playground at Cronulla beach and a bigger one at Dunningham park. I found that kids are quite happy just climbing on the rocks on the beach, looking for stuff in the rock pools.

There are several other playgrounds within easy driving distance. Royal National park is 25 min. drive away, there is no playground but a large space to run around and lots of water based activities.

Hi Maruska, we are also looking at Cronulla, we are transferring from NZ to Sydney next month. I have a 4 year old who will need to go straight into school, so would you be able to give me some info on the primary schools and playgrounds pls?

When is your 4 year olds birthday? If your LO's 5th birthday is on or before 31st July this year, then your LO could start Kindy now. If it is after 31st July, then you would need to wait until next Jan to start at school.

Hi,

are you looking for a primary school or a preschool? My daughter is 4 and a half and she starts Kindy next year. Cronulla preschool is supposed to be good but runs at the same time like regular school - 9 am till 3 PM, no child care before or after ( I looked into that last year but haven`t heard of any changes).

You have a choice of 2 primary schools - Cronulla and Cronulla South. Teeny bit further away is another good school - Burraneer Bay. You can take a look at their NAPLAN results online.

We are spoiled for choice with playgrounds. There is Gunnamatta park with playground next to the beach, Shelly park also at the beach. They both have free and well maintained grills . Another playground at Cronulla beach and a bigger one at Dunningham park. I found that kids are quite happy just climbing on the rocks on the beach, looking for stuff in the rock pools.

There are several other playgrounds within easy driving distance. Royal National park is 25 min. drive away, there is no playground but a large space to run around and lots of water based activities.

Hi thanks for that. I will be looking for kindy as my son is almost 5. So he should be at kindy now in Aus, but is kindy different to primary school?

Hi thanks for that. I will be looking for kindy as my son is almost 5. So he should be at kindy now in Aus, but is kindy different to primary school?

Kindy is a part of primary school. Forgot to mention local private schools - there are loads, most of them religiously affiliated. There is Montessori school at Gymea which isn`t far. I am a big fan of Montessori education but I found the cost prohibitive as we would be sending 2 children. I am very happy with the local public school after having son there for 8 months now.