North of Sydney or Newcastle??

Husband just been offered a job with a company based in Macquarie Park.

Can someone firstly tell me how to pronounce it please!? is it like saying 'Mac quarry', or something completely different!!

He is heading out end of September to start his job early October and will sort schools, accommodation etc before me and our two children (aged 6 and 8) join him late October.

There's already loads of stuff on previous threads about areas, and we're going to be researching like mad in the next few weeks.

But just wanted to ask for some direction.

The reason I've mentioned Newcastle is that we spent a week there in Feb this year on our visa validation trip and loved it. We know its not commutable on a daily basis to Macquarie Park, but want to consider this - as my husband will likely be away a few nights a week anyway with his job (wherever we live), should we consider basing ourselves nearer Newcastle, so me and kids are somewhere we'd prefer to live (ie smaller and quieter than Sydney) when husband is away, although he will have the longer Newcastle to Sydney commute on a some days?

We're a family of four, me and husband in early/ mid 40's and as said, kids 6 and 8.

I definitely don't want to be stuck on some huge new built estate and definitely do want to live somewhere where we can walk to shops, bars, coffee shops, juice bars etc.

I personally like somewhere with a slightly alternative lifestyle/ vibe. I love the countryside and love to walk. I love charity shops and antiques/ vintage stuff, and older properties - I accept that We're probably not going to get an old property in Oz, but that would be my preference.

We are not sold on wanting to be right near the sea, but would like to be able to get to good beaches easily. (It takes up two plus hours where we are in the UK at the moment so a 30 min drive for example, would be a bonus).

Sorry, I realise this post is a bit muddled - so many thoughts at the moment as job offer just came in!!

I'm basically wanting opinions/ thoughts/ recommendations on:

North of Sydney vs Newcastle as a base for family home, and

Where to live North of Sydney that sort of fits our profile.

Thank you

(We are budgeting approx. $800- $850 per week for rental)

I'd say Newcastle is too far, unless you take a long-term view that eventually he'll seek work up there. I did work with a couple of men who commuted all the way to Sydney because they felt Newcastle was such a good place for their family, but they were rare.

Between Newcastle and Sydney there is the Central Coast which has lots of small towns. Not sure any of them would fit your bill. In your shoes I'd be tempted to look at the Blue Mountains - a long way from the coast but in lovely mountain scenery, and it does have the antique shops, older houses, alternative lifestyle that you're looking for.

Husband just been offered a job with a company based in Macquarie Park.

Can someone firstly tell me how to pronounce it please!? is it like saying 'Mac quarry', or something completely different!!

 

Yes...like "Mac quarry". There are many "Macquarie" place names in Australia...so now you'll have no trouble pronouncing them. :wubclub:

Hi Serendipity,

Have you considered the Upper North Shore, around the Hornsby area? You could probably get a Californian Bungalow around Wahroonga for $850 per week and you will be close to National Parks, good schools (public and private) and a 30 minute drive to Mona Vale Beach. Suburbs like Wahroonga are leafy, older suburbs that have a village feel, and you can get your antique/charity shop fix at the Hornsby markets.

Newcastle and the Blue Mountains are beautiful, but it's a hard drive and the roads can be dangerous. The train system here is quite poor. As a general rule, the schools in Newcastle, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains don't tend to rank in the top 200 schools in New South Wales (primary or secondary). They also tend to have higher rates of unemployment. I'm not sure you will find many older style character homes on the Central Coast.

Good luck!

PS. If you want to sound really Australian, you need to drop the C in Macquarie, so it's more like 'Ma-quarry'!

I live up near Newcastle and occasionally do work down in Sydney to fill in if no work no work up here the longest I have managed it was 3 weeks ,in reality it's just too far to commute on a daily basis.

Hi Serendipity,

 

Have you considered the Upper North Shore, around the Hornsby area? You could probably get a Californian Bungalow around Wahroonga for $850 per week and you will be close to National Parks, good schools (public and private) and a 30 minute drive to Mona Vale Beach. Suburbs like Wahroonga are leafy, older suburbs that have a village feel, and you can get your antique/charity shop fix at the Hornsby markets.

 

 

Newcastle and the Blue Mountains are beautiful, but it's a hard drive and the roads can be dangerous. The train system here is quite poor. As a general rule, the schools in Newcastle, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains don't tend to rank in the top 200 schools in New South Wales (primary or secondary). They also tend to have higher rates of unemployment. I'm not sure you will find many older style character homes on the Central Coast.

 

Good luck!

 

PS. If you want to sound really Australian, you need to drop the C in Macquarie, so it's more like 'Ma-quarry'!

Hi

Thank you for your reply. As it happens we have zoned in on Hornsby. I was attracted to Hornsby heights at first when I started researching, due to the big open spaces, and my husband who was out there in May said the area looked nice. We're currently contacting schools in the area to see what's available. 30 min drive to the beach is good as far as I'm concerned.

Hornsby markets sound like a bit of a draw for me! I'm just a huge ebayer/ charity shopper/ recycler over here in the UK that I'd struggle to have to start buying everything new!

The Blue Mountains will be good for weekends and to get my mountain fix (I'm originally from North Wales) but I realise its too far for husband to commute.

We've ruled out Newcastle at this stage, it really is too far for husband to commute on a daily basis. Maybe a move in the future!

It's all going full speed for us at the moment. We're hugely lucky in that my husbands new job offers a great relocation package - he's leaving the UK in less than two weeks!

Many thanks again.

I live up near Newcastle and occasionally do work down in Sydney to fill in if no work no work up here the longest I have managed it was 3 weeks ,in reality it's just too far to commute on a daily basis.

Thank you, its good to have opinions about the Newcastle to Sydney journey from someone who has done it.

We've talked about whether it would work but have ruled it out as too far at the moment.

North shore it is!

many thanks :daydreaming: