dorsetemma

Thanks everyone. I love arty farty as long as its not taken too seriously but the snakes might need some thinking about!

Hi Everyone After 4 years of talking about it, I think we are about ready to make the move from the lovely (but expensive, crowded and busy) Northern Beaches to somewhere with some space and countryside and affordable housing. Both my husband and I can work from home and we have 2 boys at primary school and an energetic dog. We are thinking of Berry - good shopping and coffee for my husband and I, a small local school for the boys and a nearby dog friendly beach. It is not the cheapest area down south but it looks a bargain compared to the Northern Beaches and so beautiful. We are looking for a slower pace of life where the boys are not racing around doing after school activities and sports every night of the week (with me sat in traffic driving them everywhere), where we can go out for walks with the dog as a family (rather than standing in an off leash fenced area) and where we can have a large garden so the boys can be out pottering and making stuff rather than being in front of the tv. Other than a few weekends away though, I know nothing about Berry and this could all be a pipe dream! It might be that it is a town full of unwelcoming high achievers whose children are also in multiple after school classes, where dogs are not welcome and where there are far too many snakes around (as seen on Village Vets!). Any info or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

Thanks Pinpot. Unfortunately I'm looking to give up work so we want really affordable and I don't think that the Shires can offer a nice 3 bed rental for $350 a week like Mittagong can! That's the trouble with anywhere which has an easy commute to Sydney :sad: Many thanks for replying though.

Hi I've just seen your message and I wondered how you are getting on in the Southern Highlands. We are thinking of moving to Mittagong from Sydney's Northern Beaches and I wondered how you are finding it down there? Any info would be much appreciated. Many thanks.

Hi Everyone We have been over here for 2 years now, living on the Northern beaches, but we are thinking of relocating out to a more affordable area of NSW. We have 2 young children (6 and 4) so need to think about good schools and my husband will still be working in Bondi Junction so need to think about commuting time also. The Southern Highlands and Central Coast have both come up as possibilities and I'd love to hear from anyone who can let us know what these areas are like to live in, how friendly the locals are, how much there is going on (for us and the kids) and if you can still get good coffee outside of Sydney :biggrin: Many thanks.