Naomi from Manchester

I went to Bronte last week - it was a bit of a wreck after the storms. Debris everywhere, loads of pebbles from the sea bed washed up on the grass etc. Apparently the water went back further than the kiosk, which was surrounded by a foot or so. Not as bad as Bondi, by all accounts, though! I went diving today, didn't go deep, only 15m and with a thick wettie, but it began to feel bloody cold down there after 45 mins or so!

I think others' advice to buy 2 places and have 1 mortgage (if you can afford the deposit for the second place) with the view to holding onto them for a good while, sounds much better than my thought of buying 1 place and renting a second.

If you're thinking of having a longish amount of time off work as parental leave once you have your baby, a whole year for example, then obviously you won't be commuting from the Central Coast to Mascot for that period of time, and if you're then thinking of going back to work only part time for 4 or 5 yrs until your child is at school, then the long commute won't be as much of an issue as it would if you were working full time? But on the days you are working you'll probably hardly see your child (most little kids over here go to bed around 7 or 7:30ish), which would probably make you feel quite sad .... and once your child is at school, if you're working full time at that point, what with the long commute, you might hardly see them during the week. Is there a possibility it would be financially feasible for your family to buy on the Central Coast, then after the baby is born and you're back at work, rent it out and rent yourselves something closer to work? Maybe this is a rubbish idea - I dunno!

I also had a private en suite room with a telly on the public system at RPA hospital in Sydney for 5 nights. It was really great!

Goget is really great, you just need to be staying / living near one of their park / pick up spaces. There's loads in the inner west, not so many in other areas of Sydney.

OP specified outdoor activities, but if you're ever looking for something indoors, we love trampolining in Alexandria (they corner off a section for toddlers during certain times of the day): http://www.skyzone.com.au/location/alexandria

I agree about the Sealife Sanctuary and water parks.There's quite a few water parks where little kids can prance around under water sprinklers and water fountains, we generally go to Pirrama Park in Pyrmont, quite low key and on the harbour with a nice cafe too. Water parks on a bigger scale include Darling Quarter Playground (as previously recommended) at Darling Harbour and Blaxland Riverside park in Homebush. Tarrongo Zoo might be considered quite a big day out for a 14m old? I guess if s/he can nap in the pram it could work well. I wouldn't choose to take a little one there on a v.hot day though. My favourite beach for toddlers is Bronte. There's an area for paddling / swimming without any waves as well as a nice play ground and on the weekends there's a little free train they can ride on that just goes round in a circle. The best beach for natural shade is Parsley Bay (it's a harbour beach), lots of grassy areas shaded by trees, and it also has a playground and cafe.

1. Is it because there's a 5 minute or so time delay for some of the American planes? 2. I think it's because these planes are bigger in real life - the A380s and Boeing747s.

Try not to stress about day care for your little one, it can be hard to get a place for a baby in the inner west, but it's generally much easier getting a place for a 3 yr old. You'll be right!

Good for you, MR! Which philosophers are you studying? How wonderful to be able to learn for learning's sake.

I agree with Nicky and Marisa re how far your salary will stretch. If you're happy to house share and don't need to run a car (there's always GoGet), save for a deposit to buy or support dependants, I think you'll be right. Maybe you're the type of person who would prefer to live in one of the cheaper, edgier suburbs anyway (I am). I've never lived in London, but is the cost of living really comparable with Sydney? I don't think we could afford to run a car and buy a 2 bed 2 bath flat as close to London CBD as our Erskineville flat is to Sydney CBD.

Of all the places mentioned, I think Narrabeen is gorgeous.

I guess you need an efficient (stream lined) stroke in order not too feel too puffed too quickly. And I suppose everything in life comes down to good breathing! Funny how we forget how to breathe properly (out of water) somewhere along the way. My 1yr old breathes perfectly. I had a one off stroke correction lesson last week for the first time in a couple of yrs - quickly became apparent that I was all over the shop. I'd have lessons more frequently if I wasn't such a pauper.

There's always the 1 km swims. But I suppose you never know until the day if it'll be easy peasy or really tough - depends on conditions. Anyway, I hope I'm still swimming in my 70s

Not many people take the swims seriously, there's sometimes an elite category, but there's also the odd 70 yr old competing. Pretty inspirational, really.

http://www.oceanswims.com/swims/calendar/eventdetail/85/54/north-steyne-nsw-e.html The water's warm now, why wait til December?!

I haven't managed many this season, what with having a baby now. I've never been that fast but I seem to have got a bit slower now too! I just aim to finish in the top 50% I'm planning on the 2.8k at north Steyne in a couple of weeks, and I always try to do the Coogee wedding cake.

Do you do the ocean swim races? One of the best things about living here

My favourite pool in Sydney is Wylies Baths in Coogee. Olde worldy charm. I'm sure it's a touch under 50m though.

Red, of course! I bet you're blue... I'll brace myself.

Crummy Drummy? It is one of my favourites because it's one of my regulars on my way home from work, but it is known to be a tad, well, crummy! I am a bit of a scruff myself, though.

Sounds great, cheers!

Can anyone recommend where exactly to stay in this area during the end of April or early May? I've had a look on Trip Advisor but there seems to be so many beaches I don't know where to focus our search; Anna Beach, Shoal bay, Fingal Bay, Tea Gardens etc? Which is is the most stunning beach? Maybe this wouldn't be the best for us to actually stay at? We're two adults and a toddler. We'd like a patrolled beach and a few cafés and take aways within walking distance. Maybe a little supermarket too. We can drive to various attractions, but we don't want to spend much time in the car really, not more than 30 odd minute trip each way. I like the idea of staying in a cabin in a holiday park, but I wouldn't rule out staying in a hotel. I'll try to go diving whilst we're there, if the diving's any good. Cheers for any advice

Great for kids and babies, we had a 1st birthday party there the other day. It was perfect

Be sure to catch sculptures by the Sea along that stretch, think it's around Nov.