jumpingjellybean

Yes. If you have passed your test in an automatic - you are not allowed to drive a manual (unless you took a separate test in a manual and passed) But if you have passed your test in a manual - you can drive an automatic.

From what you have said so far - I think you will REALLY LOVE Crows Nest. It is well-known for its young professionals around 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. It has a community village feel and community type activities, like a yearly street festival, art shows and evening activities (classes in yoga, dance, drawing, meditation and pilates) – which is a great way to meet new people. It has a wide variety of shops, cafes and restaurants. Boutique clothes & shoe shops, wine shops, bakeries and a few decent pubs. A good practical supermarket and some upmarket gourmet grocers, a couple of organic food and healthfood shops too. I particularly like the wide choice of different restaurant cuisines available…..anything from Vegan, Healthfood, American, Himalayan, Thai and Chinese to Italian, French, German, English and plain old Aussie. The following two websites will give you more information: agfg.com.au/guide/nsw/sydney/lower-north-shore/crows-nest/listings/restaurants-dining/ weekendnotes.com/sydney/ In fact, for such a small suburb it is packed with things to do! It is serviced by regular buses and is within waking distance (ten minutes) of three train stations. It is also within walking, jogging or bike riding distance to ferries or across the bridge to the Sydney CBD. It is close to an excellent Olympic Pool and library at North Sydney. Plus it is close to beautiful Balmoral Beach (and a few other beaches), via a short bus trip. Plus easy to get a taxi home from the city if need be after a night out there (Sydney Taxi drivers hate going long distances with fares!!) And not forgetting, it is close to your intended place of work. It will be hard to arrange a proper flat rental from overseas. It is best to pre-book into Short Stay accommodation for 6 – 12 weeks (so you have your arrival covered), then look for somewhere more permanent once you are actually here. Last time I tried to post a website for you, my post did not (and still has not) appeared. So please add in the WWW yourself, and check out the following Short Term Accommodation options: glenferrielodge.com/home/ themansions.com.au sydneyboardinghouse.com theenglishlodge.com/sydney-accommodation.htm servicedapartmentsonline.com.au/apartments/St+Leonards/ servicedapartmentsonline.com.au/apartments/Crows+Nest/ flatmates.com.au/flatshares/2065/crows-nest gumtree.com.au/s-flatshare-houseshare/crows-nest-sydney/c18294l3003918 gvasydney.com/index.php (may be students only!?) iglu.com.au/student-accommodation/sydney/iglu-chatswood (may be students only!?) sydney.com/accommodation-backpackers-and-hostels Most of these offer discounted rates for stays of a month or more – so pays to speak with the manager, rather than just relying on the advertised rates. I know the area quite well - so if you have any more questions - just ask.

Actually I was wrong. It only took 8 minutes when also driving hubby to bus stop. My home door to work door actually took 4 - 5 mins driving. Gosh I miss it.

I have been to the Rooty Hill RSL many times in the past - great fun. However, "arse end" is NOT my name for it. It is just one of those common terms that are popular amongst Sydneysiders. I was just repeating it here to illustrate a point. For example: Another common knowledge name (especially among the truck driving community) is calling the whole of the Central Coast "Mount-Druitt-by-the-Sea". Or how people in Avalon are perceived to be pretentious ******s - see "Avalon Now" on YouTube Or how Tasmanian's are supposedly "closely" related. Or how kiwis love their sheep. It does not mean any of this is really true (all very silly).......it is just one of those things that people say to identify a place.

Yes it is indeed. I previously lived within walking distance to work..........but very lazy so I actually drove! :laugh: It was wonderful; as I went home for my lunch break every day. But due to circumstances beyond my control, I am now 90 mins away. I left home at 6 this morning and drove to the train station, then took a 15 min train trip, and then walked 15 mins to work. Arrived at work at 7.30am for a 8am start. Previously I would leave home at 7.50am for an 8am start - so yes a huge change.

A bit like having a root canal without the anesthetic! :smile: Actually not that bad. From Woy Woy down the M1 (old F3) to Wahroonga is about 40 minutes and normally perfectly fine in smooth flowing rush hour traffic. But Sydney traffic travels on a knifes edge, and one small bingle between two cars can lead to massive and long delays for everyone else. The trouble usually starts when you leave the M1 and enter Pennant Hills Road.......bumper-to-bumper the whole way. There is a back route via the Old Pacific Highway and back streets of Hornsby, Thornleigh and Pennant Hills which I always take - but it is not straight forward, so you need local knowledge or a good map to find your way. I would get the train from Woy Woy to Pennant Hills in rush hour - a peaceful, pleasant and quick 50 minute trip. They have "Quite Carriage" on all the coaster trains, which makes for a very pleasing experience.

To give you some guidance: The 7.02am train from Woy Woy (Central Coast), arrives at Wynyard station at 8.14am. That is on the fast coaster train via the North Shore line. So 1 hour and 12 minutes is a pretty good commute. There are toilets on the train and most commuters sleep, read, catch up with weekly shows on their ipads, or do work related emails. The trains are pretty good from the coast. They are rarely late. My sister has been getting on a coaster train at Hornsby every day for about 15 years now, and is rarely late for work. There is a faster train from Newcastle to Central (picking up at Woy Woy) via Epping and Strathfield on the Northern Line - but I don't have those times on my mobile app. There is only one line down from Newcastle and the Central Coast. It splits into two lines at Hornsby. One veers off to the left and goes to the city via Gordon and the other veers off right and goes to the city via Strathfield. It is pretty good because you have the option of two routes leading to the same destination. Example: if one line has delays, you can just change trains at Hornsby and go the other route. If I lived on the Central Coast and worked in Hornsby, then I would be more than happy to drive everyday – as in good flowing traffic takes around 45 minutes to drive. But I would NOT be driving into the CBD from the Central Coast – it would be horrific. You could even drive to Hornsby and then get the train to the CBD; as many people do. There are a number of options available – so don’t panic or limit yourself. Until recently my commute to work by car was only 8 minutes (fantastic)…… but now my commute is 90 minutes. My longest commute ever was 2 hours. Have a look at North Gosford or Kariong on the Central Coast. You can still pick up a large family modern home (with built-in wardrobes, ensuite bathrooms, a garden, inground swimming pool, spa, garage, workshop, etc…) for way less than $750K. It is a great lifestyle up there, cheaper than Sydney and you are never far from a beach or National Park in summer. However, I suggest doing what I did when I first arrived - I booked into long stay accommodation for three months - and each weekend took the train or drove round the suburbs exploring and finding the "perfect" place to live in regards to where working etc... Someone suggested Tamarama near Bondi to me and I liked the beach. But the house prices were beyond me, the crowds annoying and the traffic into the city was hideous beyond a nightmare. I eventually ended up in Galston (which I found by accident one weekend on a exploring trip) and it was affordable (then!), peaceful, rural and uncrowded. It is all very well us giving you advice; but you really need to actually experience an area for yourself.

Well 1 hour and 20 minutes is pretty standard for a lot of commuting Sydneysiders. I know a LOT of people who live on the Central Coast and commute into the CBD daily. Chatting to them they all think it is fine. Personally I think driving would pretty much be out of the question; although I do know some people who do it. The train service is good, Especially the fast coaster trains that skip smaller stations and only stop at the major ones. I think the benefits of cheaper living and a laid back lifestyle on the coast (especially at weekends), outweighs the commute each day. Living in Sydney there will be always pros and cons for commuting. Otherwise I suggest looking at the suburbs of Mount Kuring-gai or Hornsby Heights - both nice for a family and maybe still in your price range.

I agree. A lot of ex-pats do seem to be unhappy here - from what I have read on other forums at least. Shockingly a lot of people seem to watch Neighbours or Home & Away in the UK and think they will move to Oz based on that misguided view alone; without any real knowledge of the place. Years ago on another forum (no joke), someone was complaining that Rooty Hill was nothing like Home & Away!!!!! Given that Home & Away is filmed at gorgeous Palm Beach, and Rooty Hill is pretty much considered the arse end of the universe by many people - I am not surprised that they were unhappy. But it does show a startling lack of proper research before moving here for some people. I do notice that a lot of people change when they have children (suddenly find themselves without family backup and support) and become very homesick for the UK. I backpacked for a year here and then a few years later come here on holiday for six weeks and with those two visits I knew I wanted to live here. I have now been here for twenty happy years with no regrets. I have never felt sad or missed the UK at all. But that is just me. Everyone is different with different needs.

Working in West Pennant Hills will be pretty much a nightmare for driving there and back home in rush hour traffic. Especially to and from the Eastern suburbs – you would probably have to leave home at 4.30am to arrive at work on time! Pennant Hills Road is infamous for being a "carpark" much of the time. Recently voted the worst road in NSW (for about the fourth year running) by the NRMA. You may be better off living near the beach on the Central Coast, and commuting by train each day to Pennant Hills station, and then getting a bus or walking to West Pennant Hills. Loads of people live on the Central Coast and commute every day either by car or train Houses, rents and food are cheaper there too. Central Coast Places like: Umina Beach McMasters Beach Terrigal Beach Avoca Beach Gosford Woy Woy Erina

Barcoo Street is only 2.4km from Chatswood station; so you could easily walk. You could also take a pushbike on the train and ride. But there is also a bus every 12 - 15 minutes or so. Going back to my comment about Crows Nest being a great place to live. There are several training colleges and a hospital in St Leonards (the next suburb over). Students and staff often are looking for flat share accommodation. Rent can be expensive in Sydney; so sharing makes sense. Plus a great way to meet new people and their set of friends. http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-flatshare-houseshare/st-leonards-sydney/c18294l3004123 https://www.realestate.com.au/share/share+accommodation-crows+nest,+nsw+2065

You have quite a few options for "good busy vibes" close to Roseville : Chatswood, Lane Cove, Crows Nest, North Sydney, Kirribilli or Neutral Bay. My pick would be Crows Nest. There are regular buses to St Leonards train station; but you could easily walk. Takes me ten minutes to walk from St Leonards train station into the heart of Crows Nest. Then St Leonards to Roseville on the train is about ten minutes. Only 20 minutes between work and home in Sydney is pretty impressive. In Crows Nest, you have a good bar, restaurant and cafe scene. Great little shops. You could even (if feeling fit) walk into the city. I use to live in St Leonards and would walk into the city CBD several mornings a week. Otherwise Crows Nest is within walking distance of three train stations and then just ten minutes into the city. You are also quite close to one of the most gorgeous beaches in Sydney via bus: Balmoral Beach.