Please HELP! Advice on sought after family area within 30 min of city centre +school!

[Guest fourstars]

Hi all

Can anyone PLEASE help with suggestions. It's getting very overwhelming! I am looking for a nice, safe family area to live within about 30 minute commute (public transport) to City Centre (Central station). I also have a 4 year old daughter who will be starting school and trying to link a nice area and nice school within budget is rather tricky! Is $600 or less a week realistic? I would welcome any suggestions and advice! Obviously done quite a bit of research but not having ever been to Sydney it feels a bit like a stab in the dark with what area we end up in.

 

Thanks inadvance

Edited September 20, 2012 by fourstars

[MARYROSE02]

[h=2]Well, I did a search on City Rail for Panania to Central and it comes in around your time requirement, and you will certainly get plenty of properties well under $600, and it's a nice, safe, family-friendly area. Take a look at Revesby and Padstow which are one stop further and one stop closer.

 

Look on http://www.domain.com.au

 

Option 1 : 29 minutes[/h]Map this Journey

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[TD]Take the Airport and East Hills Line train (CityRail)

Dep: 7:42am Panania Station Platform 1

Arr: 8:11am Central Station Platform 20, Sydney

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[h=2]Option 2 : 29 minutes[/h]

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[TD]Take the Airport and East Hills Line train (CityRail)

Dep: 7:57am Panania Station Platform 1

Arr: 8:26am Central Station Platform 20, Sydney

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[h=2]Option 3 : 28 minutes[/h]

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[TD]Take the Airport and East Hills Line train (CityRail)

Dep: 8:13am Panania Station Platform 1

Arr: 8:41am Central Station Platform 20, Sydney

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[northshorepom]

Second that.....somewhere south, look along the westerly parts of the East Hills Line, or over the river in the Sutherland Shire where there are nice places to live for that sort of budget. Anywhere north side of the city will either be too expensive or a painful commute to Central

[MARYROSE02]

But if you are happy to live in a unit (appartment), for exactly $600 per week, you could become my neighbour here in Surry Hills! You public transport costs could reduce to nil if you are working near Central - it takes me about six minutes to walk down there - if the train leaves at 1.44, I leave at 1.35, and usually arrive on the platform with a couple of mins to spare, depending on how long it takes me to buy my ticket.

 

There are schools and nurseries here in Surry Hills but it's a different life-style to living, say in Panania, where you can get a house with a garden which I know is important to parents. On the other hand, in the inner city, you can leave your car at home, do not even need a car to be honest, and walk everywhere. I have not been out in my car since last Sunday but in the suburbs, life can be very difficult without one. There are a number of pleasant parks, especially Prince Alfred, a couple of minutes walk from my home, and with a swimming pool which I am hoping will FINALLY open soon.

 

Today, I was out for nearly six hours with my friend Alex, walking from one cafe to another, taking in supermarkets and ending up in a pub - Norfolk Hotel - in Surry Hills, Waterloo & Redfern. Very pleasant on a warm and sunny spring day.

 

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[TD=colspan: 2]Renovated Two Bedroom Apartment

3/492-500 Elizabeth Street Surry Hills - FOR LEASE $600 weekly

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OPEN TIMES

Sat, 22 September 11:30 AM - 11:45 AM

 

$600 - weekly

Available: NOW

CONTACT

Megan Jarvis

mobile:

phone: 02 9690 1377

email: leasing@spencerservi.com.au

 

Renovated 2 bedroom apartment with parking. Features include freshly painted and new carpet throughout, this two bedroom also features a new kitchen with plenty of storage, main bedroom with built ins, full bath with tub, combined living and dining and balcony. Transport at your doorstep, this property is also close to Prince Alfred Park, Central Station, Surry Hill and Redfern eateries. There is also undercover parking

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[Guest fourstars]

Thank you SO much for all this information. What are your thoughts of further North in Ryde? It's about a 35 minute commute for me. What is the actual area like? The little school looks good for my daughter, and houses more affordable but not sure what kind of reputation it has. Thanks for your honesty and time to post on this thread!

[northshorepom]

Ryde is OK, although it's very variable. The main strip along Victoria Rd is a bit grubby particularly in West Ryde but you don't have to go far off that to find nice streets. Friends live in Denistone and it's really quite a nice area. I don't like Epping, it just feels like you have the downsides of a city/urban area (noise, dirt etc) without the benefits (close to the action). Transport is good if you're near one of the "main corridors" - the Northern rail line going from Epping down towards Rhodes, the Epping-Chatswood line that goes through Macquarie Park and North Ryde, or Victoria Rd which has a million buses on it (although it gets very congested)

 

Once you're on the other side of the M2 (towards Cheltenham) it's very lovely/leafy, but the commute starts getting longer and/or houses are more expensive up here. Certainly worth a look up in Ryde if you can find something in your price range

[MARYROSE02]

I think I'm gonna be sad, I think it's today. DO NOT get a ticket to ****!

 

Only joking, it's probably OK, especially if you have a job up that way. I don't really have any experience of life along Victoria Road, except around Balmain and Rozelle.

[MARYROSE02]

I had a very pleasant lunch in Revesby on Sunday, on my way to my brother's place just down the road in Picnic Point, found a nice little cafe opposite Woolworths. Ordered a ham/cheese/tomato sandwich, large mug of coffee and a cake - think I mentioned it on another thread, was shocked when the bill came to $12, thought I'd been undercharged.

[Guest fourstars]

Thanks. I am in such turmoil about this. We do not know what area we'll be working in yet, all I know is I need to have good links to Sydney Central station. I do not know any area's at all in Sydney, only what I'm looking up on forums and general web searches. It's so daunting. If it was just me coming over it woudln't be a problem but because I have my 2 young girls, one at school age It's really important we get a nice safe family area. Ideally I'd be a 30 minute commute from the centre but I want a 3 bed, small garden nice safe area...for $600 or under. I don't care really if it's North South east or West! Just needs to be a safe area for the family. I've been looking at all area's mentioned already, so thank you very much. ANYTHING else you can recommend would be great. x

[MARYROSE02]

Thanks. I am in such turmoil about this. We do not know what area we'll be working in yet, all I know is I need to have good links to Sydney Central station. I do not know any area's at all in Sydney, only what I'm looking up on forums and general web searches. It's so daunting. If it was just me coming over it woudln't be a problem but because I have my 2 young girls, one at school age It's really important we get a nice safe family area. Ideally I'd be a 30 minute commute from the centre but I want a 3 bed, small garden nice safe area...for $600 or under. I don't care really if it's North South east or West! Just needs to be a safe area for the family. I've been looking at all area's mentioned already, so thank you very much. ANYTHING else you can recommend would be great. x

 

Are you going to based near to Central station but working in another area of Sydney? I thought you were going to be commuting each day to work at Central? If you are going to be working in another part of the city you could possibly/probably live there too. All the train lines converge on Central (and some of the bus routes.)