Sydney Suburb advice - Chatswood Killara Epping Macquarie Fields West Ryde Oxford Falls Mosman

[themyers]

Hi. We are moving from the UK in October; I am looking for an area to rent where there is a good community feel, cafes and shops, within a 30 - 40 min commute of central Sydney. Budget is reasonable ($1k week).

 

We also need to be near a co-ed school for my son to attend yr 11 & 12. The schools we are looking (private and state) at are in these areas:

Chatswood

Killara

Epping

Macquarie Fields

West Ryde

Oxford Falls

Mosman

Parramatta

 

Does anyone have any thoughts/recommendations?

 

Many thanks!

[TheLoadedDog]

Chatswood: Slightly upmarket. Big middle class Chinese population. Lots of high rise apartments and also older freestanding homes. Busy shopping centre.

Killara: Leafy. Old money.

Epping: Again, big middle class Chinese population, but without so much high rise. Leafy.

Macquarie Fields: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. Drugs, bored teenagers, and everybody has tattoos but nobody has teeth. Also, it's only slightly closer to town than London.

West Ryde: Similar to Epping.

Oxford Falls: Leafy. Quiet. Freestanding homes.

Mosman: Harbour views, daaaahlink. Take your credit card with you.

Parramatta: Former working class place now getting a bit of a vibe of its own. It's going places. Big shopping centre (it's essentially a satellite city).

 

No idea about the schools though, sorry. The private ones on the North Shore will be pricey.

 

 

Edited to fix typo

[MARYROSE02]

Yes, I wondered how 'Macquarie Fields' slipped into that list, as much for its geographic location, as its demographics, and I wondered if you were confusing it with 'Macquarie Park', which fits much more comfortably into your list, being close to North Ryde?

 

I'm not sure which of those suburbs I would prefer to live, though Mosman is much the most desirable, in terms of real estate, though it has no railway station, and the main roads can be busy. Perhaps I would go for Chatswood, as it's a commercial and transport hub, though any of the suburbs on North Shore railway line would be suitable. Oxford Falls is a little out of the way, too, on the way to Narrabeen via the Wakehurst Parkway, not one of my favourite roads.

[boganbear]

If you thunk $1000 a week is reasonable I'd hate to think what you consider to be pricey.

[Pumpkin]

If you thunk $1000 a week is reasonable I'd hate to think what you consider to be pricey.

 

I think it is reasonable. If OP wants a house in a nice suburb 30-40 minutes commute time to CBD, then there won't be a lot of change out of that. I would even say it won't be enough in at least one of the suburbs mentioned, not unless the house is falling down and has an avocado coloured bathroom anyway.

[TheLoadedDog]

You say "avocado coloured bathroom" like it's a BAD thing.

[MARYROSE02]

4 Kareela Road, Chatswood3 beds, 2 baths, 1 parking

 

 

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$1,000[h=5]Spacious yet Low Maintenance[/h]This full brick single level home is beautifully presented & roomy, yet so easy to maintain. Set on a 562.8sqm level block of land in a ...

 

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Richardson & Wrench Chatswood

 

 

 

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[h=3]Chatswood[/h]3 beds, 2 baths, 2 parking

 

[TheLoadedDog]

Seriously, if you want cafes and a street vibe, consider investigating the Inner West. Anywhere along the railway from the city to about Strathfield should fit the bill regarding good coffee and interesting people.

[MARYROSE02]

In my brief search for properties for rent in Chatswood, the absolute cheapest seemed to be $450 per week.

[boganbear]

I think it is reasonable. If OP wants a house in a nice suburb 30-40 minutes commute time to CBD, then there won't be a lot of change out of that. I would even say it won't be enough in at least one of the suburbs mentioned, not unless the house is falling down and has an avocado coloured bathroom anyway.

 

Thank god I moved to Brisbane. Better weather and my mortgage is a third of that for the same thing

[MARYROSE02]

Seriously, if you want cafes and a street vibe, consider investigating the Inner West. Anywhere along the railway from the city to about Strathfield should fit the bill regarding good coffee and interesting people.

 

I don't know what the commute would be like from there to their favoured suburbs for schooling? Strathfield would be OK for Epping, but if they want to live close to whichever school they choose, then it would have to be one of the suburbs they mentioned.

[MARYROSE02]

Thank god I moved to Brisbane. Better weather and my mortgage is a third of that for the same thing

 

At the moment I would like some of that QLD weather, but Brisbane might not offer what they want?

[vickyplum]

This sounds like a good way to quantify a search area, but am slightly concerned about what you mean by "interesting" people... Yes I'm suspicious, I live in London!

 

 

Seriously, if you want cafes and a street vibe, consider investigating the Inner West. Anywhere along the railway from the city to about Strathfield should fit the bill regarding good coffee and interesting people.

[Pumpkin]

Thank god I moved to Brisbane. Better weather and my mortgage is a third of that for the same thing

 

Indeed, there is a world of difference. I wish we had had the choice but didn't because of work opportunities, so Sydney it was.

[rmconley]

Have you thought about living in the Hills Shire. Great schools, nice neighbourhoods, within your budget. If you are interested, we have a 3br home in Kellyville for rent from 6 October to 1 November while we go on holiday. The rental is $100/day - we will be gone for 26 days. Please email me on bobc29@gmail.com or skype me on rmconley to discuss.

[MichaelP]

Chatswood itself has little sense of community (or decent cafes). It's just a Westfield centre and a load of offices. Surrounding suburbs like Artarmon are better - or Lane Cove perhaps. Chatswood has a large Chinese population, mostly from Hong kong rather than mainland China, and many prefer to live in the new Meriton-style high rises that have sprung up in recent years. Plenty of Asian restaurants and shops, but Chatswood doesn't have the feel of places like the inner west. The better schools are further out in places like Pymble, Turramurra, but there are some good Catholic schools (St Pius?) in the area.