MARYROSE02 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I'm not "judging" you mehman. I'm judging Willoughby! I lived in Naremburn for a while and while the North Shore has nice aspects about it, I'm just saying that I felt Sydney was beige when I was living there, too. And I'm suggesting that since it sounds like you're stuck in Sydney for a while, it would be worth the experiment of getting out of the North Shore and moving somewhere with more colour and life, like the Inner West, because it might make your remaining stay more bearable - and give you some of that oomph you're looking for. Beige was my favourite colour, then I realized grey was more 'me' - to go with (what is left of) my hair. The Inner West is great, my personal favourite being Leichhardt, the only suburb in Sydney I would seriously consider leaving Surry Hills for. Though I would not turn my nose up at a weekend retreat in Avalon! What is a 'flame' war, anyway? Is that when someone starts a new thread with a deliberately 'inflammable' content, and then sits back to watch people 'self-ignite?!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I don't quite get that comment, Bobj. The OP has moved to Sydney and doesn't like it. I'm sure he's already working on where to go next but as you know, moving countries isn't something you do at the drop of a hat, so it will take time. In the meantime, he needs to vent. It seems it's OK for Brits to vent about what a $^&*(hole their town in England is while they're stuck waiting to get to Oz, but it's not OK to vent about any Australian city. Why is that? No it is fine by me. Far prefer reality posts relating to the present that times past when houses were affordable and there was a life outside of work and consumerism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 ...or inner west or parts of St George and the Shire and....there are little pockets in quite a few places, but you have to know where they are. It always amazes me how different Sydney suburbs are. One of the reasons we're leaving Sydney is the affordability of housing - and frankly, if I can't live in one of the lively suburbs, I'm not interested in living in any of the others - the vibe really is that different. I spent most of my life in Sydney denigrating the Western Suburbs - jokes about 'Westies' and their flanno shirts and ugg boots and AC DC T shirts - then I got a job at Penrith, and started to get to know the place, and changed my opinion. I could live in Penrith. I could sell my unit in Surry Hills and get the same sort of place for half the price. I'm not going to do it, because I'm too well-established here in Surry Hills, and the thought of starting from scratch again to create a social network is too much. I've got to know plenty of people who live there, and have done so all their lives. Moving to Surry Hills or Bondi Beach would be more alien for them than my moving to Penrith. Their lifestyle is not built around the beach and 'cool' inner city suburbs. And to be fair to me, I did not move to Surry Hills because I wanted to be 'cool'. I just hated commuting from Narrabeen to the City, and wanted to live in a place where I could walk to work at Garden Island. In any case, Surry Hills was not so 'cool' in 1987. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 ...or inner west or parts of St George and the Shire and....there are little pockets in quite a few places, but you have to know where they are. It always amazes me how different Sydney suburbs are. One of the reasons we're leaving Sydney is the affordability of housing - and frankly, if I can't live in one of the lively suburbs, I'm not interested in living in any of the others - the vibe really is that different. That would be my take on things as well. Managed it in Perth, main reason I remain in a less than happening metropolitan area overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Have to say, after we lived in Sydney, we were not keen on it. Just over priced for what it is. People say it is like London and has all that London has going for it with better weather. I can only believe that is said by people that have never even visited London. We we enjoyed the first few months, but taking pictures of the opera house gets a bit dull pretty quick. And don't get me started on the "wonderful" Bondi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Have to say, after we lived in Sydney, we were not keen on it. Just over priced for what it is. People say it is like London and has all that London has going for it with better weather. I can only believe that is said by people that have never even visited London. We we enjoyed the first few months, but taking pictures of the opera house gets a bit dull pretty quick. And don't get me started on the "wonderful" Bondi. Bondi used to be good but does anyone other than drunk, sunburnt backpackers and tourists go there these days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 No it is fine by me. Far prefer reality posts relating to the present that times past when houses were affordable and there was a life outside of work and consumerism. But was there ever a time when houses were 'affordable? Aren't you perhaps a little 'guilty' of seeing yesteryear through rose coloured spectacles? I bought my unit in Surry Hills a generation ago, yet I don't recall thinking just how cheap property was, and with a mortgage rate of 17.5 per cent, paying it off was hardly pleasant either. Maybe things are different today, less homes being built perhaps, I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Are you coming over to 'Gotham' for the Sydney v Spurs game? There are plenty of people from all over OZ, including Perth, coming. Check out the Ozspurs Facebook page. You might have to ask to join, or also look at www.ozspurs.com. I'm a bit of a part time fan these days MR. Forgot to record the EPL highlights again this week. I'm more into AFL now and wouldn't spend a small fortune getting over to Sydney for a soccer game. If Spurs put a full team out they SHOULD thrash Sydney. You know football though, it could end up as a nil nil draw.:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I'm not "judging" you mehman. I'm judging Willoughby! I lived in Naremburn for a while and while the North Shore has nice aspects about it, I'm just saying that I felt Sydney was beige when I was living there, too. And I'm suggesting that since it sounds like you're stuck in Sydney for a while, it would be worth the experiment of getting out of the North Shore and moving somewhere with more colour and life, like the Inner West, because it might make your remaining stay more bearable - and give you some of that oomph you're looking for. When I had a look on google maps I'm surprised it's called North Shore. The name conjures up an idea that a North Shore suburb is going to be close to one of the fantastic North Shore beaches between Manly and Palm Beach. To me if you can't walk to the beach in say max 15 minutes it's too far. When I looked where Willoughby was it's not even close to the Shore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I don't quite get that comment, Bobj. The OP has moved to Sydney and doesn't like it. I'm sure he's already working on where to go next but as you know, moving countries isn't something you do at the drop of a hat, so it will take time. In the meantime, he needs to vent. It seems it's OK for Brits to vent about what a $^&*(hole their town in England is while they're stuck waiting to get to Oz, but it's not OK to vent about any Australian city. Why is that? It's fine to vent and just like the threads where people are venting about anything, be prepared for posts from people in defence of whatever is being vented about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 When I had a look on google maps I'm surprised it's called North Shore. The name conjures up an idea that a North Shore suburb is going to be close to one of the fantastic North Shore beaches between Manly and Palm Beach. To me if you can't walk to the beach in say max 15 minutes it's too far. When I looked where Willoughby was it's not even close to the Shore. I think North Shore refers to north of the harbour and the Lane Cove River... and Northern Beaches" is the term used for the suburbs on the coast. At least, that's the way I understood it when I lived in Sydney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 And don't get me started on the "wonderful" Bondi. I think its reputation stems solely from being the closest surf beach to the CBD and therefore the most accessible for tourists and backpackers. Few of them probably know of the 100+ other beaches in Sydney....apart from, perhaps, Manly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Bondi Beach is as much Australian as Bournemouth or Blackpool are British. People actually 'live' there, you know, 'locals', people who were born in Sydney, perhaps in Bondi itself. It has a wonderful beach, hence its popularity, with backpackers, tourists, and locals alike. It doesn't worry me whether backpackers don't know or care about any other Sydney beach, although, I suspect that if they are adventurous enough to travel ten thousand miles to Australia, they might also be interested in exploring the rest of Sydney. I don't like going to Bondi because it is a hassle to find a parking place. It is expensive to park near to the beach, though there are a few places where you can find a two hour free parking spot, not too far from the beach. There is a one-way street behind, the building where the Beach Burrito Co(?) is located, opposite North Bondi SLC, maybe, and I usually look for a space there. On Xmas Day, I parked a kilometre away, but I'm glad I went down there for the first time in my life on Xmas Day. The traffic is also unpleasant, impossible even to find a place to pull over for a few seconds. I've got a friend who lives there. I pull over and text her 'I'll be there in two minutes' and she texts back 'is that really two?' So I miss her and have to go 'round the block', which in Bondi means five or ten minutes of crawling. Backpackers also like Coogee and Manly. I think there is a hostel at Collaroy? Everybody knows that Palm Beach is also 'Summer Bay' (but it's still a great beach!) I prefer Bronte and Clovelly, the latter being free parking everywhere, but there is a beach for everyone, and if you are a local and you live in Bondi, then that is your beach. I would not go anywhere else if I lived there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 [/b] Bondi used to be good but does anyone other than drunk, sunburnt backpackers and tourists go there these days? I always try and make it to Bondi for the day if the weathers good when I'm over there. Me the wife and youngest went on a family trip when the sculptures by the sea was on. We had a couple of hours catching waves but it was a big surf day and the lifesavers had everyone in one corner of the beach so if you wanted to bodysurf a wave it was dangerous as there were too many people in front of you. The beach was packed with surfers though, so I don't think they would all have been either drunk, sunburnt backpackers or tourists, it was too big for beginners. We had a wander to the some of the sculptures but I'm not a very arty person and can take or leave that sort of stuff, it's OK and clever I'm sure and there were hundreds (if not thousands) of people on the path having a great time. The Icebergs club and pool is perfectly situated for out of towners, otherwise you have to be a member to get in the bar. If your not from Sydney though you give them your driving licence and they give you a visitors pass. Luckily not many people seem to know about it as there were loads of people looking for somewhere to eat and drink. I'd told my wife about the icebergs club and she thought we would never get in as it was so busy round there. We got in easily, got a seat on the balcony, overlooking the length of Bondi, the drinks, wine and food are cheap and she knew I wanted to go for a swim. After I'd had a swim for an hour or so I went back up on the balcony and she had found they were doing a bottle of wine and meal deal for $30. We ended up there till about 7:00 and had a great time chatting to a few members over drinks with million dollar views. I can recommend it mehman if your stuck for something to do at the weekend. Go down on the train and bus and you won't have to worry about drinking either. Even if you don't swim it's worth it just for the balcony and decent food and drinks. Don't get mixed up with the expensive restaurant on the top of the building though, it's quite easy to get the wrong door.:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 When I had a look on google maps I'm surprised it's called North Shore. The name conjures up an idea that a North Shore suburb is going to be close to one of the fantastic North Shore beaches between Manly and Palm Beach. To me if you can't walk to the beach in say max 15 minutes it's too far. When I looked where Willoughby was it's not even close to the Shore. You can probably drive down to Balmoral in about 20 minutes, which is what it takes me to get to Bronte or Clovelly. I don't want to live on a beach, preferring to live in the inner city and go to whichever beach takes my fancy on the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I always try and make it to Bondi for the day if the weathers good when I'm over there. Me the wife and youngest went on a family trip when the sculptures by the sea was on. We had a couple of hours catching waves but it was a big surf day and the lifesavers had everyone in one corner of the beach so if you wanted to bodysurf a wave it was dangerous as there were too many people in front of you. The beach was packed with surfers though, so I don't think they would all have been either drunk, sunburnt backpackers or tourists, it was too big for beginners. We had a wander to the some of the sculptures but I'm not a very arty person and can take or leave that sort of stuff, it's OK and clever I'm sure and there were hundreds (if not thousands) of people on the path having a great time. The Icebergs club and pool is perfectly situated for out of towners, otherwise you have to be a member to get in the bar. If your not from Sydney though you give them your driving licence and they give you a visitors pass. Luckily not many people seem to know about it as there were loads of people looking for somewhere to eat and drink. I'd told my wife about the icebergs club and she thought we would never get in as it was so busy round there. We got in easily, got a seat on the balcony, overlooking the length of Bondi, the drinks, wine and food are cheap and she knew I wanted to go for a swim. After I'd had a swim for an hour or so I went back up on the balcony and she had found they were doing a bottle of wine and meal deal for $30. We ended up there till about 7:00 and had a great time chatting to a few members over drinks with million dollar views. I can recommend it mehman if your stuck for something to do at the weekend. Go down on the train and bus and you won't have to worry about drinking either. Even if you don't swim it's worth it just for the balcony and decent food and drinks. Don't get mixed up with the expensive restaurant on the top of the building though, it's quite easy to get the wrong door.:laugh: This is the exact reason I go to Bondi, there aren't many better spots than Icebergs for Lunch and a schooner and I always get an outside table when there. Also bondi is close to CBD if you are short on time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I have visited some amazing beaches in my time as being very lucky and visited some total crap hole beaches. I always try to look at things in a sort of holistic way - taking everything into account. On on doing so, I rate Bondi the worst. Just below my one and only visit to Blackpool in which I stood in some puke on a miserable cold wet windy day in November. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I have visited some amazing beaches in my time as being very lucky and visited some total crap hole beaches. I always try to look at things in a sort of holistic way - taking everything into account. On on doing so, I rate Bondi the worst. Just below my one and only visit to Blackpool in which I stood in some puke on a miserable cold wet windy day in November. I can't stand Bondi anymore but saying it is worse than Blackpool is a bit unfair. Blackpool didn't even have any sand you could walk on the day I saw it. At least you can guarantee you will be able to walk along Bondi lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I just wonder to what degree a commodity like beaches, something that is hardly scarce in the Australian context, having thousands of miles of sand surrounding the continent be a circuit breaker to the desirability of a particular city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I can't stand Bondi anymore but saying it is worse than Blackpool is a bit unfair. Blackpool didn't even have any sand you could walk on the day I saw it. At least you can guarantee you will be able to walk along Bondi lol I expect most go to Blackpool for the whole deal. Not just for the sand and sea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I have visited some amazing beaches in my time as being very lucky and visited some total crap hole beaches. I always try to look at things in a sort of holistic way - taking everything into account. On on doing so, I rate Bondi the worst. Just below my one and only visit to Blackpool in which I stood in some puke on a miserable cold wet windy day in November. I'd like to see your criteria for rating beaches VS. I've been to Blackpool a few times and the sea is freezing, I went windsurfing there once and was sailing in raw sewage, I love the sea and have been in a lot of cold water in the UK. It didn't even look tempting at Blackpool. God knows what the "whole deal" flag is referring to with Blackpool. the beach and Ocean are crap, the rest is the crappy looking fun fair thing, Blackpool tower, fish and chips, kiss me quick hats, used to be stag nights and hen parties and a few fights (does that still happen)? slot machine arcade by the thousand and once a year, Blackpool illuminations, where we used to go when my Mum and Dad took us as kids. We didn't know anything else then and thought it was brilliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I expect most go to Blackpool for the whole deal. Not just for the sand and sea. I'm afraid the whole deal didn't float my boat. But others might like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 How on earth is bondi the worst beach you have been to? What makes it bad? the sand is good, it is clean and the water is nice. That beats most beaches for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I expect most go to Blackpool for the whole deal. Not just for the sand and sea. "The whole deal"? What on earth do you mean? Please enlighten us about what is so attractive about Blackpool? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Bondi in summer, it is so full you struggle to put sun cream on without hitting the person next to you. A major minus it has some of the worst rips of the major beaches in oz and so swimming is iffy to say the least. Surfing is not that great as it is very prone to dump waves. it is often covered in litter during summer - that includes no shortage of puke from drunk tourists. It attracts a bling pretentious group of locals. Its surf rescue have become knobs (maybe due to the TV show) other than sand and sea it has little to offer. In in winter it is bleak with no bleak beauty. Just dull. A great beach should have a stunning look in all seasons. The surrounding areas vary between laughable to scummy. It is over regulated, yet it's over regulation achieves little to nothing. The water is often polluted. The area is prone to sharks the clarity of the water is often poor. It it is prone to stingers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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