maidensarah Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 Hi, I’m just wondering if anyone can tell me the names of some nice suburbs around an hour commute from Sydney CBD so I can research house prices to see if we can afford to live there? Just looking for usual things people ask for with the main thing being nice schools and commutable to Sydney CBD. NSW could state sponsor my husband’s occupation and his job prospects would be better in Sydney which is why we’re looking at this area, just not sure if we could afford to live within a reasonable commute. He currently works in London and we live 50 mins away by train. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 The best way to work that out is to use Google maps. Pick a suburb, change the day and time to rush hour, and see how long it takes. Most Sydneysiders live in the outer West because it's the cheapest option, but bear in mind that the further you live from the coast, the hotter and more humid it gets. Also, a lot of Sydney's suburbs are dormitory suburbs, with no pubs or cafes and hardly any shops, so choose carefully. One of my favourite Sydney suburbs is Oatley, which is around 45 minutes by train from the CBD. You could also look at any of the suburbs along that train line towards Cronulla. You could also look at Lewisham or Canterbury, both of which are coming up in the world. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maidensarah Posted February 16, 2018 Author Share Posted February 16, 2018 3 hours ago, Marisawright said: The best way to work that out is to use Google maps. Pick a suburb, change the day and time to rush hour, and see how long it takes. Most Sydneysiders live in the outer West because it's the cheapest option, but bear in mind that the further you live from the coast, the hotter and more humid it gets. Also, a lot of Sydney's suburbs are dormitory suburbs, with no pubs or cafes and hardly any shops, so choose carefully. One of my favourite Sydney suburbs is Oatley, which is around 45 minutes by train from the CBD. You could also look at any of the suburbs along that train line towards Cronulla. You could also look at Lewisham or Canterbury, both of which are coming up in the world. Super, thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themaccas Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 Sutherlandshire is nice but getting more pricey, we arrived in 2012 and since then the house prices have doubled, even rent is expensive, you will be paying around $750 a week for anything decently liveable(3-4 bed house). We are building a new home out south west Sydney (Oran park) it’s a brand new suburb and my hubby and I commute to the city each day for work. It’s about 1.5hrs door to door for me in busy traffic, at quieter times of the day I can be there in 55 minutes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 Yes, Sutherland Shire is lovely, we used to live there, but it is getting more expensive. We sold our house for almost double what we bought it for nine years previously. I can personally recommend the Engadine area. Really good schools, nice shopping area and other facilities such as a leisure centre, play parks and a skate park, about 50 minutes or so on the train to Sydney CBD, just under an hour to the airport, on the doorstep of the Royal National Park (gorgeous beaches and lots of walking), the NSW south coast (stunning) is in easy reach, and you aren't so far from the coast (about 25-30 minutes drive to the beach). There is a larger shopping area with cinema and restaurants etc in Miranda (15 minutes). 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aconcannon Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 We live on Sydney’s northern beaches. We absolutely love it & wouldn’t live anywhere else in Sydney. It’s such a beautiful area with all the beaches & lakes & coastal walks. What’s on your wish list for the perfect suburb? Sydney is such a big place & prices vary massively it’s difficult to recommend without knowing a bit more...I.e. how close to the beach do you want to be? Do you want to commute by bus, train or car? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maidensarah Posted February 28, 2018 Author Share Posted February 28, 2018 2 hours ago, aconcannon said: We live on Sydney’s northern beaches. We absolutely love it & wouldn’t live anywhere else in Sydney. It’s such a beautiful area with all the beaches & lakes & coastal walks. What’s on your wish list for the perfect suburb? Sydney is such a big place & prices vary massively it’s difficult to recommend without knowing a bit more...I.e. how close to the beach do you want to be? Do you want to commute by bus, train or car? Hubby would probably prefer to commute by train or a bit of both. He currently drives to a train station and parks there and then gets the train into London. 2 tube stops and a 10 min walk. Takes him about 1hr45 min ish each way. So anything under that would be great! It would be nice to be near a beach but the main property would be somewhere that makes it easy to get a train to commute into the CBD and good schools. I’m just not sure we could afford to live in Sydney. Even with what he could earn. Is the Northern Beaches the name of the suburbs or can you advise of the suburb names? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themaccas Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 What is your budget and I can tell you if it’s possible to buy a place. We looked at so many suburbs. You won’t get a free standing house for under $1 million within an hours commute unless it’s a pretty dodgy area. You may get an apartment just under $1 million closer to the city centre though. Even in my new suburb which is an hour on an extremely good day and not in rush hour traffic, homes are going for over $1million. Sydney is one of the most expensive places to live in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maidensarah Posted February 28, 2018 Author Share Posted February 28, 2018 33 minutes ago, themaccas said: What is your budget and I can tell you if it’s possible to buy a place. We looked at so many suburbs. You won’t get a free standing house for under $1 million within an hours commute unless it’s a pretty dodgy area. You may get an apartment just under $1 million closer to the city centre though. Even in my new suburb which is an hour on an extremely good day and not in rush hour traffic, homes are going for over $1million. Sydney is one of the most expensive places to live in the world. Budget is definitely not a million. Our house here is 2 years old, 4 bed detached in nice area and worth around £320k. So around $560k AUD so no where near the Sydney budget! Could prob afford more as husband’s salary in Sydney could likely be around $160k possibly more however I don’t think that would be able to afford us a million pound house. Obviously I could be earning but any job I do has to fit around children’s school hours and holidays so wouldn’t be much in comparison. In Brisbane he could earn around $120k however that is a lot less than he earns here in U.K. but obvs houses more affordable around Brisbane than Sydney within a similar commute. You can see my dilemma! All this assuming he could find a job too but he has a good C.V. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aconcannon Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 The northern beaches is an area of Sydney - your commute to the city would be a very scenic 20 minute ferry ride from Manly wharf, or a bus journey of between 30-60 minutes depending how far up the beaches you live. Practically every suburb is a beach suburb. There’s a fab surf, cafe, good food dining scene here. Endless ocean pools, lagoons & coastal walks. Very safe for children & very family oriented. It’s quite upmarket so you pay a premium but I genuinely wouldn’t live anywhere else! My advice re buying would be to rent here & buy an invest property outside of Sydney. To give you an idea of prices, our pretty basic 2 bedroom apartment (not high spec) in Dee Why on the northern beaches sold in August for just over 1 million! If you want a good sized family home for around the million mark then you’d need to look at Sydney’s western suburbs. They don’t have a good reputation for safety. The suburbs tend be a little lifeless. Traffic is busy, tolls are expensive & the heat in the summer would be unbearable. Check out Manly, Dee Why, Narrabeen, Collaroy, Curl Curl, Freshwater - they’re my favourite suburbs on the northern beaches 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themaccas Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Budget is definitely not a million. Our house here is 2 years old, 4 bed detached in nice area and worth around £320k. So around $560k AUD so no where near the Sydney budget! Could prob afford more as husband’s salary in Sydney could likely be around $160k possibly more however I don’t think that would be able to afford us a million pound house. Obviously I could be earning but any job I do has to fit around children’s school hours and holidays so wouldn’t be much in comparison. In Brisbane he could earn around $120k however that is a lot less than he earns here in U.K. but obvs houses more affordable around Brisbane than Sydney within a similar commute. You can see my dilemma! All this assuming he could find a job too but he has a good C.V. Brisbane is much cheaper but yes salaries and opportunities much less too, northern beaches are beautiful but prices for rent and house purchase are off the charts. We had to make compromises living in Sydney, we moved here 5 years ago and wanted to buy in Sutherland shire (near Cronulla) but prices went crazy so ended up buying some land and have nearly finished building an amazing home which is under an hour to the CBD on a good day and will come in (total cost) at just under $800k. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themaccas Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 The new western Sydney suburbs aren’t that bad by the way it’s a bit painful while new trains and roads are being built but will be great to see things develop, we have shops and leisure centres, medical centres, hospitals, restaurants, cafes and cinemas etc [emoji1] 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 (edited) 5 hours ago, maidensarah said: Budget is definitely not a million. Our house here is 2 years old, 4 bed detached in nice area and worth around £320k. So around $560k AUD so no where near the Sydney budget! Could prob afford more as husband’s salary in Sydney could likely be around $160k possibly more however I don’t think that would be able to afford us a million pound house. Obviously I could be earning but any job I do has to fit around children’s school hours and holidays so wouldn’t be much in comparison. In Brisbane he could earn around $120k however that is a lot less than he earns here in U.K. but obvs houses more affordable around Brisbane than Sydney within a similar commute. You can see my dilemma! All this assuming he could find a job too but he has a good C.V. $560,000 might buy you a one-bedroom apartment within one hour's commute of the CBD. As an example, our two-bedroom townhouse in Oatley is now worth around $900,000. And when I say "townhouse", that means a terraced house on a modern development. If you want a cheaper place, then you'll either have to live in a not-very-nice suburb, or go for a much longer commute, a long way from the beaches. Edited March 1, 2018 by Marisawright 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 15 hours ago, maidensarah said: Is the Northern Beaches the name of the suburbs or can you advise of the suburb names? Thanks The suburbs included in the Northern Beaches area are listed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Beaches Browsing through them on these real estate sites will give you an idea of purchase costs: https://www.domain.com.au/ https://www.realestate.com.au/buy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 We were living in the lower blue mountains (think Emu Plains, Leonay, Lapstone, Glenbrook, Blaxland, Mount Riverview) which are just within an hour by train to the city and a lot of our friends from there were commuting into the CBD. You would certainly find something nice within your price range there, but it does get a bit warmer in summer and colder in winter than the CBD so worth making sure you have good AC or ventilation in a house you rent/buy. Our kids were in Leonay Public School which we found amazing. Also plenty of good secondary school options. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 I saw something the paper the other day extolling the pleasures of Penrith. It was a real estate article so the pleasures were buying a nice apartment. I rather liked Penrith as a result of working there a few years ago and I always thought I could have moved there at a different stage in my life. The advantages of Penrith are that it has the Blue Mountains train to the city - three stops - Blacktown, Parramatta, Strathfield (sometimes maybe a fourth stop at Westmead?) so Penrith to Central - 55 km? - 48 minutes, and Penrith is a proper town not "just" a suburb. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 3 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said: I saw something the paper the other day extolling the pleasures of Penrith. It was a real estate article so the pleasures were buying a nice apartment. I rather liked Penrith as a result of working there a few years ago and I always thought I could have moved there at a different stage in my life. The advantages of Penrith are that it has the Blue Mountains train to the city - three stops - Blacktown, Parramatta, Strathfield (sometimes maybe a fourth stop at Westmead?) so Penrith to Central - 55 km? - 48 minutes, and Penrith is a proper town not "just" a suburb. If they were extolling the pleasures of Penrith, I bet it was written as part of a real estate feature (trying to sell houses) or by the council (trying to attract residents and visitors). I can imagine it would be quite pleasant to work there, as it has a decent shopping centre to have lunch, but I'd hate to live there. If I was going to move as far out as Penrith, I'd rather go the extra mile and head up into the Blue Mountains to get a bit of relief from the humidity and stifling heat in the summer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themaccas Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Agree Penrith would certainly not be on my wish list as an area to settle!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aconcannon Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 13 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said: I saw something the paper the other day extolling the pleasures of Penrith. It was a real estate article so the pleasures were buying a nice apartment. I rather liked Penrith as a result of working there a few years ago and I always thought I could have moved there at a different stage in my life. The advantages of Penrith are that it has the Blue Mountains train to the city - three stops - Blacktown, Parramatta, Strathfield (sometimes maybe a fourth stop at Westmead?) so Penrith to Central - 55 km? - 48 minutes, and Penrith is a proper town not "just" a suburb. I work with a guy who is originally from Penrith, and another guy who lives there now. Both have said it’s a really rough area & not somewhere you’d want to settle unless your severely strapped for cash & can’t afford anywhere else 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 So we lived for 4 years about 15 mins West of Penrith in Leonay and would head there for shopping regularly. Whilst Penrith isn’t the most glam of places I never felt unsafe. It is up and coming and there is a lot of development, transport connections are good. Certain nearby suburbs aren’t so nice such as Cranebrook, Mount Druitt and St Mary’s. But to the South or further West it rapidly gets nicer l. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 On 05/03/2018 at 07:12, aconcannon said: I work with a guy who is originally from Penrith, and another guy who lives there now. Both have said it’s a really rough area & not somewhere you’d want to settle unless your severely strapped for cash & can’t afford anywhere else I guess it is always subjective but Penrith itself I liked and never felt unsafe walking around when I was waiting for the train in the evenings. There are other suburbs in the area which are not so nice. I would be interested to hear if those two guys are referring to Penrith or some of the suburbs nearby? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aconcannon Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 I guess it is always subjective but Penrith itself I liked and never felt unsafe walking around when I was waiting for the train in the evenings. There are other suburbs in the area which are not so nice. I would be interested to hear if those two guys are referring to Penrith or some of the suburbs nearby? Hi Mary. Yes, Penrith itself the guys at my work were referring to, and the surrounding areas. I’ve never been so I can’t comment but they didn’t have anything good to say sadly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 On 08/03/2018 at 11:52, aconcannon said: Hi Mary. Yes, Penrith itself the guys at my work were referring to, and the surrounding areas. I’ve never been so I can’t comment but they didn’t have anything good to say sadly Amongst the Aussies Penrith has a long standing reputation throughout the country, as does anything West of Parramatta to be fair. It’s not Bondi, that’s for sure. It’s CBD is more bogan, less classy and less fashionable than the East. Certain suburbs between Blacktown and Penrith are probably real no go areas at night. We would only take the blue mountains train at night as it avoided all those places. But in the CBD it’s fine and there are some amazing suburbs within 10-20 mins. Head in other directions such as Rouse Hill etc you will also find affordable and decent living, with a new railway line coming soon. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tootsie Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 Hello. Berowra is a nice area. Near a National Park. Nice place to either raise a family, or retire to. House prices going up but still affordable. Takes around 45 minutes to one hour to commute by car. Train about the same. Nearest big shopping and medical hub is Hornsby about 15 minutes away. A friend of mine lives there and loves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted May 19, 2018 Share Posted May 19, 2018 (edited) 4 hours ago, Tootsie said: Hello. Berowra is a nice area. Near a National Park. Nice place to either raise a family, or retire to. House prices going up but still affordable. Takes around 45 minutes to one hour to commute by car. Train about the same. I believe 45 minutes outside peak hour, but I would be checking that commute time on Google Maps, as I had colleagues who lived out that way and it took them much longer. He'd also have to factor in the cost of a parking space in the CBD (if he can get one). On public transport, I think it is about an hour on the faster peak hour trains, but he'd also have to factor in time to get to the station, depending where in Berowra he's living - and I don't know what the parking is like there. Edited May 19, 2018 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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