Still searching for a suburb....

[fjm]

Can anyone recommend a nice suburb to live within reasonable commuting distance (1hr max) from Sydney Olympic Park?

We’ve briefly looked at Beaumont Hills / Pennant Hill’s area - are these nice suburbs?  Children are 11 and 13 - main interests are sports and creative arts...

We’d like to live somewhere with good schools (secondary).  Not necessarily on the coast but under 1hr away would be nice.

 

[Captain Roberto]

anywhere in the inner west? Marrackville? 

[Marisawright]

I would be looking much closer to Olympic Park.  The Western suburbs get a bad name as bogan (chav) land, but some of the middle ring suburbs are nice.  Concord and Five Dock are worth looking at.   Lidcombe used to be run down but is coming up in the world.  There's a prestigious girls' school in Croydon.

I'd suggest looking for an Airbnb in Newington or Wentworth Point for your first month.  Both are large developments so there should be plenty available, either a flat or a townhouse.  If you choose a flat, the kids will be happy as the block will have a swimming pool, and there are plenty of cycling trails in the surrounding parks.   You'll be minutes from your work so you'll have more time to get yourself organised, house-hunt etc.

[fjm]

We’d rather not live that central and a flat is out of the question as we have a dog.  I’m beginning to think that finding somewhere suitable to live that is within a reasonable commute is unlikely.  

[Marisawright]

18 minutes ago, fjm said:

We’d rather not live that central and a flat is out of the question as we have a dog.  I’m beginning to think that finding somewhere suitable to live that is within a reasonable commute is unlikely.  

I wouldn't suggest a flat for the long term, but you will need to book an AirBnB for about a month when you first arrive, and being close to your work would be a good idea.   Many AirBnB flats accept dogs.

What do you think you'll get further out, that you won't get if you're central?  That would help me suggest what suburbs would offer what you're looking for.   

If you're looking for green and leafy/village atmosphere then I'd suggest looking South - Oatley is my favourite but if the budget forces you further out, look at Gymea or Kirrawee.   You'd have to drive to work but once you know how to get across town, it's not a big deal and it's not on the main commuting routes so it's not as busy.

Edited February 19, 2019 by Marisawright

[Captain Roberto]

also - regarding dogs. From our experience, being 'further out' doesn't necessarily equate to being dog friendly. In my experience the opposite is true.

 

Some places are just more dog friendly as they have plenty of places to take dogs and they are more tolerant of dogs. We did initially live in the upper north shore, which is a kinda 'upmarket'-but-tedious part of Sydney, and they really hated dogs there. There was hardly anywhere to take ours. there might be loads of national parks etc, but you can't take the dog there! so, what's really needed is a place with 'user friendly' infrastructure.

 

I know people who live in more 'urban' areas who say there are loads of good places to take dogs. It's pretty hard to discern what's what from asking people on the internet and googling unfortunately. You only really know what suits you when you try and find out for yourself.

 

I'd focus on finding a nice place to live once you get over here. We ended up on the northern beaches, which is very dog friendly and pretty nice all 'round, but it's a bit of a trek to SOP from there.

[fjm]

13 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

I wouldn't suggest a flat for the long term, but you will need to book an AirBnB for about a month when you first arrive, and being close to your work would be a good idea.   Many AirBnB flats accept dogs.

What do you think you'll get further out, that you won't get if you're central?  That would help me suggest what suburbs would offer what you're looking for.   

If you're looking for green and leafy/village atmosphere then I'd suggest looking South - Oatley is my favourite but if the budget forces you further out, look at Gymea or Kirrawee.   You'd have to drive to work but once you know how to get across town, it's not a big deal and it's not on the main commuting routes so it's not as busy.

Thanks. Yes, exactly that - green, leafy village community atmosphere.  But close enough to pop to the beach for an early morning/evening stroll or into the city for some shopping... But not so far out that we’d have to deal with snakes in the back yard...  And no more than an hours commute to SOP...  

I know, I’m probably asking for the moon on a stick! 

 

[fjm]

6 minutes ago, Captain Roberto said:

also - regarding dogs. From our experience, being 'further out' doesn't necessarily equate to being dog friendly. In my experience the opposite is true.

 

Some places are just more dog friendly as they have plenty of places to take dogs and they are more tolerant of dogs. We did initially live in the upper north shore, which is a kinda 'upmarket'-but-tedious part of Sydney, and they really hated dogs there. There was hardly anywhere to take ours. there might be loads of national parks etc, but you can't take the dog there! so, what's really needed is a place with 'user friendly' infrastructure.

 

I know people who live in more 'urban' areas who say there are loads of good places to take dogs. It's pretty hard to discern what's what from asking people on the internet and googling unfortunately. You only really know what suits you when you try and find out for yourself.

 

I'd focus on finding a nice place to live once you get over here. We ended up on the northern beaches, which is very dog friendly and pretty nice all 'round, but it's a bit of a trek to SOP from there.

Thanks. You’re right - very hard to gather information remotely.  But it’s scary just winging it and hoping for the best lol!  We’ve lived in Australia before, but only ever visited Sydney a couple of times. So our knowledge is very limited.

[Marisawright]

3 minutes ago, fjm said:

Thanks. Yes, exactly that - green, leafy village community atmosphere.  But close enough to pop to the beach for an early morning/evening stroll or into the city for some shopping... But not so far out that we’d have to deal with snakes in the back yard...  And no more than an hours commute to SOP...  

I know, I’m probably asking for the moon on a stick! 

 

OK, then I'd definitely go south, not west.  You're not going to get to the beach before or after work from Pennant Hills, it's a 45 minute drive!    Whereas from Oatley or Gymea, you could be at a beach in 20 minutes. 

As Capn Roberto says, you could also go North - but the commute from the Northern Beaches to SOP is a real headache, so I wouldn't go much further than the other end of Concord Bridge.

In practice, you will never go into the CBD for shopping.  Everyone shops at the vast Westfield shopping malls which are scattered across Sydney.   For instance if you live in Oatley or Gymea, you'll go to Miranda or Hurstville.   

 

[fjm]

2 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

OK, then I'd definitely go south, not west.  You're not going to get to the beach before or after work from Pennant Hills, it's a 45 minute drive!    Whereas from Oatley or Gymea, you could be at a beach in 20 minutes. 

As Capn Roberto says, you could also go North - but the commute from the Northern Beaches to SOP is a real headache, so I wouldn't go much further than the other end of Concord Bridge.

In practice, you will never go into the CBD for shopping.  Everyone shops at the vast Westfield shopping malls which are scattered across Sydney.   For instance if you live in Oatley or Gymea, you'll go to Miranda or Hurstville.   

 

Thanks. Will look at those areas too. We previously lived in The Hunter Valley and spent some time on the Central Coast.  So I guess that’s why we were naturally drawn to the northern suburbs - we’ve never even visited anywhere south of the CBD lol!  All our friends live to the north in Central Coast and Newcastle/Hunter Valley.

[Captain Roberto]

I have friends in Petersham, summer hill - and Lewis Hamilton and marrackville are nearby. 

It’s inner west - but further out. A sweeter spot between the more in demand places and spots like Ashfield which are maybe a litre less suitable. 

 

Maybe look intp those? My mate has a dog and says it’s good for dog walks. 

 

 

[fjm]

So when I look on google maps, the commuting time from Oatley is broadly similar to that of Beaumont Hills with Pennant Hills being shorter...??

And commuting by train just isn’t viable from the southern suburbs??

Edited February 19, 2019 by fjm

[Marisawright]

8 hours ago, fjm said:

So when I look on google maps, the commuting time from Oatley is broadly similar to that of Beaumont Hills with Pennant Hills being shorter...??

And commuting by train just isn’t viable from the southern suburbs??

Are you setting the "arrive by" and "depart at" times so you see the commute time at peak hour?  

I haven't checked so I'm not sure how they compare - but the fact remains that Pennant Hills and Beaumont Hills are far inland, no sea breezes, 45 minutes to the beach.   Oatley is 20 minutes to the beach by car, and there's even a train straight to Cronulla which is a great beachside suburb with lots of restaurants and cafes. 

 

[Captain Roberto]

If you do look at the summer hill / inner west area, do a search for the ‘bay run’. It’s basically by the harbour and there’s lots of water about. It’s not the beach but it’s open spaces and there’s lots of parkland. Good coffee and cafes  lots of benefits  

 

https://www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/explore/parks-sport-and-recreation/walking-and-cycling/walking-and-cycling-routes

 

I’m not suggesting this is ‘the’ solution but I know a lot of people who live out that way. They run, cycle and it’s in between SOP and the CBD. 

 

Beach wise you could probably get to the eastern beaches or down to Cronulla from there. It’s always hard to tick every box really. So pick what important to you. Our mix has its pros and cons but overall for the whole family I feel like we are in the right location. I’m the only one in the family who has a long ish commute to work but I can handle it. Kids are happy. Gotta look at the big picture!

Edited February 20, 2019 by Captain Roberto

[Marisawright]

4 hours ago, Captain Roberto said:

If you do look at the summer hill / inner west area, ....

An interesting thing about Sydney is that there are a lot of misconceptions about some suburbs.  People who live on the North shore think the West and South are anathema, people who live out West think the North is insufferably snooty, and people who live in the East think most of the rest of Sydney is wilderness!

When I first lived in Sydney, I was appalled at the idea of living west of Glebe or south of Maroubra.  

Then I discovered the Inner West and realised how nice Summer Hill was, for instance. 

Then I went to live in Five Dock and loved it. I especially like Concord with its high street lined with restaurants and cafes.  We also lived in Ashbury for a while, a tranquil little suburb hidden between Ashfield and Canterbury with a lovely primary school.  All of those suburbs are further west than most people's imaginary boundary, and they're great!   However, I have to say I wouldn't go much further west than that, unless forced to by budget.

Same with going South.  That was no-man's-land as far as I was concerned, and I strongly resisted moving there - until we went to look at a townhouse in Oatley, and discovered the huge "village green" with its clocktower, the friendly atmosphere, and the proximity to the beach, all 40 minutes on the train from the CBD and ten minutes from all the shopping and facilities in Hurstville.  If I had to move back to Sydney, that's where I'd go.\

However if that was too expensive, I'd seriously look further along that train line to Gymea which has one of my favourite cafés in Sydney.

Edited February 20, 2019 by Marisawright

[Marisawright]

16 hours ago, fjm said:

So when I look on google maps, the commuting time from Oatley is broadly similar to that of Beaumont Hills with Pennant Hills being shorter...??

And commuting by train just isn’t viable from the southern suburbs??

Commuting to the city from the Southern Suburbs is easy, but to get to SOP, you'd have to take the train into the CBD and then out again.  

[sualg]

My wife commutes from Narrabeen on the Northern Beaches to SOP. Most days it takes around 55mins each way. So its just within your 1hr timeframe. You get beaches, cafes, lifestyle but all this comes at a price of fairly expensive rental costs vs the west of Sydney. 

I've been on the northern beaches for over 1.5 years now, its schools are outstanding.