Places to live recommendations

[scubacam]

My OH, 2 kids and I are emigrating imminently, just waiting for house to exchange and complete!!!

 

To begin with we will be a single income family as I will be settling the kids. My OH is a mechanical project manager so hopefully will find work. And I’m a special needs teacher when I return to work.

 

We will be initially renting a Airbnb in Sydney’s northern beaches as we have spent a lot of time there during our previous visits and really like the vibe, amenities, eateries, shops and accessibility to beaches and Sydney.

 

We are very much aware this is a costly place to live (especially on a single income) and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations of places that have a similar vibe, eateries, schools, amenities, BEACH with good job prospects and a more affordable cost of renting on one salary?

 

We visited Newcastle before, but unfortunately very briefly before we had to fly back to the UK. So only got to see a glimpse. But have heard a number of people talk about it.

 

Any help much appreciated.

[Marisawright]

The beach is what makes it problematic, because as soon as you're close to the beach, house prices and rental prices skyrocket.   Sydney's demographic centre (i.e. where most people live) is actually Parramatta, way out west, for that reason.

As you're coming from London, ordinarily I wouldn't expect Sydney prices to be a problem for you, but cutting down to one income changes the goalposts.  It really depends on your tolerance for commuting.  Again, if you're from London then maybe the Central Coast commute won't seem as daunting to you as it does to the average Australian.  If I needed to drive to work (e.g. because I needed the car for my job) there is no way I would do it.  My boss lived on the Central Coast for seven years and had several accidents and countless near misses - too many huge trucks on the road.   

However there is a train and if you don't mind the train commute then the Central Coast would be a lot more affordable. You have to be careful as there are some dodgy areas and some nice ones - also check the distance from the station.   Check out Homely for some idea:

https://www.homely.com.au/find-places

The Central Coast will obviously be a lot quieter than the Northern Beaches.  

Newcastle really is a nice place, and perhaps you could have a couple of days up there in your first few weeks to check it out, before you commit to a Sydney rental.   It's like most cities, you need to know where the nice areas are - it's possible to drive along the main roads and miss everything!

https://www.domain.com.au/news/seven-things-i-love-about-living-in-newcastle-20160111-gm322g/

The post below is old - 13 years ago - but it still gives you an idea, and Newcastle has improved further since then:

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowTopic-g255325-i1816-k846979-Living_in_Newcastle_with_a_young_family-Newcastle_Greater_Newcastle_New_South_Wales.html

Edited March 8, 2020 by Marisawright

[Csc1980]

The beach is what makes it problematic, because as soon as you're close to the beach, house prices and rental prices skyrocket.   Sydney's demographic centre (i.e. where most people live) is actually Parramatta, way out west, for that reason.
As you're coming from London, ordinarily I wouldn't expect Sydney prices to be a problem for you, but cutting down to one income changes the goalposts.  It really depends on your tolerance for commuting.  Again, if you're from London then maybe the Central Coast commute won't seem as daunting to you as it does to the average Australian.  If I needed to drive to work (e.g. because I needed the car for my job) there is no way I would do it.  My boss lived on the Central Coast for seven years and had several accidents and countless near misses - too many huge trucks on the road.   
However there is a train and if you don't mind the train commute then the Central Coast would be a lot more affordable. You have to be careful as there are some dodgy areas and some nice ones - also check the distance from the station.   Check out Homely for some idea:
https://www.homely.com.au/find-places
The Central Coast will obviously be a lot quieter than the Northern Beaches.  
Newcastle really is a nice place, and perhaps you could have a couple of days up there in your first few weeks to check it out, before you commit to a Sydney rental.   It's like most cities, you need to know where the nice areas are - it's possible to drive along the main roads and miss everything!
https://www.domain.com.au/news/seven-things-i-love-about-living-in-newcastle-20160111-gm322g/
The post below is old - 13 years ago - but it still gives you an idea, and Newcastle has improved further since then:
https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowTopic-g255325-i1816-k846979-Living_in_Newcastle_with_a_young_family-Newcastle_Greater_Newcastle_New_South_Wales.html

Are there much jobs going on in central coast region?

[Marisawright]

9 hours ago, Csc1980 said:

Are there much jobs going on in central coast region?

No.  The Central Coast region is made up of several small towns.   If you want to live close to that area, then Newcastle would be a much better bet.

[Paul1Perth]

My eldest son is living in Newcastle at the moment, his girlfriends family are all from there. He met her when they lived in Whistler, Canada and she wanted to be near her folks.

Hi likes Newcastle, he's got back into surfing and swimming, says they have a very good 50m ocean pool which is free. 

Him and his girlfriend came to Perth a few weeks back, before CV, she had never been before and only heard negative stuff from friends who had never been here themselves. She was amazed and loved it here. My son works FIFO on rigs out of Perth usually. Hopefully get back to normal after the CV scare so it would make more sense for them to live here. He's been lucky enough to get work in Newcastle though. He's a sparkie so working for a local company who do work for minesites, so they are desperate for them to carry on work.

I've visited Newcastle with work a few years back and thought it was OK then. It's improved a lot since then with a lot of investement.

[Kung-Fu Koala]

On 08/03/2020 at 23:52, scubacam said:

 

My OH, 2 kids and I are emigrating imminently, just waiting for house to exchange and complete!!!

 

To begin with we will be a single income family as I will be settling the kids. My OH is a mechanical project manager so hopefully will find work. And I’m a special needs teacher when I return to work.

 

We will be initially renting a Airbnb in Sydney’s northern beaches as we have spent a lot of time there during our previous visits and really like the vibe, amenities, eateries, shops and accessibility to beaches and Sydney.

 

We are very much aware this is a costly place to live (especially on a single income) and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations of places that have a similar vibe, eateries, schools, amenities, BEACH with good job prospects and a more affordable cost of renting on one salary?

 

We visited Newcastle before, but unfortunately very briefly before we had to fly back to the UK. So only got to see a glimpse. But have heard a number of people talk about it.

 

Any help much appreciated.

Hi there, Corona is slowing things up here but there's work, retail and resi no good at the mo, industrial and infrastructure are good areas, what sort of Mechanical does he do in UK (residential or commercial)  I'm a Mech PM from UK so may be able to give some advice ?  

[Tychen]

If you want accessible, affordable AND beach, but are okay to compromise on a harbour / river beach rather than an ocean beach, I would recommend the waterfront suburbs of the Inner West. The harbour / river beaches are smaller but the waters are calm and so are good for younger kids - also boating if you are into it. Check out for example Concord / Cabarita / Breakfast Point, or Abbotsford / Five Dock / Drummoyne. These areas are all great in terms of parks, shops and cafe culture, and have some of the best public (and private) schools in Sydney. The prices aren't cheap in the scheme of things but you are much closer to the centre with its concentration of services and jobs.

[FatCat]

On 08/03/2020 at 23:52, scubacam said:

We are very much aware this is a costly place to live (especially on a single income) and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations of places that have a similar vibe, eateries, schools, amenities, BEACH with good job prospects and a more affordable cost of renting on one salary?

 

Hi

The Northern Beaches is a wonderful area to live, and you would be hard pushed to find a similar vibe anywhere else in Sydney.

That of course is my own personal view, so I am sure many people would disagree But I have lived all over Sydney in the past 20 plus years, and the NB has been my favourite place so far. I currently live in Avalon and absolutely LOVE it.

But yes they are indeed expensive, especially the upper areas (from Narrabeen north up to Palm Beach). More south tends to be cheaper for rentals. I dislike Dee Why, but it is probably the cheapest beach side suburb on the NB and I know several single income families that live there. 

I really like the above suggestion of : Cabarita / Breakfast Point / Abbotsford / Five Dock / Drummoyne. These suburbs are fantastic for a family community feel and close to the city for work. And all fairly close to some gorgeous inner harbour beaches with sand and safe swimming, like Nielsen Park Beach and Athol Beach. Plus you will be a short ferry ride from Manly Beach.

Otherwise an hour or so on the train north and you could live on the Central Coast with loads of different beaches to choose from. Rentals and the cost of living is a lot cheaper, but the downside is the longer commute. Best to get on the fast inner city train that skips most of the in-between stations. 

I have heard Sutherlandshire in the south is a very nice place to live, and there are some nice beach suburbs down there. But I don't have first hand experience of this area.

In Sydney, there are numerous harbour beaches and loads of ocean beaches. About 170 all up, so you are bound to find one in an area that you can afford.

How exciting for you......so many options