Guest jane99 Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Can anyone give me information about the Strathfield area in Sydney. I have just been offered a job there, just waiting for 457 visa. I would appreciate information about the area, renting a home and finding a Senior school for my 12 year old son. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mutikonka Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 We live in Strathfield ... it's about 15 minutes by train from Central and the station is the Clapham Junction of Sydney - it seems all the train lines go through Strathfield - so it's good for public transport - you can get to the city, Blue Mountains and North/Central Coast (Hornsby, Gosford etc) quite easily. As a place to live ... well Strathfield is a mix of big old houses on leafy streets and other streets that consist entirely of units - ie flats. Around the station you could be forgiven for thinking you'd just arrived in Seoul, or maybe Delhi. Strathfield is a big Korean suburb, but there are now increasing numbers of Indian and Nepalese migrants. Oh and a few Australian born people too. So it's got plenty of kimchi and curry. Strathfield has a shopping centre, a pub, loads of good schools (our boys go to St Patricks, a fee paying Catholic school - other schools nearby for boys include Homebush High, Trinity and Macleay College), a university and a motorway. It has a square with a few cafes around it. It's also handy for the big Westfield shopping complex at Burwood, with cinemas etc. It's only a short drive away from the Homebush Olympic Park, with all its sports/concert venues, including the Olympic Pool. Personally I find Strathfield dead boring and too suburban, and I get out to Newtown, Leichardt or the city whenever I can. We only moved here because of the good schools and transport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jane99 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 We live in Strathfield ... it's about 15 minutes by train from Central and the station is the Clapham Junction of Sydney - it seems all the train lines go through Strathfield - so it's good for public transport - you can get to the city, Blue Mountains and North/Central Coast (Hornsby, Gosford etc) quite easily.As a place to live ... well Strathfield is a mix of big old houses on leafy streets and other streets that consist entirely of units - ie flats. Around the station you could be forgiven for thinking you'd just arrived in Seoul, or maybe Delhi. Strathfield is a big Korean suburb, but there are now increasing numbers of Indian and Nepalese migrants. Oh and a few Australian born people too. So it's got plenty of kimchi and curry. Strathfield has a shopping centre, a pub, loads of good schools (our boys go to St Patricks, a fee paying Catholic school - other schools nearby for boys include Homebush High, Trinity and Macleay College), a university and a motorway. It has a square with a few cafes around it. It's also handy for the big Westfield shopping complex at Burwood, with cinemas etc. It's only a short drive away from the Homebush Olympic Park, with all its sports/concert venues, including the Olympic Pool. Personally I find Strathfield dead boring and too suburban, and I get out to Newtown, Leichardt or the city whenever I can. We only moved here because of the good schools and transport. Thanks Michael, Didnt expect pictures too! Would you say that although boring it is a safe place to live? Good schools will be a high priority, I will be sending my son to a public school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mutikonka Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 It's as safe as anywhere can be in Sydney these days. Put it this way, I trust my 11 and 10 year old boys to walk home from school for 20 minutes through Strathfield, and I never worry about walking around at night ... and we've never had a burglary or any other trouble in living here almost 10 years. Yes it's 'boring' but reasonably safe. When I say boring, I'm comparing it to places like Newtown that have loads of cafes, shops and galleries. A lot of people on PIO like the Hills suburbs in the NW of Sydney, which are very family friendly ... but I think you really need a car to get around those places. We prefer the more multicultural and walkable Strathfield. And since Strathfield is such an easy place to get to, you could probably choose to live in any of the areas on the Sydney train lines - eg Ryde, St Leonards ... depends on your budget! I work in Chatswood on the north shore and it's an OK and inexpensive ($35 a week) 40-minute commute on the train. Strathfield is a good place for renting as there are so many 'units' and it's quite affordable (2 bedroom flat for $380). I don't know much about public schools in the area. Homebush High is supposed to be OK and I think there are some good schools in nearby Concord. It's worth considering the Catholic system as you don't have to be Catholic and many of the schools are of a much higher standard for discipline etc than public schools. We pay about $4000 a year for each child, which I think is reasonable for such a good school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jane99 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Thanks so much. I really appreciate the info. At long last I know where I shall be working, but it is SO hard trying to plan the next step from thousands of miles away. I just hope to be able to settle my son as quickly as possible, in the best place possible, on a nurses wage!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treesea Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I had some friends who lived in Strathfield when we lived in Sydney. Definitely great for public transport and very beautiful on a foggy morning. Nearby Burwood would be worth a look too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jane99 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I had some friends who lived in Strathfield when we lived in Sydney. Definitely great for public transport and very beautiful on a foggy morning. Nearby Burwood would be worth a look too. Thanks, yes will look at Burwood and surrounding suburbs. As I will be working in Strathfield the transport isnt too important, however it will be great to catch the train into the city for days out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treesea Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 The suburbs on the other side of Parramatta Road, i.e. North Strathfield, Concord and Canada Bay are worth a look. Going south from Strathfield, Lakemba and Wiley Park have large Lebanese populations. That's a place it would be wise to go dressed conservatively if you fancy a visit. Too many large groups hanging around on the streets for my liking there. If you go on the satellite view on google maps and grab the little man in the top left hand corner, you can cruise the streets and see for yourself what Strathfield and the surrounding areas look like. Most of Sydney's streets have been mapped at street level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jane99 Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 The suburbs on the other side of Parramatta Road, i.e. North Strathfield, Concord and Canada Bay are worth a look. Going south from Strathfield, Lakemba and Wiley Park have large Lebanese populations. That's a place it would be wise to go dressed conservatively if you fancy a visit. Too many large groups hanging around on the streets for my liking there. If you go on the satellite view on google maps and grab the little man in the top left hand corner, you can cruise the streets and see for yourself what Strathfield and the surrounding areas look like. Most of Sydney's streets have been mapped at street level. Thanks. Was wondering what those areas might be like. We will try the little man!! My son has been helping me with Google Earth too, tho the flight simulator makes me sick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mutikonka Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I'd agree with the comments about Concord, Canada Bay etc. Other nearby areas worth considering include places like Rhodes, Meadowbank along the Hornsby rail line. But the suburbs immediately to the west of Strathfield (Lidcombe, Auburn) aren't much to write home about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jane99 Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 Well just thought I would let you all know I am here AND LOVING IT!! We have found an apartment in Canada Bay, a few paces from the shore. My son started at Concord High a few days ago, it seems a lovely school. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. Thanks for your advice it really helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mutikonka Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Canada Bay is a really nice area - some nice walks around the bay and it's worth exploring nearby places like Rozelle for the Sunday market. cheers Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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