Best place to live when looking for work in Sydney

[dave1814]

Hi guys,

 

Just after some ideas really...

 

Myself and my girlfriend (both mid-20's) are looking to move out to Sydney on 1 year working visa's around March next year. I would like to know where people would suggest living for a couple of months whilst we look for work, go for interviews, meet new people etc. I am an IT professional so im not sure if there are any 'better' areas to be in for my line of work?

 

I presume a flat in the city centre would be best? or not?

 

Looking at maybe a flat share, budgeting about $1000 per month for rent between us?

 

Any ideas/suggestions very welcome!

 

thanks,

Dave

[Burnett]

Hi Dave

 

People will respond to your post fairly soon, so in the meantime, I'll just note a few details you could provide them in order they can best advise you, eh ?

 

* What sort of work will you and your partner be seeking, first off ?

 

* The sort of employment you'll be seeking will very probably dictate where you'll need to live

 

* The area in which you live will more or less dictate the sort of rents you'll be paying

 

 

Sydney has 4.something million inhabitants and growing every day

 

People come to Sydney from all over Australia, looking for work and a bit more 'life' in their life

 

People come to Sydney from all over the world, too, on daily basis

 

 

So it's crowded, because the State government can't keep infracstructure up to the level of growth

 

Public transport is very crowded in peak hours which usually means working-hours

 

Private transport is not cheap. And you'll need to have somewhere to park or you'll be paying a substantial amount of your income on daily parking fees

 

Rents are not cheap, naturally, because of all the people arriving in Sydney and needing somewhere to live

 

Rents are cheaper in Sydney's south-west and outer-west. These happen to be the regions most plagued by crimes of all types

 

Sydney's residential sprawl is heading west, north and south. Not east of course, because that's where the sea meets the land.

 

Many of the northern suburbs, whilst attractive, lack decent public transport. That's why they're still attractive

 

Eastern suburbs rentals are much in demand because of proximity to the CBD. So the rents there are substantial and parking is at a premium (some would say 'impossible')

 

South west comprises a lot of migrant-ghettos. They're a bit of a no-go area in some people's estimation. Suffice to say that of the three separate shooting incidents a day or so ago, all were located (from memory) in the south-west

 

Outer-west is the ' wild west ' in the opinion of many. Naturally, there are pockets of tranquil suburbia, just as there are drag-racing on the streets by violent gangs in other pockets. So pick your pocket carefully The outer-west at the same time contains many dormitory suburbs filled with McMansions. They're far more comfortable than a two-room, cockroach-infested dump near the CBD or in the trendy eastern suburbs, for sure. I wouldn't live in the outer-west myself because if I had to live there, I figure I may as well move to Ipswich or Toowoomba or Kingaroy or some other bush town that I'd rather die than live in. However, it should be said that Sydney's outer west often has better transport internally AND has faster access to the CBD, due to the fact it's serviced by express trains that don't stop off at every dirty little suburban railway station along the way

 

The outer-west is better serviced by shopping centres, sporting complexes and usually has far better roads. Ok, think I've been honest and fair about the outer west

 

We live in Sydney's 'inner west'. It's proclaimed as being 'cosmopolitan'. Lol. Yeah, they like to refer to it as cosmopolitan, has a nice ring to it (they forget to add the choking stink of methane that hangs over Leichhardt's Norton street - the stink of poo as you sip your latte. Can't get much more cosmopolitan than that ! )

 

The inner west is also one of the most expensive areas in Sydney for some unexplained reason. Groceries here are more highly priced than the CBD, apparently and rents aren't cheap. It's only 7 or 8 km from the CBD. We chose it because it meant our children wouldn't have to swap from foot to bus to train to bus to foot -- just to get to work each day

 

I thought I was SO smart, choosing this location. Well, we were living on the Gold Coast at the time and had a lot of stupid ideas about how Sydney would be. I was half-smart, at best

 

True, we only need to catch one bus to get from the inner west to the CBD. What we didn't realise is that in peak hour, it takes as long to go those few 7 or 8 kilometres as it takes others to get to the Central Coast (north of Sydney) or the Blue Mountains (west) sometimes

 

As a couple, your rent would be far cheaper, because you'll only need one bedroom or a studio apartment. If I were you (and of course I'm not) I'd allocate at least double your current projection for rents - and get a little bolt-hole in the CBD. That way, you wouldn't need a car, therefore wouldn't be paying between $150 to $250 per week in vehicle costs (as reported last week on the tv, depending on what you drive). You wouldn't need to pay parking fees either, so that would save you another bundle. You wouldn't need to pay public transport costs (if you choose not to have a car) just to get to work.

 

By living in the city, you'd have more of your life to yourselves, because you wouldn't be stuck hours each day, travelling to and from work. Can't put a price on Time, can you ?

 

And by living in the city, you'd be close to most of the things you will want to see and do, such as the sights, the harbour, the beaches, the arty stuff, the clubs and nightlife, etc. And you'll be able to walk home from work, from clubs, from whatever. No drink driving worries. No being mugged or attacked on train stations, etc.

 

Okey doke. Hope that helps a bit

 

In the meantime, until others come along with advice, you might like to browse Domain.com.au or Realestate.com.au to get an idea of the types of rental accomodation in various suburbs. And the Google street view thingy would be a great way for you to get a feel of the suburbs

 

good luck

[Guest lollypop]

Well all i can say is that i have spent a lot of time in sydney and using public transport. My son has been living in sydney CBD for 11 years and loved it. he now lives in Bronte which is lovely and very easy to get into the CBD. He will often use public transport instead of taking his car. We have also walked many a time. I love Sydney and have never experienced anything bad. If you move to Sydney i am sure you will love it, I find it so easy to get around and have never felt it was overcrowded like so many city's in the uk which I avoid like the plague i am very much a country girl, but Sydney is the one city I could happily live in. Good luck to you both.

[cdb]

City centre is dead at weekends, You don't want to live there, Manly is the place to be although its quite expensive.

 

Nightlife is good and apparently there will be hovercraft running from Manly to the CBD every 5 minutes from November and the commute will be 9 minutes down from the current 17 minutes on the jetcat or 30 mins on the old ferry.

[dave1814]

Wow - thanks for that Burnett, such a detailed response! :smile:

 

To answer the questions...

 

I will be looking for contract IT jobs, my partner is not yet sure what she wants to do.

 

I think you have summed up what we were thinking in your last few paragraphs, and echoed our thoughts.

 

So, say double our rent for a month $1500-$2000 between us, where in the city would people suggest? As I mentioned, a flat/house share would be fine, and maybe even better as we would get to know someone straight away! But we would consider all options. We would probably get a short term lease (say 1 or 2 months) and then we should have more of an idea where we would want to live depending on jobs etc.

 

-----------

 

Thanks lollypop, i think the CBD looks like the best bet, at least in the short term anyway! I dont think we want the hassle and expense of a car straight away!

 

 

thanks,

Dave

[dave1814]

City centre is dead at weekends, You don't want to live there, Manly is the place to be although its quite expensive.

 

Nightlife is good and apparently there will be hovercraft running from Manly to the CBD every 5 minutes from November and the commute will be 9 minutes down from the current 17 minutes on the jetcat or 30 mins on the old ferry.

 

Well, thats another option we were thinking off, we have spent about 2 weeks in Manly and enjoyed it, although im not sure how tedious the ferry trip would become everyday Vs. going for a trip to manly at the weekends?

 

Hovercraft? now that would be very handy!

 

Thanks,

Dave

[cdb]

My theory has always been that the ferry has got to be better than the m25 Its not that bad really, Honestly though after staying in the CBD for my first week I couldn't live there.

[dave1814]

My theory has always been that the ferry has got to be better than the m25 Its not that bad really, Honestly though after staying in the CBD for my first week I couldn't live there.

 

well, yeh, thats another thing i was going to say, it would be much nicer than the commute which i currently have! Infact, when I was on said ferry, i did think to myself - "you know, I could quite easily get used to this every morning going to work!"

[ZeroBantam]

If you are willing to share you should check out the websites below:

Flatmates.com.au - Search for share accommodation, roommates and your perfect share house

Flatmate Finders - Share Accommodation, House & Apartment Share, Housemates

[spottydog]

I'd also add gumtree to ZeroBatams list. For a flatshare you should be able to find a double room somewhere for around $250 - $300 a week.

 

As for where to live as a backpacker I'd probably look at Manly, Bondi, Coodgee, Glebe, Pyrmont, Rozelle or Balmain.

 

You may find it difficult to get jobs in your field of expertise as backpackers are only allowed to work for one company for a max of 6 months and this can put a lot of employers off (plus to start with you won't have any Aussie work experience which also seems to feature highly on the must have's here).