Sydney and clueless

[SydneyBlue]

Hi all,*

 

First post, but have been using the site for weeks. I'll be moving to Sydney in March after an out-of-the-blue transfer offer within my company. Cannot wait to go despite being HUGELY under prepared. Fortunately my visa is being sorted for me, but I'll have no social network and am pretty clueless on where I should live. My work will be based in north sydney, but i think i'd probably be more suited to some of the more lively areas around the cbd.

 

Keen to here any tips from all, but particularly mid-late twenties who are planning on or who have moved to sydney.

 

Cheers

[pintpot]

Agreed if you're in your twenties and single you ought to be looking at somewhere pretty central, and/or one of the more backpackery areas in the eastern suburbs near beaches (Coogee etc)

 

I hope they're sending you with a decent deal (ie more money) as you'll need an uplift on your UK salary to manage Sydney expenses. Housing budget is the most important thing to get right and everything else can fall in around that. I dunno if you're looking for a flat to yourself (that will start around $400 a week for anything you'd want to live in an area you'd want to live in) or flatshare

 

Good luck! If your work is North Sydney (as in the commercial area of North Sydney) then transport is easy as it's only 2 stops on the train from the CBD, takes 5 minutes, so you can pretty much live anywhere

[SydneyBlue]

Thanks - reassuring advice! My work is close to the sydney north station, so that shouldnt be a problem.

 

I nearly fell off my chair when i heard my new pay deal compared to uk, but my excitement has waned having read up on it a bit more!

 

Defintely looking to flatshare - for £££s but also for the social aspect. Would love the equivalent of an angel/clapham in london or a northern quarter in manchester... So need to do a little more research and would appreciate lots of advice

[Naomi from Manchester]

hello, this website is funny - it compares sydney suburbs to shoes, so you can work out which ones might suit you!

 

http://www.cityhobo.com/day-trips/sydney

 

we're really happy near newtown (i suppose it's sydney's closest thing to camden?) but i would like to be close to the water at some point in the mid future. inner west suburbs are the most equivalent with manchester's northern quarter, i'd say.

[alexswift]

Hi SydneyBlue

 

You are doing the first right thing and using a forum to do your homework.

 

I moved with my company and the addition of 1/3 to my salary has all been eaten by the cost of living also LAFA changes in July so the tax break goes away and I am about 1k in pounds worse off.

 

The cityhobo site is about right but does not say that the north is dull, the east is Pink and the south is a toilet. Don't do the ferries for getting home, it's all entertaining living the dream for a while but you soon get the arse with one ferry an hour off-peak.

 

Also checkout britishexpats website it's more social than this one when it comes to meetups etc

[spottydog]

Working in North Sydney you can also consider areas on the ferry to Milsons Point or McMahons Point. I work in North Sydney and get the ferry from Balmain East to Milsons Point each day (then its a 15 minute walk or short bus ride if you'r lazy). It takes me less than half an hour door to door and the good thing with ferries is they don't get stuck in traffic james.

 

With regards to salary if you're coming from outside London look for 2.5 times your UK salary, from London the multiple can be slightly lower at 2.3.

 

If you want to be near work then look at Neutral Bay area as it well connected for transport and close to work and the pubs in North Sydney are OK or your get the Neutral bay shopping Centre which is OK for coffee with friends.

[Rupert]

Thanks - reassuring advice! My work is close to the sydney north station, so that shouldnt be a problem.

 

I nearly fell off my chair when i heard my new pay deal compared to uk, but my excitement has waned having read up on it a bit more!

 

Defintely looking to flatshare - for £££s but also for the social aspect. Would love the equivalent of an angel/clapham in london or a northern quarter in manchester... So need to do a little more research and would appreciate lots of advice

 

I think there are loads of places that would suit, the world is your oyster. There is plenty going on north of the bridge, I would be tempted to stick to that side of it for easiest commute. I was in Crows Nest just before Xmas and that looked nice, Kirribilli, Mosman, Manly, Neutral Bay are all places worth looking into.

 

When you fell off your chair at the remuneration package I hope you were not converting at todays exchange rates. The trouble is goods do not cost 1.55 times GBP price here, more like 2.5 times more so for a similar standard of living you need to divide AUD salary by GBP salary and hope it comes out well above 2 and perhaps close to 2.5. Or better, of course.

[alexswift]

Thanks - reassuring advice! My work is close to the sydney north station, so that shouldnt be a problem.

 

I nearly fell off my chair when i heard my new pay deal compared to uk, but my excitement has waned having read up on it a bit more!

 

Defintely looking to flatshare - for £££s but also for the social aspect. Would love the equivalent of an angel/clapham in london or a northern quarter in manchester... So need to do a little more research and would appreciate lots of advice

 

Look I don't want to put you off but I wish someone would have been honest and blunt with me before I arrived. Also wished I'd have flown out for a month trial first.

 

Your company is in north Sydney CBD I take it, you have a train, bus and ferry options during the working week but weekend and late night most services go to one an hour.

 

If your northern quarter or angle or clapham then anything on the north side will send you to sleep. Neutral bay is as good as it gets any further down towards Cremorne or mosman is all established families and is dead post 8pm 7 days a week. You have a few restaurants but most are bland white Australians over priced targeted thai or Chinese soggy noodle joints (think fulham or richmond) on the food front.

 

Going east or inner west you have large parks similar to Clapham common etc but "the beach" gets busy not the parks.

 

Re your wage and living etc expect to spend $700 per week for an entry level two bed anything under that you will be lucky to find in your short time window and it be on a good well connected road. Also not that 700 per week is a little more than 700 because your rent is daily!! So it's 780 x 52 = 40'560 / 26 because they want paying once a fortnight unless you ask them for monthly so anyway my 780 turned into 3'380 a month and not the 3'120 I first thought.

 

Notes for agents:

They never return calls

They never return emails or online forms.

If your at a weekend viewing you will be limited to 15min and will be fighting the crowds all looking at the same time as you.

 

You have to fill our paper forms or download, print and fill out and have copies of your 457 also so you can hand in your application at the viewing telling the agent you want it.

You must hound the agent to put your application to the top of the pile.

Nothing here is regulated (well they have codes but is all BS) and totally geared in the fav of the agent not the owner or the renter.

 

I'd push the company to house you for 12 months because LAFA has gone for none-nationals (casual racism at work by the government)

 

Alex

[MARYROSE02]

I'm not sure if you mean 'North Sydney' or 'northern Sydney' but if you are working close to North Sydney, well, anywhere in the inner city would be good - Newtown, Erko (Erskineville), Glebe, Surry Hills, Darlo, East Sydney, Kings Cross. Then again, nothing wrong with living around Crows Nest or Neutral Bay. Pick somewhere close to public transport, train preferably.

 

Book a couple of months furnished accomodation around the CBD whilst you are getting on your feet. I've got an Irish friend and I can't believe how quickly he settled in to inner city life - Surry Hills - has gone from the YHA hostel on a WHV to a 457 sponsored visa (I think), secure job, loads of friends around Surry Hills, made chiefly through joining Hiscoes' Gym and a squash league. He loves living here.

 

I guess it's all a matter of attitude, looking for the positives, not constantly comparing OZ with UK.

 

I

[pintpot]

Your company is in north Sydney CBD I take it, you have a train, bus and ferry options during the working week but weekend and late night most services go to one an hour.

Sorry Alex but that's bollocks. Trains to North Sydney from the CBD are every 10-12 minutes max all the way through to the end of service at about half midnight, and frequent at weekends too. Ferries drop off in frequency quite a lot but trains and buses, ain't the case

 

As for rent costs, my S-i-L pays $500 a week for a small (1 bed with dressing room off, living room, bathroom, small kitchen, balcony) but very nice flat in Neutral Bay. 10 minutes walk up to Military Rd, 5 minutes walk down to ferry wharf, 10 mins walk to North Sydney or Milsons Point train stations. She's paid $400-$550 for the past 2.5 years for similar places, that's pretty much the entry level for a nice flat for a single person I reckon. Yep, 2 bed places are more, if you really need one.

 

There's a bit of life in both Neutral Bay and Crow's Nest, and plenty of *good* restaurants IMO. But I do agree that it's not party central and if the OP wants something a bit more lively/urban then south of the harbour is a better idea. Particularly Surry Hills/Kings Cross type areas, or something in the Inner West

 

I also agree that actually getting the rental you want is a massive pain in the arse

[SydneyBlue]

All the advice has been really helpful. I think it's made me realise that i can easily communte from sydney cbd. Even if it does take a little longer to get to work, im coming out to oz to experience a new lifestyle and id be most suited to livelier centre for my evenings and weekends.

 

Thanks for being blunt Alex. I think you've hit the nail on the head with my peraonality. My company are putting me up for the first month, so i think ill start in darlo, which should be easy commuting distance but will also be central enough to let me explore other areas for a more permanent place. Good advice on rent and agents too - ill need realistic expectations.

 

Like your way of looking at things maryrose, and nice to hear your friend settled in so well. I dont want to keep comparing to the uk, the whole reason im comin out there is to experience new things. Although i msntioned id like areas to northern quarter in manc or clapham in london, i only meant id like a similar young professional vibe which isnt pretentious. Inner city living will probably allow me to immerse myself completely with sydney life and give me the best chance of intergrating with sydneysiders. I'm hoping to find a footy (soccer) team somewhere!

 

Good to hear the other side of the story pintpot. The ferries sound like a really fun way to get to work. I think working in north sydney will give me a chance to go out around there quite a lot, so would be nice to have a seperate work and social life.

 

Really appreciate your help guys - i feel a lot more knowledgable now!

[MARYROSE02]

The local papers start advertising for players for all football codes in the New Year or the soccer NSW website has links too. I drove up Crown St this evening, right into Oxford St, left into Darlinghurst Road on my way to New South Head Road, seemed to be plenty happening all the way from Surry Hills to Kings X. After my swim at Redleaf I drove down to Bondi Beach, stopped at North Bondi for a while, seemed to be plenty going on at Bondi too. I lived at Darlinghurst for a couple of months in a furnished flat at the bottom of Oxford St, wonderful location, walking distance to the city.

[Ken]

Re your wage and living etc expect to spend $700 per week for an entry level two bed anything under that you will be lucky to find in your short time window and it be on a good well connected road. Also not that 700 per week is a little more than 700 because your rent is daily!! So it's 780 x 52 = 40'560 / 26 because they want paying once a fortnight unless you ask them for monthly so anyway my 780 turned into 3'380 a month and not the 3'120 I first thought.

 

 

 

No it's weekly - but it's amazing how many idiots there are who don't know there are 52 weeks in the year and budget for just 48. So point well made.

[SydneyBlue]

No sirprise to find out you are a chartered accountant there ken

 

very true though, it never ceases to amaze me how people the world over can have so little understanding of personal finances, particularly rent which takes up so much of your income.

 

Need to look into the property buying market at some point too.

[alexswift]

No it's weekly - but it's amazing how many idiots there are who don't know there are 52 weeks in the year and budget for just 48. So point well made.

 

I have checked my contract and its daily if I end the contact but payable weekly under normal circumstances. re "amazing how many idiots there are" in the UK most are advertised Per Calendar Month so its a gotcha most from the UK will need to watch for.

 

Anyway I have been out on the push bike today I covered Darlinghurst, Paddington, Woollahra then back over the park to Surrey Hills, Moore Park, Zetland, St Peters, Newtown and back to the City via Ultimo and a lot of water and sun cream down I would say if your like me thinking something lively. easy and frequent CBD access, safe and not ghetto then its Glebe, Surrey Hills, Newtown and Balmain.

 

I still recommend getting a reconnaissance trip arranged and hire a scooter or relocation guide to show you around. Sydney is a big city Grater Sydney at 700 square miles and 4.5 million people. London is smaller at 650 square miles but 8 million people! Crammed hey!

 

Turn up try it just make sure you have repatriation clause in your contract and your happy with the home work you have done.

[Naomi from Manchester]

oh god, i was 'one of those idiots!' heh! only realised my mistake at the moment of signing the lease.

[Ken]

I have checked my contract and its daily if I end the contact but payable weekly under normal circumstances.

 

That's a good deal. A lot of contracts still insist on you paying for the full week for any part week at the end of the contract (and in the UK it can be for a full month for any part month).

[Guest km75]

Personally I'd recommend Manly. You can get the E50 bus into North Sydney in under 30 mins, and the ferry takes you into the CBD. Try www.131500.com.au for transport times / info. Good luck with the move. North Sydney is also a great place to work. Also, http://www.domain.com.au or http://www.realestate.com.au will give you an idea of rental prices.