Hello! My husband & i are moving to sydney in jan.We are looking for accommodationin the eastern suburbs.?

Question

can anybody suggest which areas to avoid & which are better? somebody suggested parramatta but it seems a bit far. How is auburn or strathfield or ashfield/ Or is redfern a better choice?Please advice as i am really confused.
thanks,
navneet

Answer 1

Hi, if you want good advice on where to live in Sydney you should check out a very useful website called: www.cityhobo.com

I agree about Redfern, do not go there. Although east Redfern is OK.

If you want to live in the western suburbs, try the inner west which is really community minded and safe. It's my favourite part of Sydney. I live in the eastern suburbs which have great beaches, but the inner west is quite multicultural, has great shops, a real sense of community etc. Inner west suburbs include Balmain, Rozelle, Summer Hill, Newtown, Glebe, Annandale.

I wouldn't live in Auburn. Strathfield and Burwood are good options if you want to live west of the city centre. Ashfield can feel a bit glum.

If you are moving to Sydney for work, find out where the work/office will be and try and live fairly close to it. Traffic in Sydney can be terrible in the mornings.

Sydney is very humid in January so when looking for a place to live, try and find something that has a breeze.

Answer 2

If you are a couple without kids, some parts of Redfern would be great, others would not. Areas around Balmain, Glebe, Birchgrove are very central, and desirable. Also Newtown.
By the way, none of the places you mentioned are in the Eastern suburbs. On a map of Sydney, the Eastern suburbs are south of the harbour and east of the CBD; all the places you mentioned are definitely in the western suburbs. Strathfield and Ashfield are quite nice - probably about a 15 minute train trip to the CBD.
Do you know where you will be working?
It would definitely be best to rent somewhere near to your work and then spend a few months checking out the different areas and find a locality where the ambience really appeals.
Good luck.
PS I live on the lower Blue Mountains, way out in the western suburbs in a leafy area where there is no gang problem, a fast train service to the city and no huge traffic problems, also close to lots of facilities and good schools.

Answer 3

I thought you said you wanted Eastern suburbs? Parramatta, Auburn, Strathfield and Ashfield are all western Suburbs.

As a rule
Northern Suburbs: Leafy, Expensive, Nice beaches, no Train Line, Safe
Eastern Suburbs: Expensive, Leafy, Safe, Close to the City, Popular Areas
Southern Suburbs: More for families, middle income, nice suburbs, Train lines
Western Suburbs: Families, it’s where all the bad suburbs are considered to be and usually where all the gang violence is – but it gets blown out of proportion in the media, its cheap and depending on the particular suburbs it can very from safe to dangerous.

What ever you do, DON’T live in Redfern – One of the worst suburbs.


Best sites to look for a place are:

http://www.domain.com.au/
http://www.justlisted.com.au/
http://www.realestate.com.au/

Answer 4

Most of Redfern is fine, there is one small area near the station that gets all the headlines. As has been pointed out yhe suburbs you mention are all western suburbs not the eastern suburbs. Bondi, Randwick, Bouble Bay, Vaucluse, Coogee, Maroubra, Rose Bay, Centennial Park etc are the eastern suburbs. I would look at the inner suburbs too, Balmain, Glebe, Newtown, Erskineville, Redfern, Surry Hills, Paddington, Woolloomooloo etc. You can walk to the city from any of those or get the bus or train.