re-locating to Sydney from Toronto & need help with info. on Darlinghurst,Surry Hills,Glebe etc. Will need to be close to local transportation,grocery stores etc...very hard doing research over the internet and from books thanks!

All of these suburbs are close to the city and will have the local shops and transport you will need. In my opinion they are as safe as most suburbs. Maybe if you tell us where you will be working and what your interests are, we could be more helpful.Cheers!

Also, what sort of accommodation are you looking for? For how many people? To rent rather than buy, presumably? What sort of budget do you have? Those areas mostly comprise Victorian-era terrace (row) houses and some newer apartments.

Of the three, Glebe would be the nicest, and -- despite a bit of bad publicity a few weeks ago -- probably the safest. You might like to include Newtown in your search, also.... a previously-depressed inner suburb which is brightening up almost as you watch (full of great restaurants).

Of the inner city ring...

NO...redfern,chppendale,
kings X,waterloo.

Maybe...darlinghurst,
surrey hills,w'loo.

yes...glebe,newtown,paddington,
kirribilli/milsons point.

thanks so much everyone!!!..we are mid 30's,love ethnic restaurants and music;will be looking for a 1 bdrm hopefully at the $800 range,wow!!...that was certainly quicker and more informative than lonely planet,rough guides etc please feel free to e-mail us @ [email protected]...o'kay,now to look at Newton & Paddington...again our sincerest thanks,we only have about a month to figure all this out,both these area's have grocery stores etc?....sorry to be so inquisitive but our track record of finding the worst deals/area's when we move is incredible...my wife will be going to Macquarie Uni. and i presently work in retail management...Cheers

back again...o'kay i have received advice that for my wife to get to Macquarie Uni. from the neighbourhoods near the CBD on local transportation may be too insane? true? I have been told that Chatswood,Lane Cove & Crows Nest are better options...do these area's have alot of retail job opportunities and is a 1 bdrm for $800/month possible? Length of time to get into the CBD from these suburbs every morning/evening?...more to research by the second...thanks in advance for any advice you can give us...Cheers

I'm rusty on Sydney public transport options and no real estate expert either, but AU$800/mth ($185/wk) sounds optimistic for anything decent in those areas other than perhaps a small studio apartment. However, given your lifestyles, these inner locations do offer more than the Northside localities you've mentioned, although travel to Macquarie Uni does sound problematic.

Having said that, Chatswood and Crows Nest are only a short train ride from the CBD, so you could consider job openings there also. The employment situation seems to be fairly healthy at the moment, so your chances should be good.

I suggest you check the real estate ads at www.smh.com.au (go to "Classifieds" in the sidebar). Remember that rents in Australia are usually quoted as a weekly, not monthly, amount.

Hi - Chatswood is the spot for retail, utilised by much of North Shore then Crows Nest before Lane Cove. But they're all pretty close to each other and Chatswood is on north shore train line. Just confuse you, the North Shore is nowhere near the coast, Manly to Palm Beach are known as "northern beaches" where there is no train line, just buses or drive yourself.

Glad to hear that you are relocating to Sydney ....it is fantastic.....if you need to get to Maq Uni and the city ...then Chatswood is definitly the suburb to rent in. Crows nest is great, but alot more expensive....chatswood has lots of shops, and great restaurants and lots of real estate agents....who will find you accomodation really easily.

Hi, Messenjah!

I think we are currently talking (under different screen names)on the Tripadvisor forum also.... when you didn't mention Macquarie earlier in this post, I just assumed that there were a whole lot of Torontites suddenly relocating to Sydney.

$800 a month is VERY low for the North Shore, unless you're talking a six-month lease on a one-bedroom apartment. I am not clear on just how long you will be staying here -- I'm sure you mentioned this, but I have forgotten -- but if it's a minimum six months, you really need to look at one of the real estate sites. Start with this one: http://www.domain.com.au/. When you hit "rent" you will be asked to enter up to five suburbs. The suburbs around Macquarie University are: Marsfield, Ryde, Epping, Lane Cove, Eastwood. You'll notice I haven't mentioned Chatswood or Crows Nest because I really think that you wouldn't find anything in your price range there unless you were willing to live right on the Pacific Highway... or take a studio. I just did this search for you a few minutes ago, and turned up thirty pages of listings. The cheapest was $AUD165 a week, and it was a granny flat.... not very suitable for you, I'd imagine. But there was a two-bedroom house for $AUD180. Don't expect a palace at that price, will you.... but it was actually in Eastwood, which means you can practically walk to Macquarie Uni, and you have a train line to the city as well!

If you rent for six months, you have to be prepared to put down a deposit bond equal to four weeks rent. Also, if you decide that you don't like Australia and you can't stand Macquarie Uni and you want to go back home, you will be legally obliged to pay the rent for the rest of the lease term, unless the owner is willing to "let you off the hook" and he can find someone to move in in your place. Some real estate agents look suspiciously at overseas renters, since everyone in Australia knows for sure that you're all terrorists, drug pushers, and only after our women, so it might be helpful to bring a couple of references.

The only other thing that you need to know right now is that Sydney is divided into four sections: the northern, eastern, southern, and western suburbs. Macquarie is north-west. The dearest area to rent in is the north, but it's usually quite lovely -- leafy suburbs where the families send their children to the "best" schools, and everyone drives a BMW or an Audi. Next dearest is the east, which can also be astronomically expensive, but there are so many crowded areas in this region that if you're prepared to live in the most densely-populated part of Sydney -- where people chain their bicycles to the staircase in the lobby and let their Damatians sleep in the bedroom -- then there are some cheapies (you could look at Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay, Potts Point.... don't choose King's Cross).

The southern suburbs are cheaper still, but these are getting far away from Macquarie, so talking about these seems pointless. The cheapest of all is the western suburbs, which is not so far from Macquarie. The farther west (and away from north) you get, the cheaper. Some of the better areas in the west are Ryde, Carlingford, Epping, Eastwood, Meadowbank, Drummoyne, Oatlands. Not quite so good is Dundas, but there are lots of rentals in that area. Parramatta is starting to get less than pleasant -- but it's a major commercial bus and rail centre, and there are buses from there that go right past Macquarie; moreover, there are an abundance of rental apartments in that area, and some of them are well within your budget. Anywhere west of Parramatta I would forget, if I were you; you can live for $AUD150 a week and get three bedrooms and a garage at, say, Werrington or Blacktown, but why would you?

Hope this is some help.

Thanks lulu3 and Alan,..no,Sydney is not being taken over by mad Canadian terrorists,it's just me! (well, my wife can be abit of a terror!!) Anyway,thanks again...Alan,we are trying to see if a vehicle is feasible but until we decide we will be looking at a 6 month or 1 year lease,the wages in Australia seem very high compared to Canada which is great,i guess we are looking for a place in the $900/month range if that helps us out any and my wife's Phd. will have us in Sydney for 3 years at least....Alan,i am going to read through your e-mail and research some things the best i can on the computer and look for a few books today that look more at Sydney suburbs..i have been concentrating on area's close to the CBD for the last few months,all good i guess!!...Alan,i will be looking to pick your brain alittle more after some research if that is o'k...nothing like knowledge from locals and if the responses i have received so far represent the generosity of Australians,my wife and i are in good shape...thanks again to all that have written and continue to write...Cheers!!...Michael

Hi,
It's hard, I know, when you don't know the geography of a city, so if I were you I would try and get hold of a street map of Sydney (what in London would be called an A-Z,and here is "Gregorys&quot. also go on line at whereis.com.au.

Then check out the public transport web site - www.sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au.

I say this cos I know there is a bus that runs out to Macquarie Uni from Rozelle (the 516 or 518 I think) but it may not run often enough to suit you.

Rozelle/Balmain is a suburb that hasn't been mentioned yet. South of the harbour - excellent connex to the city - no train but buses take 20-30 min and ferry too.

It is a much more fun place to live than Eastwood or North Ryde.

Cheers.

PS All Sydney suburbs within a c. 10k radius of the city have a "heart". I can walk to my local supermarket/public library/bookshop/chemist in 10 minutes.
Only 2 minutes to the newsagent for the Weekend papers.

kret/ac

Hi Messenjah,
Just to add another 2 cents' worth ...

If you're looking for something cosmopolitan rather than the more traditional "family oriented" areas (and as I write this, I'm thinking of so many exceptions in these areas, too!) ... I'd stick with the areas closer to the CBD.

The Domain.com website is a good reference. If you find something you think you'd like - just ask on here. I'm sure someone will be able to give you a fast response.

Inner west - include Enmore,Alexandria,Newtown (not Redfern or Waterloo),Marrickville, Balmain, Lillyfield, Rozelle, Glebe, some parts of Ultimo.

There are some good options in the inner-east as well.

Crows Nest, Neutral Bay & other North Shore locations are great, too - I just think you'll get more for your $ on the other side of the harbour. Having said that, the rental market is pretty soft in some spots (like the northern beaches) at the moment, so you might get a better deal than you'd expect.

You'd probably be able to pick up a reasonable run-around for $1500 or so, and I think it would be well worth the investment as your ability to really enjoy your new home & surrounds would be much enhanced. "Pre-loved " cars are pretty cheap here. Another option is to buy a "banger" from a backpacker on their way home. There's a car market for them in Kings Cross & several of my o/s friends have done that when they've been here for a few months.

My god-daughter is married to a Canadian, so "welcome" in advance!

Just a thought ... would you like to live in a similar type location to your current home, or are you looking for a change (apart from the obvious!!)? I'm just thinking, if you can tell us /give us a link so we can see, it might help us match up something closer to your dream for you.

Just a thought: if you can afford it, you could consider taking say a 1-month rental in a furnished apartment in your preferred area, and use that time to get acquainted with the city and look for a longer-term solution. As you well know, it's impossible to get a feel for a neighbourhood at long distance.

NB: the great majority of the ads you'll see are for unfurnished accommodation. And you'll need to pay a rental bond up front, typically 4 weeks' rent, in addition to rent in advance (I think it's fair to say that most renters would pay at two-weekly or even weekly intervals).

I agree with the previous posters in regards to cheap acommodation in Ryde, Epping.....but these areas are really family orientated, older lifestyle, kind of suburbs .....it depends what type of living you are looking for.....further up the train line (chatswood/ Crowsnest) or in the city suburbs will give you more of a cafe /scenic lifestyle.....it just depends on what you are looking for...and how far you want to travel to Maq uni.

Messenjah - just had a thought.
When do you plan to arrive in Sydney? I am off to Europe soon for two months and will probably be leaving an empty one-bed unit behind.

Hey fuzzylogic,you received my e-mail today?...is it really unusual to find a shower in a rental unit?...fridge/freezer?

M,
Yes got yr msg. My sentence construction in that pm obviously wasn't up to standard. Sure - all units come with a shower. What is hard to find is a one-bedder in a sought after area, cheap, with a bath. Forgive me - I guess I should say "bathtub" but it goes against the grain.

Re fridge/freezer - all you get when you rent an unfurnished unit is the space and a cooker - you must provide everything else yourself, including a fridge.

Sad your timeframe and mine don't match as it would have been a good solution for us both.

Don't forget, though, that Balmain is a pretty cool place to be - and not all rental property there is expensive.

Will stick a notice on the community notice board tomorrow - one excellent, cheap, unit available all Aug & Sept 2005. There will be no shortage of takers.

You have my address - feel free to get in touch when you arrive in January. I could take you to the "Cat and Fiddle".

Best of luck.