Sydney is generally a very safe city, and I feel safer in Sydney than in most American cities that are much smaller. Proximity to a train line is quite helpful, as you can get by without needing a car in Sydney.
Neighborhoods are called “suburbs” - and there are hundreds within Sydney. Close to the city - and to public transport - consider the CBD (Central Business District), Surry Hills, Pyrmont, Balmain (close to a ferry), St. Leonards, Bondi Junction, Chatswood, etc. It depends how much money you want to spend, too. Check out http://www.131500.com.au for a rail map. Living on the South side of the Harbour is generally better for public transportation - as the north shore primarily has buses.
http://www.domain.com.au has good listings of rental properties. Remember that Australia lists property at a weekly price, though. So $500 per week = $2166.67 per month. (500 x 52 / 12 = 2166.67) References :
I'm from Sydney and I can tell you that it is very safe. I would say the best place to live would be in the eastern suburbs. Areas like Potts Point, Darlinghurst, Woolloomooloo are great places and around a 15-20 minute walk into the centre of the city - there is also a train station at Kings Cross (2 stops to the centre and 2 stops to Bondi Junction). There is also a great nightlife and a short bus ride to Bondi Beach. The postcode you need is 2011. Empire Hotel in Kings Cross is always hiring staff and a 5 minute walk from these suburbs. You will be able to make lots of friends there - travellers and locals. When you first arrive you will probably want to stay in a hostel for a couple of weeks and look for a job and a flat - it will be a lot cheaper to share a flat with others - a lot of backpackers hostels are located in Kings Cross. Bear in mind that Kings Cross is a 24 hr place and can be seedy at times, it used to have a bad reputation but has cleaned up a lot. It's in the middle of a lot of exclusive suburbs.
The whole of Sydney is fairly safe (like not much murders etc). The best suburbs, if you can afford them, are Point Piper, Darling Point, Vaucluse, Mosman and Bellevue Hill.
You dont really need a car if you live in the inner city (eg Pyrmont, North Sydney, Sydney CBD, Potts Point etc). There is a subway line around the CBD and North Sydney. There is also the line to Bondi (which you will have heard of, no doubt) and the Airport and the Inner Eastern Suburbs. There are commuter ferries to all the areas near the harbour such as Manly and Balmain. There is also a small light rail which links Pyrmont and Lilyfield to the city centre.
There is also the CityRail commuter train network. Dont believe all the rumours about it being “the worst transit system in the world”. Its not REALLY that bad. Yes it gets crowded but a lot less crowded than the New York subway or the London Underground. The trains (including the subway cars) are double deck so there is more seats and therefore more room.
There are also buses, which will get you up to the Northern suburbs and the Eastern suburbs (coogee, tamarama etc). There are also plenty of taxis as well as Water Taxis (just like normal taxis but as you might have guessed, they go on the harbour). The monorail line only really goes around the city and into a couple of inner city neighborhoods so you will not most likely need to use it. References :
My teacher is on exchange in america and we have an american teacher. We both agree that eastern suburbs are great. The city isn’t the best place to live though but close to it i would say either: Bondi Junction, Bondi Beach, Rose Bay, Double Bay, Edgecliff, Watsons Bay, Bellevue Hill or Wollara (sorry about my spelling) References : I live in Sydney all my 13 years
I am an American who moved to Sydney in January 2001. Work takes me all over Sydney and Australia quite regularly. When I travel, I look at different places and suburbs and, while some are quite nice, not one of them comes close to Potts Point.
Potts Point has lots of beautiful Art Deco architecture and is a 15 minute beautiful walk to the center of Sydney.
The lifestyle here is similar to New York. You don’t need a car and everything from grocery stores, deli’s, butchers, fruit markets, great cafes and restaurants are all within a 3 minute walk from anywhere in this small but dense suburb. The Kings Cross train station, located on Victoria Street, is also a short stroll away and is only one stop from the financial district of Sydney at Martin Place.
Even though Potts Point is located next to the notorious Kings Cross, my wife says she feels safer here than anywhere else because there are always people around. Potts Point attracts all kinds of people from all over the world. It is part of the charm and coolness of living here.
I have not posed a second option because for me, this is by far and away the best place in all Australia to live.
I have attached a link to my flikr account. ALL the shots of Sydney were taken within walking distance of Potts Point. Most of the shots of the skyline and opera house were taken from my balcony. Let me know if you need any further help or assistance with your trip.
ah man you’re going to live in beautiful Sydney and NOT live on the Northern Beaches? Very safe, very beautiful, great public transport and lovely people. The only choice. References :
6 Responses for "Where to live in Sydney? And how to get around in the city?"
Sydney is generally a very safe city, and I feel safer in Sydney than in most American cities that are much smaller. Proximity to a train line is quite helpful, as you can get by without needing a car in Sydney.
Neighborhoods are called “suburbs” - and there are hundreds within Sydney. Close to the city - and to public transport - consider the CBD (Central Business District), Surry Hills, Pyrmont, Balmain (close to a ferry), St. Leonards, Bondi Junction, Chatswood, etc. It depends how much money you want to spend, too. Check out http://www.131500.com.au for a rail map. Living on the South side of the Harbour is generally better for public transportation - as the north shore primarily has buses.
http://www.domain.com.au has good listings of rental properties. Remember that Australia lists property at a weekly price, though. So $500 per week = $2166.67 per month. (500 x 52 / 12 = 2166.67)
References :
I'm from Sydney and I can tell you that it is very safe. I would say the best place to live would be in the eastern suburbs. Areas like Potts Point, Darlinghurst, Woolloomooloo are great places and around a 15-20 minute walk into the centre of the city - there is also a train station at Kings Cross (2 stops to the centre and 2 stops to Bondi Junction). There is also a great nightlife and a short bus ride to Bondi Beach. The postcode you need is 2011. Empire Hotel in Kings Cross is always hiring staff and a 5 minute walk from these suburbs. You will be able to make lots of friends there - travellers and locals. When you first arrive you will probably want to stay in a hostel for a couple of weeks and look for a job and a flat - it will be a lot cheaper to share a flat with others - a lot of backpackers hostels are located in Kings Cross. Bear in mind that Kings Cross is a 24 hr place and can be seedy at times, it used to have a bad reputation but has cleaned up a lot. It's in the middle of a lot of exclusive suburbs.
here are some links to help you:
http://sydney.gumtree.com.au/
http://www.empirehotel.net/empire.php
http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rsearch?id=2011&a=qfp&cu=fn-rea&t=shr&q=Go
References :
The whole of Sydney is fairly safe (like not much murders etc). The best suburbs, if you can afford them, are Point Piper, Darling Point, Vaucluse, Mosman and Bellevue Hill.
You dont really need a car if you live in the inner city (eg Pyrmont, North Sydney, Sydney CBD, Potts Point etc). There is a subway line around the CBD and North Sydney. There is also the line to Bondi (which you will have heard of, no doubt) and the Airport and the Inner Eastern Suburbs. There are commuter ferries to all the areas near the harbour such as Manly and Balmain. There is also a small light rail which links Pyrmont and Lilyfield to the city centre.
There is also the CityRail commuter train network. Dont believe all the rumours about it being “the worst transit system in the world”. Its not REALLY that bad. Yes it gets crowded but a lot less crowded than the New York subway or the London Underground. The trains (including the subway cars) are double deck so there is more seats and therefore more room.
There are also buses, which will get you up to the Northern suburbs and the Eastern suburbs (coogee, tamarama etc). There are also plenty of taxis as well as Water Taxis (just like normal taxis but as you might have guessed, they go on the harbour). The monorail line only really goes around the city and into a couple of inner city neighborhoods so you will not most likely need to use it.
References :
My teacher is on exchange in america and we have an american teacher. We both agree that eastern suburbs are great. The city isn’t the best place to live though but close to it i would say either: Bondi Junction, Bondi Beach, Rose Bay, Double Bay, Edgecliff, Watsons Bay, Bellevue Hill or Wollara (sorry about my spelling)
References :
I live in Sydney all my 13 years
I am an American who moved to Sydney in January 2001. Work takes me all over Sydney and Australia quite regularly. When I travel, I look at different places and suburbs and, while some are quite nice, not one of them comes close to Potts Point.
Potts Point has lots of beautiful Art Deco architecture and is a 15 minute beautiful walk to the center of Sydney.
The lifestyle here is similar to New York. You don’t need a car and everything from grocery stores, deli’s, butchers, fruit markets, great cafes and restaurants are all within a 3 minute walk from anywhere in this small but dense suburb. The Kings Cross train station, located on Victoria Street, is also a short stroll away and is only one stop from the financial district of Sydney at Martin Place.
Even though Potts Point is located next to the notorious Kings Cross, my wife says she feels safer here than anywhere else because there are always people around. Potts Point attracts all kinds of people from all over the world. It is part of the charm and coolness of living here.
I have not posed a second option because for me, this is by far and away the best place in all Australia to live.
I have attached a link to my flikr account. ALL the shots of Sydney were taken within walking distance of Potts Point. Most of the shots of the skyline and opera house were taken from my balcony. Let me know if you need any further help or assistance with your trip.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheetbrains/
References :
ah man you’re going to live in beautiful Sydney and NOT live on the Northern Beaches? Very safe, very beautiful, great public transport and lovely people. The only choice.
References :
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.