My wife has been offered an amazing new job in Sydney!
We're super excited but at the same time a little nervous as, other than some stereotypical quotes (see title), we know very little about the city and have never even been to Australia. My knowledge is entirely based on my viewing of "Neighbours" and "Home and Away". We currently live in SW London but will relocate to Oz as of the 1st of April.
Starting with the most important things in life, does anyone know...
- Is there any good MTBing within reach of Sydney or is it all road cycling?
- Are there any amazing places we should live (or avoid), she'll be working just S. of the bridge?
- Is there (not that its possible) an AU version of STW where everyone comes together in forum bliss?
- Are Koala bears vicious killers disguised as children's toys?
- Finally, what tyre for Sydney riding?
Thanks!
P.S. Australia is HUGE. Mind blown.
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Lived there for a year, 10 years or more ago.
Don't know about the riding, they've got the geography for it out of the city but I don’t know if there’s ‘a scene’ – I wasn’t riding at the time. It didn’t seem a particularly cycle friendly city at the time, the young and hip were menacing the pavements on micro scooters back then ha ha.
It’s a great city, they’ve got public transportation sorted (compared to the UK).
It’s terrifyingly expensive, a mate of mine is slowly migrating further and further out of the city as property prices and cost of living rises - they didn’t really suffer through the ‘great recession’ like Europe and the US so the boom continued - but they have been suffering recently, their economy is dependent on a lot of commodity prices, I don’t know how good or bad it is. It might not seem quiet so bad coming from London I suppose.
It’s nothing like Home and Away, Sydney Siders can be as hard nosed and brash as Londoners, New Yorkers etc, that “friendly Aussie spirit” is limited in Sydney (and completely absent in Canberra).
G'day Mate. Please tell me about Sydney! No worries. That's not a knife!
He's Gaffers long-suffering assistant and I see you've played knifey-spoony before 😉
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G'day. We moved out here nearly 5 years ago and absolutely love it - almost identical situation to you, GF (now wife) got offered a job at the uni.
Obviously depends on your personal (and financial) situation, but if you're both earning reasonable money the quality of life is incredible. Not a patch on tooting though, obvs 😆
TBH, I've really struggled with mountain biking here - but only because we lived in the centre of the city without a car. I go surfing instead
Happy to give any advice regarding the move - my email is in my profile
They say you either like Sydney or Melbourne, I loved Melbourne found Sydney a bit crap. I have friends who left South Wales 6 years ago and love Sydney.
As for the size of the place, it's very big, and very small at the same time.
Lots of area, but for the most part - completely empty.
that “friendly Aussie spirit” is limited in Sydney (and completely absent in Canberra).
My sister seems to be having a good time in Canberra, lots of friends she's made through running + triathlon. My brother's in Sydney with his Aussie wife and also seems to be having a good time.
And IME Sydney's great, at least it was when I was there for a couple of months working back in 2000. Was quite a while ago, though, and may have changed 🙂
Never really had the chance of getting to know Sydney but do feel at home in Melbourne. Location is important and that depends on cash. How long do you want to commute for?
Sydney isn't great for riding. What riding there is is to the north but is good.
Visiting the increasingly good other biking destinations throughout Australia - yes it is big but there are lots of good options within a couple hours drive of Sydney - is a good excuse to get around and see the place at weekends/holidays.
Canberrans are friendly.
Currently living in Sydney, so reasonably well qualified to comment (we've been here for 7 months, but only 2 weeks left <sob>).
Lovely place to live.
Good points - in no particular order:
Weather is stunning. The coast is amazing. The city is big but nowhere near as crowded as London (fraction of the population). Some good mtb riding if you know where to look - Blue Mountains are ~60min drive away. More XC than DH, but that suits me. Some good riding in/around Sydney itself too, Royal National Park etc. Road biking outside the city is great, especially heading North towards Kuringai. Trail running in the city is great - loads of green space, bush trails, coastal runs etc. Public transport is cheap, on time, far less crowded than London and well integrated. Kayaking on the harbour before work is ace. People are generally friendly. Snakes tend to run away when they see you (fortunately not as common as I'd feared). General quality of life far exceeds the UK I'd say, although you need to be earning pretty serious money to live somewhere nice. We're in Crows Nest, about 3km north of the bridge. It's nice, if costly. I'd advise being near a train station - it makes getting around a lot easier. Traffic can be shocking.
Bad points:
Horribly expensive (property/rent is mental). General cost of living is high (shopping, groceries, eating out etc). £8 a pint... Road biking in the city limits is horrendous, drivers all seem to hate cyclists with a passion. Australia is massive, so dont think you'll see it all. All the wildlife wants to kill you (and can).
Do it! Amazing place, we've loved it, and are considering a permanent move.
sydney is a badly planned city in an amazing location.
trouble is, you wont be living on the bay or the beaches, you'll be an hour of bad traffic away in some suburb somewhere.
urban sprawl is significant.
*edit* I been here 10 years, standards are high. the population density/tiny roads of london freaks me out.
Sydney rated the worst city in the world for cycling - when I was there, I never felt the urge to get on a bike as the standard of roads and driving is awful. Better cycling further afield, e.g. Blue Mountains but never got the chance to explore.
[url= https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com.au/australian-spider-bite-identification-treatment/ ]This should help[/url]
and I quote "The Sydney Funnel-Web Spider is without a doubt the most dangerous spider in Australia, and even the world."
And watch out for Red Backs; they're the ones that like to hide in wait under toilet seats.
😉
It costs a fortune to live in Sydney.
My brother in law moved to Melbourne last year and that isn't as expensive but still out of most normal people's reach.
He recently moved to the Gold Coast as he stands a chance of being able to buy a house when he gets residency.
But it is 44degC out there right now :-O
For all that we moan about the UK, I think I would rather be here.
🙂
You really should watch this:
[s]before you go[/s] decide not to go.
johndoh - MemberIt costs a fortune to live in Sydney.
My brother in law moved to Melbourne last year and that isn't as expensive but still out of most normal people's reach.
He recently moved to the Gold Coast as he stands a chance of being able to buy a house when he gets residency.
But it is 44degC out there right now :-O
For all that we moan about the UK, I think I would rather be here.
Depends how you look at it - 44c might be a wet dream for a sun worshiper, for someone just going to work it's an sweaty uncomfortable total pain in the arse, trying to do anything active in that sort of heat is unbearable. That's still thankfully very rare.
It's actually 'only' a max of 30c in Sydney today, it's be 21c and raining by the start of next week, not all that different to the UK in Summer.
Don't believe Home and Away either, I arrived in Syndey in July, it was 11c and drizzely - it stayed that way.
It's not like the Dresert Centre or Tropical North. It has 4 seasons, and typically it's 5c - 10c warmer like-for-like than the UK and it rains about the same number of days it does in London. It'll still be dark leaving work in the middle of winter, just it'll be 8c and not 3c.
My take on Sydney, being a Melbourne man but with long-time friends in Sydney:
- terrible traffic, so road-biking not for the faint-hearted
- some mtb to the north; I've ridden Ku-Ring-Gai-Chase, Manly Dam but believe there's some OK single track too. Good news is that long weekends away in Thredbo, Falls Creek are possible.
- property insanely pricey; if working near the bridge/ferries I'd go northern beaches to be closer to the biking that I know of, also great beaches, sailing, surfing, surf-skiing etc. If you don't mind sharks.
- generally quality of life is far higher than UK, though having money helps; much more outdoorsy.
- great beer, great coffee, great food, great wine.
- rotorburn forum for mtb chat
- you'll probably love it and meet lots of friendly Aussies, like I did.
- but I still think Sydney's not a patch on Melbourne… fortunately only a 90-minute flight away...
44c might be a wet dream for a sun worshiper
It might be if it's a holiday and all you are doing is lazing by the pool drinking cocktails. As you say, working/going to school/gardening etc etc etc are all painfully painful when its 110degF!
an old friend of mine and ex British triathlete moved there a few years ago and loves it.
Set up a cycling team (Jet, I believe) and judging by his Strava activity there is at least a whole bunch of great local riding.
I know he competes on marathon XC events in 29er cat, I believe they are the go to niche out there.
Agree with most of the above, but its not all upsides, some negatives for perpective.
If you like good pubs you may get disappointed in local offerings. They are generally without the atmosphere you will find here, and full of poker machines (think rows of bandits).
Some adults who move out can find it hard to make friends, if you have hobbies such as cycling it will be easier.
Its not like Neighbours, being on nodding terms or the morning hello to your neighbours is not done thing, mostly.
I have spent roughly half my life in each country and love Australia. Standard of living is better, food is better and its beautiful. But hot weather and a beach does not make paradise for everyone.
Go for it for an amazing adventure, but what does your work prospect out there look like?
