Where is the best place to live and bring up young children in or near Sydney?

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Mel

Sydney coastal areas are way to expensive and 1mill wont be enough.

My suggestion is to move away from the city to Wollongong, property prices are more realistic to your budget. We also have private schooling and is a great place to raise kids.

Majority of the area is along the coast and is only 1-1.5hrs south of sydney, away from the hustle and bustle but still close enough.

If you want somewhere peaceful I suggest Shellharbour or Kiama.

Wollongong is quickly becoming another suburb of Sydney, so you wont miss out on anything.

Feel free to message me through the link on my profile if you have any questions on Wollongong and the surrounding areas. I was born and bred in the gong and will never leave.

EDIT~ Jess you must drive bloody slow then, I live in Shellharbour south of Wollongong and it takes 1.5hrs to get to the north shore of Sydney. Did you get lost?

Wollongong is becoming much like a Sydney suburb it terms or housing and property prices and not to mention alot of people that work in Sydney live in Wollongong.

Northern beaches and north shore is way to expensive, you'll only get a dump for $1mill there.

Jess

Firstly to whoever said wollongong is fast becoming a suburb of sydney...I drove from wollongong to my place in sydney today and it took me 2 hours!! No way will it become 'another suburb' any time soon!

So the question - Sydney is generally broken up into the North, South, East and Western suburbs. I've lived in both the North and the East. Rule out the western and southern suburbs as the crime rates are much higher and it isn't a desirable place to bring up children. Much lower socioeconomic status areas.

The eastern suburbs (bondi/coogee etc) are close to the city and beaches. Very popular with the <25's & tourists. Some streets/areas are great to live in and very expensive, some are dodgier streets. Some parts can be cramped and 'city-like', but have the benefit of being close to good nightlife - probably not what you're after!

The leafy north shore and the northern beaches areas are, in my opinion, perfect for bringing up a family. They are typically inhabited by the wealthier residents of sydney who have their 1/2 acre block of land and a nice house & garden - that sort of thing. Very safe areas in general. The upper north shore (pymble/wahroonga/lindfield) are about 40min commute to the city to the south and about 40mins away from the beach in the other direction. While many places go for more than 1million, you will definately be able to find a good family home for that price. Maybe not a showy one though.

The northern beaches area is a bit further north and slightly less expensive than the north shore (unless you're going for ocean views) but are very close to the beach. Great family area - only drawback is slightly further away again from the CBD.

The north shore (upper and lower) is home to the majority of Sydney's elite private schools. Schools for the boys - Knox, Shore, Barker, Scots, Kings etc. Schools for the girls - Ravenswood, Abbotsleigh, Wenona, Loreto, Ascam....the list goes on and on. Lots to choose from!

Hope this was helpful!

Riley

Around Brighton Le Sands / Rockdale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton-Le-Sands,_New_South_Wales

Brendon T

Clifton Gardens - Very exclusive. - I Live there and I Love it =]
Mosman - Very nice Suburb.
Balmoral - Then You Can Send Your Kids To Queenwood - If they are girls.

North Sydney - its close to the city =]

Hunter's Hill - its nice but you may want to read this artical and stay away from this area

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23124979-5007062,00.html

Hope you find your dream house =] Brendon

Dan

I am from Sydney and I can tell you that $1 million won't be enough. The cost if living here is way too high it is worse especially with the interest rates.

The most affordable areas, however, are in Western Sydney (Blacktown, Mt Druitt, Penrith etc.) but they're quite far from the coast and the weather there isn't good either. South western Sydney is an option too but crime levels are the highest in this area.

There are lots of private schools on the North Shore but it's an upper-class area. That's when I think $1 million will not be enough if you're considering to live there.

Another option that a lot of Sydneysiders are doing are moving to Wollongong (NSW's 3rd largest city), a city between 1 hours and 90 minutes south of Sydney. There are lots of beautiful beaches there... weather is very similar to Sydney's. It is a perfect place to raise children if you ask me. I would move there if I have kids but I'm still a teen. There are private schools there, more than likely. Newcastle, north of Sydney is the 2nd largest city in NSW but it's further away.

Good luck.

Secret Spy Agent

Eastern Suburbs, lower north shore, northern beaches.

Penny J

try checking out domain.com.au, realestate.com.au, myhome.com.au and homehound.com.au. these are 4 sites that can help with searches. The beach areas in Sydney are very popular, sell fast and are pricey but you should get something for your money.

Tom I

I think Jess hit the nail right on the head. You would want to look at the north shore / northern beaches, and with $1mil to play with youll have no trouble finding numerous suitable houses.
On a side note if you were looking for suburbs relativley close to the city, beaches and private schools try the lower north shore or the frenches forest area of the northern beaches.

Lisa V

any northern beaches area is upper class and full of private schools. but would a million be enough?
for a more laid back area, yuo could move an hour south of sydney to wollongong.
lush houses rigt on the beach, a city with everything, but still lots of natural beauty.
private schools and uni here too.

BlAh TM.

I would say the north shore around Avalon way or further down closer to Manly but not in Manly its too crowded

xXx ÏÓ™Ð³Ñ•Î¹a×— ÏÐ³Î¹dÓ˜ xXx

bondi ??
john my dear you need to look around for that ..
i suggest to ask and look around those areas .. :)

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