Britch13 Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Hi all, I've been following the forum for a while and the kindness of people helping with their experiences is brilliant. I am married with my wife, and we have spent the last eight years in Sydney. My wife owns a flat in Newtown, which although the flat is lovely, I really dislike Newtown as at 36 just find it dirty and noisy. On the whole, I love the ocean, and apart from summer, really like the Sydney climate. However, I am really struggling to find it affordable to build a life here longterm. It's a good job market, but increasingly just so hard to survive financially in terms of either buying a home, or day to day. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on different areas to move, the huge factor is jobs, my wife is a project manager, and I work in media management for the government, so mine is certainly quite niche. On paper, I should absolutely love Melbourne, but have never gelled with it. It seems like Manchester with skyscrapers, and the weather is really crazy, with cold winters and houses that don't really cope with them. I visited Perth, and actually really liked it, in terms of a more chilled out vibe, my fear is the lack of jobs. I would welcome any thoughts on any other city, be it Hobart, Brisbane or Adelaide. I just want a quieter, cleaner life, where we can enjoy a little bit more space without the stress and anger of Sydney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallyman Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Newcastle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Canberra, got it all except the ocean, but that's only 2 hours away, as is the snow if skiing is your thing in winter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulya Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 8 hours ago, Britch13 said: Hi all, I've been following the forum for a while and the kindness of people helping with their experiences is brilliant. I am married with my wife, and we have spent the last eight years in Sydney. My wife owns a flat in Newtown, which although the flat is lovely, I really dislike Newtown as at 36 just find it dirty and noisy. On the whole, I love the ocean, and apart from summer, really like the Sydney climate. However, I am really struggling to find it affordable to build a life here longterm. It's a good job market, but increasingly just so hard to survive financially in terms of either buying a home, or day to day. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on different areas to move, the huge factor is jobs, my wife is a project manager, and I work in media management for the government, so mine is certainly quite niche. On paper, I should absolutely love Melbourne, but have never gelled with it. It seems like Manchester with skyscrapers, and the weather is really crazy, with cold winters and houses that don't really cope with them. I visited Perth, and actually really liked it, in terms of a more chilled out vibe, my fear is the lack of jobs. I would welcome any thoughts on any other city, be it Hobart, Brisbane or Adelaide. I just want a quieter, cleaner life, where we can enjoy a little bit more space without the stress and anger of Sydney. Canberra. Booming but expensive, and chock-full of Sydney/Melbourne refugees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 12 hours ago, Britch13 said: I am married with my wife, and we have spent the last eight years in Sydney. My wife owns a flat in Newtown, which although the flat is lovely, I really dislike Newtown as at 36 just find it dirty and noisy. On the whole, I love the ocean, and apart from summer, really like the Sydney climate. However, I am really struggling to find it affordable to build a life here longterm. It's a good job market, but increasingly just so hard to survive financially in terms of either buying a home, or day to day. Hello from a Sydney refugee. Lived in Sydney for over 30 years and still miss it in many ways, but simply couldn't afford to live in an acceptable area. Also, as I got older, I found I couldn't cope with the summer humidity any more. We chose Melbourne. I agree that if you love the ocean, then Melbourne isn't for you. If you're used to Sydney, you'll find the sea is too far away and the weather is too limiting. I wonder, would your wife consider moving out of the expensive heart of Sydney? You could have a quieter, cleaner lifestyle within Sydney itself, and the southern suburbs are more affordable than the Inner West. I know that for my first 20 years in Sydney, I thought civilisation ended at Maroubra, but when I met my husband I discovered I could have the same cafe culture and lifestyle further south, within very easy commute to the CBD. Look at suburbs near the Illawarra line, especially Oatley and Gymea. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 12 hours ago, Britch13 said: Hi all, I've been following the forum for a while and the kindness of people helping with their experiences is brilliant. I am married with my wife, and we have spent the last eight years in Sydney. My wife owns a flat in Newtown, which although the flat is lovely, I really dislike Newtown as at 36 just find it dirty and noisy. On the whole, I love the ocean, and apart from summer, really like the Sydney climate. However, I am really struggling to find it affordable to build a life here longterm. It's a good job market, but increasingly just so hard to survive financially in terms of either buying a home, or day to day. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on different areas to move, the huge factor is jobs, my wife is a project manager, and I work in media management for the government, so mine is certainly quite niche. On paper, I should absolutely love Melbourne, but have never gelled with it. It seems like Manchester with skyscrapers, and the weather is really crazy, with cold winters and houses that don't really cope with them. I visited Perth, and actually really liked it, in terms of a more chilled out vibe, my fear is the lack of jobs. I would welcome any thoughts on any other city, be it Hobart, Brisbane or Adelaide. I just want a quieter, cleaner life, where we can enjoy a little bit more space without the stress and anger of Sydney. Does your wife feel the same way about Newtown - i.e. "dirty and noisy?" What attracted her to buy a flat in Newtown may still attract her? Dirty and noisy is the "price" you pay for the convenience of being able to walk almost everywhere and with an excellent public transport system. I live in Surry Hills which is much the same. If you work for the government then I assume you can apply for similar jobs with other government departments or the same government if you work for the Commonwealth. So, for example, if you liked Perth, look for jobs with the WA government. I like Perth too but did your wife like it too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 11 hours ago, Bulya said: Canberra. Booming but expensive, and chock-full of Sydney/Melbourne refugees. That is, indeed, a downside! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulya Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 1 hour ago, Quoll said: That is, indeed, a downside! Agree. Thankfully balanced by the large number of internationals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 The benefit of living in Newtown is you can go out for a quiet drink with mates in the bar next door at 4pm, leave at 5:15 and still be in your seat in the SCG to watch AUS v NZ before the first ball is bowled at 6pm South Sydney suburbs, oatley, Canberra or Perth can't offer that sort of lifestyle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said: The benefit of living in Newtown is you can go out for a quiet drink with mates in the bar next door at 4pm, leave at 5:15 and still be in your seat in the SCG to watch AUS v NZ before the first ball is bowled at 6pm South Sydney suburbs, oatley, Canberra or Perth can't offer that sort of lifestyle However a southern suburb like Oatley or Gymea has a village vibe, good cafes, restaurants and pubs in walking distance and beaches a short drive away and lovely parks. So it depends what lifestyle you like. Don’t get me wrong, you have to choose your outer suburb in Sydney carefully. So many of them are boring Edited October 22, 2022 by Marisawright 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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