Sydney suburbs/schools help

[MrsC09]

My husband has been offered a new job in Sydney so we will be moving there in the new year. We have 2 children aged 4 & 6 who are going into reception / year 2 in the UK. I'm only just starting my research and finding it all a bit mind-boggling.

Please can someone help to find a suitable area for us to live in to help narrow down the research a bit?!

We currently live in SW London with lots of green space, shops/cafes, families, good state schools etc and would like to find a similar area in Sydney. I understand that Sydney is VERY expensive but we will have rental income form our London home that we can use towards the cost of living there.

Our list of criteria: good state schools (although from what I understand there are loads of them in Sydney?), close to beach/parks/outdoor space, VIEWS (i've spent 15 years in London looking at my neighbours brick wall), within a 45 min commute of central Sydney with public transport (I understand that traffic can be pretty awful during rush hour), a nice neighbourhood with a local village (cafes/shops etc). Generally the right balance of city living but with a bit more breathing space to enjoy the local nature.

We would choose to live smaller for the right area so assuming we have the budget what are the "nicest" areas of Sydney to live in? I'm thinking more along the lines of Battersea/East Dulwich equivalent rather than the Chelsea of Sydney.

I would also greatly appreciate some input on how the state school intake works as this would probably affect the decision as well. Is it like in the UK where you need to be at the local address at the time of application? Are the schools generally over-subscribed? Would we stand a chance of getting our 6 year old in if we moved there in Jan (I think he would be going into year 1 there if I've done my maths correctly?)

Sorry for the long post and any for of info is hugely appreciated!!

You might be better to repost this in the Living Overseas topic rather than Long Haul as you will get responses from people who live or have lived there rather than holidayed.

Sounds fab though. I'm jealous. We almost moved but I chickened out and we are now at GCSE stage so too late for th moment.

Your husband's firm ought to offer relocation assistance to help you with these questions.

I grew up in the eastern suburbs. Right by the beach but also not too far into central. Look at areas like coggee, randwick, clovelly, bronte,bondi. Great care culture and there are some good parks around including centennial which has bike and horse tracks.
There is a great walk from coggee to bondi along the coast too.
Bondi junction which is near by has train services into town. That said it is quite expensive to live there so you may have to compromise on living space.

I can't help on schools sorry but I had great experience at my school in eastern suburbs. Sydney is a wonderful city I loved growing up there and our plan is to move back ourselves in a few years. Good luck!

It's got to be Eastern suburbs or north shore then. It really depends how far your budget stretches. Bellevue hill, double bay, rose bay etc all lovely. Decide whether you want to face the harbour or ocean as that will impact on your search area. Lucky you! I'm jealous.

Thanks all for your replies, I'll repost under living overseas as suggested.

Babymamamama - I personally prefer the look of the bay area but I've heard some of the areas are a bit overly posh/slightly older whereas the Eastern suburbs going south facing the ocean are a bit younger/more interesting. Would you agree with this?

My knowledge dates back a few years but yes harbour side tends to be much snootier than ocean side as far as eastern suburbs are concerned. Another factor is whether you like terraced in which case Paddington, woollahra etc may suit you and are quite villagey so might remind you of sw London. But if you want a larger or detached home you may need to look further up to Bellevue hill. Much further along vaucluse is gorgeous but a fair old distance from the centre.