We've arrived in Sydney!

[ComradeJing]

Actually, we arrived a week ago but I still can't quite believe it.

We're temporarily living in in a furnished apartment over looking the harbour at the north end of King Street and I absolutely love it. Our stuff won't arrive from China for another 3months ish and we're house hunting at the moment and trying to figure out what suburb we want to live in.

I'm (slowly) getting to grips with everything but need to find a good park for toddler DD to run around in and figure out public transport (I can't drive and can't learn until my visa comes through).

Only 6 weeks until ds is due so more change for DD.

Anyway, any tips? Any advice? Anything you wish you'd been told when you first arrived in Sydney?

Hi, I'm in Manly (very nice place to visit and to live!) and I'm due with dc2 in 4.5 or 5 weeks! Do you know where you will give birth?

We have fab parks over here - I dont know any in sydney as i never make it over there! Queenscliff is a lovely park - probably too far for you to get here though! Its got lots of equipemnt and has a fence all the way around, it gets very busy though!!

There is a fab water park in darling harbour area - ive not been but my friends go and put lush photos on face book!

good luck to you.

Yay! ComradeJing you're here!
I know nothing about Sydney itself, sorry - and am in no fit condition to come and see you, going into hospital on Monday for induction procedures to start. But hurrah!

Hope some of the other Sydneysider MNers will see this thread soon and help out :)

Congratulations Comrade. Are you loving it?

I have absolutely nothing useful to add as have only been to Sydey on a girls weekend and spent most time there happily drunk and child free .

Also YAY to Thumb, and good luck for Monday! How jolly very exciting!

why is it so hot today???!!

Welcome to Sydney!

The Darling Harbour waterpark is great fun, bring towel & change of clothes for DC. My DS loves the Chinese Gardens (you have to pay to go in though), nice for afternoon tea & cake. You could catch the ferry to Manly, lovely walk along the beaches & also Watsons Bay, nice park & play area there & of course Fish & Chips at Doyles.

I live near a train line, so am not sure about the buses in the city, sorry, but Centennial park is lovely & the one near Newtown has great sandpits!

We have 6 playparks here in Oatley & tend to wander around St George & the Shire on a day to day basis, so if you find yourself over this way, I'll be more equipped to help advise!

{{waves}} to thumb - can't believe you are ready to pop! Good Luck to you & also pasties

Iheart - I don't fecking know but I wish it wasn't! I am a sweltery mess :(

back to RVP - I know! It's going to be a hell of a ride though - baby is unstable lie and refusing to go head down so I may end up with a CS, which I'd rather not but the whole uncertainty of the situation is completely doing my head in! :(
Still, so long as we're both safe in the end, that's the main thing...

Arrgh thumb sorry to hear that. Does lots of walking help to encourage the baby to engage?? I had induction with DS & remember being given that advice...but in this heat...urgh....

I will be thinking of you & fingers crossed it all goes smoothly for you ( and let me know when you are fit for visitors!! Or if I can do anything for you )

Can't walk too far because of SPD and swollen feet - it's a disaster! Oh and the heat and hills...
Thank you, will let you know what happens. :)

Hope you are well, thumbwitch

Oh, and welcome to Australia, ComradeJing.

Thanks for welcome :o

Yep, thrilled to be here though speaking to Telstra for 45 minutes made me feel less thrilled tbh.

Thinking of you thumb over the next few days. Best wishes for Monday and I hope you can get lots of rest over the weekend.

RVP Oatley is currently our top suburb. Absolutely love the parade there. We found a beautiful place in Penshurst too (though obviously less lovely suburb than Oatley) but I doubt we can get finance in time for the auction. Still debating the Shire too.

iheart manly looks too far for us as DH works in Botany Bay. I've just had the hospital confirm today that I can get in. Going to the Prince of Wales. Good luck for you too!

Thanks echt :o

Noooo you can't go to The Shire!! Have you not seen the tv show about it? Have you ever seen TOWIE from the UK? It's the same place - lots of over-orange "beautiful" wannabes.

Thanks echt, and you too Comrade - hoping that everything goes well but a bit fretful at the moment.

Thumbwitch I'm not a live abroader - but spotted your walking SPD problem - I am in the same boat and bounce on a birthing ball a lot. This was recommended to me by my specialist women's health physiotherapist. The ball gives great support to your pelvis and the bouncing does the same job the walking would do to encourage baby into right position. HTH

Thanks Jenner! :)

Welcome to Sydney comradejing Glad you've managed to get into a hospital

Good luck for Monday thumb At least you'll get baby out before the weather gets too hot unlike me who will have swollen to hippo like proportions before April Immersing swollen feet in a bucket of icy water is great, although it's only a temporary solution

Bunny congratulations! I didn't realised you were pregnant, what happy news . Hope you are keeping well.

Comrade & Thumb - I promise you that The Shire is nothing like that God Awful tv show (which I think has been axed??). The only wannabes I have ever encountered were in Redfern....land of the young....fashionistas as far as the eye can see....

Only downside with Oatley is no lift in the train station, but that is going to be addressed at some point. Enjoy househunting!

rvp if by keeping well you mean vomiting regularly, then yep I've never been better Thanks for the congrats!

Didn't they have to ship some of the "cast" of the Shire in from out West? I'm sure I heard somewhere that it transpired that some of them were from Mount Druitt cos they couldn't find enough of the right type of participant in the Shire.

Bunny hope that eases up for you LONG before April!!

Yes I heard that too about the cast, they were "working" not living in or local to the Shire at all. Definitely not a true representation of the place

Oh that's hilarious - love it! couldn't find enough stereotypical people in the right place, so brought some in from somewhere else - Westies, at that!

I apologise to the Shire. :)

Sorry to hear you have the vomming thing going on, Bunny.

Hope it rains very very soon - we nearly got caught up in a bush fire today - garden full of smoke and ash, DH on the roof clearing off all the dead leaves and needles, and hosing everything in sight. It appears we're off the hook for tonight but just reminds me how vulnerable we are here. Bloody 35 deg, high winds and dry as dust weather!

Welcome to Sydney! I also, strangely enough, live in Oatley (anyone with kids at OWPS?)

A lovely park near you is Rushcutters bay. You can get a bus or walk down from Edgecliff or Kings Cross train stations. It has a fenced toddler play area, prety views of water and yachts, and a casual cafe/kiosk. A little further east of there is Redleaf Pool which has a swimming area and Woollhara library with a nice kids' area.

Slightly west of the city is Pyrmont and there is a park with water play areas and sandpits.