Warringah or Leichhardt? Any experience to share?

[treacletart]

My lovely brother and family who've been in Melbourne for a year are not coming back to Britain after all but moving to Sydney instead. Hammersmith or Sydney not really a tough call is it? But they're having a togher time pinpointing a district. They've wittled it down to Warringah or Leichhardt and it sounds like a city/rural debate really. But i wondered if any Oz Mners had any thoughts to share on family life in either of these districts?

I live in the leichhardt district in Rozelle and am loving it! Don't know Warringah but can ask around if that helps. Leichardt itself is great. Pretty houses, shopping centre, Norton st - the italian area with fab shops and restuarants. So close to the city too.

I live in the leichhardt district in Rozelle and am loving it! Don't know Warringah but can ask around if that helps. Leichardt itself is great. Pretty houses, shopping centre, Norton st - the italian area with fab shops and restuarants. So close to the city too.

double blimmin post - apologies

Cheers Brightongirl! - from your name I reckon my brother and I share your hometown too! Any specifically family friendly or otherwise data I can pass on? - is there much for kids that a nonlocal might not pick up on immediately?

Hi TT will get back to you. Had the night from hell with DD's molars..

Poor little E - we are cutting first teeth here too and it looks like no fun at all.

Leichhardt is great, but the one drawback is that it is directly under the flight path so parts of it are quite noisy.

Warringah is not rural - it does have the advantages of lots of surf beaches (Manly, Queenscliff etc are all within Warringah council boundaries, IIRC). There is a gigantic shopping mall there too, but it is harder to get to the city proper.

Your brother will get more for his money in Warringah than Leichhardt, so it really depends what he wants. For example, he is much more likely to get a reasonably sized back garden and possibly a pool in Warringah. Leichhardt is inner city, Warringah much more suburban. How old are the kids [question mark - have spilt water on computer and buggered question mark and apostrophe keys]

Cheers girls and my dd's teething too!

My niece and nephew are 8 and 4 9dragons - having spent most of their family life innercity in Hammersmith I think they're all really enjoying just being outside so much.

My cousins grew up on the Northern Beaches, and it is an unbelievably pleasant lifestyle. Home and Away is filmed on Palm Beach, where my cousins lived, so they would have surf lifesaving, bushwalking, sailing and a much more outdoorsy lifestyle.

Depends what your brother is after, though. I grew up in the city (not far from Leichhardt, actually), and all those urban amenities are brilliant.

Warringah is a big area which contains a lot of different suburbs all with a different feel, so I guess he'd have to narrow it down a bit more.

We're fairly close, and we'll probably move closer to the beaches when we buy. There is no doubt that it's a great family lifestyle if you want outdoors stuff and space. My eldest can choose surfing or "beach boot camp" as high school sport options in the Summer. The compromise is you don't get the urban facilities and the cute restaurants and delis on your doorstep. You also have to resign yourself to buses or joining the great traffic gridlock that is rush hour Sydney if you work in the CBD (which is why we're currently nearer the train line).

The whole "Northern Beaches" thing is very seductive though and with kids I personally don't think you can beat it; it's a great place to grow up (good schools too).

Well after all that they've plumped for ...

.... Annandale!