Sydney
Living in Sydney
Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and is Australia’s largest city. It has a population of around 4.5 million and is located on the coast of Australia’s south east. It is Australia’s most internationally recognised city, so much so that many people believe it is Australia’s capital. It isn’t. But it is Australia’s financial centre.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2010 Liveability Survey, Sydney is the seventh most liveable city in the world. It is easy to see why.
Sitting on the Parramatta River, the city boasts a stunning harbour complete with Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, two of the main tourist attractions in the area. The harbour itself offers ferries that run like buses. It’s a great way to explore the place.
About 5 km from the city centre, on the east side, is Bondi Beach, one of Australia’s most famous beaches. A little further away, Sydney also has Coogee Beach, another favourite with the locals. Both are beautiful, I can’t tell much difference between the two.
Another favourite beach, this one on the north side of Sydney which can be easily accessed with a short ferry ride, is Manly. So, three great beaches and we haven’t left the city. For those who want to jump in the car for an hour, there are even more options. Palm Beach where golden sand meets lush evergreen bushland and The Entrance where the magnificent Tuggerah Lake meets the Pacific Ocean. Both are to the north of Sydney.
Sydney also offers galleries and arts, cafes and restaurants, festivals and theatre as well as some great national parks and, to the west, The Blue Mountains with its Eucalyptus trees and breathtaking gorges.
What’s the weather like?
Sydney has, on average, between six and seven hours of sunshine each day. Summers can get very hot and dry and winters are mild.
Occasionally, the temperature can swing wildly. One day it could be over 30°C but the next as low as 16°C.
Possible severe weather around the Sydney area could include thunderstorms, large hailstones, gale force winds and apparently, rarely, the odd tornado. Bushfires have been known in the area.
Sydney, for me anyway, is a “love it or loathe it” kind of place. I have to be honest, it isn’t where I would want to live. Just a bit too busy and crowded, two of the reasons I left England. Sydney is also the most expensive place in Australia for housing.
But that’s just me. Many people absolutely love Sydney; they love the crowds, the action and the bustle of the business centre. There is always something happening in Sydney.
Sydney can be broken down into five main areas:
- Inner Sydney – including City and Inner West
- North Sydney – including Northern Suburbs, North Shore, Northern Beaches, Hills District and Forest District
- South Sydney – including St George, Sutherlandshire District and Macarthur
- East Sydney – including Eastern Suburbs and South-Eastern Sydney
- West Sydney – including Cantebury-Bankstown, Greater Western Sydney and South Western Sydney
The Districts of Sydney:
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
hey i wanted to know which place in the australia is better as overall to get work and pr
It depends what you do, best way to find out is to check out my page called Getting a Job or a Sponsorship and doing some searches using the links to Australia’s top employment agencies. Good luck!
We are looking at the area of Newcastle as hubby has a job offer which means we need to be based around here he was over there last week and had a snap shot of ellebana fern bay etc which would be ideal….. Have you any info on this area ?
I’ve only ever driven through the area, so I can’t help. Maybe somebody else can? I do know that the area has a fantastic stretch of coastline.
Hello everyone , love bobs site he has good sense of humour with lots of info, we are a family with 3 daughters , 13, 10, 9 yrs old, wife is medical hospital doctor, myself plumbing, heating & airconditioning engineer. both have over 20 years experience , kids play lots of tennis. looking for warm weather and have a good work ethic,
Australia is a big place, we currently living in the suburbs outside london uk
Any city to recommend to us…?
i forgot to mention, i do turn up at your property when i get called out”..
Well, I’d say if you want warm weather then go to either Perth, Brisbane or somewhere on either the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast.
My choice would be Brisbane though, because that WAS my choice. There is an interesting discussion about Australia’s cities going on over at a post about Australia’s best cities. Click on And the Best City in Australia to Live in Is… to read it and be sure to check out all the comments.
I hope, wherever you choose, you get to like it.
Great , thanks for your advice Bob, all the best . Lawrence samways.