The big move

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surfnli
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Post by surfnli » Mon Jun 28, 2004 5:39 pm

i'd say you wanna be living south somewhere. manly and queenscliff are pretty miserable as far as waves go, until bower works. obviously you can get to the better beaches further north easily but there's always traffic, both on land and sea. to generalize the north does alot better on NE swell, which don't come all that often. plus you're a commute from the cbd.

now somewhere on the south side is your best bet i reckon. bondi is better than manly in terms of waves--it sucks crowdwise and the wave quality isn't hot but it's consistent at least. i like the manly area better--bondi is too cheesy and touristy and run down. tama/bronte/bra are all good options close to home. short drive to cronulla brings you to great reefs and beachies. little bit further drive and you got garie and the stretch between there and wollongong (and hey further past that if you like driving). now we're talking goods--reefs, points, and beachies with crowds that will have you laughing watching a city sesh. i say south, somewhere close to the coast gets you the best of everything.

channels
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Post by channels » Mon Jun 28, 2004 5:39 pm

I know what you mean Spikey Steve about the crowds being nothing compared to the Point. Did a 5 week stint in Sydney, had to live in the city, in January and ventured to Manly on a Saturday morning expecting carnage in the water. Whilst it was fairly flat, the banks were still great and rides were heaps longer than you would get in Perth in summer. Is the South Coast comparable to out Margaret River region?

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baldric
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Post by baldric » Mon Jun 28, 2004 5:51 pm

Robbo_A wrote:dont get me started on the shire
we like to refer to it as "the bubble" :lol: :lol:

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Post by zzz » Mon Jun 28, 2004 6:00 pm

surfnli wrote:i'd say you wanna be living south somewhere. manly and queenscliff are pretty miserable as far as waves go, until bower works. obviously you can get to the better beaches further north easily but there's always traffic, both on land and sea. to generalize the north does alot better on NE swell, which don't come all that often.

plus you're a commute from the cbd.

now somewhere on the south side is your best bet i reckon. bondi is better than manly in terms of waves--it sucks crowdwise and the wave quality isn't hot but it's consistent at least. i like the manly area better--bondi is too cheesy and touristy and run down. tama/bronte/bra are all good options close to home. short drive to cronulla brings you to great reefs and beachies. little bit further drive and you got garie and the stretch between there and wollongong (and hey further past that if you like driving). now we're talking goods--reefs, points, and beachies with crowds that will have you laughing watching a city sesh. i say south, somewhere close to the coast gets you the best of everything.
surfnli - you've been unlucky this year with the northern beaches - its been one of the worst I can remember. Normally the bower would have been working on pretty much a weekly basis for the last couple of months and ditto for Nth Steyne/Queenscliff.

That being said - I can't argue with the national park -> wollongong stretch being one of the best stretches of surf and less crowded - but if you're working in and living near the city its quite a hike for an after work/before work surf
(i.e. weekends only really).
"Stay happy and everything will be perfectly all right"... Jack Norris

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Re: The big move

Post by WANDERER » Mon Jun 28, 2004 6:03 pm

SORRY IN ADVANCE FOR POSTING A HUGE POST I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF.

Bloody bastards! you make it sound so awesome! I would have been living Queensie / Manly by now but girlfriends father died a year ago yesterday and I've been living with my girlfriend and her mum at north ryde ever since, not that its too bad, me and my girl don't pay rent we just pay for the weekly shopping and I do the blokey stuff like Mow the lawn, tend the gardens and change lite bulbs (my girl and her mum are both 5 foot nuthin) all up it would cost me about $45 a week rent and i get to live in a big house with a backyard and dog and outdoor entertaining area (12 minutes from the city). My main gripe is that I have to wait for the old lady to go to bingo to fire up the turntables! (luckily she's a bingo fiend that plays 3-4 times a week)

I still get to surf before work, I just have to leave home at 5.30 am and in summer I can surf afterwork as well, just have to diligently monitor the buoys and conditions so that I make the drive at a worthwhile time.
clay wrote:Due to a possible transfer with work, might have to do the big move from the west coast to work in Sydney. Having only been there a few times and surfs in Sydney limited to Manly & Bondi, wondering where the best place to live is where I don't have to pay phenomenal rent.
The others are spot on, Manly to queensie is the place to be if you're a keen surfer. Bondi - coogee is pretty expensive, more crowded and its the full concrete jungle as well as the waves being less consistent.

if you plan on buying a car you can find cheaper rent about a 1km back from the beach, it'll be quieter and safer (manly has a solid crime record) and it'll only be a minutes drive to the beach.

ask your employer to take into account not just the big move but also the extra rent involved, they obviously want you so maybe you'll have some bargaining power.

SORRY FOR POSTING A BOOK STUEY!

channels
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Post by channels » Tue Jun 29, 2004 1:01 pm

Thanks for the detailed feedback guys. Makes the decision making process a lot easier.

damon

Post by damon » Tue Jun 29, 2004 1:46 pm

I grew up in Perth too. I have lived here for about 20 years, on the hill at Manly for two years or in Bondi and now Bronte.

You have to get the "got to go down south/Rotto for a decent wave" idea out of your head first. Sydney gets 4-6ft surf all of the time and 5-10 8-10ft swells a year. In the 60 km stretch between Cronulla (Sth) and Barrenjoey head (nth) there are 50 or so surfable waves. 10 of which are all time on their day.

If you want to have a lifestyle that is very different to living in Perth I recommend you go East. Apart from the beaches consider darlinghurst etc. I am biased to Bondi/Tama/Bronte not because the waves are sensational. They are on occassion but they are consistent. And when its really on you can go somewhere else, nth or sth for an hour or so in the car and get the best action for the day.

Sounds like your career is taking of. I recommend you focus on it and are easy access to this (ie $15 by cab in 10 minutes to CBD from bondi). Mid-week surfs in the B/T/B area and all over exploration for the weekends.

Besides you will have a much more varied and interesting lifestyle when you can easily access all the city, harbour and beaches have to offer in one day or long night!

Chow

D

channels
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Post by channels » Tue Jun 29, 2004 6:11 pm

Last question I need answered. I have been looking around on the various websites for rentals and obviously have my limits. Is there generally a bit of negotiation room in the prices like there is in other cities ie Perth & Melbourne? Or is there such demand that its a landlords market?

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Post by filthbarrel » Tue Jun 29, 2004 6:22 pm

Mate, stay in the West - dont move to the zoo. South WA is truly the great surfing country. Sydney is a madhouse -Rotto, Margarets and the joy of a Bussleton stinger wrapping round your cods on an offshore summer's day -you wont get that here. I would seriously think about what you are giving up and what you will gain.

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Post by baldric » Tue Jun 29, 2004 6:39 pm

clay...know I was a bit flippant before, but seriously it sounds like ya aren't comin' ta Sydney for a reco before ya accept the job....big mistake!!

Tell ya company that ya need ta get ya arse on a plane to see what ya gettin' into...about 2-3 weeks should get ya a real good feel for true increase of ya cost of livin'...I'll lay London ta a brick it'll be a heap more than ya expect once ya take inta account food, electricity, transport, entertainment, etc....

Make sure ya come over and check it out before ya accept...if they really want ya they'll pay ya what ya need....

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Post by zzz » Tue Jun 29, 2004 7:03 pm

Baldies suggestion is pretty good - a reccy trip is the least they could do.

Also make sure they're paying you enough - salaries in Sydney are a fair bit higher than other parts of Australia and thats partly because of the increased cost of living. If you haven't negotiated a good pay rise as part of the transfer I'd be hitting them up for one. (i.e. go at least 10K on top of what you're getting now 'cos you've got nothing to lose by asking for it and most companies can afford another 10K on a salary).

Best way to get good rent is to be here - you'll get access to the local papers (on the Northern Beaches The Manly Daily is the only place to look for rentals or to buy and not all rentals end up on the web). Also when you look at a place you'll be able to guage the level of interest and negotiate the rent if there aren't many people looking at it.

Not sure what the rental market is like lately around here but there's always a fair bit of demand for good places at the right price.
"Stay happy and everything will be perfectly all right"... Jack Norris

channels
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Post by channels » Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:08 pm

Cheers for all the advice guys. The big move is now on and I'll be over on that side of the country in the first week of September. Northern Beaches is the go for living. Looking forward to having a bash at Dee Why Point, the Bower or Queenscliff Bombie on the first decent swell.

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bumbaclot
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Post by bumbaclot » Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:18 pm

farkin schweet as.....keep an eye out fer a 100kilo yob in a green neon wettie, with pink go faster stripes.......dat'll be Bladers..hehehehehe....

drop us a PM if yas keen fer a wave matey and we'll hook up....alternatively we can berate each other senseless and ya can post it fer all and sundry ta see....hehehhehe onyas FR....
I've got two bad habits, smoking and masturbation.
I'm a twenty a day man and I smoke like a farkin chimney.

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BA
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Post by BA » Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:25 pm

Clay drop me a PM if you want. I'm in the rentals game in the area so I can probably help ya out.

channels
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Post by channels » Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:26 pm

I'll have to make an appearance at the barbie now. Just have to find Shelley Beach now :)

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Post by WANDERER » Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:26 pm

BA wrote:Clay drop me a PM if you want. I'm in the rentals game in the area so I can probably help ya out.
help translates to profiteer hehehe :lol:

channels
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Post by channels » Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:28 pm

Cheers for the offer BA, I'll do that in a couple of weeks when I get over there.

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bumbaclot
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Post by bumbaclot » Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:28 pm

far south end o'Manly mate and you is there...right next ta Bower....great little spot!
I've got two bad habits, smoking and masturbation.
I'm a twenty a day man and I smoke like a farkin chimney.

"Stay happy and you'll be perfectly fine"... Jack Norris

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