Living in Sydney Australia: an expat guide
What to expect when moving to Sydney
The climate is part of the pleasure. Summer is hot with rain mostly at night and the winters, although brisk, are usually blessed with deep blue sunny skies. The sun here is strong. Hats and sunscreen are essential for kids. If you yearn for snow, in July and August you can be on the slopes in six hours by car.
Where to live in Sydney
Finding a place to live is relatively easy. Most properties have specific open times (usually Saturday morning) but you can make appointments directly. The agents can be lazy in returning calls, so you need to be a bit proactive and if you find something great, take it, as they don’t last long. Rents are sometimes negotiable (particularly, if you offer three to six months upfront).
The most popular locations are the Eastern Suburbs and the North Shore (a bit quieter so you’ll find lots of families with young children). If you can afford to be on the water, do, as you will see the best of what Sydney has to offer: the Bridge, the Opera House, the boats bobbing, the twilight yacht races, and the fireworks.
If you don’t get the view, hire a boat, take a boat tour or just hop on a ferry. It is the best way to get your bearings and soak up the good life. If you are lucky enough to meet a new friend with a boat, be especially nice to them!
Sydney can be great fun. The locals are very proud of their city and once they know you love it too (and are here to stay) they are very welcoming.
Getting started in Sydney
Rental agencies have contracted plumbers, electricians, and maintenance men they use on their properties. You may have to chase them a few times but work is generally reliable. Be careful booking your own as the rental agency may not agree to cover the costs.
Babysitters and cleaners
Domestic help is not a given, like in other expat destinations. Most people have a cleaner once a week, but housekeepers are usually restricted to those with big houses and large wallets. Prices are pretty comparative with Europe.
Agencies can find you domestic staff — you will pay a bit of a chunky finder’s fee but they do the legwork for you. Your best bet is to ask locally to ensure someone trustworthy and if looking just for a babysitter, then try asking neighbours if they have older kids — which means no driving them home, a parent nearby in case of a drama, and far cheaper than an agency.
Day-to-day living in Sydney
Transport is pretty good — Sydney has an extensive public transport system of buses, trains, metro rail, light rail, and ferries. Ferries are quite a fabulous way to travel and liven up the morning commute (although it can get bumpy on windy days). For a day trip take the ferry across to Manly and feel like you have had a mini holiday only 30 minutes from home.
Trains are pretty fast and efficient within metro areas, and buses are punctual and clean; taxis are less pricey than in London or New York but many drivers don’t know where they are going.
If you love walking there’s the coastal walk from Bondi to Bronte Beach (all lean bodies and ocean views). Centennial Park is popular with mothers pushing prams, joggers, and people walking their dogs. The annual City to Surf walk/run in August is a fabulous 14km run from William Street in the city to Bondi — thousands of Sydney-siders join in and there is a real carnival atmosphere.
Grocery shopping
Shopping is easy and there is plenty of choice. Probably because it’s so humid in Sydney, everyone is relaxed and casually dressed. If you are looking for the whole ‘mall’ experience Westfield is where to head (the Bondi Junction store covers all bases, from shoes to groceries and toys).
The main big supermarkets are Woolworths and Coles — for a small per-bag charge they will home deliver to your door to save you lugging bags to the car and you can also order online. The quality of produce is great and the village notion of butcher, baker, and greengrocer is still alive and well. For great food and a fun morning out visit the Fish Market (in Pyrmont) — with its cheap flowers, huge vegetables and oysters the size of your fist.
Meeting new people
Socially, Sydney can be great fun. The locals are friendly, but you may find foreigners stick together out of comfort or laziness. But remember Sydney is a very transient city, so friends will come and go. The locals are very proud of their city and once they know you love it too (and are here to stay) they are very welcoming. Life revolves around the outdoors and eating out. Be warned the sexual divide is still fairly strong — it’s not unusual at a BBQ for all the girls to be huddled together chatting and all the boys drinking beer and discussing the footy.
Classes and activities
If you are looking to learn new things and meet new people, there are plenty of courses from cooking to creative writing to computer skills available. Sydney Community College and The University of Sydney both run day, evening, and weekend classes. If culture is your thing, try and get on a few art gallery mailing lists — they hold regular openings with free wine and fun people. The beautiful art gallery of New South Wales also holds workshops, courses, and lectures. They also organise entertainment for kids, from classes to live, interactive shows.
Children
It is a great city for kids and many friendships are forged through mother’s groups or schools (especially if you’re the type to raise your hand to help with fundraising events). Day-care and pre-school places can be hard to get but you can often be lucky mid-year when there is movement.
Entertaining children is easy. Try the fabulous Taronga Zoo, The Sydney Aquarium, Fox Studios (with a great indoor play area for rainy days ) or any of the many parks and beaches. If you need a break a lot of gyms have crèches.
The last word
The best of the city is outdoors, so if you’re feeling brave, climb the harbour bridge to get a bird’s eye view. Don’t just settle for Bondi Beach — Bronte, Balmoral, Neilson Park, and Palm Beach are a few other favourites. Take a picnic and watch a movie under the stars at the open-air cinema. Visit Chinatown at 11 am on a Sunday and queue up for a greedy Yum Cha brunch. Find a front-row seat for the fireworks on New Year's Eve. And then tell us that Sydney hasn’t seduced you too.
