Sydney (Australia) > Reviews > Living in Syndey

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
Family Friendly

Advantages:	Standard of living is excellent; the views of the harbour and bridge are superb .
Disadvantages:	It does get cool in the winter

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I managed to get my year's working visa for Sydney in Aug 98 and headed off there in Sept. First stop of course was Sydney amd I managed to meet up with family and friends who were also travelling.

First we stayed in Nomads hostel on George street, which at that time had recently been done up. Because of the people we met, we had a blast there. But then after two weeks, reality set in and we had to get jobs and find somewhere more permanent. We tried Bondi and all those areas but houses were old and run down. So we decided that as we were not going to be there that long, we would pay the higher rent and stay in the city.

We ended up in Darling Harbour in a two bed, two bath apartment, with security on the door and pool/gym in the basement and BBQ onthe roof. 15 minute walk into the city, across the road was the new harbourside centre, cabs always available (except when raining) as the hotels were across the road and the ferry service at the end of the street. During the summer, the ferry is the only way to travel.

For the backpacker, Sydney is a real haven and you can go without meeting many Australians. Hang out in Bondi and Coogee for all the regular haunts. But the city is where you will find the 24 hour bars and the detox sessions start at 6am on a friday & saturday.

During the summer there is the open air movie theatres - the one down by the harbour, shows older movies and even if you don't like the film, the view of the city is fabulous.

At work, you find that many offices have their own fridges which are openend on a friday afternoon and out come the beer and wine on the company, so you start the weekend off well. Nobody goes home to change, you go straight to the pub and then out to dinner afterwards.

Would recommend it to anybody for a holiday or a 6 month stint. But don't get caught there for toolong, s there are many other great places to go in Oz.