# Moving to Sydney - Chatswood area



## mpuneet (Jan 26, 2011)

Hello,

I got a job offer in Sydney my office will be in North Sydney on Pacific Highway.

Just wanted to know the following to help me plan for the move to Sydney:-

- I found that Chatswood is very close to the office, Any info on how is the area or any nearby good locations for family living(Hotel/B&B/Apartment)

- My Salary will be little more than 100K + Super, will it be enough for 2 Adults and one kid (6 years old)

- Weather in Sydney in July (need to carry woolens ?)

I have 175 Skilled - Independent Visa (PR) and have already completed the initial entry.

I am excited above the move and looking forward to make new friends and start the next phase of life in Australia next month, but at the same time have few questions such as accomodation and how fast I will be able to get a good place to live, lifestyle, estimated expenses in Sydney, What are the options for the Schools formy son who would go into 1st Grade.
Also while moving, if any suggestions on some good shipping company that is not very expense and I can move the basic stuff (essentially 3-4 suitebases/boxes with essential stuff to start living) and build on it after moving.

Any help on above questions is highly appreciated.


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

hi puneet

welcome to the forum

to start with the shipping, try indian post or unaccompanied baggage, the cost for India post is about 250/kg, they take approximately 10-15 days to deliver, the only hassle is you have to go ot the post office to drop the box but they home deliver it, each box has to be less than 25 kilo.

unaccompanied baggage costs about 200/kg for 45-99 kgs plus handling charges, about 3000 INR. you have to deliver teh boxes at the airport and they have to be picked from the airport. they need your ticket copy, passport copy, visa copy.

Weather in July will be cold, yes you do need woolens, not very heavy woolens but moderate ones will do. check Weather forecast - Australia and world weather - live BoM radar right now it is 10/18 degree C.

suggest searching the forum for the rest of the things, these have been discussed int eh past a lot of times, you might get something interesting.

also, i have a thread http://www.expatforum.com/expats/au...iving-australia/70151-preparation-so-far.html i am moving in June (15th to be precise), i have jotted down a lot of things for Indian standards.

Hope this helps

Cheers


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

About the area:
It's a CBD of the North Shore and a major train stop on the North Shore line. It has a large Chinese Asian population and many apartments that cater to renters. Your salary is sufficient for comfortable living in the area. 

It has a good shopping centre and movie theaters. It's a very good suburb to start out in and over time as you become familiar with Sydney you may wish to move out a bit more or more residential. However it has a really good convenience factor that is hard to replicate in many suburbs, so you could just end up staying there because of that.


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## mpuneet (Jan 26, 2011)

Thanks to both of you for the information provided. 
Any info on near by schools ?

amaslam : You mentioned "*move out a bit more or more residential*." Do you mean to say that Chatswood is not very residential in comparision to other nearby areas ? I am actually looking to move to a good residential locality thats comfortable for us (me, myself and our 6 year old son) and a 2 Bedroom Apt can be rented in approx AUD500 a week or so. Any suggestions on another suburb that is safe, convinent, well connected with CBD via train/bus and I can get the apt in my budget as well ?

Thanks again.


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## jeremyh (Mar 31, 2011)

*moving Sydney*

Chatswood is a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney. Chatswood is located 10 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Willoughby. Chatswood West is a separate suburb. 

It is a commercial district of north Sydney. Many companies are also situated here. So i think it will be difficult to find the house at a reasonable rate. If you would be coming alone then it will be possible for you to live here.

Chatswood is a major bus terminus with services to Bondi Junction, Sydney, North Sydney, Mosman, Balmoral Beach, Manly, Warringah Mall/Brookvale, UTS Ku-ring-gai, Belrose, Narrabeen, Mona Vale, Eastwood, Gladesville, West Ryde, North Ryde, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, Parramatta and Dundas. An interstate bus service between Sydney and Brisbane via the North Coast stops at Chatswood. Major roads through Chatswood include the Pacific Highway, Mowbray Road, Boundary Street, Willoughby Road and Eastern Valley Way and Victoria Avenue.The latter forms a pedestrian mall for the section running through the main retail arealane:


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## dunsford5678 (Mar 30, 2010)

mpuneet said:


> Thanks to both of you for the information provided.
> Any info on near by schools ?
> 
> amaslam : You mentioned "*move out a bit more or more residential*." Do you mean to say that Chatswood is not very residential in comparision to other nearby areas ? I am actually looking to move to a good residential locality thats comfortable for us (me, myself and our 6 year old son) and a 2 Bedroom Apt can be rented in approx AUD500 a week or so. Any suggestions on another suburb that is safe, convinent, well connected with CBD via train/bus and I can get the apt in my budget as well ?
> ...


I think what amaslam means is to a lower density area, ie houses rather than apartments. Chatswood has a mix of houses and apartments, many other nearby suburbs have almost exclusively detached houses. It is still a residential and commerical (shopping) area, and a very nice place and a good choice to get started.


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Yes, Chatswood is a very busy suburb so by more residential I mean houses and few shops and quieter. Chatswood has nice streets but the house prices are high.



dunsford5678 said:


> I think what amaslam means is to a lower density area, ie houses rather than apartments. Chatswood has a mix of houses and apartments, many other nearby suburbs have almost exclusively detached houses. It is still a residential and commerical (shopping) area, and a very nice place and a good choice to get started.


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## ram (Apr 26, 2009)

Hi 

I have been living in chatswood from last 7 months. Moved from India. I find it quite Good

Positives-
1) If u r going to work in Chatswood, u will save lot of time which otherwise will waste in commuting.
2) Nice shopping area, good place if u like to live in city kind of envirnment
3) near to main city 

Negative side is- 
1) It is very expansive - 2 bedroom apartment-600/week.
2) Things of daily use are also expansive.
3) hard to find rental accomudation


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## mpuneet (Jan 26, 2011)

Thank you all for the suggestions and inputs. These have been very helpful.
I did some research on the internet after goign thru some other threads on forum.
What I found is:

Areas like *Artarmon, Lane Cove, Chatswood, Killara, Gordon *could be very good options to live if I am working in North Sydney.

The rentals for a decent 2 bedroom/2 bath appt/unit/Townhouse would be between 500-600 AUD per week.

Commute to work will be <30 minutes by public transport or by own Car.

Options for Primary Schools what I found so far is Chatswood Public School. 

Need some help in finding other primary schools that are good and are nearby shich I can consider ?
Also, any pointers to how do I find a short term rental for upto 2 weeks which is reasonably priced to start out from while I search for a appt to move in ?

Any suggestions/comments on above is appreciated and will help in firming up the plan.

Thanks.


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## jeremyh (Mar 31, 2011)

*cheap places in Australia*



mpuneet said:


> Thank you all for the suggestions and inputs. These have been very helpful.
> I did some research on the internet after goign thru some other threads on forum.
> What I found is:
> 
> ...


Hi Puneet,

Before you make up your mind i would like to tell you that there are some places between Acacia Ridge & Gold Coast which will be suitable for you. Just check those out as well. The fair is also reasonable there.lane:


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## mpuneet (Jan 26, 2011)

jeremyh said:


> Hi Puneet,
> 
> Before you make up your mind i would like to tell you that there are some places between Acacia Ridge & Gold Coast which will be suitable for you. Just check those out as well. The fair is also reasonable there.lane:


Hi
Acacia Ridge & Gold Coast are too far from Sydney. I will be working in Sydney CBD on the north side hence need to look for accomodation nearer to that.

Thanks.


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## LuckyLee (Oct 28, 2010)

Hi MPuneet,

could you please tell us ur profession, and the way you got the offer before landing?

Regards


mpuneet said:


> Hi
> Acacia Ridge & Gold Coast are too far from Sydney. I will be working in Sydney CBD on the north side hence need to look for accomodation nearer to that.
> 
> Thanks.


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## armandra (Nov 27, 2009)

And I'd say you can even check out North Ryde, since it is known as a leafy, calm and very much residential suburb. It is 15 kms north-west of CBD and moreover, it has a train station with direct connectivity to CBD. Not sure about the school scene, though.

armandra!


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## mpuneet (Jan 26, 2011)

LuckyLee said:


> Hi MPuneet,
> 
> could you please tell us ur profession, and the way you got the offer before landing?
> 
> Regards


I am a Finance (Card and Payments business in particular) IT Professional with over 15 years of international experience acorss the globe. The company I am going to work with is also a global company that has presence in over 50 countries around the globe and I did work with that company long ago in UK and the US. Hope this explains.


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## mpuneet (Jan 26, 2011)

armandra said:


> And I'd say you can even check out North Ryde, since it is known as a leafy, calm and very much residential suburb. It is 15 kms north-west of CBD and moreover, it has a train station with direct connectivity to CBD. Not sure about the school scene, though.
> 
> armandra!


I agree, Actually I stayed at North Ryde during Christmas of 2010 for couple of weeks. Really liked the place. My only concern is that it would take atleast 45 mins from there to work by train (door to door) and most likely same time by Car. I was trying to reduce that time to under 30 minutes commute to work each side. This is for atleast first 6 months till my son and wife settles down in the city and my wife becomes little independent. Moreover under 30 minutes travel will help me spend more time with family at home.


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## Saint Toppy (Dec 8, 2011)

I've just been offered a job in Chatswood. I'm coming over on a 457 VISA and the company have said they will put us up in a serviced apartment for the first 4 weeks somewhere in the Chatswood area.
My wife has heard several negative comments about Chatswood and is now having second thoughts about us going. She will be at home during the day while i'm at work so is Chatswood a safe are to go out in both day & night ?

Also, what is the traffic like in the area as we were going to get a small car to use to get around and look at other areas ?


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## Alan H (Nov 9, 2011)

Saint Toppy said:


> I've just been offered a job in Chatswood. I'm coming over on a 457 VISA and the company have said they will put us up in a serviced apartment for the first 4 weeks somewhere in the Chatswood area.
> My wife has heard several negative comments about Chatswood and is now having second thoughts about us going. She will be at home during the day while i'm at work so is Chatswood a safe are to go out in both day & night ?
> 
> Also, what is the traffic like in the area as we were going to get a small car to use to get around and look at other areas ?


I lived in chatswood for 2 years in a very similiar situation to you and loved it, I also worked in the chatswood area so commute was a piece of cake.
I liked it because it's right beside the train station so easy to get to different places like the Sydney cbd.

Also If you have a car it's not all that far from some nice beaches.

Yes very safe area I would walk and be out at all times of night and not have a problem at all. I think it is safe.

I think traffic is reasonable in that area. Gets busy duri commute times but is fine during other times.

When I was there there was a lot of construction going on but they have probably finished that by now.


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## smartypants (Sep 22, 2011)

Saint Toppy said:


> I've just been offered a job in Chatswood. I'm coming over on a 457 VISA and the company have said they will put us up in a serviced apartment for the first 4 weeks somewhere in the Chatswood area.
> My wife has heard several negative comments about Chatswood and is now having second thoughts about us going. She will be at home during the day while i'm at work so is Chatswood a safe are to go out in both day & night ?
> 
> Also, what is the traffic like in the area as we were going to get a small car to use to get around and look at other areas ?


We'll be in a similar situation when we come over in Jan. I'll be working in North Sydney and we'll be living in suburbs in and around there including Chatswood. I've heard it's a safe area - that was my primary concern too. Along with how bad the roach problem was in the intended area - that one we'll know only once we get there.

Traffic is bad all over Sydney, I've heard. I'm planning to do without a car in the initial days. Also, running a car is super-expensive in Australia - registration is $600 a year (compare that with $80 a year here in California) and insurance is equally more expensive! Even a driving license is around $75 a year on average though that's unavoidable (it's free here in the US). Trains, buses and ferries should work for getting around, I'm hoping.


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## Alan H (Nov 9, 2011)

smartypants said:


> We'll be in a similar situation when we come over in Jan. I'll be working in North Sydney and we'll be living in suburbs in and around there including Chatswood. I've heard it's a safe area - that was my primary concern too. Along with how bad the roach problem was in the intended area - that one we'll know only once we get there.
> 
> Traffic is bad all over Sydney, I've heard. I'm planning to do without a car in the initial days. Also, running a car is super-expensive in Australia - registration is $600 a year (compare that with $80 a year here in California) and insurance is equally more expensive! Even a driving license is around $75 a year on average though that's unavoidable (it's free here in the US). Trains, buses and ferries should work for getting around, I'm hoping.


I maybe saw 5 roaches at most while being in chatswood for 2 years, and most of them were already dead. Having a direct train into the city from chatswood was awesome and definitely a plus.


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## smartypants (Sep 22, 2011)

Alan H said:


> I maybe saw 5 roaches at most while being in chatswood for 2 years, and most of them were already dead.


Good to know!



> Having a direct train into the city from chatswood was awesome and definitely a plus.


You bet! With no car, we'll be looking for places close to the train. The best part about trains - no traffic! So it's as fast as you can go really.


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