Cheapest most affordable places to live in Sydney
North of the bridge is expensive, so cut that all out now! - unless you go two hours North, and forget the beaches, Really forget them.
Rentals in the South west around East Hills or in the Rockdale area go from around au $400 to au $800 a week. (Still not cheap).
Parramatta to Penrith to the West has some really cheap places.
If you go past Pendle hill its even cheaper, but you get what you pay for. It becomes rougher.
Blacktown rentals for three bedroom houses are $300-$400 per week.
Places Like Kensington, Kingsford, Randwick and Maroubra are inexpensive and safe-ish. These are also close to a university These are about 20 minutes bus ride to Sydney central and for a bonus they arere close to the beach! Rooms go for $150 per week and three bedroom places$450.
Generally, sticking close to the universities and getting student places is cheapish.
Really, Really cheap is the St Mary's area. There are apartments to purchase at about $130,000 and
some houses for $200,000. Rentals for flats $120 and houses about $150. The commute is longer to Sydney - about 40 minutes by train.
Bankstown, Cabramatta and Redfern are all harder cheaper suburbs. Redfern is cheaper due to some crime. Even cheaper is further to Croyden and Burwood.
Later people - if you can lower your standards for a bit you will be able to survive your move to Sydney - especially if you are on a tight budget!!
If you are looking for a cheap place to stay, try looking here for a accommodation booking
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Good and bad places to live in Sydney, NSW
Been seeing some pretty inaccurate information about Sydney, so decided to put together some info about the different areas to live in Sydney, and their advantages and disadvantages.
Quick note, if you need to transfer money internationally. try these guys.
If you are on your way into Sydney and need some temporary accommodation just use booking.com, I found them to be the best of all the millions of sites out there.
Well off, rich areas are in the Eastern and Northern suburbs as are some of the Southern suburbs. The poorer areas are the further south west you go. Although there are some really nice areas.
The eastern suburbs, the coastal areas between the CBD and the beach, and on the CBD side of the bridge, are the most expensive. Anything on the water or near the water. Areas alongside the harbour, like Watsons Bay, Vaucluse, Double Bay, Elizabeth Bay, are especially expensive. These a beautiful places to live, but opnly of you have serious money. Renting 2 bedroom flats will here will get you a 5 bedroom house half an hour inland. Beach side Bondi is a bit over-rated for the price, though I have lived there and enjoyed it.
Lots of eclectic cafes, a good place to brunch on a Sunday.
In addition, areas like Bronte, Coogee Beach, Maroubra and the beach suburbs going south of Bondi, are nice places to live. Something to keep in mind though is that the rail/train service terminates at Bondi Junction. So if working in the CBD and wanting to take public transport (the sensible choice, because parking in the city is terrible and expensive), you would get a bus from the beachside suburbs and then the train from Bondi Junction. Your journey can become quite long for a short distance.
The Northern suburbs, especially between the Pacific Highway and the sea, are really nice. They are still very expensive as everyone wants to live close to the ocean. On the ocean side, Manly(very expensive) has good transport links (ferry, and buses as a back up in case fog closes down the ferry) but going North, through Dee Why and on up to Palm beach, if you have to commute from there, that means driving, and it is a seriously long haul from there, in the rush hour, to get to the CBD. You can take buses though and this will set you back an hours journey each way.
Straight North, areas like Turramurra and Warringal are expensive but bushy with trees and forest style compared to in closer to the city. On a direct line west from Turramurra, about 15 or 20km west, is Castle Hill which has good quality big houses. There are several areas around there that are really live-able but stay away from the train tracks. Lane Cove is great - picturesque and nice to walk in, especially for picnics down by the Lane Cove River. Well known for its fires though when the summer heat is simmering and the woods are dry as hell.
Going west from the city, the Parramatta Road is a horrible drive if you have to commute to the city each day. If you are living out that way, it's better to catch a train in. Strathfield is very nice, as is Burwood, and close to good schools, private and state.
Coming closer into the city, Dulwich Hill/parts of Canterbury, Lakemba tend to be where a lot of middle eastern families live. There is a large main mosque is in Lakemba. Marrickville is quite Chinese/Vietnamese.
To the south west of the city you have areas like Campbelltown, Liverpool, Cabramatta, and directly west of the city, far beyond Parramatta, you get to Penrith, and then to Emu Plains which is at the foot of the Blue Mountains. These areas have cheap smallish housing, but this is suburbia with a capital S. In summer these areas are seriously hot, as in 40 degrees C, schooling is very so so, - just dull and boring. And far from the sea. There are lots of really poor areas with 2 bedroom flats going for $300 a week. Things are not really great though in the cheaper areas for families.
On the south side, Cronulla has a great beach and very good train links into the city. Brighton is nice too. Coming back towards the city, I wouldn't live somewhere like Petersham or Alexandria though - small terrace houses and right underneath the flight path for Sydney airport.
Redfern is not such a good area to live. It has a large population of Aborigines and they can get fairly tanked up on the booze. I wouldn't as a lone woman, get off and walk from Redfern station at night. Likewise from central station. Inner city, they may both be, but not such a good walk to and from the city. They remind me of somewhere like Hulme in Manchester or Muirhouse here in Edinburgh.
Avoid Kings Cross and Darlinghurst. These are inner city but on the east side, and are the red light districts.
If you fancy the inner city on the east side, Paddington is a lovely area to live, though a bit pricey and not really value for money. Just up from Paddington, Woollahra is very nice - lots of good antique shops there. Both have good bus links into the city.
On the inner west side, good parts of town is Balmain. Great cafes, good transport links (ferry and bus) to town. If you fancy the ferry, my advice is to live down at the point, near the main terminus, and not on the west side near the Thamse street stop. The west side ferries don't always turn up. Going back towards the city, Rozelle is okay, but not as nice as Balmain - small rubbishy houses.
Pyrmont and Ultimo are quite towny and grey, basically converted or redeveloped factories. Ultimo flats were ok but didn't have good air flow an no nice parks nearby. Not a very nice walk into town.
Going away again, along Parramatta Road, Glebe is a nice place to live. Opposite Sydney University, so well situated if you want to study. Good cafes.
Right in the city, I always fancied living in The Rocks (the area underneath Sydney Harbour Bridge. Good night life but a bit hairy if walking home alone at night.
Some info I researched for you peeps. Have a good one
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
Quick note, if you need to transfer money internationally. try these guys.
If you are on your way into Sydney and need some temporary accommodation just use booking.com, I found them to be the best of all the millions of sites out there.
Well off, rich areas are in the Eastern and Northern suburbs as are some of the Southern suburbs. The poorer areas are the further south west you go. Although there are some really nice areas.
The eastern suburbs, the coastal areas between the CBD and the beach, and on the CBD side of the bridge, are the most expensive. Anything on the water or near the water. Areas alongside the harbour, like Watsons Bay, Vaucluse, Double Bay, Elizabeth Bay, are especially expensive. These a beautiful places to live, but opnly of you have serious money. Renting 2 bedroom flats will here will get you a 5 bedroom house half an hour inland. Beach side Bondi is a bit over-rated for the price, though I have lived there and enjoyed it.
Lots of eclectic cafes, a good place to brunch on a Sunday.
In addition, areas like Bronte, Coogee Beach, Maroubra and the beach suburbs going south of Bondi, are nice places to live. Something to keep in mind though is that the rail/train service terminates at Bondi Junction. So if working in the CBD and wanting to take public transport (the sensible choice, because parking in the city is terrible and expensive), you would get a bus from the beachside suburbs and then the train from Bondi Junction. Your journey can become quite long for a short distance.
The Northern suburbs, especially between the Pacific Highway and the sea, are really nice. They are still very expensive as everyone wants to live close to the ocean. On the ocean side, Manly(very expensive) has good transport links (ferry, and buses as a back up in case fog closes down the ferry) but going North, through Dee Why and on up to Palm beach, if you have to commute from there, that means driving, and it is a seriously long haul from there, in the rush hour, to get to the CBD. You can take buses though and this will set you back an hours journey each way.
St Ives,
is one of the best places to live in Sydney. I lived there for a while. I have often thought that we picked the best suburb in Sydney when we arrived. Read about my experience in St Ives here:- General tips about schools, trains and shops in St Ives, Sydney (Northern Suburbs)
- Living in St Ives, one of the best suburbs in Sydney for a family
- St Ives wives in Sydney - should one trust them? I think Not! (its a true funny story)
- Leeches in St Ives, Sydney - another true story with videos (did I say it was th best place to live in Australia?)
Straight North, areas like Turramurra and Warringal are expensive but bushy with trees and forest style compared to in closer to the city. On a direct line west from Turramurra, about 15 or 20km west, is Castle Hill which has good quality big houses. There are several areas around there that are really live-able but stay away from the train tracks. Lane Cove is great - picturesque and nice to walk in, especially for picnics down by the Lane Cove River. Well known for its fires though when the summer heat is simmering and the woods are dry as hell.
Going west from the city, the Parramatta Road is a horrible drive if you have to commute to the city each day. If you are living out that way, it's better to catch a train in. Strathfield is very nice, as is Burwood, and close to good schools, private and state.
Coming closer into the city, Dulwich Hill/parts of Canterbury, Lakemba tend to be where a lot of middle eastern families live. There is a large main mosque is in Lakemba. Marrickville is quite Chinese/Vietnamese.
To the south west of the city you have areas like Campbelltown, Liverpool, Cabramatta, and directly west of the city, far beyond Parramatta, you get to Penrith, and then to Emu Plains which is at the foot of the Blue Mountains. These areas have cheap smallish housing, but this is suburbia with a capital S. In summer these areas are seriously hot, as in 40 degrees C, schooling is very so so, - just dull and boring. And far from the sea. There are lots of really poor areas with 2 bedroom flats going for $300 a week. Things are not really great though in the cheaper areas for families.
On the south side, Cronulla has a great beach and very good train links into the city. Brighton is nice too. Coming back towards the city, I wouldn't live somewhere like Petersham or Alexandria though - small terrace houses and right underneath the flight path for Sydney airport.
Redfern is not such a good area to live. It has a large population of Aborigines and they can get fairly tanked up on the booze. I wouldn't as a lone woman, get off and walk from Redfern station at night. Likewise from central station. Inner city, they may both be, but not such a good walk to and from the city. They remind me of somewhere like Hulme in Manchester or Muirhouse here in Edinburgh.
Avoid Kings Cross and Darlinghurst. These are inner city but on the east side, and are the red light districts.
If you fancy the inner city on the east side, Paddington is a lovely area to live, though a bit pricey and not really value for money. Just up from Paddington, Woollahra is very nice - lots of good antique shops there. Both have good bus links into the city.
On the inner west side, good parts of town is Balmain. Great cafes, good transport links (ferry and bus) to town. If you fancy the ferry, my advice is to live down at the point, near the main terminus, and not on the west side near the Thamse street stop. The west side ferries don't always turn up. Going back towards the city, Rozelle is okay, but not as nice as Balmain - small rubbishy houses.
Pyrmont and Ultimo are quite towny and grey, basically converted or redeveloped factories. Ultimo flats were ok but didn't have good air flow an no nice parks nearby. Not a very nice walk into town.
Going away again, along Parramatta Road, Glebe is a nice place to live. Opposite Sydney University, so well situated if you want to study. Good cafes.
Right in the city, I always fancied living in The Rocks (the area underneath Sydney Harbour Bridge. Good night life but a bit hairy if walking home alone at night.
Some info I researched for you peeps. Have a good one
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
Friday, March 29, 2013
Guest posting on this blog now open.
Hi,
I would genuinely like to add your opinions and expertize about immigrating to Australia.
Anything Goes people as long as its about Australia,.
Typical topics are;
Posts will be checked for "spinning" and unique-ness. Please make sure you spell check it and do your best grammatically.
Please send in your posts to sydneybybyron@outlook.com
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
I would genuinely like to add your opinions and expertize about immigrating to Australia.
Anything Goes people as long as its about Australia,.
Typical topics are;
- schooling
- living conditions
- social conditions
- racial issues
- employment
- good and bad places to live
- entertainment
- real life stories
- tragedies
- hates
- loves
- weather
- disaster
- moving
- visa's
- living costs
- and so on
Posts will be checked for "spinning" and unique-ness. Please make sure you spell check it and do your best grammatically.
Please send in your posts to sydneybybyron@outlook.com
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Is Sydney, Australia Expensive?
Sydney is very very expensive. Its a prime destination for the whole world, both for holidays and settling. Their marketing machine is good and lets face it Sydney is a beautiful place, but, you pay for what you get. Salaries are not great, its not like London where you can demand really high.
Almost without exeception every immigrant I have spoken to about living costs in Sydney has agreed its very expensive. Things like a fruit and veg are expensive as a lot has to be imported.
Its a prime immigration destination for the rich from all around the world so the prices are pushed up. Rentals are contested - and are high.
Living within 5 km of Sydney is really really expensive and if you want to live near the water or near the beach it really is millionaires row.
You can go an hours drive south and get to the beach where it more affordable, but then you are driving for an hour and a half each way.
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
Almost without exeception every immigrant I have spoken to about living costs in Sydney has agreed its very expensive. Things like a fruit and veg are expensive as a lot has to be imported.
Its a prime immigration destination for the rich from all around the world so the prices are pushed up. Rentals are contested - and are high.
Living within 5 km of Sydney is really really expensive and if you want to live near the water or near the beach it really is millionaires row.
You can go an hours drive south and get to the beach where it more affordable, but then you are driving for an hour and a half each way.
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
Monday, December 13, 2010
Where to stay when Immigrating to Sydney
Hi,
well almost everyone immigrating to Australia needs a place to stay for a short period or short stay. It leads on from this to say that almost everyone would then be looking for cheap or reasonable accommodation rental prices. I don't want to put anyone off, but Sydney is a huge tourist destination. They actually have a shortage of long term rentals! - so you may as well just resign yourself to it being pricey! It will save you time in the end.
Sydney Hotels
There are various hotels in Sydney and Greater Sydney, which normally cost a minimum of 700 - 1500 a week! ouch). The Greater Sydney area has numerous Hotels and resorts but they are all pricey. Don't even waste your time scouring for something cheap hotel wise - it aint gonna happen!
There are a few backpacker hotels, but these involve dodgy characters, room sharing, bathroom sharing and kitchen sharing... hmm only for the young and hardy?
Furnished Short term apartment or flats
There are a few companies that manage blocks of flats with serviced apartments, but these are usually well booked in advance. A two or three bedroom flat that is furnished will set you back from about $750.00 to $1300.00 per week. Believe me, I looked! These are normally situated near the larger cities and suburbs in the Greater Sydney area. These are good for people who are on a look see and need easy access to transport etc.
Sydney short term Accommodation.
You can find short term Sydney accommodation such as rooms to rent, flat shares etc. if you know where to look.
Gumtree Australia has a lot of people advertising for room-mates. This will set you back from $150 to 400 a week which is more reasonable than the hotels. Please watch out for con artists though.
There are various websites dedicated to shared accommodation etc in Sydney and Australia. They are useful, but they are watched continuously by scam artists, who try to get scan of your passports, your address details and so on. You will even get a whole montage apartment in pictures sent to you. These people must be dummies as they advertise flats with pool rooms combined with 2 metre square images. I once even googled the image names and found some of the "advertised" rooms and lounges on google images where they had copied them from.... You have been WARNED!
Cheaper accommodation - Further out from Sydney - makes it slightly cheaper.
If you need a cheaper long term rental you can try renting in a rough neighbourhood or you can stay about one to two hours travel out of Sydney. This does reduce the costs, but you are effected by travel limitations. If you are planning on exploring Sydney or its suburbs and you are one hour South, it will logically take you an hour before you even hit North Sydney in order to explore. I am talking Car travel here.
Sydney is the largest City in Australia and it will tale anyone immigrating to Sydney at least six months to a year to partially figure out where everything is.
In terms of driving Sydney is one hour north and South, and at least 2 hours West. Its huge!
Don't get me wrong its definitely not all CBD as Sydney is quite small with some satellite CBD's like Parramatta. The Suburbs just seem to be endless.
You might want to look at a few of my earlier posts about Scotland Island, Sydney which is cheaper, but has some cons in terms of easy access.
Alternatives.
Try house sitting - I have seen a number of adverts for house sitters,
Join a few immigrating to Australia forums and advertise the fact you are looking for somewhere to stay - you might find a family who are going home on holiday from Australia who need someone to look after their house or flat and maybe make some cash at the same time.
Good luck on finding your cheap accommodation in Sydney Folks. Or, if you have accommodation to list, let me know - I'll put it up here :)
Later you'all
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
well almost everyone immigrating to Australia needs a place to stay for a short period or short stay. It leads on from this to say that almost everyone would then be looking for cheap or reasonable accommodation rental prices. I don't want to put anyone off, but Sydney is a huge tourist destination. They actually have a shortage of long term rentals! - so you may as well just resign yourself to it being pricey! It will save you time in the end.
Sydney Hotels
There are various hotels in Sydney and Greater Sydney, which normally cost a minimum of 700 - 1500 a week! ouch). The Greater Sydney area has numerous Hotels and resorts but they are all pricey. Don't even waste your time scouring for something cheap hotel wise - it aint gonna happen!
There are a few backpacker hotels, but these involve dodgy characters, room sharing, bathroom sharing and kitchen sharing... hmm only for the young and hardy?
Furnished Short term apartment or flats
There are a few companies that manage blocks of flats with serviced apartments, but these are usually well booked in advance. A two or three bedroom flat that is furnished will set you back from about $750.00 to $1300.00 per week. Believe me, I looked! These are normally situated near the larger cities and suburbs in the Greater Sydney area. These are good for people who are on a look see and need easy access to transport etc.
Sydney short term Accommodation.
You can find short term Sydney accommodation such as rooms to rent, flat shares etc. if you know where to look.
Gumtree Australia has a lot of people advertising for room-mates. This will set you back from $150 to 400 a week which is more reasonable than the hotels. Please watch out for con artists though.
There are various websites dedicated to shared accommodation etc in Sydney and Australia. They are useful, but they are watched continuously by scam artists, who try to get scan of your passports, your address details and so on. You will even get a whole montage apartment in pictures sent to you. These people must be dummies as they advertise flats with pool rooms combined with 2 metre square images. I once even googled the image names and found some of the "advertised" rooms and lounges on google images where they had copied them from.... You have been WARNED!
Cheaper accommodation - Further out from Sydney - makes it slightly cheaper.
If you need a cheaper long term rental you can try renting in a rough neighbourhood or you can stay about one to two hours travel out of Sydney. This does reduce the costs, but you are effected by travel limitations. If you are planning on exploring Sydney or its suburbs and you are one hour South, it will logically take you an hour before you even hit North Sydney in order to explore. I am talking Car travel here.
Sydney is the largest City in Australia and it will tale anyone immigrating to Sydney at least six months to a year to partially figure out where everything is.
In terms of driving Sydney is one hour north and South, and at least 2 hours West. Its huge!
Don't get me wrong its definitely not all CBD as Sydney is quite small with some satellite CBD's like Parramatta. The Suburbs just seem to be endless.
You might want to look at a few of my earlier posts about Scotland Island, Sydney which is cheaper, but has some cons in terms of easy access.
Alternatives.
Try house sitting - I have seen a number of adverts for house sitters,
Join a few immigrating to Australia forums and advertise the fact you are looking for somewhere to stay - you might find a family who are going home on holiday from Australia who need someone to look after their house or flat and maybe make some cash at the same time.
Good luck on finding your cheap accommodation in Sydney Folks. Or, if you have accommodation to list, let me know - I'll put it up here :)
Later you'all
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
There is a shortage of senior java programmers in Sydney
Well, thought I would comment on the state of the IT market in in Sydney, and in particular the Java programming market.
My Large Bank has about 20 -30 open positions - no candidates. I am currently looking for a Senior Java developer with Direct Market Access and or FIX Protocol experience. Hmm no luck.
We have put the brief out to five agencies, dumbed down the spec to just Senior Java developer and have only received ONE CV in two weeks.
The global recession seems to have passed java developer by....
We are now searching globally for people----and can organize a visa for the right people.
Apparently there is only a small core of senior java developers in Banking in Sydney, with an even smaller core of people that know the FIX protocol (something like less than 20).
Man, if I had know this a year ago.
If your looking... contact me - serious contenders only, bright sparks. I work in a high class Bank capiche?
Later people.
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
My Large Bank has about 20 -30 open positions - no candidates. I am currently looking for a Senior Java developer with Direct Market Access and or FIX Protocol experience. Hmm no luck.
We have put the brief out to five agencies, dumbed down the spec to just Senior Java developer and have only received ONE CV in two weeks.
The global recession seems to have passed java developer by....
We are now searching globally for people----and can organize a visa for the right people.
Apparently there is only a small core of senior java developers in Banking in Sydney, with an even smaller core of people that know the FIX protocol (something like less than 20).
Man, if I had know this a year ago.
If your looking... contact me - serious contenders only, bright sparks. I work in a high class Bank capiche?
Later people.
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Getting a cell or mobile phone in Sydney - my experiences
Vodafone
First off, on arrival at the airport I purchased a Sim plus airtime pack in the airport lobby from some reseller.
It did not work - $33.00 gone. Was informed by Vodafone that this happens and it would be easier to buy a new one - "only $2.00" she said. Well, $10 later plus airtime purchase, plus half an hour of form filling I had a prepaid from a Vodafone shop. Meh - not really impressed so far.
But, I now can't buy prepaid time online as my credit card is already registered to the other one. "phone 1555" they helpfully put on the website where you get one irritating virtual person called "Lara", who tries to ask you questions and after 5-10 minute of to-ing and fro-ing puts you through to an operator, which then informs you of office hours (of course as all hardworking, busy people want to faff on the phone (with dumb Lara) during work hours right?... WRONG!)
I had prepaid data with usb modem from them too, same hassles - cant recharge online, their vodafone websites does not really work and on the northern line only about 50% of the line has coverage from Gordon to Sydney - quite slow too.
Crazy Johns - really really suck!
Where do I start? Totally unhappy with them. Bought a 24 month contract with them as it was a phone plus modem package (for my laptop). Well they assured me it was through vodafone anyway and the modem speeds would be the same. Guess what? Its not. Less coverage, slower and very bad software surrounding it. It always took twice as long as the Vodafone software to get me online. meh. Looks like old windows 95 type software too!
Ok so I have a 24 month contract right? I also have a vodafone prepaid. So I phone vodafone to get he prepaid number onto the Crazy John contract as its the number everyone knows.. they say - "no problem" - phone Crazy Johns (but wait, they are both vodafone - oh well no problem). I'll phone Crazy.. (oh yeah forgot to mention the Lara and the Crazy automated hell before the operator finally).
Ok I explain to the operator what I want, who then says "um we cant do this - you could do it when you started but not now". Well I want to know what the difference is - "policy" is the reply. Hmm not happy - you have lost a customer.
I then get the following helpful options. "You can get another prepaid with us, sir, it wont be the same number though?" ..... "Huh, I already have one lady...... gnnnn"
ok,
"What about buying another contract" she says, "then we can use your old number"... wtf pay another 24 months on top of that? "I'm just helping you sir" -------- gnnnn "click"
Crazy Johns - you have lost a customer. Your policies are stupid and your customer support is not too bright.
Oh also, Crazy Johns website offers credit credit cards payment - also does not work online - also a phone run a round until you get told to phone Mon - Friday during office hours. MEH this feels like 10 year old service. The long and short - I have to phone them to pay via credit card.
Anyway sorry about the rant everyone..
be warned.
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
First off, on arrival at the airport I purchased a Sim plus airtime pack in the airport lobby from some reseller.
It did not work - $33.00 gone. Was informed by Vodafone that this happens and it would be easier to buy a new one - "only $2.00" she said. Well, $10 later plus airtime purchase, plus half an hour of form filling I had a prepaid from a Vodafone shop. Meh - not really impressed so far.
But, I now can't buy prepaid time online as my credit card is already registered to the other one. "phone 1555" they helpfully put on the website where you get one irritating virtual person called "Lara", who tries to ask you questions and after 5-10 minute of to-ing and fro-ing puts you through to an operator, which then informs you of office hours (of course as all hardworking, busy people want to faff on the phone (with dumb Lara) during work hours right?... WRONG!)
I had prepaid data with usb modem from them too, same hassles - cant recharge online, their vodafone websites does not really work and on the northern line only about 50% of the line has coverage from Gordon to Sydney - quite slow too.
Crazy Johns - really really suck!
Where do I start? Totally unhappy with them. Bought a 24 month contract with them as it was a phone plus modem package (for my laptop). Well they assured me it was through vodafone anyway and the modem speeds would be the same. Guess what? Its not. Less coverage, slower and very bad software surrounding it. It always took twice as long as the Vodafone software to get me online. meh. Looks like old windows 95 type software too!
Ok so I have a 24 month contract right? I also have a vodafone prepaid. So I phone vodafone to get he prepaid number onto the Crazy John contract as its the number everyone knows.. they say - "no problem" - phone Crazy Johns (but wait, they are both vodafone - oh well no problem). I'll phone Crazy.. (oh yeah forgot to mention the Lara and the Crazy automated hell before the operator finally).
Ok I explain to the operator what I want, who then says "um we cant do this - you could do it when you started but not now". Well I want to know what the difference is - "policy" is the reply. Hmm not happy - you have lost a customer.
I then get the following helpful options. "You can get another prepaid with us, sir, it wont be the same number though?" ..... "Huh, I already have one lady...... gnnnn"
ok,
"What about buying another contract" she says, "then we can use your old number"... wtf pay another 24 months on top of that? "I'm just helping you sir" -------- gnnnn "click"
Crazy Johns - you have lost a customer. Your policies are stupid and your customer support is not too bright.
Oh also, Crazy Johns website offers credit credit cards payment - also does not work online - also a phone run a round until you get told to phone Mon - Friday during office hours. MEH this feels like 10 year old service. The long and short - I have to phone them to pay via credit card.
Anyway sorry about the rant everyone..
be warned.
Hi, Immigrating to Australia?, why not use our community forum - all about living, working, playing, moving and studying in Australia.
How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney
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