I'm moving to Sydney in August from Canada - (I've worked there before a few times, so I'm basically familiar with the place - total about 2.5 months spent in the city).

Needed the opinion of any sydneysiders here on a few neighbourhoods, mainly:
- waverton
- wollstonecraft
- glebe
- balmain
which i've narrowed down as seeming to have the things I'm looking for (i.e., a nice healthy walk to the CBD, relatively decent public transport, etc. etc.)

I wanted to get anyone's opinion on these spots and any pros or cons from personal experience..

thanks.

You have expensive taste!!

Glebe is the best for transport without a car and for inner city life.

Balmain is great for a feed but a problem in the peak.

The north side is my pick - you can still get into the city in 10 mins by train. Manly is also worth considering if you don't mind a 30 min harbour cruise on the way to work.

Unless you're a sprinter or have a lot of time to walk to/from the CBD then hardly any of these areas are appropriate. They all have public transport but it'll take a while to walk. Why not try places like Darling Harbour, Pyrmont, Ultimo, The Rocks, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Surry Hills, Elizabeth Bay or Kings Cross? These are all within a short walking distance from the city and have good public transport connections. It also depends on what type of accommodation you are looking for. A house? Flat? Apartment? Room? If you have any further questions then I'm quite happy to answer your questions.

Thanks for your replies

Basically my pre-requisites are:

- two bedroom (don't care if it's an apartment or flat)
- parking
- MAX $400/week
- can walk it (anything up to an hour walk is ok)
- good public transport (either ferry/bus/train)
- good restaurants close by

Pyrmont was a thought as well, but it's still a bit pricey, and it doesn't seem like it has any type of neighbourhood feel to it. Ultimo was also a thought - should I consider it? I do like Manly, but I think that commute, as beautiful as it is, could get annoying (and expensive) after a while.

For $400 per week you can get almost a penthouse (in selected areas of course http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif ). And if you are willing to walk upto an hour to and from the city each way then it opens a lot more opportunities for you. I personally am more of an Eastern Suburbs person, so I would recommend Edgecliff, Woollahhra, Double Bay, Darling Point, Rose Bay, Bondi Junction, Queens Park, Randwick, Kensington, Kingsford and Rosebery to mention a few. There are a lot of new developments in the area, so securing a 2 bedroom apartment for $300-350 won't be a problem. All these areas have excellent public transport which takes 10-15 mins to the city.

You mention the lack of neighbourhood feeling. What excatly do you mean? Places where neighbours know each other on first name basis? Hmmmmmm... if this is the case then you might be better off moving to the Bible Belt which is an hour's drive from the city... Baulkam Hills, Castle Hill etc.

Manly is beautiful but the only commute to the city is ferry/JetCat and during stormy days these services are cancelled which means taking a bus with a changeover which can take upto 90 mins.

BTW, for best rental deals have a look at www.smh.com.au (http://www.smh.com.au) and look in the Saturday's rentals. You can't get a better variety than that in Sydney.