UKC

It feels somewhat surreal to write this, but I'm close to a formal job offer in Sydney (I'm the preferred candidate, but it still needs to be rubberstamped by various people). For context, I'm at the end of a PhD and am looking to spend some time living overseas as it's an experience I'd like in my life, and this is a good time to do it (27 and with no kids). The job is a 2 year postdoc research position at UTS, doing something I'd be interested in even if it wasn't in quite such an exotic location.

I visited Sydney at the end of a two month climbing trip to Australia, but only had about two weeks to sample the city and the Blue Mountains. I was wondering if any UKCers had experience of living there, and could help me decide whether I accept or not! Particularly, I was wondering:

• Where should I be looking to live? A quick Google suggests that living around Marrickville / Petersham / Newton would put me within a reasonable cycling distance of the university and several climbing walls. What are these areas like? Any areas in UK cities that could be they could be compared to? I currently live in Sheffield, grew up in Bristol, and have also lived in Cambridge so they're good points of reference for me!
• What's it like living in Sydney as a climber? The Blue Mountains are the closest outdoor destination, but not really suitable for an after-work climb (though realistically I haven't actually done much of this despite living in Sheffield!). Is it easy to find partners and get out there? Being next to such a huge city, is it all incredibly busy and polished? Are the city crags and boulders worth visiting, or just sandy choss? I've heard rumours, and snapped a hold myself messing around on a boulder by the beach.
• I commute by bike in Sheffield, but also do a bit of cross-country style MTB in the Peak. I'm definitely spoilt by being able to cycle from my front door to Stanage in 45 minutes, but what's access to this sort of thing like around there? Is it worth taking my bike over, or will I never use it as there's nothing suitable nearby?

I'm sure I'll be able to think of more questions! The job sounds like a great opportunity, but I still want to make sure that making such a big move is the right decision for me. Any experiences or advice would be gratefully received!

I lived in Sydney for a year in my mid twenties and absolutely loved it, would recommend to anyone to move to Sydney, especially if you have no family commitments.
 

Actually did my first ever outdoor climb in the blue mountains but afraid I can’t answer any of your questions as wasn’t very experienced back then at climbing. It was definitely scenic and nice. Did a fair amount of climbing in centres which was good. 
 

I did a lot of coastal runs out there, you should look up the bundeena to otford route - I think you cross about ten beaches that all have no road access, like being in Jurassic park or something it was amazing.

I only used public transport and found the rail network/buses and ferries to be fine, got a multi pass thing so had unlimited travel. 
 

I lived first in Bondi Junction for 6 months then in Glebe, not sure where they are relative to the places you mention but they were both fine and felt well connected enough and close to nice restaurants / cafes etc.

Basically every weekend I went to a different beach for a coastal walk / swim / snorkel etc. absolutely loved it. Also it’s close to Fiji and NZ so you could visit those while out there. 
 

Sorry I can’t answer your questions but if it was me - I’d bite their hand off. 

Doesn’t really answer your question but if you do go, get yourself to Arapiles. Only did a day there in 1994 and it’s still fresh in the memory.

To the specifics of your question, I've no insights.

To the broader notion of stay/go, I'd go as fast as you can.

I left when Maggie was in charge. Brexit f***ed me and my family and faced with the choice of returning to the UK or somewhere else, we're choosing somewhere else.

With your background and the experience you'll get in Australia, you'll be well placed to travel/work out in the world.

Go !

Ive been here for just over 5 yrs. Long term secondment. Originally was only going to come over for 2! Came over with a 1yr old and our second born out here (just before covid hit). So different life stage where I have less climbing time. Previously lived in Sheffield and moved from North Wales. 

All the areas you mention are nice. I like Marrickville area. A few nice breweries around there. Sydney is an expensive city though and rents are high. A one bedroom apartment could be around $700 / week. Make sure you factor that in. Other possibilities are house shares and I see a few single rooms offered via the Sydney climbers / boulderers facebook groups. Worth keeping an eye on these if thats what youre looking for (easy access to partners too!)

Bouldering walls seem to be springing up everywhere so you probably wont be too far away from one. SICG is the one to go for lead in the city though. Climbing partners are easy to come by in the walls especially SICG which has a facebook group for people wanting partners. 

I live in eastern suberbs and cycle most places. Most of my commute is along cycles paths and park but the city is built for cars. A car (or knowing someone with one) is a must for getting out to the BM and bouldering spots in the city / suberbs.

Theres plenty of bouldering in the city / suberbs. Feels bit weird and you do get some funny looks. Theres some quality stuff but its not overly publicised as there s a history of access issues. Theres a funny attitude from parks too who have a blanket climbing ban. It feels quite conservative and isnt the laid back laissez faire attitude I was expecting. They seem to love a bit of legislation with big fines attached.

Blue mountains are awesome. prob about 1hr 45 from Marrickville, so day trips easy but afternoons out too much effort. There is so much out there and lots still developing. Havent had an issue with polish and apart from a few hotspots the scale of the place seems to swallow people up and its not that rare to have a crag to yourself some days. Issue is heat and humidity in summer for the hard stuff. In winter it can be too cold too. Most head down to Nowra for warmer temps which is also awesome.

There is some climbing on the coast but given the effort and quality I went once and havent been since. Id rather just head to mountains, but my free time is precious!

Ive not mountain biked out here. Id say there is little scope in the city but Ive seen plenty out in the bush. One thing that amazed me is the scale of the place I can imagine endless possibilities for mountain bikers in the mountains.

Weather is a bonus, during covid homeworking Id put swimmers on, walk to beach pool, do a few lengths and walk back. Was usually dry by the time I walked home. Cant beat that being your regular lunch break!

Born and been here since 2010 after 10 years in the UK. The climbing scene is pretty healthy and it's pretty easy to get out on weekends plus there are now much better indoor training options (than 10 yrs ago). I am climbing as hard as I did back in the UK so plenty of good sport crags to throw yourself at.....bouldering and trad are available but not as extensive (or good). As mentioned above Sydney is very expensive especially for decent rentals close to the city. It wouldn't be very hard to hook up climbing partners for the bluies eith through gyms or facebook etc. Definitely a bit international in nature with lots of o/s residents mainly western/eastern europe.

I have climbed all over and the climbing here is close to world class but of it's own unique style being sandstone. I would prefer to drive the 90 minutes or so to get the the bluies than climb in sydney. Inner west ie newtown /m'ville would be a good place to be based.

My housemate is a 27 year old climber from Sydney doing a PhD in Sheffield. He climbed there for about 15 years and is still in touch with a lot of the local Sydney and Blue Mountains Climbers from what I gather. I think there is a lot of local bouldering and sea cliff climbing depending on where you live in Sydney, and there have been a few newly developed sprouts crags on the edge of town. I think we still live just around the corner from you so could arrange for you to have a chat about it at the pub if you want to ask more specific questions?

That's all great beta, thanks everyone! Too many individual points to address all of them, but it seems like there's a lot of glowing reviews for the city and the lifestyle you can have there!

Good to know that access to the Blue Mountains is as good as it appears on paper. I'm also glad that cycling / public transport is a decent option, but I understand that it's very much a city that's designed for cars. I think I'd prioritise making friends with people with cars initially, but I agree that it would be beneficial to get one eventually.

I've heard that renting is expensive, and had a brief look at prices advertised at the moment. I think I'm looking at $600-700 a week to get somewhere nice enough. On that subject, are there any "gotchas" that I should be looking at that I might not consider coming from the UK? Important aspects here have been good insulation and lack of damp, but I guess that's less important in the warmer climate over there. Most apartments don't seem to have radiators and use electric hobs: is that just the small set I've been looking at, or is this common? Is a mains gas supply even common over there?

Also with regards to Arapiles... I spent a few weeks there on my last trip and it really was the best climbing I've ever done. Quite a long way from Sydney, but definitely doable for a trip lasting a week or two!

Well that's a coincidence and a half: that would be great! 

I lived in Sydney from 1994-2003 as a non-climber, then returned there 2010-2014 as a climber, before moving to Sheffield after that. 

There's a bunch of local crags around the city - Lindfield Rocks, Berowra, Narrabeen Rocks, Earlwood, Sissy Crag and many others.  However, the summer days aren't as long as Sheffield, so that does limit post work climbing (Sydney sunset peaks at just after 8pm).  I also remember a summer evening at Lindfield rocks where the mosquitos came out - probably not as bad as a grit crag full of midges though.  A bunch are worth a visit since you can get them with public transport.

As well as the Blue Mountains, I also climbed at Mittagong (small, but I really liked the style here) and Nowra (probably 3 hrs away, but the sandstone is more solid so more roof climbing).  As somebody else has said, get down to Mt Arapiles while you're in Australia.  Easter is a popular time for this - find a group of climbing friends and see if you can join them.  (Unfortunately it's a 13 hour drive, but completely worth it).

North shore and eastern suburbs are more expensive.  I used to live in Artarmon near the ClimbFit gym, so it was convenient for indoor access.  Train time to Central station was 20-25 minutes.  I never cycled much in Sydney, but the roads are wider than the UK, and there's a cycle lane across the Habour Bridge.

As some have said, it's an expensive city, and that extends to any outdoor equipment/clothing, so I'd recommend taking what you can with you.  Make sure anything you ship or carry with you is clean of mud since they take bio security very seriously. (eg mud on hiking boots will result in hefty cleaning fees)

Lastly - the food is awesome if you like East & SE Asian.  Any Thai takeaway in Sydney will almost be guaranteed to be better than any Thai you'd get in the UK.

Re: second hand cars - these are more expensive than in the UK.  While useful, if you're only there for 2 years, it might not be worth the cost.  Though Aus petrol prices might be the one thing that is cheaper than the UK.

Central heating isn't really a thing in Sydney.  It would only be needed for 2-3 weeks of the year, so people just do portable heaters/extra clothing/blankets.  Some places do have gas, but in my experience it wasn't as common as the UK.

One more climbing area to consider is Mt Buffalo if you enjoy or want to experience granite climbing. 'Only' about 7 hours from Sydney, so closer than Arapiles. 

Go for it. (The details of where to live etc. will all come out in the wash.)

I was born in Sydney, Narrabeen Beach and went to UTS in the city for 2 years. Now live in South East Wales but have also lived in Bristol.

I'd definitely recommend it! I loved living there and growing up there.

The suburbs you mention are okay but wouldn't be my choice of place to live. But there is a north/south bias in people who have grown up in Sydney!

I'd opt for the Northern Beaches. There are regular buses to the city from there. You have access to the bush for mountain biking, check out North Head in Manly, Ku-ring-gai National Park, West Head. Also, the best surfing beaches in Sydney if you get into that. There are local bouldering spots on the Northern Beaches as well as climbing. This page is a good resource-

https://www.thecrag.com/en/climbing/australia/northern-beaches/area/1201093... 

There are also some local climbing walls on the Northern Beaches, in Brookvale and Freshwater.

I've visited Sydney in the past and the Blue mountains.Sydney had fantastic bouldering spread around the suburbs.I didn't really sport climb at that time but I understand there is a sport climbing guide with about 1200 rts from 10m to 30m long. 2 hrs South of Sydney you have Nowra with about 1200rts lower down than the blue mountains so better in winter.Theres been considerable exploration of this area and it has a dedicated guide written by Simon Carter.So all in all you will be surrounded by good climbing good gyms and psyched climbers.

Maybe half the houses are on gas and half electricity. Older suburbs more likely to have gas. Apartments mostly on elec. If you're working from home, be prepared for how badly insultated a lot of Sydney properties are.....I have the gas (unflued) heating on most days from May to September for at least a few hours. Would definitely register with flatmate finders as this has worked well for me to find good adult share housing in the past and is a cut above gumtree:

https://www.flatmatefinders.com.au/

Some good first hand knowledge there!

Just to qualify a bit more why I'm looking at the areas I mentioned earlier. Based on my current lifestyle, I'm realistically going to be going to work every day, and other places (eg. outdoor climbing / beaches) a few times a week at most. I personally see commuting as a waste of time when you could be doing something else. That's why I enjoy bike commuting: I can at least get some exercise while I commute. I'd therefore like to optimise where I live to reduce the burden of commuting, but also putting me in a location where I'm not too far away from places I'd like to go to have fun.

I'd love to get into surfing! I used to go a bit with my family when I was younger, and thought I was kinda decent at it. I rented a board a few years ago though and found that I'd forgotten pretty much everything though! So I'd be starting at square one again, but it was good fun and something I can see myself picking up again if it's suitably accessible.

That's good to know, thanks! I think I'll be working from the office most of the time, but it's helpful to hear about how important this could be when I'm looking at apartments. I think turtlespit's suggestion of portable heaters is probably what I'd end up going for, especially if they can double as fans in summer!