Stunning.
Sydney truly is breathtaking and whilst I am a proud Victorian, born and bred, I adored my time living in this city. Circular Quay? The Opera House? Sydney Harbour Bridge? They truly are all ‘that’ and more. My heart genuinely skipped a beat whenever I saw them.
But I have to say, there are many things about this place that I had to discover pretty quickly, so today I aim to assist you in your transition; wherever you are from.
WHAT I DISCOVERED ABOUT SYDNEY :
- Start altitude training before you move. If you see some stairs; start climbing. Sydney is full of hills.
- Sydney is condensed living. You may live in the most gorgeous, scenic spot, but it is likely your patch consists of a tiny balcony where you look directly into someone else’s back yard. If you chat to someone who actually has a garden, or even an actual ‘house’, they live in the outer suburbs or they are doing very well.
- Turn those pants up, boys, and ditch your socks. Ladies; book in your tans and cram that makeup on. Many people in Sydney are ‘the beautiful people’. Maybe it was just the area I was living in, but trying to perfect that ‘casual Sunday arvo drinks’ look, is indeed a mighty effort. Sometimes, I just felt downright old. Choose your sesh location carefully.
- Let your life on waiting lists begin. Child care, schools, restaurants, coffee queues; if something is good, everyone wants a piece of it. Book early.
- God forbid you wear your ‘bathers’ to the beach! This shall now only be referred to as your ‘cossie’. Whilst on that; Pop-Top drinks are ‘poppers’, schooners are big beers, Kindergarten is actually school (prep), Pre-school is child care before school, and there are many other quirky references that left me a little lost.
- Brush up on your celebs, people, as you are bound to see them about. From a Wiggle to a Home and Away star; these people were in my hood, and I would regularly see them about the streets.
- I arrived in Sydney a crap driver; granted I am still pretty rubbish, but I can now parallel park. My kids may now own a few choice words that I wish they had never heard, but I had to learn fast. ‘Parking’ is a buzz word. Is there parking? Does it come with the apartment? What is the parking situation like? I lived in a beach side suburb. I parked my car on the street Friday and prayed I didn’t have to move it for the sunny weekend, otherwise I would be parking in the next suburb. And be prepared for the ‘rear to kerb’ parking. It is an actual legal requirement in places; I fast learnt it was not a ‘suggested option’. Wildly, whilst this blog was sitting in drafts, someone backed into my parked car on the street. I had to suck it up. Luckily it was by an honest person, so it was all sorted; but expect a few dings and scratches. There is simply no point being precious about your car. Too many cars, too little space; does not bode well.
- The weather really is pretty sensational. I thought given I was simply moving north from Melbourne it wouldn’t be too big a deal; but it absolutely was. Winter is mild and blue skies are the norm. Fancy a bit of winter beach action? Yep; good to go. Thongs (flip flops) under jeans all year round? Perfectly fine. But beware of the humidity. It can suck the fun out of your spirit and frizz your perfectly straightened hair. In fact, Sydney weather is much like my personality. Sunny most of the time, but when it storms, it can be ferocious.
- Water is everywhere. Living on the coast, I couldn’t go a day without seeing the ocean. Head to the city and the Harbours are simply amazing. Book your kids in for swimming lessons!
Right now, I am back sitting in my house, in suburban Melbourne.
It is bigger than our Sydney apartment and it has a garden with a trampoline for the kids. My family is close by and the kids have settled beautifully in to their respective school/kinder. We made the right decision to return.
But, oh how I miss the smell of the ocean, miss the cliff walks with my friends, miss the busy streets and the backpackers and the sight of the cruise ships and the bridge and the sand scattered all through our home and so very much more.
If you are lucky enough to be about to head to Sydney, send her my love. Tell her I miss her and thank her for being my sparkling friend and the setting for so many of my favourite memories.
Photo credit to “Happy Medium Photo Co.” (Camperdown), who took photos on board our Captain Cook Cruise.
