Newcastle

[daddypedro]

Hello All,

In a near future me and family will be moving to Australia from London… We haven’t decided where yet because we are still doing research I know a little bit of Oz but Emma doesn’t.

At the moment we are looking at Newcastle, anyone from NP that currently lives in Newcastle? Any thoughts of the place regarding family life? Family friendly? Any other thoughts/comments?

Thanks,
Pedro

[lizlea]

We live in Newcastle, so does "Wombat" , "annegirl", and a few others. I would say it is pretty family friendly. We have really great beaches and many of the "city" advantages without the traffic hassles. Real estate is cheaper than Sydney too - but still expensive compared to parts of the country. There are a selection of schools public, christian, catholic, steiner, montessori. Most sports and leisure activities would be available. ummmm, what else would you like to know.

[harlow]

Hi!
I live in Newcastle. As Lizlea said.....great beaches
We are close to the mountains....close to the coast.......close to the country......close to wine country......fantastic place to live!
Cheaper than Sydney, we have everything we need here!
Any specific questions?

[daddypedro]

Hi All,

No specific questions, i just wanted to have a general feeling of opinions of NP members that live in Newcastle...

We are close to the mountains....close to the coast.......

I like this since me and Emma have different tastes she prefers the mountains... i prefer the coast so that is a bonus being close to both hehe

Also being cheaper than Sydney is a bonus, we will be taking pounds and the exchange rate pounds to dollars is quite good

We have really great beaches and many of the "city" advantages without the traffic hassles.

Great London is a nightmare with traffic and pollution and so on...

Thanks All.

[Wombat]

Yep another Newy here. I think we would have just about enough NP mums to start a playgroup.

I moved up here from Sydney 10 years ago (followed my heart) and although it was hard at first I really like the relaxed atmosphere we have up here compared to Syd. I like the fact that Harry is close to beaches, the country and its alot safer than Syd.

We have big shopping centres, good schools and it has teh feel of a big country town.

Just be warned if you don't follow the Knights in league you will be in trouble (i've been in trouble for 10 years up here I follow Parramatta). They are footy mad here and being a 1 team town it's the Knights or no-one......just a warning

[mykidsmum]

Another Newy girl here yes. I love Newcastle, also used to hail from Sydney about eek 15 years ago. Came here for uni and never left. It's not as busy busy busy as Sydney, the people smile in the street and nod or say hello as you walk past. The weather is lovely (although the same as Sydney) and we don't have water restrictions like most of the rest of the country.

Wow Karena I also follow Parra (had to I grew up in the next suburb basically)

You are right Karena we probably should have a go at a playgroup again now too.

[chase]

Hi all & hi Pedro,

I'm another Newcastle girl. Haven't really been active on this forum just popping into the site here and there to check stuff out but thought I should make an effort particularly given the question about Newcastle.

Pedro, Newcastle is very family friendly. I grew up here in Newcastle and after spending a few years in Sydney moved back here with my husband, had a baby and loving that i'm back. Big enough to be interesting in terms of restaurants, shopping etc but small enough to still have a warm and welcoming feel about it. I feel very safe here too. The best bit is that you can pretty much drive anywhere you like and parking is hardly ever a drama (unlike Sydney). It's a bit tricky here though if you don't drive as we don't have an extensive rail network like bigger cities do.

Hi to all the Newcastle mums. I'll keep checking in to see if an NP playgroup emerges. Have been thinking that I need to meet some like minded mums. I have a little boy who is 18 months old and I just love love love being his mummy.

Niki

[vespertine]

I definately recommend Newcastle - family friendly and aesthetically lovely. It's clean, as mentioned- big enough to be diverse, there are great bookshops, stores, cafe's and resteraunts. The beaches are quite compared to Sydney, clean etc. And I agree that it's a very friendly city, and has a lovely safe atmosphere. I'll probably be moving there too in the next few months.

[Boo's Mum]

Hi there,

Im from the valley as well...sorta in between the city and the valley. Ive lived here my whole life and I cant complain. Its a small city you might say (well not as big as Sydney anyways).
Lots of public transport and recreational things to do. Plenty of childcare and vineyards right in the valley if you enjoy your wine.

Annegirl, i think i met you in EB...i was n*angel.
I would like to start a playgroup as well, i get a bit bored here with a toddler to talk to and waiting for number 2 to come along(due in september)

[chase]

Sounds like there are quite a few of us. Surely enough to get something regular happening in Newcastle. I'm sure this has been said before right?? I live in Floraville (between Belmont & Tingira Heights) but able to drive between different places to meet up. Should we have a go at organising?

Yep Anne I think I may have briefly chatted to you on EB too (nikilee) - was about a year ago now. I think you recommended some teething tablets to me which worked really well by the way. I wasn't around long at all. The mums all seemed lovely but I couldn't keep up with the pace on that forum and found it all too time consuming. Found this site since and it feels more like my thing anyway.

Niki