August 4, 2011

As with any big, modern city, filling up your weekend with fun things to do can empty your wallet pretty quickly. But in Sydney, if you know where to look there are plenty of things to do for free!

Here are top five picks for an enjoyable day in Sydney and the most it will cost you is the money for a coffee, snack or maybe an ice cream. If you take a packed lunch it won’t even cost you anything!

The Botanical Gardens are huge, perfectly designed gardens packed full of flora and fauna which hug the sparkling blue waters of Sydney Harbour. There is so much to see and do here; have tea at the coffee shop nestled in the middle of the gardens, wander around the Chinese garden and smell and touch the fragrant herbs in the herbarium. Ibis’ and ducks live peacefully on the ponds and your nose will soon sniff out the fruit bats that hang like fruit from the tall trees; hundreds of them in fact, they are currently trying to be moved on humanely as they are damaging the trees. You can’t blame them though, if I were a fruit bat what better place to call home than the botanical gardens!

Darling Harbour is a great place to go to see street performers and there is also a jam-packed calendar of free events throughout the year. There are often free festivals, artworks and firework displays around Darling Harbour which you can take part in or watch from one of the many cafes and restaurants in the area.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is a great way to get your arts fix. This museum holds works from contemporary artists around the world that you can peruse for free! There are also exhibitions throughout the year that require an entry fee but the majority of the artworks, installations and sculptures can be seen for free.

The Sydney Observatory on Sydney Harbour is Australia’s oldest working observatory. It has free general entry to gain access to the ground and first floors to learn about how important the observatory was for science, shipping and meteorology in the 1800s.  There are also lovely gardens to explore and the views form the aptly named Observatory Hill are charming. If you do want to peek through one of the powerful telescopes or do some star watching by night there is a little extra charge.

The Australian Maritime Museum on Darling Harbour has free entry to any core or temporary exhibitions and is a great day for the whole family. A peek at the moored submarine is really worth a look and even non-maritime fans will love the exhibitions and displays.

There is so much more to do for free in Sydney if you search in the right places but these ideas should keep you occupied for a while and Furnished Property will have a comfy furnished apartment for you to rest your weary legs!

January 14, 2011

Is your uni’s campus accommodation full, or just kind of gross?

Why not come stay with us? There are heaps of advantages to staying with Furnished Property as a student:

Clean and Well Maintained:

Cleaning is of course your responsibility once you’ve moved in, but we can guarantee you’ll be moving into an apartment that is clean and in working order. Also, we have a maintenance team available to fix any problems you may encounter during your stay.

Location, Location, Location:

Inner City and Inner West apartments are perfect for USYD and UTS students, and Randwick/Bondi area properties are just a few minutes from UNSW. Plus, being in some of Sydney’s liveliest and most student-friendly areas, our properties are a great home base for your social life, too.

Fully furnished:

You don’t even have to bring your own appliances! All furniture and appliances are fully supplied.

Options:

We know that life on a student budget can be a bit tough – doubly so when you’re living out of home. So we have a range of apartments and rooms at a range of prices. With such a wide range, we’re sure to be able to find you something to suit your tastes and budget.

Sound good? We hope so! If you’d like more information check out the rest of our website at furnishedproperty.com.au , or email sales@furnishedproperty.com.au for any enquiries.

November 26, 2010

Christmas day is, of course, a public holiday, so a lot of places are closed. So, what should you do to celebrate? Here are two really simple but fun and popular options:

- Beach Barbecue

Head to one of Sydney’s beautiful beaches like Bondi or Coogee for a nice beach barbecue. Most Sydney beaches have public barbecues that you can use, but get there early! On Christmas day they’re likely to go fast!

- Christmas lunch at an Irish pub

Take a few friends and go enjoy a traditional three-course meal at P.J. O’Brien’s in the city. You’ll have to book in advance, and it’s a little pricey, but you deserve a Christmas treat!

http://my247.com.au/sydney/PJOBriens-Irish-Pub/whats-on/Christmas-Day-Lunch.194095

In Australia, Christmas is kind of a family thing, but New Year’s Eve is when it really goes off! Here are just some of the things happening around the city.

- The Fireworks

It goes without saying that these are the centerpiece of Sydney’s NYE celebrations. To get a good vantage point on the harbour, you’ll want to go really early and take a few friends to spend the day with, as spots fill up fast! Remember to take plenty of food, sunscreen and water – it’s usually very hot! For a list of the best vantage points, go here:

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nye/2010/VantagePoints/default.aspx

- Darling Harbour

There’s always great entertainment in Darling Harbour prior to the fireworks, mainly in the form of live music, and this year is no exception. Check the website as the date approaches for more details and, again, get there early!

http://www.darlingharbour.com/index.cfm?menu_id=1908&content_id=1183

- I’M ON A BOAT!

One of the other popular options for New Year’s Eve in Sydney is to get on a boat to see the fireworks. There are a range of popular cruise boats you can get on, but they fill up fast, so book soon! No link provided for this one – there are heaps of companies out there that provide the service, so google it and do some detective work. They’re all fairly pricey, but compare prices carefully – some are better value than others!

November 26, 2010

Summer is a great time to get together with friends and share some good grub. Want to do it cheap and healthy? The guys at SORTED have got that… well, sorted!

Sorted is a youtube and online collaboration between British chefs Barry Taylor, Ben Ebbrell and a bunch of their mates. The team are dedicated to providing delicious but cheap cooking options to students and anyone else working on a budget. Here’s their cracking Lamb and Greek salad recipe, a perfect summer meal. And you can watch them make it here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/sortedfood#p/search/6/CQMLVQyFUpw

rump of lamb
tin of butter beans (400g)
shot of olive oil
clove of garlic
handful of black olives, pitted
2 fresh tomatoes
piece of feta cheese (100g)
1 lemon
1 red onion
few sprigs of fresh mint

preheat oven to 180°C.
season the lamb rump with salt and pepper, before flash frying it in a really hot pan to seal.
transfer the pan to the oven to cook through for 8-9 minutes. We like it cooked to medium.
drain the beans from the tin and gently warm up in a frying with the shot of oil, squeeze of lemon juice and the crushed clove of garlic.
peel and finely slice the red onion, halve the black olives and crumble the feta into a mixing bowl.
quarter the tomatoes, discard the pulp and hack up the flesh that’s left.
rip up the mint leaves, adding to the mixing bowl with the tomato.
remove the cooked lamb from the oven and leave to rest for 2 minutes.
stir the warm beans into the mixing bowl and dump a hefty portion onto a plate.
slice the lamb and drape it over the warm leafless Greek salad and enjoy.

Serves 2

November 26, 2010

As the name suggests, this is THE festival event of Sydney’s calendar. Over the month of the festival, you’ll find something to suit all tastes. Here are some of the highlights.

Festival First Night
On the first night of the festival, the city is transformed into a playground, and you can see some of the festival’s best acts all for free!

Beck’s Festival Bar
The Hyde Park Barracks Museum becomes a great live music venue for 14 nights of the festival. Entry is free after 11.30pm. Get there early though – it’s super popular!

Festival Garden
If you’re up for something a bit whacky, visit the Famous Spiegeltent in Hyde Park gardens – a host of bizarre musical and theatrical acts await your attention!

Want to know more? Go here!

http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2011/

November 26, 2010

Everyone loves some fun in the sun, and we’re just coming into the peak sun-tanning season! But before you spend your day in the sun, make sure you’ve got all the facts on being sun safe. Sunburn and sun tan can lead to skin cancer, which can mean not only ugly scars and spots, but also further cancer-related complications. Here are a few things you should do to bring you up to speed:

- Visit this website: http://www.cancer.org.au/cancersmartlifestyle/SunSmart.htm
It’s got heaps of great information about how to protect yourself against sunburn and skin cancer.

- Watch these videos:

If you think a little mole’s nothing to worry about, think again.

- Remember these 5 simple rules:

SLIP on some protective clothing, like a rash vest
SLOP on some sunscreen
SLAP on a hat
SEEK shade
SLIDE on some sunglasses

Follow this advice and you’ll be sure to have a burn-free summer!

July 8, 2010

Hey guys!

We’ve got two shiny new guesthouses – number 5 and number 7, Oatley road, Paddington – on the market! Have a look at this neat little walk-through of number 5:

Enjoy!

January 8, 2010

photo credit: foxypar4

We hope all of our Furnished Property tenants had an amazing New Year celebration. Cheers!

September 9, 2009

Would you consider yourself a Twitter-lover or a Twitter-hater? For most, its either one side or the other in this vicious battle between being productive and being worthless. Twitter is constantly being bad-mouthed on the news, TV and in the paper, but those people, I feel, just don’t understand all the great advantages there are to putting out your daily Tweets. So, to help them understand this little misunderstood tool a bit better, I have put together a list of ways you can use Twitter!

photo credit: respres

Communicate with Friends: Think of Twitter as a big chatroom, where you can only see the updates (Tweets) on your home screen of the people you follow. And, the people that follow you will see your updates on their home screen. You can choose to single people out by using the @ symbol before their name in order to create conversations. It’s easy to see what people are up to, where they’re heading tonight, etc. without having to wade through all the other junk that might be on Facebook.

Communicate with Businesses: If you have a business, or work for a business, that needs to find other companies to work with on a project or other dealing, Twitter can be an easy place to turn to. Search for companies and put out Tweets to see what happens!

Get Jobs: You would be surprised how many people are using Twitter to find jobs! Companies will often put vacancies up through a Tweet, so if there is a company you would like to work for – start following them now! Also, many individuals are showcasing their skills and networking capabilities on Twitter to attract work. For example, a freelance journalist might put out a Tweet that they are travelling to Mongolia and looking for a writing assignment. If a company is looking for writers, they might do a search on Twitter and find this journalist!

Get Apartments: Just today I ran a search for “Sydney apartment” to find a number of individuals looking for places in the city. I quickly sent them a message to let them know of our services, which could really help them out! Think about how handy this could be when returning home after your stay in Sydney. You could use Twitter to help find shared accommodation, guest houses, apartments and flatmates!

Get News: Many Twitter-ers use Twitter to relay interesting information and news stories on various subjects. If you like to keep up with great travel bloggers or travel companies, you can follow them to see what stories they are tweeting about. Since Tweets are so short (140 characters or less), it is extremely easy to skim through loads of content before having to click on a single item. It’s a very easy way to get targeted search results.

Get Discounts: Some shops and other businesses put discount codes and sale notices up on Twitter. Get to the deals before everyone else does!

Get Your Funny Tweets: You might find yourself cracking up at the funny little things that Twitter-ers Tweet about. Here’s a list of actual Tweets:

• Everytime I get a nice check for something my mom hits me up for money. I think she got my phone tapped and crib wired.
• Free advice: Never wear flip-flops around a busy urinal.
• Good morning sunshine! Please don’t give me skin cancer!
• Got a pizza in the oven. NOT a euphemism for being a pregnant Italian.
• Looking to purchase a gun, nothing too fancy or complicated, just a simple point and shoot gun.
• What nobody tells you is that, with a little chlorine, your bath water can last all summer.
• No level-headed person ever wore a flattop.
• I forgot how Brokeback Mountain ended, the gay guy turned out to be a cowboy right?

There are plenty of other reasons to use Twitter, but I think I’ll let you figure them out on your own. So, if you’re not on Twitter already, go on and make an account. It’s free and fun, and you can always follow us – @FurnishedPrprty. Be sure to send us a Tweet to let us know you are a Furnished Property tenant!

May 29, 2009

As a traveller or student (or anyone), money is a big deal, right? So, getting your bond back after leaving a place could make or break your next travel (or study) adventure. However, it shouldn’t be a worry if you take care of your flat and keep in mind all the rules during your stay. Here is how you can make sure getting your bond back is even easier.

Start from the beginning.

After first arriving in a new flat or room, fill out a condition report and return immediately. Usually, you will get a form from your landlord (or in our case, The Furnished Property Group) where you can mark all the issues present when you first get in. This will then show your landlord that you did in fact have no part in the hole near the door, or the crack in the wall (just examples!).

Better yet, it is best to play it safe and go beyond the form alone. Your landlords or property owners might be busy people and overlook a small detail before you move in, which they could then see later on. Why not take advantage of your camera and also photograph your new place so they have a working copy to compare the before and after states? Basically, if anything is worth writing down in the condition report, it is also worth a quick photo. It will only take a few minutes and help ensure that you get hundreds of dollars back in the future!

During your stay.

photo credit:
givepeasachance

Be sure to maintain the state of your flat during your stay by normal cleaning and care techniques. Clean up spills as soon as they happen and always treat your flat like it were your parents’ home. If, for some reason, something does break, be sure to notify the property owners as soon as possible to get fixed. Even if something occurs that seems fairly minor, it is best to get it addressed immediately before it becomes a huge issue in the future.

When leaving.

Make it CLEAN! This is a huge, huge, huge, huge, huge (did I mention HUGE?) factor in getting your bond back. If you don’t clean your flat, then the landlord or company you rent from will, and most of the time that will cost you some dough. The money covers the cost of having someone else clean because who wants to move into a dirty place?! Not you, and not the next tenant. Clean the floors, clean the shelves, and definitely clean the tub. The best way to make this process easy is to just keep your place as clean as possible when living there. An exceptionally clean place when moving out from TFPG will actually result in a $20 credit to your account!

Beyond this, here is a list of some other factors to keep an eye on to ensure getting the full bond back:

• Unpaid Bills and Rent: Keep up-to-date on all bills and rent because this is an easy way to have some bond deducted. Either way you will have to spend this money, but the surprise factor of not receiving the full bond can be a bit confusing and disappointing at first.
• Excess Rubbish: Just getting your rubbish out of the flat is not enough. If there is more than your normal share of rubbish collection, it costs extra money to take, which will of course be paid for by bits of your bond. Again, keeping on top of your cleaning will help to lessen the impact of your final rubbish deposits.
• Breaking the Contract: Landlords and rental companies have contracts for a reason – to protect their business. It takes time and energy to find new tenants, so if they have to unexpectedly find a new person because you decided to leave sooner than agreed on, a contract break fee may occur. This money covers the cost of finding new tenants and ensures they have some sort of income from a time they otherwise thought were secure.
• Failure to Leave On-time: If your contract has a move-out date and time, it is probably for a reason. For instance, at The Furnished Property Group, there is a high rate of change since some of the contracts are very short-term. Therefore, needing the keys back and flat vacated in a timely manner is very necessary to ensure it is clean and ready for the new tenant(s). So, keep in mind your vacate date and time that was agreed upon with your landlord in the beginning.
• Damages Not in Condition Report: If you didn’t mark it down in the beginning, and the issue is present when leaving, you will get charged for it. That’s why it is so important to mark everything when first arriving, and notify of issues as they occur.

If you have any questions or concerns about getting your bond back, be sure to ask your landlord or property owner immediately. By doing so, and keeping in mind the above points, there should be no reason to worry if you will get your bond back when leaving.