January 25, 2012

The Newtown district of Sydney is one of the city’s oldest suburbs. It’s also one of the most popular for students, artists and younger tourists, especially those with a more alternative bent. With King Street – also known as ”Eat Street” - running down the centre of the area, there are no shortages of food, shopping and entertainment.

photo credit: Rob_Wood

Newtown Eat Street

King Street picked up its nickname because of the many bars, cafés, restaurants and venues that line the strip. Cultural fare including Turkish, Pakistani, Indian, Thai and Vietnamese selections are nestled among the many, much loved traditional coffee houses, pizza parlours, burger joints and diners, creating a selection that truly caters for all tastes.

The pubs in this area include historical establishments and themed sports bars, again providing enough choices to suit everyone traveling in your group. Drop by Kelly’s On King, the Marlborough Hotel and the Union Hotel, all of which are on the strip, for great pub grub, like parmas, steak or fish and chips.

Must-See Sightseeing at Newtown

You can’t make the journey to Newtown in Sydney without checking out the local landmarks. The Trocadero Dance Hall is one of the biggest architectural renovations in the area. Throughout its life it has functioned as a cinema, theatre, restaurant and used furniture store. You’ll also want to visit Burland Hall and the Hub Theatre, both of which have a fascinating history.

The Newtown area is best known to the locals for its live music venues and indie artists. Plan to spend at least one evening partying at the Sandringham; be sure to ask for a schedule of upcoming events because there’s always a stream of fantastic bands coming through. It’s hard to go wrong at the much-loved Sando, so there’s little reason to skip an unknown name on the billboard, they may well be the next big thing!

If you’re into more theatrical live performances, you’re in luck; Newtown is home to a number of independent theatres where you can catch local performance artists. The New Theatre has the longest history, but the Newtown and Enmore Theatres also host their share of greatly praised performances.

Festivals and Sporting Events at Newtown

The Newtown Festival is an annual community event with lots of live music, workshops and vendors on the independent music scene. You’ll find it in the Camperdown Memorial Park each November. If you’re visiting in September, you just might stumble upon the Under the Blue Moon Festival. With music, street performers, and other entertainment options, this is the heart of the alterative culture in Sydney.

For a more sophisticated option, try Feastability, the food and wine festival organized by the Marrickville Council. Typically held on the last Sunday in September, Feastibility offers vendor stalls and live entertainment suitable for kids and adults alike.

Sports fans may want to get familiar with the local rugby team, the Newtown Jets. The team plays in nearby Marrickville but matches are often televised and shown to keen, loud crowds at bars and pubs.

Newtown is definitely one of the more alternative, trendy, and always friendly suburbs of Sydney, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experience it on a budget. Look for student housing or share a flat for great bargain lodging. By shopping Furnished Property, you can save a ton without sacrificing on entertainment value.

November 11, 2009

Pay for a couple of entrance fees, a few beers, a round of drinks, a greasy late night snack and a taxi fare, and your night out in Sydney has probably cost you close to next week’s rent!

It’s not easy making a budget night out for Sydney flatshare tenants. You all know the drill – You head out with good intentions, reminding yourself that you will only have a few before calling it a night. You say “hi” to some friends and decide to have just one more because everyone is having such a great time. One more turns into a few and before you know it, it’s 3 am and you’re stumbling into bed a lot less richer.

Believe it or not, there are ways that you can combat this vicious cycle. Just by making a few small changes to your routine, nights out in Sydney can be more budget friendly. Here’s how:

1. Have a few drinks at home. Drinks are usually much cheaper at the store than they are at the pub or club. Start your night off at home so you will hopefully spend less when you finally head out.

   *Please be aware that alcohol is not to be consumed in Furnished Property guest houses. You may have to find a cheap, local pub to get you started.

2. Go out later. If you are the type of person who loves to stay out all night, then try to start your adventures at a later hour, thus lessening the amount of time actually spent at the club buying expensive drinks.
3. Alternate with soft drinks. What makes drinking so expensive? That’s right… the alcohol. Space out the fun by mixing in a couple of soft drinks here and there. Trust me, your body and your wallet will thank you.



4. Avoid buying rounds of drinks. Rounds of drinks can cost a lot depending on the amount of people in the group, and who knows if everyone will still be around to get their shout when the time actually comes. Make it clear early on that you will be buying and drinking at your own pace so you don’t feel obligated later on.
5. Gather a group for the taxi. If you think you’ll be taking a taxi home, then try your best to fill it up in order to spread the cost over as many people as possible. Try looking into night rides if and when the opportunity arises.
6. Drink what’s on special. It may not be your favourite, but it may very well save you some cash by imbibing the discount drink of the evening. Even if it only saves you an extra few dollars per drink, it will seem like much more when it starts adding up!
7. Keep your tolerance low. Avoid alcohol during the week in an attempt to keep your alcohol tolerance low. If your body becomes used to a certain level of alcohol, you will start to feel like you need more in order to have the same effect, thus raising the cost of your nights out.



8. Make alternative nights out. Over time, the pizzazz of the same old every weekend activities can fade. Try to regain that sparkle and shine by giving it a break for a bit. Maybe a night of bowling, a low-key visit to the movie theatre, or even inviting a few friends to your home every once in a while can help you maintain your budget, and make going out on the town exciting again.
9. Take only the money you want to spend. Of course, there is always the tempting ATM around to magically dispense cash at the push of a button, so even this option can easily fail. While leaving the ATM card at home is also an idea, it may actually be good in cases of emergencies. Either way, perhaps the extra step of having to search out a machine when low cash flow emerges will better deter overspending.
10. Avoid club-hopping. Cover charges alone can make a huge impact on the cost of a night out. Pick a place and stick around for a bit if you can in order to spread the cost out over a larger amount of time.

And just when you thought the list would never end, I will impart yet another piece of hopefully enjoyable information upon your laps. For those looking for the best drinking deals during the week, be sure to take a look at Sydney Happy Hour for a mapped out view of the best locales to get your drink on from Monday to Friday.

Hopefully this guide can be of assistance to our budget Sydney flatshare tenants, as well as anyone needing to cut back their weekly night out spending habits. Cheers!

October 28, 2009

For foreigners coming to Sydney, many of the suburbs can have long, funny-sounding and hard-to-pronounce names. I mean who ever thought that Woolloomoolo should be pronounced like “Woolah-mahloo” instead of how it’s spelt?! Anyway, the reason these suburbs actually have such exciting sounding names is because they come from Aboriginal words.

Ah, yes, you probably knew this already, but did you happen to know that Woolloomooloo means “place of plenty” according to some sources?

Well how about these other Sydney suburbs?

• Bondi - Bondi is said to mean “the sound of breaking waves”, which seems suiting enough since Bondi is a coastal area and all.
• Coogee - I am so sorry to inform our tenants in furnished flatshares Coogee that the etymological meaning of your suburb is actually “smelly place” or “stinking seaweed”. Now, however, Coogee does not smell bad whatsoever since the beach is kept quite clean, but long ago, this word referred to the smell of kelp that washed onto the shores and was left to sit there. So, it is OK to look for furnished flatshares in Coogee today… more like great, and Furnished Property Group can help!
• Parramatta – Parramatta comes from an aboriginal word that means “head of waters”.
• Woy Woy – Woy Woy is not really so close to Sydney, but if you ever get on a train, you might have heard this city name over the loudspeaker. Woy Woy is said to come from the Aboriginal for “much water” or “big lagoon”. It is interesting to point out that repeating a word will mean “many” or “much” as in the case of Woy Woy.

Besides city names, Aboriginal words also contribute to naming wildlife. Kangaroo, for example, is said to come from the Aboriginal word “gangurru”, as recorded by James Cook. There was controversy for a while when Philip King could not confirm this record and thought that gangurru actually meant “I don’t know”.

Imagine the Scenario

James Cook: “What is it?”
Native: “Gangurru (I don’t know).”

This theory has since been denounced.