February 3, 2012

As one of the best, and most noted beach areas in Sydney, Coogee has a lot going for it. Although it’s only half an hour by bus to Sydney’s central business district and the airport, Coogee feels like a world away. A gorgeous expanse of shoreline awaits where you can soak up some sun, go surfing or give snorkeling and scuba diving a go. As the sun’s setting you can enjoy an idyllic long walk on the beach.

photo credit: Fiona Bradley

Diving, Swimming and Sunning at Coogee

Whether you’re just learning or an experienced diver, Pro Dive is Coogee’s hotspot for underwater fun. Snorkeling tours, diving classes and every other water sport you can think of are all in Coogee and this company is a great way to get you exploring the waters at any budget.

If you prefer to keep your head above water, try Wylie’s Baths. Their sea bathes are cordoned off sections of the ocean that have been made into a pool. It’s a great natural alternative to chlorinated pools where you can take time out to swim or sunbathe and enjoy the best view in town.

The Coogee to Lurline Bay Walk nearby is great for a lazy wander down the 3.5 kilometer pathway. To speed up the trek and burn some energy, hire a pair of rollerblades to glide along in. When the weather permits the scenic Wedding Cake Island can be viewed just off the coast.

Shopping and Dining at Coogee

Coogee is a great spot for picking up souvenirs and locally crafted jewelry and trinkets. Restaurants and cafés are everywhere, so you should have no problems finding exactly what you’re looking for, from traditional fish and chips to the Churrasco Brazilian Style BBQ restaurant.

Out of the Blue on Clovelly Road and Moo Gourmet on Coogee Bay Road both have great burgers, and you can find Eastern choices at Taste of Thai, Aseana Food Village and May Kwai Chinese. Make sure to visit the French bakery Sweet Spot Patisserie for some of the best ice cream Sydney has to offer, perfect after a day in the sun.

Along the beach, several grassy areas have public access BBQs and tables, perfect for a picnic dinner that caters to all budgets! Spread a blanket out under a tree and watch the clouds go by as you enjoy your own culinary creations.

Apartments and Beach Houses at Coogee

Students and vacationers will love their stay at Coogee Beach in Sydney, especially with a fully furnished apartment or beach house. Whether you’re traveling with one friend or with several, Furnished Property has the rentals you’re looking for. Modern facilities with appliances make your kitchen and lounge just like home, and you will have plenty of privacy for yourself in a spacious bedroom, as well.

If you’d prefer to meet new people or are traveling alone, you may want to check into shared housing options. Your private twin room will have its own flat screen television with DVD player, and shared laundry and kitchen facilities are on site.

January 27, 2012

The Randwick suburb of Sydney is best known as Australia’s home of horse racing and the one of the countries greatest universities, University of New South Wales. UNSW offers almost 300 undergraduate programs along with several postgraduate programs in a broad number of disciplines. If you’re considering attending this school, make sure to schedule a tour of campus while you’re in town.

photo credit: Jeff Kubina

Off to the Races

Whether you love the thrill of betting on the horses or just enjoy watching the sport, going to the races will get your heart pumping and provide a full day’s worth of fun. The Royal Randwick Racecourse is known world-wide and is one of the premier attractions that Sydney has to offer. Locals and tourists alike flood the Betting Auditorium most Wednesdays and Saturdays.

While you’re there, you can also get in on other sports betting activities and enjoy dressing up in your finest races-worthy attire. If the hussle bussle of race day becomes too much for you, you can always hang out in the bar or grab a bite in Argy’s Café.

Shopping and Sightseeing at Randwick

Shopping fanatics will want to plan a trip into Randwick’s central business district for the Royal Randwick Shopping Centre. Here’s you’ll find tons of bargain-friendly boutiques and stores, including the Best & Less, Ella Bache and Millennium Babe.

While you’re there, you can grab a quick bite at one of the many restaurants inside the centre. Outside, in the surrounding area, you can choose cuisine from nearly any nation or culture. The Pinto Thong Thai restaurant has a great selection, and you can’t beat the menu at Little Istanbul Turkish.

For seafood with a whimsical bent, try Chish N Fips on Arden Street. The atmosphere here is laid back and fun, and the staff will have you laughing before you’ve finished ordering.

Randwick Indoor or Outdoor

No matter how you like to have fun and relax you’ll be able to keep busy in Randwick. If you’re a fan of the outdoors you can grab an early bus for a day at Bondi Beach or Coogee Beach. Sampling the fresh, local seafood is a must out here; try Fishmongers on Hall Street or the Skinny Dip just down the road. For a great coffee and snack menu Gertrude and Alice has you sorted.

Those who prefer to stay inside can catch a flick at the local cinema or enjoy a few games of ten-pin bowling. If you feel like splurging on a romantic meal, try the Montparnasse Café on St. Paul’s Street. To keep to your budget BYO wine can make a great meal out more affordable, and sometimes more special too. Keep in mind that ordering from the lunch menu will cost much less, so why not head out for an afternoon meal.

Furnished Apartments at Randwick

If you’re planning on staying in the Randwick area of Sydney, make sure to check out Furnished Property before you finalize your plans. You will be able to grab a great two-bedroom apartment for your trip, complete with a full bath. The properties for rent here are fully furnished with modern facilities in the kitchen and lounge. They are also located near public transportation, making it easy for you to get around the city.

January 18, 2012

The Surry Hills region of Sydney, accessible via tram, bus or rail from downtown Sydney and surrounds, offers an interesting view of the city for young, urban visitors. Long known as the centre of wholesale fashion for the area, Surry Hills is a shopping mecca for those looking to score great deals on trendy attire and celeb-spot in stylish boutiques.

Shopping at Surry Hills

Crown Street will be your primary target if you’re going shopping in Surry Hills. This urban street glitters with an intoxicating mix of casual cafés, eclectic homeware stores and modern fashion boutiques. You will also want to check out Cleveland Street for a run through the Surry Hills Shopping Village. Next, skip over to Oxford Street and browse Oxford Square. The Surry Hills Markets hold great appeal for locals, and tourists alike, who know how to spot a shopping opportunity when it strikes.

If you’re near Mary Street, take the time to browse in Kyotap. This is the boutique of designer Fiona Buckingham, featuring clothing made with natural materials and an Eastern flavour. The Candy Store, on Bourke St, is also a must-see destination to marvel at the season’s best couture picks.

The Zoo Emporium on Campbell Street offers retro and recycled picks for the best in amazing budget buys. With a fun, frantic atmosphere and laid back prices, Zoo is a stand-out alternative to paying full price, and you’ll end up with something far more special.

Entertainment and Eateries at Surry Hills

Surrey Hills has quite possibly the highest concentration of restaurants in Sydney, ensuring cultural fare for nearly any type of cuisine desired. Along with the traditional restaurants, you’ll also love visiting the seemingly endless pubs that populate the shopping district. If you’re looking for a great pub to while away a few hours, drop by the White Horse Hotel on Crown Street or the Clarendon Hotel on Devonshire. From Art Deco to Victorian to ultra-modern, there’s a match every outfit and desired decore, all within a few city blocks.

If you prefer casual dining, make time to visit Bird Cow Fish on Crown Street- their espresso bar is well worth the visit. For cocktails or a gourmet meal out, the C-ique Design Bar is an awesome choice; call in advance to see if you can organise a booking to coincide with one of their cult film nights.

For great meals on the cheap, try the Bourke Street Bakery, offering blissful breakfast and brunch, or the Shakespeare Hotel on Devonshire Street. If you prefer a French bent to your morning feasts, the Lumierre Cafe & Patisserie on Bourke Street has a selection of affordable breakfast and brunch offerings.

Tourist Spots at Surry Hills

Sydney and the Surry Hills area in particular, are well known for its great diversity in cultures, and the incredible Churches are no exception. Make sure to visit the historic locations of the St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, the St. Michaels Anglican Church and St. Peters Catholic Church.

Take a box lunch to Prince Alfred Park or Harmony Park for a peaceful outing, and be sure to visit the Surry Hills Library to enjoy the plentiful works by Sydney-dwelling authors.

Now that you’re in love with the area, drop by Furnished Property and find a great flat of your own. You may be surprised to see how well you can live on a lower budget, especially with shared or student accommodations.

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!

February 3, 2010

We know it is frustrating to apartment hunt, and especially when you don’t get good photos on the Internet beforehand. Furnished Property is in the process of creating walk-through videos for all of our properties around Sydney so that you get the best idea you can about a place before getting to our office. Have a quick peek at this furnished Bondi apartment, and let us know what you think!

January 18, 2010

Students searching for Sydney flats or student style accommodation can find numerous options with Furnished Property. We know how bloody difficult it is to search for a decent place to stay in the city, especially for international students, so our services have been tailored in order to make this process as simple as possible!

Our Sydney student accommodation is available in all the major student suburbs, such as Annandale, Bondi Beach, Coogee, Darlinghurst, Edgecliff, Glebe, Potts Point, Pyrmont, Surry Hills, Newtown, and of course – Sydney City. Live right in the heart of Sydney’s hottest locations – in an environment of other likeminded individuals – while you further your education.

Furnished Property offers various types of short-term apartments that work as student accommodation options in Sydney, but for the total experience, our Sydney guest houses are the best value. Our guest houses provide private living spaces (singles, doubles or triples) with common living areas that are perfect for socialising and making new friends from all over the world.

With Furnished Property, you can view and book a property online, on our website, and you’re good as gold when you arrive.

Or, you can come into the office and request a tour of our currently available properties! If you like it, you can sign and move in literally the next day! How easy is that?!

But – It gets EASIER! As our name suggests, our properties are fully furnished! That means you get the beds, the tv’s, the tables, the chairs, the dishes and the cups all included! Now that definitely makes getting a student apartment or room in Sydney truly simple.

January 11, 2010

Like most international students and travellers, it is hard to imagine Sydney without picturing its amazing coastline with gorgeous beaches. And just like that, it is no surprise that our Bondi Beach and Coogee properties are hot items during the Australian summer!

Imagine yourself coming back from work, grabbing your sunscreen and beach towel and running off to the beach for a relaxing evening. This could be every night (weather permitting of course) if you should choose a beach apartment location for a Sydney summer stay.

Right now, Furnished Property has numerous Coogee Beach apartments ready for renting.

Our cosy two-bedroom units are large enough to room up to 4 friends or two couples quite comfortably.

If interested in learning more about this Coogee Beach apartment, or one similar, be sure to give our office a call to book a tour. With a fully furnished beach flat, life in Sydney just doesn’t get much better.

December 7, 2009

The Christmas season is just around the corner, and many of our Furnished Property tenants might not be noticing since there is a lack of winter holidays atmosphere here in the Sydney summer. While Aussies are quite used to hearing strange “White Christmas” type songs when it is a blazing 40 degrees outside, some tenants are caught off guard when December 25th actually rolls around and they realise they haven’t even sent their families a simple holiday card.

Without those cooling weather cues, it can just be hard for working holiday visa holders to get into the Christmas mood. So, for those who haven’t yet realised, it is time to start that gift shopping, especially if planning to send them to family overseas.

I’ve compiled a little help guide here in case anyone living with Furnished Property needs some tips for sending their families some Aussie Christmas cheer!

1) Christmas Cards – Some tenants might be a bit strapped for cash and just can’t afford much more than a card. But, who can really imagine sending a traditional card with snowmen and burning fireplaces when Christmas in Australia is the exact opposite?! So family and friends back home can get a real taste, try sending them Australian Christmas themed cards, such as this one with Santa surfing. Aldi has packs for under $5.

2) Fun Gifts – Sydney shops are filled with heaps of typical souvenirs that loved ones might enjoy back home, but for those looking for a more ecclectic gift, there is always the opportunity to send a real piece of Australian wildlife. Kangaroo scrotum keychain, anyone?

3) Thoughtful Gifts – Since our tenants are primarily working travellers or international students, families back home will be missing their presence at holiday events. What mother wouldn’t love to receive a framed photo of their child as a present? To accomplish this task, tenants can find a particularly nice photo of themselves in Australia, upload it to a local (based in their family’s area) photo printing shop, and have it sent out in time for the holidays.

Postage

When choosing to send a package from Australia to home, allow sufficient time for shipping. It is the holiday season, afterall, and it is always nice to be punctual with gifts. Besides this, there are a couple other things to be aware of:

1) Customs – Be as honest as possible with the customs declaration form. Otherwise, the item could be delayed, or not make it at all.

2) Know What You Can Send – It is a good idea to investigate if there might be any restrictions on any items being shipped. There are different regulations for different countries.

Hopefully, this gives the temporary Australia resident, working holiday visa holder, international student, or any other Furnished Property tenant a little bit of guidance when it comes to preparing for the fast approaching holidays.

October 23, 2009

photo credit: Jessica Rabbit’s Flickr

We know that your Glebe shared accommodation and your furnished Surry Hills studio make for relaxing weekend hangouts, but why not have an adventure and take a weekend to the Blue Mountains instead?

The Blue Mountains is only a short train ride away from the bustling city of Sydney and provides a range of activities from cave exploring, viewing the famous Three Sisters formation, 4WD off road tours, abseiling and plenty more. The area is a beautiful getaway that is better known in more than a day, but if a day is all you got, it is definitely still worth the trip.

The Blue Mountains gets its name because the range takes on a blue tone at times, which is actually caused by the ultraviolet rays hitting particles in the air.

If you decide to spend a night or two, there’s a great YHA hostel to book into, which you can get a glimpse of in this video that they provided on the area and typical backpacker activities. Have a look and imagine yourself here for short term accommodation instead of in a furnished property of ours. I know its hard, but it’s only for a weekend, and sometimes you just got to step out of your comfort zone and see what the Sydney area has to offer!

Getting there and around has never been easier. CityRail provides an ExplorerLink Ticket which is good for one day of return travel to Katoomba, as well as an all-day pass on the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus which gives access to 30 Blue Mountains attractions.

For a long weekend out, there is also a 3 day Blue Mountains ExplorerLink ticket which provides the Explorer Bus pass for the 3 days.

October 6, 2009

Claire is a native Dubliner that has been in Sydney, and Australia for that matter, for just 5 months. Unsure of what she wants to go back to university for in Ireland, this 21 year old thought it was just a good time to experience life down under. I recently set up a time so that I could learn a bit more about her adventures here as a foreigner. It was particularly interesting to hear about her work endeavours because, unlike our last month’s interview, Claire has found it anything but easy to find a job in this bustling city.

“When I was getting desperate for a job, I had an interview at KFC. The guy asked me what kind of visa I had, and I said it was a working holiday. He immediately said, ‘No, sorry. We don’t take backpackers.’ It was shocking. I’m not a backpacker. I want to work. I live in Sydney.”

Many jobs around Sydney are currently looking for residents of Australia instead of those that can only be hired on a temporary basis.

When talking to Claire about this hot issue for those on working holidays, she responded, “Residents could just as well leave in 2 months whereas another working holiday person could still work for up to 6 months.”

Claire’s frustrations on the matter are not unwarranted. It took her a long 3 months, numerous applications, and 4 previous interviews before finally getting a job at Wicked Campers. The funny part of this story is that getting that job involved no flaming hoops whatsoever.

“I applied to an ad on Gumtree, and a week later she called me and asked when I could come in. It was really laid back.”

Knowing a little bit about Wicked Campers already, I just had to ask her about the infamous Naked Special they offer customers. Claire laughed and explained, “A couple of people have come in naked that I’ve seen. We have to take a picture of it, too. This woman came in naked and was like “hi” – I was a bit shocked. Last week a couple of guys came in and one asked, ‘If I come in naked, I get a day off, right?’ He went outside and took his clothes off and came back in.”

“It’s a really good job, really. It’s really laid back and friendly.”

Even though Claire really enjoys her job with Wicked Campers, she does work 6 full days every week. She knows it’s not optimal, but compared to other people, she’s doing pretty good.

“I don’t get much time off, but if I had more, I’d love to go to Coogee Beach.”

“If I never had to work, I’d be out in the sun all the time – at the beach or in the park. I love it. The weather is so nice.”

As for jobs in general, I would say Claire has been quite lucky in her life. She has never had to flip burgers or dress up in a funny costume for children and low pay. When asking if she has ever had a horrible job, she replied without hesitation, “Not really. I’ve only worked at three places.”

After a bit more thought, she then added, “…but I guess when I worked at the bookies (a betting place), it was bad. A lot of long hours… Got a lot of drunken people in there. The all day shifts – you have no life. You work, sleep, and work.”

Before leaving, I asked Claire if she had any advice for Furnished Property tenants still looking for jobs in Sydney.

“Try Gumtree. Before, I was looking on Seek and other job sites. The job sites are more awkward. A lot of jobs are commission-based and say you can make lots of money, but it’s basically impossible to make money. Gumtree is more down to earth.”

Claire is planning on sticking around Sydney for a while to work and save more money. She hopes to make it to Melbourne and Brisbane, and possibly stay in Australia for a 2nd year. Thanks, again, Claire for meeting with me, and I hope you enjoyed your dinner voucher for Wagamama’s!