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.

January 20, 2012

The Paddington section of Sydney is well known by the locals as a shopper’s paradise. Just east of Darlinghurst, the suburb is filled with terrace apartments. Tree-lined streets overlooked by wrought iron balconies lend a touch of romance to the district, and the Victorian architecture complements the atmosphere perfectly.

Antiquing in Paddington

You’ll love wading through the many antique shops in Paddington, especially McLeods Antiques on South Dowling Street and the Vintage Times just down the way. Stop into Domain Collectables on Oxford and make sure you ask the staff to show you their favorite pieces in stock.

You’ll also find several art galleries in this district, featuring work by local artists and others from around the globe. The Five Ways section, made up of three streets that cross Glenmore Road, exudes an old-world vibe with its sidewalk cafés and decorative shops.

Paddington Markets

Every weekend, the Paddington Bazaar is in full swing next to the Paddington Village Uniting Church. You’ll see booths and street vendors with wares from designer clothing to souvenirs, and be sure to try some of the delicious local food and drinks for sale here.

Centennial Park

If you’re keen to enjoy the great outdoors Centennial Park doesn’t disappoint with its formal gardens, horse-drawn carriage rides and historical statues. Rent bicycles or skates for a trip along the leafy paths, and be prepared to encounter families and individuals of all ages; this is a very kid-friendly location.

Centennial Park is also a great place to bring your friends and picnic, or just find a quiet spot to enjoy a take-out sandwich and a book. Frisbee and horseback riding are also a great way to enjoy this area.

Cheap Eats and Entertainment

If you’re visiting or staying in the Paddington area you must visit the Wine Library, a Mediterranean wine bar on Oxford Street. And to indulge your sweet tooth make sure you add the Max Brenner Chocolate Bar to your to-do list.

The Ampersand Café and Bookstore is an interesting place to grab brunch with friends, as is the Book Lounge Café. If you’re looking for great seafood, A Fish Called Paddo is your best choice in this area and they’re open for lunch and dinner. Remember to bring your own bottle of wine and watch the crowds pass by.

Paddington is a great starting spot for your pub-crawl to the city, and buses are available to get you back home after your evening out. Check out the Captain Cook Hotel, also great for pub food, and the Fringe Bar on your trip down Oxford Street.

Home Away From Home

Instead of dropping hundreds on a hotel, check out Furnished Property for shared accommodations or a studio apartment of your own. If you’re planning on being in Sydney for a month or longer, this is definitely the best bet for value.

Your lodging will include televisions and DVD players, tastefully modern furnishings and laundry facilities on site for your convenience. Staying in Paddington can give you the full Sydney experience without breaking your budget, as long as you do a little research and planning before you go.

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.

November 20, 2009

As a majority of Furnished Property tenants are in Sydney on a working holiday visa, they immediately start to think of all the ways they can apply for their second visa when they discover the joys of an Australian summer. To do this, however, involves spending 3 months taking part in regional work during the first working holiday, and fruit picking – duh duh duhhhh – is definitely the easiest and most popular form of regional work around.

Easiest? I guess the term is relative to what you consider easy. Long days in hot weather surrounded by bugs and getting covered in sweat and dirt doesn’t sound easy to me. What I meant is that the jobs are more flexible than most, and, as long as you can get there in time, there is probably plenty to go around.

A typical day might look a little like the following:

Initially, the idea of performing this repetitive and body-killing task might be quickly brushed aside. Why the heck would someone want to take part in physical labour during your time down under? Ah, but flash that little pass for an extra 12 months of Aussie bliss, and people will quickly change their tune.

Besides this bonus, there are plenty of other reasons to want to take part in fruit picking while in Australia.

• See rural Australia. Sadly, some people only see the big stuff while in Australia – the cities, the beaches, and all the big tourist spots. By taking part in fruit picking / harvest work, backpackers can see another side of this massive country.
• Enjoy nature. Ever feel the need to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and kick back in the quietness of nature? Fruit picking provides a means of experience the calming tranquillity and beauty of the rural landscape every day.
• Get fit. It’s not uncommon for fruit pickers to see a noticeable difference in the way their body looks after only a few short weeks of work. The constant activity provides and excellent way to get beach fit while gaining some cash.
• Meet other backpackers. Make friends for life by living in cheap shared accommodation and working with other backpackers while fruit picking. Who knows what future travel plans may emerge after a short stint on the farm.

Harvest work is not a relaxing job, to say the least, but by playing the cards right, a backpacker or former Furnished Property tenant might be able to step away with a hefty wad of cash in tow. There’s nothing quite like celebrating a job well done by having some money to be used for further travels around Australia.

What about you? Do you plan to fruit pick in order to get your second working holiday visa?

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.

September 2, 2009

Do you panic at the thought of being without your good friend, Google, by your side? Are you a compulsive email checker, YouTube fanatic, or download addict?

If you suffer from any of these aflictions, then you might be a person who just can’t live without internet!

photo credit: juanpol

When living in a shared accommodation, or guest house, with Furnished Property, internet access may be taken care of with a house computer or wireless throughout. On the other hand, for those living in residential apartments, internet might be the responsibility of the tenants – and in Australia, it is not such a cost-effective goal to achieve.

Many Internet Service Providers around Sydney supply plans meant for 12 or 24 months, and if you want month-by-month coverage, you might have to combine that with the cost of a home phone and a set-up fee. Depending on the type of housing you are living in, and the number of people you are sharing it with, this cost could start to add a bit to your monthly bills = less fun money in Sydney.

Luckily, there is another way. When I arrived in Sydney, I didn’t really know these existed, but it appears that mobile broadband is a booming business here. What you do is buy a modem that looks like a little memory stick and a SIM card that’s tied to a mobile phone number. And, just like the pay-as-you-go mobile phone plans, you recharge your data package each month or year.

photo credit: William Hook

The top companies to choose from are: Three, Optus, Telstra and Vodafone.

They actually work quite well and do everything from Skyping your family back home to downloading music. Best of all, its ready to go with you wherever you’re heading around Sydney! So, if you fancy typing some emails in the park, at the beach or on your apartment’s balcony, the usb modems give you the flexibility to do just that!