July 30, 2010

When you’re living in Sydney in a fully furnished apartment, well serviced by public transport and with internet access, sometimes it can be hard to find an excuse to do some exercise. Well, how does taking in some of the world’s most beautiful coastline sound? There are multiple coastal walks to choose from around Sydney, and this website can tell you about all of them!

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July 22, 2010

Have you been struggling to get your football fix since the world cup decider? Fear not – The Sydney Festival of Football is here! Watch as 3 international giants take on Australia’s own premier league champions – Sydney FC. Games start 25th July, book through ticketek or visit the festival website.

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!

June 4, 2010

Are you a football fanatic? Are you the one that kicks your flatmates in the shins for calling rugby or AFL “football”, or calling football “soccer”? Then you’re going to LOVE Sydney this June and July! FIFA World Cup Fan Fest events will be taking over the city of Sydney from the 11th June – 12th July – and everything is free! Here’s a quick run down of some of the events:

LIVE PUBLIC BROADCASTS
3 massive screens will be floating on Cockle Bay, with a 4th mounted in Tumbalong park. Games will be broadcast live on the screens, and anyone can go! Take some mates and enjoy the games.

STREET SOCCER
Some of Australia’s best street soccer players will be taking to the pitch – on water! There’ll be a floating soccer pitch on Cockle Bay and, once again, it’s free to watch the games.

ENTERTAINMENT
If that wasn’t enough, the Fan Fest website assures us that there will be a “dynamic entertainment programme” to be announced. To keep up to date with what’s happening and when, check out the FIFA Fan Fest website:
http://www.sydneyfifafanfest.com.au/

January 29, 2010

Scubar makes its home in one of the best possible locations to draw in a solid backpacker crowd. It is directly below the Sydney Central YHA, and it is a hop, skip and a jump from Central Station! How much easier can it get, seriously?

photo credit: Orin Zebest

The word on the street, however, can go completely one way or the other depending on the person you ask. And, when the website lists crab racing and all you can eat pizza as some of its activities for the week, you can see why!

• Monday: Crab Racing
• Tuesday: Mix Pool Competition
• Wednesday: Live Music
• Friday/Saturday: All You Can Eat $10 Pizza & Live DJs
• Sunday: Free Pool

I took a look at eatability.com and found some interesting reviews for Scubar:

• So much fun, had a cracker of a night at this bar, load of travellers so good mix of people.
• Not a good pickup joint cause it’s incredibly noisy and by the time you can eventually buy someone a drink, their visa will have expired.
• The Scubar has bred in me a love for all things foreign! Believe me, if you’re looking for a solid time in Sydney head down, all the way down to the Scubar.
• It’s a crappy tourist bar full of seedy backpackers. It’s about the size of a beer can and they cram about 300 sweaty guys onto a dance floor where the only thing worse than the music is the girls. But hey Monday night.. cheap jugs…

What do you think, Furnished Property tenants? Is Scubar the best backpackers bar in Sydney, or does it leave you with nothing but a headache and empty pockets?

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 15, 2010

photo credit: dicktay2000

November 11, 2009

It appears that the old saying of the grass is always greener is true no matter where you come from. Caroline, a 21 year old working holiday maker, arrived in Sydney about 3 months ago and decided to make the move because she was just tired of Sweden. She quit her former life as the manager of a food joint, gave up her apartment, and booked a one-way ticket to Australia. Now, Caroline talks about her less-than-normal life as a Furnished Property tenant in the heart of Sydney’s Kings Cross, full of unexpected coincidences and experiences that let us know that there is something to gain by being such a positive light.

“I was walking down the street last week wanting to know how much it was to get into Club Soho, which is kind of expensive. I went up to a guy on the street wanting to find out – a very good looking guy – and he said, ‘Oh my god, I’m promoting for this night club. Do you want to get in for free? I’ll walk you… as long as I get a few cigarettes.’ It’s like you never know what’s going to happen.”

Kings Cross is notorious around the world for its vibrant night life, and that draws in a large amount of backpackers and tourists throughout the year. Caroline agrees with the hype surrounding this location, which is why she lives there, and even states, “I think it’s better than living outside [Kings Cross]. I pay a bit more, but it’s so close to everything.”

Everything here includes the pubs and clubs that shape the local atmosphere, and, after three long months, Caroline is still not tired of being considered a tourist amongst backpackers. Actually, Caroline prefers the backpacker establishments when it comes to going out in Sydney because “you get to meet a lot of new people”. And, when it comes to the cost of a night on the town, she suggests to either have a pre-party at home first to save some money, or (she jokes) to just find a nice Australian guy to buy the drinks all night.

Besides laying back and enjoying the spontaneity of entertainment brought about by living in a city a lot larger than her hometown in Sweden, Caroline explains that it was her positive attitude that helped her to find two jobs within the first two weeks of being here, and now a third.

“I found another job at a coffee place. I just went there and said, ‘Hi, are you in need of staff? I would love to work for you.’ They told me to come back next week, on Wednesday. Two minutes. It was that easy.”

Caroline continues, “Be very open, and don’t be negative. Don’t say, ‘Oh, I won’t get an apartment, I won’t get a job,’ ’cause then you won’t get either. Being positive is good for jobs. …If you are happy and speak English, it should be easy to get a job. Just smile.”

Being from Sweden, Caroline has been trained to want things a certain way, but this has not stopped her from adopting the “no worries” Aussie lifestyle while here. Sure, the buses might come 10 minutes late, but she has learned to adapt and accept the good that comes her way. She even met some of her best friends while sitting on a bus! Caroline is definitely a roll with the punches type of gal, and this image exudes from her personality and every word she speaks. I found it a bit hard to imagine, but she was actually a little excited about the idea of fruit picking.

“Actually, I did think about fruit picking because of the second year visa. But, it would be cool, even doing it for a couple of weeks really… just going out there and just doing it. It’s the experience, so you can say you’ve done this.”

Caroline wants to experience all that Australia has to offer. She has recently discovered a love for surfing, and she would even say that it is more amazing than the skydiving she did last Friday. However, more than just adventure, Caroline is looking for the authenticity that the normal daily life can bring.

“So many backpackers come to Australia, and they are so into doing all the backpacker things. They go to all the places that everyone else goes to, and I think it’s underrated to do real Australia things, like hang out with real Australian people. It creates a whole different view of it… it’s their real life, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Caroline has no real plans for after her time in Sydney, but I’m sure that with such a positive attitude she will have no problems in taking the next step.

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!

November 2, 2009

photo credit: Predrag_Bubalo