There are many things I love about Sydney – the weather, the history, the architecture and the people. But there is one thing about this glorious city that I love and it’s just how alive it is!

Year round, there are so many events around the city. Festivals, shows, cultural events, live music, theatre, food markets, art and museum exhibitions. The list is almost endless.

Being based in the Eastern Suburbs is an absolute boon. Due to its proximity to the hub of Sydney, it doesn’t take much travelling time to attend an event or a festival. It’s just another wonderful reason to live in the Eastern Suburbs!

Sydney and the Eastern Suburbs seem to explode during the summer months, especially with the number of outdoor events that are organised. Here’s a list of some of what you can find around Sydney if you decided to head out to explore the town.

Sydney Festival

An annual tradition and now in its 40th year, the Sydney Festival runs from Jan 7 – 26 and showcases an absolutely exciting melange of events. All bases are covered: music, theatre, dance, opera, circus, art and many others genres. What’s great about the Sydney Festival is that there’s something for everyone. And many events are free! Check out the website – there is so much to see and do. It’s also a great way to discover new talent and maybe see parts of Sydney you would not normally visit.

Eastern Suburbs Beaches

Gordons Bay

Everyone knows Bondi Beach, but when’s the last time you went for a snorkel at Gordons Bay, Coogee? Locals are spoilt with some of the best swimming spots in Australia, but often the most secluded spots are right little treasures. Parsley Bay in Vaucluse is great for a swim, a bushwalk and a great spot to get away from the crowds. Nielsen Park is also a beautiful place to have a relaxing day – and there’s plenty of shade. If you’re not keen for a swim but still want to feel the sand between your toes, Tamarama is perfect for a picnic or a play day with the kids. Have you been to McIvers between Coogee Beach and Wylies Baths? It is the last remaining women and children’s only pool in Australia and a perfect place to unwind.

Uncover the history

Vaucluse House, Watsons Bay

If you’re a history buff, there are many places to unearth around the Eastern Suburbs. Vaucluse House at Watsons Bay is one Sydney’s only 19th century harbourside estates still standing.  Bare Island Fort was built to protect “Sydney’s back door” – Botany Bay in 1885 and is a picturesque spot to examine the past. Centennial Stables in Centennial Parklands is an ideal place to experience the best the Eastern Suburbs have on offer. If a visit to the flicks is on the menu, forget the mega cinema complexes and watch a movie in style at the Ritz Cinema in Randwick.

Break out of the mould and discover something new about your area. Open the local paper, visit the community centre, go to the opening of an art exhibition or even attend a council meeting! Whatever you do, get out and enjoy your town. Life is for living!

WE’D LOVE TO KNOW YOUR FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO IN THE EASTERN SUBURBS. LEAVE A COMMENT AND SHARE THE INFO!

Less than 1.5km from the CBD, Surry Hills is home to many creative agencies and enterprises, renowned design stores and some top restaurants.

Live

Once the centre of Sydney’s garment trade, the Surry Hills of today is a trendy and essentially gentrified inner city address with a distinct arty edge. There are still some factory outlets closer to Central Station on the northern side of the suburb, although many of the warehouses have been reclaimed for conversion, given the high demand for residential accommodation throughout the area.

Love

The main thoroughfare of Crown Street has been completely reinvented as a cosmopolitan restaurant and entertainment hub, with its eclectic eateries and revamped pubs such as The Clock, The White Horse and The Dolphin.

Increasingly a fashion mecca, Surry Hills has great vintage stores, especially at the Oxford Street end of Crown Street. The first Saturday of every month sees Sydney’s young and fashionable head to the Surry Hills markets, held in Shannon Reserve on Crown Street.

The area’s many galleries exhibit young local artists, but perhaps the most famous would have to be the Brett Whiteley Gallery on Raper Street, with its iconic oversized burnt matchsticks framing the entryway.

Sell

Cleveland Street, which separates the more upmarket eastern side of Surry Hills from the west, is renowned for its affordable ethnic cuisine. The Eastern Distributor road works gave the area a massive boost, blocking off the formerly high-traffic Bourke Street and transforming it to a quieter, leafy enclave lined with large Victorian terraces, groovy cafes and interesting specialty stores.

Juliet lamented that: “A rose by any other name wouldn’t smell as sweet”. However, if you live on Sewage Street, the pong of a name may permeate through the whole neighbourhood.

It’s not an easy task to find out how many streets there are in Sydney (due to evolution of suburbs and redevelopment), but it’s estimated there are over 9,000 streets. Now, the fair majority are ordinary, run-of-the mill names. But every so often (and I’m sure every suburb has at least ONE odd sounding street name) you’ll stumble across one that’s very unique.

Now, if it gives you a chuckle, say like Butt Place in WA, it can be amusing and a bit of a talking point. But, when you’re trying to sell a house on Bogan Place (in Ku-ring-gai) then it can be detrimental.

On the flip side, though, an unusual street (or suburb name) can be a marketing boom! If a street name helps your property stand out (in a good way) among the plethora of properties on the market, then that’s a good thing, right? Take for instance a property that recently sold prior to auction in Sydney’s Surry Hills. The house, on Batman Lane, probably didn’t fetch more because of the superhero status, but the real estate agent did agree the property did get more attention – and the new owners can now enjoy full bragging rights!

A friend of mine grew up on Bongalong Street in the quiet lower north shore suburb of Naremburn. As you can imagine, her street name was often ridiculed.  It also attracted a lot of unwarranted attention, especially from young males who would pose at the street sign at odd hours of the day. These ‘dudes’ thought it was hilarious, but it became a nuisance – especially since many street signs mysteriously disappeared over the years!

There have been cases where residents have petitioned their local council to have a street name changed, but these pleas usually don’t get anywhere. According to Des Mooney of Land and Property Information, which oversees the NSW Geographical Names Board, established street names rarely get changed.

At the end of the day, buying a property involves many factors; price, location, suitability etc. Street names are probably down further in the list of priorities. But, if you really can’t see yourself living on Gross Avenue (and spelling out your street names to banks, for online shopping and the local school – repeatedly) then maybe you shouldn’t move there!

Everyone needs their own space in their home. Whether it’s a quiet little reading corner, a favourite spot in the lounge room or even the study, time apart from a busy household is vital.

But what happens when a man’s castle is no longer his own domain? The answer is simple: build your own space. While the idea isn’t new – men have always claimed the garage or the ‘den’ as their own – the Man Shed has recently risen in popularity.

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Can both men and women have their own space?

In the last few years, the She Shed has made a ‘colourful’ appearance. Women rejoiced as now they also had their own sanctuary. But has this been detrimental to those not of the fairer sex? Is there room for both?

The answer is yes! The Man Shed, in many cases, seems to be an extension of the garage or even a complete transformation of the place that stores the tools, the baby furniture and the old tyres. Men have reinvented the Man Cave into state of the art, Wi-Fi connected escapes complete with proper heating, cooling, plumbing and flooring.

Forget the throw pillows and scented candles á la She Shed, the Man Cave of 2015 has a comfy recliner, a handy fridge and even a pool table. The modern man wants a place to rebuild his 1970 Plymouth Road Runner, but also a space that’s not cluttered with the rest of the household’s junk.

Limited by your imagination

It’s amazing some of the transformations I have seen to the old garden shed or garage. As mentioned earlier, some men have completely gutted out the existing structures while others have built their Man Sheds from scratch. Ideas include: micro-breweries, home offices, chill-out zones complete with all the latest technology, music recording studios and even photographers studios. Each is stamped with their own unique flair, and all very masculine.

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And, it adds value

It’s not surprising an additional asset to a home will add value to your property, especially if it’s decked-out to a very high quality. Just ensure that before commencing any new building work, you check with your local council and abide by all regulations. You wouldn’t want all your hard work to be for nothing.

Will he disappear forever?

I hear many women worry that their men will retreat into this Man Shed and may never reappear! I have yet to meet a man who lived in his cave forever! When their stomachs start growling, they’ll emerge! On a serious note however, having your own space – whether you’re a man or woman ­– is important for mental health and balances the dynamics of a busy home environment.