Moving to Newcastle - looking for advice from Hunter mums

[Bungle]

Hi there, we're on the verge of making a big move to Newcastle and I was keen to get some advice from those currently living there.

We're looking at buying a home in New Lambton - do you think this a "nice" suburb to bring a family up in? Are there any other similar suburbs that you'd recommend?

What are schools like in the New Lambton area (which would you recommend? Are there some you'd avoid?). What about daycare for the littlies? Do you generally find that it's a child-friendly place?

Many thanks for any tips and pointers you can give. As you can appreciate, moving to a new city can be a little nerve-wracking so it's comforting to hear from those in the know!

[Veritas]

New Lambton is a very nice suburb... very family friendly, very nice... on of the picks really....

School wise you have a few great schools in the area.... New Lambton South Public is fantastic, and has a GATS program, and New Lambton Public School is another great one in Regent Street (Main street of New Lambton) has also had a lot of academic and allround success.....

Definitely a very child friendly place... lots of parks.... and lovely areas... local pool is only in the next suburb... and fantastic nature reserve in Blackbutt also backs onto New Lambton....

As for childcare, well I use family daycare, who coincedentally have their office in New Lambton, and my carer whom I love to bits is also in New Lambton.... There are also a few long day care centres and pre-schools in the area but I don't know much about them sorry....

New Lambton is definitely one of the nicer suburbs not too far out, with some fantastic little stores and yummy foods in the main drag.... you can't go wrong with it really!

I love it here, and bet you will too!

[Veritas]

ETA - Most of the surrounding suburbs are also fantastic and very much the same.... Adamstown, Kotara, Rankin Park, etc.... don't really have any spots that are not great for familys.... all round great suburbs....

If you want to go a little further out then some parts of Lambton, Wallsend, Cardiff and Elermore Vale are also ok, but you will find less desirable areas in these places....

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

hi and welcome to Newcastle (a little premature i know but I'll probably forget over the next few months with the upcoming arrival)

I've never lived in New lambtom but i have lived in lambton and north lambtom and found them both to be great suburbs, quite friendly and usually quiet (and removed from the uni so less likely to be surrounded by student share houses). i can't help with schools/daycare etc as I'm yet to have to explore these but the PP seems to have covered this anyway :thumbsup:

so far as i know new lambton is mainly families so in that respects would be great- oh and blackbutt reserve is wonderful for walks etc, if you get a place near there, you're laughing :D (although do watch out for the smell of fruit bat poo, not the most pleasant).

Other suburbs i have lived are Birmingham gardens (uni students galore!) Elermore vale (young families and older retired types, very good schools and the kids are nice) and we're currently in shortland which has a lovely "small town" feel to it yet is close enough to "city" lifestyle and beaches etc! plus the houses are really cheap around here :D there's a really cute local catholic school and a public school (both of which DH has been to when presenting science shows and says the teachers and kids are great etc)

but really Newcastle is great and everything is close to everything else so I'm sure you'll settle wonderfully wherever you end up :)

[CaitlinArai22]

I live in new lambton, its lovely. people are really friendly, houses are nice, the shops are great (andys takeaway has great scollops) theres a good cake shop, great bakery, IGA, and some good clothes and jewellery stores. and a great doula in the suburb if you ever need one!

I'm afraid i would dissagree with TWG, in saying its not like adamstown or lambton, definitly not walls end, while the rent is similar, the suburb and people and houses are generally a lot nicer - DP wont live in walls end, and the houses we've looked at at lambton have outhouses, woodrot, and are falling apart generally.
Obviously there are good and bad areas/houses in every suburb.

oh, and /john Hunter Hospital is in new lambton - always handy! They have a ronald macdonald house there too, its a wonderful hospital (generally; i hate my middies lol)

I dont know much about the schools as my first is due in feb, but see kids around all the time from the primary across from the shops on regent st, and the area is very child focussed. theres always fund raising for this and that, fetes, sporting events etc.

But i love new lambton, only warning if you're coming from interstate, is to keep in mind this is a fairly old town and its still getting over the effects of the floods, theres a lot of woodrot around so keep an eye (and nose) out when inspecting, and look carefully for roaches and bugs - a lot of this area seems to be infested with them now.

ETA: RAnkin park, elemorevale, shortland, cookshill, maryweather, bar beach, marylands, some areas of cardiff new lambton highs, cardiff hights, all nice places. I'd avopis carrington with kids, it was built on a swamp or dump or something, and most of the area is now marked as "knock downs". waratah can also be a bit rough, as can islington.

and beware when people say waterfront views around tighs hill/mayfield type area, sometimes it is the views on the lovely park part, sometimes, its just the bloomin half filled storm water drain at the other end

[CaitlinArai22]

oh, plus there are plenty of safe crossings, a lollypop lady near the school in the morning, etc!

Mainly older people and families, theres a few blocks of flats around tho, they can be noisy and occasionally we get the noise from the EA stadium.

I can ask my doula for some info on the mums group she is involved in in the area, i may even be able to get her to msg you - she's very busy atm i think lol - but she'll know more about this then us, living close by and with a few young'ns of her own, lol

[Veritas]

Sorry... didn't mean that New Lambton was exactly like the other suburbs, but just that you will be hard pressed to find a bad area in Adamstown, and that some parts of Lambton & Wallsend are also nice but you need to be more selective in these areas.....

[CaitlinArai22]

LOL no need to apologise at all!!!
Its just i've been on the house hunt myself as of late, and have seen a lot of dodgy places in those areas, plus my dp seems to have ideas that certain suburbs are bad (i've only lived here a yr, he's been here his whole life so i just take his word on it)

ETA: you should all come out with us sometime! gonnabeagr8mum and i have met up a few times, and will hopefully be doing something again before we both give birth (hint hint Kath). TWG, i didnt even realise you were around here... or if i did i forgot

[Veritas]

No worries.... having lived in Newie all my life, and all over the place around here at that, if you need any advice just PM me....

I know how hard it can be to catch a decent place at a decent price sometimes, the good one's get snavelled up so quickly!

[Veritas]

ETA: you should all come out with us sometime! gonnabeagr8mum and i have met up a few times, and will hopefully be doing something again before we both give birth (hint hint Kath). TWG, i didnt even realise you were around here... or if i did i forgot

Yep certainly from around here.... hazard a guess not too far from you actually... LOL.... just very quiet.... :o

[CaitlinArai22]

bungle, when do you arrive?

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

you should all come out with us sometime! gonnabeagr8mum and i have met up a few times, and will hopefully be doing something again before we both give birth (hint hint Kath). TWG, i didnt even realise you were around here... or if i did i forgot


ohh i back that up, i love meeting other mums (or mums to be :D) how does coffee/ cake at jesmond on friday sound- can't move very far (or fast) at the moment :o but can probably make it to jesmond shops.

[codswallop]

just want to stand up for wallsend!!!!
i live here and its fantastic!
i live in one of the older parts and nearly every one around up is young families retired couples or uni students
but newlambton is very nice i wouldn't hesitate to buy there !
oh Kath I'm up for jeso on Friday!(its a 5 min walk from my place down the bike path) plus i always head to jeso Thursday or Friday to do my banking

[Veritas]

just want to stand up for wallsend!!!!

There are some very cute spots....

I used to live in Silver Ridge.... newish estate style and also very nice and family oriented....

[CaitlinArai22]

aww, TPF, i'm sorry i know you've said that before, its just dps opinion as i said, he's a bit funny on some areas (and he's barely left the house in a few yrs lol)

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

cool friday at Jesmond shopping centre it is- about mid morning? everyone welcome!!!!!! just PM me for details! you'll love it up here bungle!

[Bungle]

thanks for all the great advice and positive feedback!

Not sure when I arrive - pretty much dependent on when we buy a house. Got our eye on a few and really like one, so soon hopefully.

[twolittlepixies]

hi there, we are also moving to newcastle from nz in weeks...we came over about a month ago, i didnt see new lambton but we did check out adamstown, kotara and warners bay and did like the look of all of those areas... are they ok areas to live in? its nerve wracking not having inside info on suburbs so great to hear some of the advice so far!! good luck to you :-)

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

hi twolittlepixies! wow that's a big move. How exciting, you'll have to come along to our meets when you get here!!!

warners bay is absolutely beautiful if a little upper class and somewhat more expensive than other areas, but i love it there (we got engaged on a bike-ride aroung the lake at warners bay!)

kotara is lovely too, especially around the back areas and next to adamstown heights. we go to church over there and the people are lovely but i would advise avoiding the main street (park avenue) it has a really high crime rate.

I don't know much about adamstown itself, but it does look nice when i ride through it, but i would stick to certain areas- you'll know what i mean when you look :D

[Roopee]

New Lambton is awesome! Great schools, parks, shops, it's on the public transport route, some nice leafy wide streets, flat (not hilly) and a lot of places are within walking distance.

I love New Lambton but other places close by are nice too- Adamstown, Kotara, Rankin Park, Waratah......good luck on the move!

Gunnabagr8mum- I was going to PM you re the meet this week as I was at a loose end this week and would have loved tro have met up with you but I'll have all my kids (4) due to school holidays and 4 kids in a shopping centre just isn't fun for anyone:laughing: (more so me lol)...so when the kids go back to school or you have a park/beach (Ithough watching 4 kids near water is a little challenging) meet let me know:flowerz:

[cluckcluckcluck]

I used to live in Adamstown and am in the process of moving to Lambton.

I don't drive, so I did a lot of walking around Adamstown and I felt fairly safe in most areas, but there definitely are a few dodgy spots and I would never walk around alone in the dark (but then again, I probably wouldn't do that anywhere!).

I can't say much for Lambton as I don't know it well enough just yet, but it does seem to be a very nice area. There are some lovely tree-lined streets!

I also find Lambton to be very close to everything... but then again, most of Newcastle is like that! It is very quick and easy to get around from suburb to suburb (I think so anyway...) :)

[CaitlinArai22]

oh roopee, i was goning to msg you re this thread - you said something about mums groups earlier last year right? (or wa that someone else?) thought that might be a good place to start soursing other stuff - daycare etc.

[Roopee]

Awww Caitlin- your too sweet:D.

Yep- some of us meet on some Thursdays- if anyone's interested let me know and I can PM you the details

[codswallop]

hi every one!
just wanted to say that lambton is a raelly nice area too( miss living so close to the park and pool1) though some of the hills can be a nightmare with a pram!
warners bay is really nice but the lake can smell a bit at times!
well kath im up for friday if your still feeling up to it!
Roopee, i to would love to get involved in any other meets you guys are planing,
or even if we do a morning tea at someones house would be nice too
as for all of you lucky ppl moving to Newy, i hope you lik eit here as much as i do!

[emmalouise29]

Hi Are there any new mums or new mums to be from England on here? I am english and i am quite homesick at the mo. I am expecting my first child in Feb over here. Really want to make some good friends here so i can settle to life here better as do find it hard.
Look forward to hearing from you
Emma

[codswallop]

Hi Are there any new mums or new mums to be from England on here? I am english and i am quite homesick at the mo. I am expecting my first child in Feb over here. Really want to make some good friends here so i can settle to life here better as do find it hard.
Look forward to hearing from you
Emma
hi Emma
try getting on the expecting in newcastle thread
though i dont think any of us are english Nomsie did live in the UK for a extended amount of time
congrats on the feb bub!

[tarly82]

Just thought id "bump" this thread, as I am originally from " the bay" ( Port Stephens), and currently live in Cairns. We are planning on moving back home at xmas time, just as im starting my 3rd trimester..
Its a little stressfull to think about , especially as i cant enrol in a hospital or birthing clinic until then and am scared it will be too late and i have to take what im given....
Currently plans are for John hunter although Im not sure about whether to choose their labour ward or birthing clinic.. does anyone have any reccommendations they can give?
I will just be a public patient and as this is my first bubba im so confused as to how it all works. Currently due on 30th MArch.
cheers,

[mimsie]

Hi Tarly :) i can't offer much advice but wanted to say hi, due on the 19th March and will be at JHH too :) I haven't been there before.

[Roopee]

Tarly have you tried calling them? Make them aware of your situation because the Birth centre tends to book out really fast. I would just give them a ring and call more than once of you dont like the answer you get the first time if that makes sense?

Good Luck with it all