Nancia Guivarra

Moved here 2.5 years ago and can't believe how much I LOVE Balmain East. Nice community. Great amenities. Quiet as it's an insular peninsular, yet buses run every 9 mins to the city on a loop to QVB. It's exactly 4 mins on the ferry to the heavenly Barangaroo food area or to Darling Harbour another stop (5 mins added), and another 5 min walk to Wynyard where you can get to anywhere in Sydney directly.

Highly recommend the East Village family pub on Darling on Wednesdays especially for hot pot two for one Provencale Mussels. It's a 2 min drive to the much busier Balmain where there's 50 options for fitness operators for every person. I go to Body Ethos to do pilates and yoga 3-5 times a week.

Best restaurants are Gigis traditional italian or the East Village for families, Phamous Kitchen or Blue Ginger for east meets west. Balmain Blue for fish n chip night. Simone Logue for french pastries. It's an area where retailers test their business first and then they expand elsewhere. Nearly every private school bus picks up from Balmain's Gladstone Park to all over Sydney. Higher income area but with a good mix of peeps, expensive real estate though add 20% to the rest of Sydney. Nightlife goes nuts on Friday nights at the London, then rockers at the Unity on Sunday. Markets galore on the weekends, organic food stores, Bonds retail, good coffee and cafes, great medical centres, pharmacies and pet vets.

Don't come here if you want a big yard or a big house or even a pool. Swim at the Dawn Fraser, Sydney's oldest ocean baths. The streets are tiny, your car will get it's mirror or side scratched at least once a year (mine alot more) but it's highly recommended if you just want to live your life and not spend it in traffic in Sydney getting somewhere.