PollyAnn
Reviews
"Unsafe"
I've lived in Pyrmont for the past 10 months and have had several horrible experiences. The first involved being mugged on my own street at 7pm whilst walking home from work. The second involved a woman who attempted to snatch my handbag from the front passenger seat of my car which was parked on Union Street in Pyrmont. This also happened in the early evening. Luckily I had locked all doors so I didn't lose any valuables on that occasion. My block of apartments has also had mail stolen from our letterboxes (for identity theft) and our apartment has been broken into.
I believe that Pyrmont is an unsafe area for a number of reasons:
- there are several housing commission blocks in Pyrmont;
- the casino is situated in the heart of Pyrmont (not family friendly and riddled with gambling addicts);
- it is nextdoor to Glebe and the city which both have very high crime rates, especially assaults and robberies;
- it is easily accessible by the public and therefore by criminals;
- it can be noisy and disruptive, especially near the water on the weekend where a lot of drunken hoons often frequent late at night;
- lighting at night time is poor.
Yes, Pyrmont is conveniently located near the city and it offers several nice restaurants and cafes – but I certainly would not trade this for safety and security!
Great for
- Lot of eating options
- Near to city
- Ease of access to virtually everything
Not great for
- Unsafe at night
I have lived in Pyrmont for 13 years and have never personally experienced crime in Pyrmont. I am aware of robberies in my apartment complex but those instances were generally opportunistic and avoidable (eg resident had left their balcony doors open). I can understand that it is very unsettling when you are the victim of crime, but PollyAnn's experience is not representative of Pyrmont generally.
I never felt unsafe or uncomfortable in my suburb. Having said that, I do not wander the streets late at night and I avoid going near the casino area after 10.30 on a Friday or Saturday night (like any entertainment area in Sydney, you need to be vigilant). It is rare for patrons of The Star and Darling Harbour to venture into the Pyrmont residential areas (other than for expensive and limited parking). New streetlights have also been installed this year (2014) which are very bright and should assist to deter street crime.
As for family-friendly, I would say that Pyrmont is very family friendly and that is evidenced by the increasing number of families moving into the area and waiting lists to get into local daycare centres and schools. You only need to go to Pirrama Park on a weekend to see what a family area Pyrmont is. The main thing which would make families think twice about moving to Pyrmont is the sky-high property prices!
I live in Jacksons Landing and completely disagree that people from the Star dont venture into residential streets. We live on Cadigal Ave (a long way from the Star) in a terrace and every weekend some loud idiot parks in our street from 7 pm so they only pay for 2 hours parking (free from 9 pm) and comes back at 4 am shouting and tossing garbage about. Our neighbours were robbed in broad daylight on Sat morning in late 2017 and just last week someone forced the lock on our patio door - luckily we were home. Pyrmont is great when its just the locals youre reviewing, but frankly its a destination now and really not so pleasant anymore.
It is unfortunate about your experiences Pollyann, however blaming excellent public transport links for high crime rates? We all know that criminals can't afford cars, but not too sure why they'd bother with public tranort when they can just jack a car and drive into our suburb.
"lighting at night time is poor". That is because the sun has gone to bed and the moon is up.
A casino not family friendly? Who would have thought a licensed premises that precludes under 18's from entering wouldn't be family friendly? I suggest writing a letter to your local member of parliament.
Noisy on the water? That's called Darling Harbour and is full of bars, clubs and restaurants.