SilverTulip

Woodbine is a nice suburb but is unfortunately situated next to Claymore with it's low SES population and associated crime. Houses in Woodbine are brick and tile and of a good quality. The neighbours are generally friendly and nice people. The suburb is quiet and peaceful during the day but at night is victim to street hoons speeding down North Steyne Road at up to 90kms per hour, with their extremely loud sub woofers. Although Campbelltown overall is a bad area, Woodbine is one of its nicest suburbs.

I lived in the Campbelltown area as a teen and some of my family still live there. The town's "bad rap" is well founded! Although the infrastructure was good with excellent shopping, there was violence, crime and drug issues that are typical of low socio-economic areas in the Western suburbs of Sydney. Campbelltown has one of the highest (if not the highest) rates of car theft in Australia. Certain suburbs (eg. Bradbury) were known for ease of access to drugs. I remember a teen was raped in a local park, friends were "rolled" by teen thugs, bashed at the train station or Mawson Park, and local gang activity was rife. Public Schools were rife with violence and I changed to a private school due to being threatened with violence. Our house in Woodbine was burglarised. Although Woodbine is a nice suburb, it is unfortunately adjacent to Claymore (a welfare suburb filled with public housing, crime and poverty). Unless Campbelltown has somehow miraculously transformed in recent years (which I hear it hasn't), I would definitely not recommend it - that is unless you want to run a drug dealing business or car theft ring.

Dora Creek is a quiet village with a local train station, RSL, local shops and close proximity to Morisset and the F3. The suburb has a lot of variability in housing, which ranges from old fishing shacks, fibro cottages, brick and tile homes, to huge multi-million dollar mansions and holiday homes with private jetties and tennis courts. For some reason, Dora Creek seems to have a negative reputation, but I thought it was a relatively nice place to live. Although there were some dodgy neighbours around, and the usual car hoons speeding down Dora Street, my immediate neighbours were lovely people and would help us out if we needed anything. There was a real community spirit in this suburb. In summer the Creek can get smelly and there are mosquito problems due to the large volumes of stagnant water in Lake Eraring (flyscreens are a must in this area!). At other times of the year we enjoyed going for walks on the local waterside reserves, feeding the ducks and enjoying the quietude.

Bonnells Bay is nestled on beautiful Lake Macquarie on the central coast. It is quiet, safe and peaceful, with friendly locals. The Bay Village Shopping Centre and nearby Morisset provide almost all amenities, and the F3 is only 10 minutes away. There are good schools and local childcare centres, and a youth centre with skate park caters for younger people. Unfortunately, there are also the occasional car hoons, who do burnouts in local streets. In regards to nightlife there are local RSL's and the Bonnells Bay pub, which is very family friendly and has a lovely beer garden, and discos on Friday nights. The area is populated mainly by families and some retirees. Houses range from weatherboard to the more predominant brick and tile houses - some of which are quite grand. Many houses are very close to (or on) the water or boast water and mountain views. 20 minutes drive to Birdie Beach. I would be happy to keep living here for many years to come.

Fabulous nightlife, trendy & overpriced eateries and cafes, coupled with crime, drug abuse and general seediness. Used condoms and used syringes on the footpath near the office where I worked on Darlinghurst Road. I lived in Chisholm Street, near Taylor Square. Taylor square was typically frequented by homeless people, the drunk and the drug addled. I regularly had to dodge a homeless man who lay on the footpath on the way to my house. Walking through the square, down Oxford Street on a Sunday morning to get to a cafe, it was typical to see men vomiting on the street. My next door neighbours were drug dealers, so car loads of men would hover outside my house at all hours of the day, waiting to score, and watching me enter my house. My bedroom faced the street - I never felt safe. There was the occasional person rifling through our garbage, or peeing on our front porch. A man was often heard screaming aggressively from one neighbouring house. The local Centrelink, plethora of local drug and alcohol services and homeless shelters were obviously catering to many of the "locals" in Darlo.

Surry Hills is a trendy suburb due to its proximity to nightlife and the city. However, with the advantages of its situation also come some very clear disadvantages! Lots of homeless and disadvantaged people, drug addicts and criminals inhabit and frequent the area due to the fact that the area caters to these people with drug and alcohol facilities, homeless shelters, and youth refuges. For example, The William Booth House, Odyssey House, Langton Centre, Albion Street, Oasis Youth Support Network, Campbell House, Foster House, Gorman House etc. - all in Surry Hills!
Compared to some nicer Sydney suburbs, the area is an absolute dump - rubbish on the streets, people peeing or vomiting on footpaths, noise and crime are just a few of the issues. I would rank it in the same class as Darlinghurst or Rushcutters Bay - great if you area a single who loves nightlife but don't mind lack of safety and seediness that is inherent in these places.