AndrewM3

My 4 head family moved to the Northern Beaches (after spending 2 years in the Eastern Suburbs....big mistake!) and have never looked back. Our first stop was North Curl Curl and although the area was nice, we lived on Abbott Road which is a traffic nightmare, particularly during weekends with the netballers (nothing against them....there's just millions of them there). Suffice to say, it was not a peaceful experience, but NCC is in general very nice. We moved to DY after buying a place up on the hill (Victor Rd) and it's so peaceful and beautiful here, we cannot believe more people haven't discovered it, but are grateful for that fact, otherwise, we couldn't have afforded it. I have not witnessed any of the violence that has been mentioned here, and if we're honest, it can happen anywhere. I have witnessed and heard even more acts of violence in the Eastern Suburbs (think Bra Boys), and would never go back there, even for a coffee in the middle of the day. North Balgowlah even can be rough, if you're unlucky enough to have your place crashed by a bunch of drunk teenagers! And don't even ask about Manly.
Shopping in and around DY is great.....I always say: If you can't find it in DY, you'll find it in Brookvale. If you can't find it there, it's not worth having! DY is not perfect though. The trip into the city isn't fun....but the further north you go, it get's even worse. All the express buses in the world won't help the fact there is only one bus lane.....and if there is a slow coach, every bus suffers. It really is time for a sensible, and not politically driven update to the bus schedule. I will however note that due to Warringah and Pittwater Road meeting at DY, it's easy to take alternate routes to the city, Chatswood, St Ives etc. That's handy!
If you want an expensive and pretentious area, try Freshwater.....but you'll need to have a lot of money and car to get to any amenities. If you want expensive tourist traps, try Manly. If you want cheap, try Warriewood (but not saying that's bad). IF you want value for money in a growing area, try DY.