Boothy

I grew up in Picnic Point.

Highlights:
- Wide, safe, leafy streets
- Close proximity to the bush and Georges River

Downsides:
- When Revesby and Bankstown are your best shopping options. You know you're in trouble.
- It's pretty remote, but if you like the suburbs and don't work in the city it's great.
- Picnic Point Chinese is terrible. Totally Westernised 'Choinese'. The owners are nice though.

I lived in Sutherland for about two years.

Advantages:
- You can get the country trains into the city, they take only 35 mins
- Close to the national park
- Sutherland Leisure centre is great
- Cronulla is 15 mins away

Disadvantages
- Totally whitebread, with no character
- Everything shuts early, as thought it's 1975. Nothing is open on Sunday
- Food is average
- White Horse cafe is good, but that's all there is. Cronulla is the closest place with decent cafes.
- Bogans and dodgy crack fiends abound.

I am a relatively new resident of Mascot, but I love it!

Main benefits
- 25 mins to the city on an express bus
- 1 Stop away from Central station on the train
- Good, cheap multicultural food (Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese)
- Affordable housing
- We were totally surprised at the friendly, helpful vibe of Mascot. Many residents have lived there their whole lives, so there's a solid community spirit.
- Hong Ha rolls!

Detractions
- Depending on where you live, planes can be a problem. Check out this map: http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=105686047848531438589.00046881acd1e03708602
- The train station isn't in the centre of Mascot, it's in an industrial area
- The train line is privatised, and therefore expensive. It doesn't matter that much though as the busses are fast and frequent