Mondo

Very much a working class area in its early days, Five Dock, or at least parts of it, is enjoying a rebirth of style and elegance, where main roads permit. Some of the older Federation style homes have been beautifully restored, yet the smaller homes which are more tightly packed together still look squashed and boring, especially the ones that have squeezed a carport into the front yard. Originally home to many Italian immigrants, this is still manifested in the abundance of Italian restaurants in the area, more as it gets closer to Leichhardt.

Drummoyne is an older working class suburb of Sydney that from the 1980s has seen a resurgence in popularity due to its close proximity to the city. Driving to town however is a nightmare along Victoria Road, which is often described as a ‘carpark’ in peak times. As this road runs through the middle of Drummoyne, it passes home-owner type shops, the RSL Club, real estate agents, a pub and pharmacy. The homes on the northern side of the suburb hug the Sydney Harbour water front, and many of these are in apartment buildings. Very popular at weekends, Birkenhead Point Shopping Centre is also in Drummoyne, near the Iron Cove Bridge.

The town planners of the Perth suburbs have created suburbs like Leeming, that have all the facilities needed by families, no matter what their age. Because of its fairly close proximity to the large Garden City complex, Leeming does not need much in the way of big stores, and the supermarket, fruit shop, Chinese restaurant, newsagent and pharmacy at the local shopping village on Farrington Road, satisfy residents’ day to day needs. Most of the homes here were built in the 1980s, most have established gardens, thanks to bore water, but others – possibly renters – look a bit unkempt.

Roseville is an old area of Sydney where homes were built in a time where big gardens were the norm. Many of the grand old homes have been beautifully renovated, with gardens being given a modern day makeover while retaining established plants of the past. Roseville College, a private girls school, takes up some of the suburban area close to the station, and along the Pacific Highway the popular Roseville Cinema provides movies in an older style environment. Roseville has some lovely specialty shops and small restaurants and cafes.

Artarmon is like many of the suburbs along the major train lines of Sydney in that it has a combination of retail, high density and low density uses. The older homes in Artarmon are large, on large blocks of land – many are Federation style. Because of the large blocks and proximity to the station, those homes close to the train line have given way to apartment buildings, some not very attractive at all, on the southern side of the suburb. Artarmon has a highly regarded primary school, which takes ‘selective students’ in Years 5 and 6 from surrounding areas. The Pacific Highway forms one of the borders of the suburb and in this section there are car dealerships, motor vehicle repairers, hire car companies and other light industrial businesses.

Bundeena is a community situated in the Royal National Park south of Sydney. To access it from the city, you need to drive through the winding streets of the park’s bushland, or travel by the quaint little privately owned ferry that runs from Cronulla (just behind the train station). While Bundeena is popular with weekend picnickers, it also boasts a large permanent population, popular with families until the kids reach high school age. With a preschool, primary school, RSL club, several small shops and a petrol station, it caters for the basic needs of residents who do their grocery shopping usually 45 minutes away at Miranda Fair Shopping Centre

Kempsey is one of the larger towns on the NSW mid north coast, but is plagued by the heavy traffic of the Pacific Highway running through its main street. So the peaceful country setting is destroyed by traffic lights, trucks and frustrated parkers. Perched on the very pretty Macleay River, the town has some lovely riverfront parks, a large RSL club, several pubs, motels along the highway, large stores including Target Country, furniture and carpet retailers, and the usual smaller business found in a country town.

Located on the busy Pacific Highway, 10 minutes north of Kempsey, Fredricton, has a unassuming, yet famous Pie Shop that sells a huge variety of pies, from crocodile to emu and oyster. Many travellers make this a pit stop on their journey. Freddo also has a pub, petrol station, and was once the home of the Norco dairy co-op – an important enterprise that reflected the areas dairy farming past. The local people also travel to this town for sadder purposes, as it is the home of the Cemetery that services the community.

This small seaside community would have to be one of the prettiest locations on Australia’s coast. Located on one of several rare north-facing bays, this fishing village of the past has grown into a pleasant home and holiday destination. South West Rocks has a modern Country Club, several motels, The Seabreeze Hotel, two camping areas (3 if you include the nearby Trial Bay) and load of holiday flats and cottages. The community has a preschool and primary school, but there is no high school in sight, meaning students travel to Kempsey each day, or board in larger towns and cities.

North Ryde was developed as a housing area back in the 1950s, after initially being the site of orchards and poultry farms. The residential areas were split into War Service Homes (for returned servicemen and women), and Housing Commission (low cost housing for low income earners). However a new generation of residents has seen these lines blurred and simple old homes being demolished and replaced by McMansions.

The suburb has a Community Club, Fitness Centre, Library, Banks, a great shopping strip on Cox’s Road with some very nice restaurants.

Many people who work in the nearby Macquarie Park area find North Ryde an ideal place to call home.

Lane Cove has every type of home imaginable: waterfront mansions with expensive boats moored on their private jetties, more modest and well maintained homes, high rise apartment buildings, retirement villas and low-cost flats from the 1960s.

The Lane Cove commercial centre has some very pleasant restaurants nestled between fast food outlets, and boutiques amongst thrift shops. Its central plaza is very popular with workers and families at lunch time and live entertainment on some evenings sees it popular during the summer months especially, at night.

Epping, in Sydney’s north-west has seen a huge transformation over the past 10 years, with a large number of medium to high density housing options created. The reason for this is that it is on a vital train line linking Sydney with Hornsby, and beyond to the Central Coast and North Coast of NSW.

Epping’s proximity to Macquarie University has made the area popular with overseas students as a more affordable accommodation option to on-campus rooms. A new railway link has opened in 2009 with trains travelling between Epping and Chatswood, connecting the suburb with the Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, and North Ryde areas which offer a large number of employment options.

Epping has a hotel, community club, service stations, library, and is home to several big companies, most notably Unilever.

Broome is a bustling and thriving town perched on an area of land between Cable Beach and Roebuck Bay. These days it is a busy tourist destination, with associated hotels, resorts, motels and attractions like camel and hovercraft rides.

Its European history began with the pearling industry, and it is still home to several pearl farm operations. A relic of this past is the Japanese Cemetery, where many of the Japanese divers who were employed as pearl divers, were buried.

The main shopping and tourist area is Chinatown, whereas the beautiful Cable Beach Club is on the other side of town, facing the splendour of Cable Beach. Broome accommodation can be difficult to come by in the peak tourist seasons of June, July and August.

A must-do is a having a beer at "The Roey", the Roebuck Bay Hotel.

The Halls Creek town is an important stopover point in the drive from Kununurra to Fitzroy Crossing. The town itself is fairly bland, with two hotel/motels, fuel stations, post office, and several shops - but an excellent, new hospital. The Visitors Centre is excellent, and the adjacent toilet block clean and well maintained.

Tourists should visit the nearby China Wall, an amazing geological formation of quartz that is spectacular with the afternoon sun shining on it. As well, Wolfe Creek Crater, made famous by 2006 movie 'Wolfe Creek' is amazing and worth of a stop off.

Kununurra is located just over 3100 km from Perth, and is half-way between Darwin and Broome – 1057 km to each. The town came into being in the 1960s as a town to house and service the workers of the massive Ord Irrigation Scheme and its lynchpin, the Argyle Dam. This massive and far-sighted project has seen this area become the fruit bowl of Western Australia, with a constant supply of gravity fed irrigation water to the plains surrounding Lake Kununurra and the Ord River. Sugar cane was until very recently one of the main crops grown here, but the closure of the sugar refinery has virtually shut down this industry. The main crops now are Sandalwood (principally for the Asian incense and fragrance markets) and mangoes.

The town itself has a bustling shopping centre, two supermarkets, diamond showrooms (featuring diamonds from the nearby Argyle Diamond Mine), and camping supplies. It is a major stopping and shopping point for travellers in the Kimberley.

This phrase is often used to describe this important Northern Territory town. Historically Katherine has been important as a meeting point for several indigenous tribes, and aborigines still make up a large portion of the population.

The town is one of the largest in the Territory, and has medical, educational and social facilities needed by the population in the surrounding areas. It has a good shopping centre, with a supermarket, pharmacy, bakery, cafe, newsagency and liquor store. As well there are several hotels, petrol stations and camping supply stores. It is one of the main R&R points for travellers on the route between Kununurra and Darwin, and just about every first time visitor will travel into the nearby Nitmiluk National Park for a cruise through the spectacular Katherine Gorge, or a hike to viewing vantage points.

If you have the odd million dollars to spend, then one of the townhouses along Hamilton Avenue would be very nice. Built in the early 2000s, they are state of the art, have easy access to the city, and have the benefit of facing a lovely park. There is plenty of parking on both sides of the road, and it is just a short walk up to the bars and restaurants of Cammeray.

Albany Street, stretching from Highway 1, the Pacific Highway, to Alexander Street in Crows Next, is a busy local access road, and can carry traffic through to Falcon Street and onto the Mosman area or to the city. While there are several homes in Albany Street, most are used for business operations. The remainder of the street has a definite commercial flavour, with low rise office buildings on either side.

Christie Street runs from the Pacific Highway to Northcote Street, and has a busy roundabout at its centre. This is at the intersection of Chandos Street, which carries traffic to and from the Bradfield Highway and onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The street is lined with office buildings, and has several cafes, bars and restaurants that are busy at lunchtime and especially on Thursday and Friday nights.

The very small Pole Lane runs from Hume Lane to Oxley Street, in the backstreets of Crows Nest. Busiest at night and on the weekends, it is home to a very impressive indoor basketball stadium, which is used by schools and private clubs alike. The entrance to the parking area for the stadium is here.