There are plenty of Aussies living in these areas with no problems, including single women. Who dont have problems. I dont live in the area anymore but am still very familiar with it as i know plenty of people there and am a regular visitor.
Advise on Western Sydney
- Thread starter lamecrocs
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I have put it down as an investment destination.
Such as?
Safe is a subjective term. Whats unsafe to you is fine for others.
I go to a great Lebanese restaurant in Lakemba often and spend time in the shopping strip. (Lakemba is the heart of the Muslim Lebanese community in Sydney) and its great. Have a smile and a laugh with old Leb guys sitting around. (and im fair Aussie)
I walk around Merrylands now and then, no problem. Its not a problem unless you make it one. Its just not a problem.
I think Xenophobia is the term im after.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xenophobia
Such as?
Safe is a subjective term. Whats unsafe to you is fine for others.
I go to a great Lebanese restaurant in Lakemba often and spend time in the shopping strip. (Lakemba is the heart of the Muslim Lebanese community in Sydney) and its great. Have a smile and a laugh with old Leb guys sitting around. (and im fair Aussie)
I walk around Merrylands now and then, no problem. Its not a problem unless you make it one. Its just not a problem.
I think Xenophobia is the term im after.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xenophobia
Is there a safest place in the planet to live? I don't think so. Use commonsense to do things at the right time you will be fine in any place. Different people have different lifestyle. Someone might pick Auburn for what it is offering and which suits his/her lifestyle within budget.
Siva
Siva
Yeah, I know what Xenophobia is. Here is the definition from your own source.
Definition of XENOPHOBIA
: fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign
LOL! Did you miss where I said that I teach skating in this area? I LOVE it and the kids that I teach. The kids are a mix of Chinese, Vietnamese, Lebanese, and a few other nationalities. I also have some lovely Muslim women who come with their children too. For the most part they are nice, normal people who come to spend quality time with their children regardless of their race and religion.
I am hardly scared of them and I certainly don't hate them. What makes me uncomfortable is not the familes, it is the rougher element, and lets be brutally honest here. There is often a rough element in any area, but the rougher element around these areas give off a more menacing vibe.
Some of them have no respect for women whatsoever and treat women as nothing but inferior. Maybe as a male, you don't get the same 'feel'. Or maybe you fit in with them. I'm not accusing you of anything here, by the way, but I'll give you an example of what I mean.
My BIL is a big fellow. He has unruley curly hair that is very much salt & pepper and a big bushy grey beard, dark skin and a wide nose. He is not aboriginal, but he looks the part. He often dresses in flannel shirts & shorts and can look intimidating to those who don't know him. He is a real softie actually. Now......he is not aboriginal, but the local aboriginals treat him with a lot of respect.
So......maybe you fit in, in some way which is why it is not a problem for you. Also, maybe the older guys that you joke around with have been in this country for a lot longer, and are more settled. Most gang activity are youths, afterall.
Oh, and before you once again try to say that I'm racist, let me say that I am well aware that gangs come from many areas and encompass many nationalities AND that Auburn is not the only area to have gangs.
Skater, I told you, i am a fair Aussie.
Its all about respect and friendliness and the general vibe people give off. If someone goes into an area with a preconceived idea of danger or threat or scared of some race or whatever. Well you know.....
I have back packed all over the world, mostly by myself in my 20s, in some of the most dangerous places in New York , Asia, Europe, Whatever....never ever had a problem.
I have spent time in the most so called dangerous areas in Sydney. Never a problem.
One thing i have learnt, you treat people with outright genuine respect and friendliness, even if they cant speak English. Most of the time you will not have a problem.
And yes, there are bad elements everywhere to different degrees, , and in these cases respect and friendliness just wont cut it. But they are not confined to Auburn, or Bankstown, etc
Each to their own....
Its all about respect and friendliness and the general vibe people give off. If someone goes into an area with a preconceived idea of danger or threat or scared of some race or whatever. Well you know.....
I have back packed all over the world, mostly by myself in my 20s, in some of the most dangerous places in New York , Asia, Europe, Whatever....never ever had a problem.
I have spent time in the most so called dangerous areas in Sydney. Never a problem.
One thing i have learnt, you treat people with outright genuine respect and friendliness, even if they cant speak English. Most of the time you will not have a problem.
And yes, there are bad elements everywhere to different degrees, , and in these cases respect and friendliness just wont cut it. But they are not confined to Auburn, or Bankstown, etc
Each to their own....
I respect the fact that some time ago you may have been familiar with these areas however, and you may or may not agree with me, areas can, and do go through substantial changes in relation to certain demographic shifts.
What can happen is that cultural enclaves in suburbs are created where a particular community usually of a predominant culture tend to congregate because they fell comfortable surrounded by people who hold the same cultural beliefs. I experienced this first hand whilst living in the UK. Through my particular profession whilst overseas I also experienced cultural and religious life in Middle Eastern countries such as Kuwait, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan. This did include what I felt was the disturbing treatment of women and female children in some of these cultures. Does it make me a racist because I disagree with cultural beliefs that encourage the denigration of women and label those who don't agree with their religious beliefs as infidels? Experiencing this first hand overseas has left me with memories that will never fade.
There are a whole raft of issues at play in these suburbs mentioned here in Sydney. Fast forward to today and through my chosen profession now I deal with many issues in these suburbs first hand some of which are frightening.
I'm not trying to generate hysteria I'm just saying how it is and not sugar coating it. There are significant problems in some of these suburbs and those are the simple facts.
Jack
I agree mate and have had similar experiences however, and unfortunately, there are some deep issues on a wider scale that sometimes are hard to identify, control and change for the better.
No, let's stay off topic and actually see this discussed.
My own take (and forgive the intrusion, but only because I despair at my own cultural vestiges of racism and feel impelled to resist them at every turn) is this -
Evand is what I'd characterise as an internationalist, while Skater is no racist whatsoever, I'd submit.
There's an important differerence, however, and it's not just down to personal experience. Evand I'd suggest will tolerate - indeed celebrate - nearly anything culturally different on principle, while Skater has only ever simply asked for some measure of adjustment to local expectations of decency (as a woman, as a mother, and as a citizen).
But, are these actually such different perspectives?
Not at all really. They both start from a position of tolerance, indeed both appear to greatly enjoy cultural diversity, but each have slightly disagreeing opinions on limits conformity. How much should non-Anglos be expected to conform, after all?
My answer would be, look at the abundance of good families on both sides of the fence, and how well they just go about their lives side by side (if not mixing all the time, at least not disturbing one another). Then look at the small handful of the kids of them both, causing trouble and giving everybody a bad name. There's your racism: Pure, unreflective, inexperienced-in-life kids, finding easy excuses for their own societal impotence.
Parents will always defend their kids, and that's only natural. But parents on both sides of the fence must also raise their kids to break down that fence, because if it belongs anywhere it belongs only in the playground. After all, don't little girls and little boys wondrously see themselves as entirely different races in their kindergarten days? So too, only the dumbest people on this earth are racists in adulthood. The problem boils down to maturity, not differences.
My own take (and forgive the intrusion, but only because I despair at my own cultural vestiges of racism and feel impelled to resist them at every turn) is this -
Evand is what I'd characterise as an internationalist, while Skater is no racist whatsoever, I'd submit.
There's an important differerence, however, and it's not just down to personal experience. Evand I'd suggest will tolerate - indeed celebrate - nearly anything culturally different on principle, while Skater has only ever simply asked for some measure of adjustment to local expectations of decency (as a woman, as a mother, and as a citizen).
But, are these actually such different perspectives?
Not at all really. They both start from a position of tolerance, indeed both appear to greatly enjoy cultural diversity, but each have slightly disagreeing opinions on limits conformity. How much should non-Anglos be expected to conform, after all?
My answer would be, look at the abundance of good families on both sides of the fence, and how well they just go about their lives side by side (if not mixing all the time, at least not disturbing one another). Then look at the small handful of the kids of them both, causing trouble and giving everybody a bad name. There's your racism: Pure, unreflective, inexperienced-in-life kids, finding easy excuses for their own societal impotence.
Parents will always defend their kids, and that's only natural. But parents on both sides of the fence must also raise their kids to break down that fence, because if it belongs anywhere it belongs only in the playground. After all, don't little girls and little boys wondrously see themselves as entirely different races in their kindergarten days? So too, only the dumbest people on this earth are racists in adulthood. The problem boils down to maturity, not differences.
Well, I will divert the discussion by a little bit...
So what do you think about the growth in Parramatta CBD? I reckon in terms of the CG, it's been performing quite well in the last 12 months and there are a lot of new developments (I'm just talking about apartments here). Hence, it will be little CG growth in the short term.
So what do you think about the growth in Parramatta CBD? I reckon in terms of the CG, it's been performing quite well in the last 12 months and there are a lot of new developments (I'm just talking about apartments here). Hence, it will be little CG growth in the short term.
I reckon you're right
Now you've lost me. I'm not sure that I follow the logic of "it has been doing well, therefore it is about to slow down or stop".
The median priced unit in Parramatta is presently around $370K. It was higher than that in Q2 of 2010 when it was $401K (OK that was probably new developments coming online - namely 20 Victoria Rd). Looking at the chart though, and ignoring the month to month peaks & troughs, I see just a steady upward climb.
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Interesting topic re Merrylands, i'm looking around there for a unit at the moment. Have to say i'd be fine with living there by myself but no way on earth would i want my wife to walk down the street alone...
I'm sure the vast majority of people in the suburb are fine but there is a large vocal bunch (mostly 15 to say 30 year old males) of rock apes who think they own the place and make a habit of staring / abusing / mocking anyone who looks like an "Aussie". My blonde haired wife had several disgusting suggestive comments made to her the last time she walked through the new Stocklands shopping centre - she doesn't feel safe going there anymore and i don't blame her. Who'd have thought a woman wearing jeans and a jumper in a shopping centre would be a target for racist abuse ? Funnily enough the same thing happens in Bankstown.
I can't wait for the race to the moral high ground and for people to tell me how wrong i am...
I guess i'm racist though...
I'm sure the vast majority of people in the suburb are fine but there is a large vocal bunch (mostly 15 to say 30 year old males) of rock apes who think they own the place and make a habit of staring / abusing / mocking anyone who looks like an "Aussie". My blonde haired wife had several disgusting suggestive comments made to her the last time she walked through the new Stocklands shopping centre - she doesn't feel safe going there anymore and i don't blame her. Who'd have thought a woman wearing jeans and a jumper in a shopping centre would be a target for racist abuse ? Funnily enough the same thing happens in Bankstown.
I can't wait for the race to the moral high ground and for people to tell me how wrong i am...
I guess i'm racist though...
Now you've lost me. I'm not sure that I follow the logic of "it has been doing well, therefore it is about to slow down or stop"
--> Yes, I mean that it will be slow and assuming property price "always" increases, therefore CG will also increase slowly.
In the short term until those new development being sold out, then we will start to see more growth on the existing property.
it's just my opinion, please throw in your 2 cents anytime.
--> Yes, I mean that it will be slow and assuming property price "always" increases, therefore CG will also increase slowly.
In the short term until those new development being sold out, then we will start to see more growth on the existing property.
it's just my opinion, please throw in your 2 cents anytime.
Mate with all due respect, you are joking aren't you? I have 2 mates personally who live in Merrylands, one who is Muslim herself (You may have seen her, she was on Channel 7 as she rushed to the aid to a person who was shot outside her house 6 weeks ago, and apparently there have been a few stabbings in the past few years outside her place) and another one of my friends who is Phillipino and lives there.
Both people who don't even know eachother call the place the Bronx and have told me that is the colloquial term that people in the area call the place. One of them is actually moving to Lidcombe as we speak (Even though she doesn't think it's that great either but it's an improvement) as she cant take it anymore.
In my opinion, Auburn/Merrylands/Guildford etc is the pits. This is why 15KM from the city and with great public transport links, houses are a third of the price of Ryde etc. which is pretty much the same distance from the city.
I find it unbelievable you shoot people down who say they live in places like the Central Coast without any problems, however you say these places are ok. If you are going to badmouth an area, fair enough however at least be fair. The demographics, unemployment, crime etc is terrible in those parts of the western suburbs and almost any policeman, person who lives there or works there would tell you the same. I personally worked in Bankstown for four months. Never again. I was spat at, witnessed an armed robbery at the Aldi in broad daylight on kitchener parade, and was shoulder charged while walking back to my car. All in four months and all in Bankstown itself.
BTW this is all from a person who considers himself "cultured". I come from a close knit Maltese family and travel everywhere, and love meeting other cultures. What I have noticed though is every country I go too, these same people in some of these suburbs like Auburn/Lakemba/Bankstown seem to be what the locals in EVERY country I have visited complain about in their own countries as well.
I'm frequently at Sweets on Queens in Auburn which in my opinion is about the only thing I think Auburn has going for it, with my mates of all cultures and love going there. However, I'm not silly enough to not look past why none of my mates or myself can catch the train with our wives there, and why we always have to drive and park very close nearby as we are frequently harassed at night by lets just say people who are very caught up in their beliefs, and don't take nicely to especially my partner being pale white, and me being dark. Comments like "How hard do you f**k the aussie s**t too me from young people, don't make any of us comfortable while we are there.
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Mate with all due respect, you are joking aren't you? I have 2 mates personally who live in Merrylands, one who is Muslim herself (You may have seen her, she was on Channel 7 as she rushed to the aid to a person who was shot outside her house 6 weeks ago, and apparently there have been a few stabbings in the past few years outside her place). Another one of my friends girlfriends is of Phillipino background and lives there.
Both people who don't even know eachother call the place the Bronx and have told me that is the colloquial term that many people in the area call the place. One of them is actually moving to Lidcombe as we speak (Even though she doesn't think it's that great either but it's an improvement) as she cant take the general thuggery around Merrylands anymore.
I find it unbelievable you shoot people down who say they live in places like the Central Coast/Blacktown/ Mt Druitt/Penrith without any problems, however you say these places are ok. If you are going to badmouth an area, fair enough however at least be fair. The demographics, unemployment, crime etc is terrible in those parts of the western suburbs and almost any policeman, person who lives there or works there would tell you the same. I personally worked in Bankstown for four months. Never again. I was spat at, witnessed an armed robbery at the Aldi in broad daylight on kitchener parade, and was shoulder charged while walking back to my car. All in four months and all in Bankstown itself.
BTW this is all from a person who considers himself "cultured". I come from a close knit Maltese family and travel everywhere, and love meeting other cultures. What I have noticed though is every country I go too, these same people in some of these suburbs like Auburn/Lakemba/Bankstown seem to be what the locals in EVERY country I have visited complain about in their own countries as well.
I'm frequently at Sweets on Queens in Auburn which in my opinion is about the only thing I think Auburn has going for it, with my mates of all cultures and love going there. However, I'm not silly enough to look past the fact that none of my mates or myself can catch the train with our wives there, and wonder why we always have to drive and park very close nearby to the cafe as we have been harassed at night in the past by lets just say people who are very caught up in their particular beliefs and don't take kindly to especially my partner being pale white, and me being dark. Comments like "How hard do you f**k the aussie s**t said too me from young people in Auburn don't make any of us comfortable while we are there.
I guess in my opinion, Auburn/Merrylands/Guildford/Granville etc is the pits. This is why 15KM from the city and with great public transport links and job opportunities everywhere houses are a third of the price of Ryde etc. which is pretty much the same distance from the city. Another reason could also be when you check out the 2010 NSW Police crime maps available at their website there is a glowing dark red circle around all these suburbs, showing extreme crime hotspots. I know overall Sydney and Australia in general is a very safe place, but seriously, to deny there is a problem there is silly.
Yes, and I guess everyone here agrees to that. But it's also true that their (bad elements) concentration varies from place to place. The above said areas do have a higher concentration of bad elements.
I live in Lidcombe. And if regularly go to Auburn (and Bankstown) to shop (Lidcombe has no supermarket). Lidcombe though isn't what people would consider as good but it is much much better than Auburn because culture is very different. I am now trying to get our of Lidcombe itself and move to Central Coast.
But coming back to Auburn and Bankstown, I would never consider living there, now that I know these suburbs. Although I admit, nothing untoward has happened to me, probably we are extra cautious (certainly not comfortable) when we are there. We do go out to eat at some Turkish restaurants in Auburn sometimes, but caution is always in our minds. But you do get to hear and read a lot of what goes on there. And I totally agree of gangs there thinking they own the place. We see them all the time, groups of teenagers with a typical hairstyle, moving a groups, or playing (honing their fighting skills) on the road or just trashing public property. And you do get a sense that they don't want anyone outside of their culture there. There is a Hindu temple in Auburn and it has been a target of these gangs as well. It has been stoned, eggs and sticks thrown, fire-bombed and even shot at. So much so that the temple priest who lives with his family there has told his kids to stay in the rooms and not to even venture in their own yard. Any guesses why? You do sense that they are not welcome in "THEIR AREA", because they belong to a different culture. Here's the link.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/fear-strikes-as-temple-showered-in-bullets-20110329-1ceuo.html
It's so true. So many people don't want to confront it due to fear of sounding racist, I see it this way though, before moving to the Central Coast I lived in West Ryde and Eastwood, Eastwood in particular being one of the most Korean/Chinese areas in Sydney. I loved it there. They were great neighbours and overall very good people to live around. The same cannot be said however, of much of what has immigrated to areas like Auburn/Merrylands. Personally I think we all know why this is, but like to sugarcoat in fear of being labelled racist or offending people. Either way though, unfortunately the result is just a really uncomfortable area to be around, even during the day in my experience, and this comes from someone who felt safe as anything walking around the so called dangerous parts of Thailand in the middle of the night.
Anyway if that makes someone a racist for merely commenting about the way things are, then this country is way too politically correct. I'll leave it there.
I completely agree, I would never ever consider living in certain areas in Sydney because of the demographics of the people living there. Even as a third gen migrant, I have always felt that had our immigration laws been tightened in the 70s/80s a lot of the unpleasantness in certain parts of Sydney would not exist.
