Hi, it’s looking likely I’m moving with work to sydney from france (office in CBD) and trying to get my bearings.
Where would people recommended living and which groups to train with ? Looking for a decent level (chasing that kona dream) but a good decent social group.
Hi,
I lived in periods in Sydney while training for Kona as well.
Congrats, Sydney is beautiful to train in. The main downside it is the most dangerous city to ride a bike in that I’ve ever been in. (I live in Denmark now, bit of a contrast).
The main upside is some of the nicest swimming in the world in outdoor pools.
Main consideration is what side of the bridge to live on. North of the bridge, in Manly/Dee Why/Narabeen the riding is much safer out toward Ku-ring-kai National Park. And a good pool in Manly as well. The problem with that option is it will be harder to get in and out of the office, across the bridge.
Another option is staying in near Centennial Park (much closer to CBD) and riding safely in the 5-8km roads of the park where there is no cars. And still there is a really great outdoor pool on your way to the office, in Prince Albert Park.
If you stay there longer I’m sure you will meet locals who could show you a few safer routes out of the city to quieter roads but Sydney is area-wise a massive city and the cars are a real real problem for cyclists and triathletes.
We lived in Neutral Bay (north side of the bridge) and loved it for ease of access to the CBD and it’s beauty. Our friends lived in Balmoral and it was better - it’s the La Jolla of the north shore if you’ve ever been to San Diego. Manly is very nice too. This is all for living, mind you. I was not training at the time, and rode my bike perhaps twice while I was there, I don’t think I’d recommend it. You can run almost anywhere. And yes, they have dope pools.
I can’t help you too much but I’ve spent a fair bit of time in the western suburbs and have coached a few cyclists in that area. There is a cycling/running path on the M7 that we used to get around. That seemed to lead us to riding all over the place and never having to get into a car to ride. I didn’t feel less safe than I do here in Tucson, and I feel pretty safe riding around here. Bit of a haul to get into the CBD and about 45-60 min to the airport in the mornings based on traffic. You can jump on a train though.
We did some ows at a quarry and there is a pretty solid group of triathletes in the area. A couple of 40+ guys in the 4:20 range for 70.3.
There is the Hills tri club out there which seems pretty active. There are several sweet outdoor pools and multiple reserves(parks) with grass tracks. not all of the grass tracks are 400m or perfect ovals though.
I messaged my sister for more specifics. I’ll update this post once she fills me in
Thanks for all the info so far.
Keep hearing how bad cars are, not sure what to expect. I’ve lived Paris (not too bad, need to be alert), Bangkok (expect them to be crap drivers) and London (usually alright but get some proper d*cks) so hoping no worse then what I’ve experienced previously.
Was thinking about living around Centennial Park to be close to experience Sydney (likely to be out there 18months-2 years).
Looking forward to experiencing these pools 
I live in Sydney. I think the best place to set yourself up is in Manly. You can catch the ferry to work so that’s easy and only takes 20 minutes. There is Warringah tri club (i am not a member of any clubs so thats no promotion) and they are pretty good setting up local events and friday swim and run sessions etc. Safety in Sydney bike riding is a bit sketchy so its even better that from manly it takes you 30 min by bike and you are in a national park. Also it is safe to ride there and back. There is other great rides as well like up to Palm Beach then you catch a ferry to Central coast and ride back home over an old freeway. Usually there is not many cars as the new highway is used. Lots of climbing around as well. For swimming there is 2 pools close by. The one in Manly has squats with NS swim. I actually go there twice a week in the morning before work (5:30 till 7 so enough time to get to work on time).
As I said I am not part of any club but I am happy to show you around if you move here. I am currently training for Kona but will also go into a couple races before in Australia. Hope that helps.
Wanted to follow up since I’ve heard from my sis.
They go ows at Parramatta lake. IIRC there is a buoy line or buoys out there, only have been there 1-2x. There is a high tannin level in the water for some reason. You didn’t suddenly get much more tan from swimming.
From the M7 they go riding Parramatta park, Bobbin head, The Gorges, Windsor, Wiseman ferry road. west head & Akuna head.
She said there are OWS held in Manly on Sat & Sun.
My nephew is on some jr development cycling program & team (oh to be 13 and have a 5.5w/kg p/wt ratio). She lets him go out to ride all the time without adults. She’d not do that if it was dangerous considering she yelled at me for taking him on the M7 path and letting him get too far ahead on his bike…while I was running.
If you have any specific questions you want me to ask lmk and I’ll whatsapp them to her for you.
Hi
I used to live in Ryde/Gladesville (North of the CBD/river and more affordable) and work in Parramatta. There is some great riding through the national parks and out to the north shore and dedicated cycle paths along the north side of the river to Parramatta. For Swimming you can take your pick - there are 50m pools everywhere (indoor and outdoor) and OW squads/groups at a lot of the beaches - Coogee, Manly etc.
I was a member of Hills Try club and they run duathlons all winter in Parramatta park and OW swims in the lake (although i’d definitely recommend the beach over the pond).
It really depends on how much you want to spend on rent - Bondi and Coogee are great (but expensive) places to live but have no rail services (bus to Bondi Junction then a train into the city) and Manly is great but has no rail link to the city so bus or ferry to work. The CBD is a soulless office block.
Manly or Bondi - you are coming to Sydney - live in the best parts. Personally I’d choose Manly if Tri training the bigger driver - Warringah Tri club as mentioned as many high level athletes, Open water swim with Bold and Beautiful swim group each morning and easy rides to the National Parks. If you are single - and looking for more nightlife - I’d go Bondi. Still plenty of Triathlon options, maybe even more so if looking to join a coached group etc but better access all round to the other joys of Sydney. Don’t ruin your time in Sydney living in north (where I am with family) or out west and spending time commuting.
I live near Manly and work near centennial park. Both are great and have heaps of swimmers, cyclists and runners. Manly is better midweek for swimming and much better on weekends for cycling, Centennial is better midweek for cycling but close to pools and the ocean, both have nice running. Good club training squads (Warringah in Manly or BRATS in Bondi) in both areas though probably more private ones training around Centennial (Moore Performance, STG, PB3) as there are more young professionals in the area.
Most companies around here have switched to full time wfh (during this current outbreak) or a mixed model of office and wfh.
If you are not going to be working in the office full time, I would suggest choosing life style over convenience - so either eastern suburbs (around Bondi) or northern beaches (from manly to palm beach). The b-line bus has cut commute times into the city and the light rail is a frequent service going from circular quay (where manly ferry disembarks) to the CBD.
Lots of helpful comments already but yes I’d add that drivers here can be very aggressive to cyclists - but I think the northern beaches probably have more options of safer routes / quieter roads such as north head, west head to palm beach, old pacific highway, even around mosman where there are pelotons of cyclists early mornings on the weekends. I don’t get too much excitement from cycling around and around centennial park but that’s my opinion …
For swimming, yup lots of beaches you can swim at if you need to do open water training … Bondi bay is quite nice but I don’t think you can beat the marine reserve at Manly. There are plenty of ocean swimmers and it’s mostly calm and safe (I hope you are not too scared of sharks, there are at least 3-4 different varieties of friendly sharkies along with bright blue groupers, rays and giant cuttlefish There are swimming groups at every beach if you don’t want to swim alone (probably safer to swim in a group particularly at any of the surf beaches). Manly Andrew Boy Charlton pool is excellent but you also have the choice of swimming at the various rock pools (some 50m) that dot the coast along the northern beaches.
As you’re training for ironman you might be running mostly on roads (not a problem anywhere in Sydney really) but in the northern beaches, there are lots of spectacular trails along the coast.
As mentioned already have a look at Warringah tri club. In the eastern suburbs I think there’s BRAT.
Whereabouts in the CBD are you working? Many ppl tend to do their swims and runs before work or during lunch, and there are also some excellent outdoor 50m pools in the city. You can run around the domain, across the coat hanger, etc in the city. Most offices here should have showers and Sydney is full of active / outdoor loving ppl so employers are generally understanding of employees who like to fit a bit of exercise in
We’ve had a few threads asking this question over the years and they’re very parochial, with answers reflecting where someone lives rather than a solid knowledge of training across Sydney. The capacity to WFH on at least some days is likely to influence your location preference.
Much depends on how you want to structure your training. If you’re happy to do all your midweek bike miles indoors vs a choice of beautiful climbs on quiet roads through national parks. Endless miles of running trails vs running around the city vs along the beaches. There will pretty much be easy access to 50 metre pools wherever you decide, but closer to beaches offer OWS year round.
Eastern suburbs/inner city/inner west.
Swimming pros: access to ocean swimming at Bondi, Coogee, Clovelly, Maroubra, etc.
Cycling cons: Loads of traffic in this area with Centennial Park (flat 3.8km loop) being the only safe option that isn’t constantly stop-start. Unsuitable for long rides locally. If you live more than 5km from Centennial Park you may even prefer to drive there from home.
Running: Botanical Gardens/Opera House/ Harbour bridge in CBD, but you’ll have access to this on work days wherever you live. Bondi coastal path is beautiful but crazy busy. Centennial Park great for volume miles on soft surface (grass), but
West/South West/ M7 bike path corridor.
Cycling pro: The 60km M7 mixed-use path is the safest cycling in Sydney. Traffic free, well lit, water refilling points and frequented by cyclists, runners and walkers. But flat and boring adjacent to a busy motorway.
Also Parramatta Park for running and cycling, about a 3km loop, If you live relatively close.
While some areas are nice, generally not the most attractive suburbs.
South
A local will undoubtedly reply to disagree with me here, but what was once the training ground of a string of World Champ Aussies (Welch, Jones, Macca, etc) and one of the best triathlete playgrounds in the '80s and '90s, has now been overtaken by the Sydney’s population growth. The best bits are still good, but compromised by access for safe cycling.
The Royal National Park used to offer some of Sydney’s best cycling, but many now regard it as too dangerous with its winding single lane roads with narrow shoulders and speeding traffic.
The Park remains a jewel, with an abundance of spectacular trails for running (home to a 50 miler in the '80s, with no loops or backtracking), from gnarly single track to the shady well-groomed Lady Carrington Drive, following the river for a pleasant 18km return run.
Wherever you settle, make sure you run RNPark’s Otford to Bundeena coastal trail (30km).
Suburban beaches like Cronulla etc are still pretty good.
I’ll return later to review the Northern Beaches and Northern Suburbs.
I lived as a triathlete and cycle commuter in Sydney from 1984 to 2018, training, racing and working over much of Sydney.
**Don’t ruin your time in Sydney living in north (where I am with family) **
Ignore this for lack of context. Undoubtedly the best cycling in Sydney.
Thanks for the feedback, definitely sounds like my wife and I are going to be spoilt for training vs Paris/London !
Now to get a move date but manly definitely looks like a strong contender.
Once I get over there, might look up some of you there 🤗