ah ok! im not sure dh will bus to the cbd but it may be something we need to look at. it will be a learning curve living down there (we vowed never to return to brisbane as it was too busy pmsl!!!!!)
I've lived all around Sydney and have family scattered all over - outer west, north-west, east, northern beaches. What sort of lifestyle are you after? North-west is good for young families, I'm not sure about rent but $600pw in that area sounds reasonable for what you're after. They only have buses, no train line, but you can get to the city on an express service in under an hour.