Places to avoid (sh*tholes) ?

Dave!

Hey folks,

Just wondering if ye can give some advice of places to avoid in Oz, particularly Brisbane and Sydney.

I'm talking about places that are either dangerous or just real sh*tholes as opposed to places that are boring or whatever (I already know to avoid Canberra )

eg. if someone coming to Dublin was asking me what areas to avoid living or working in, then I'd probably say in general that Finglas, Ballyfermot and Tallaght wouldn't be places you'd be seeking out as your first choices

I'm just completely ignorant about Oz, so don't wanna end up walking into my local bar and sitting next to Chopper Read and his mates

For example, I've seen lots of people on here saying that Coogee is a bit of a sh*thole and there's often assaults etc there (as we know all too well). Is that cos it's a kip, or is it just cos it's the Temple Bar of Sydney so there's a high concentration of drunks?


On a completely unrelated note (I don't wanna start a new thread for this), does anyone know what a 'Job Services Australia Card' is, and where one might get one? I've seen a few job ads that specify this as a requirement.

Thanks !

Dave

Zambia

Sadly assaults on nights out are sad bed buddies the world over.

If Dublin city at night is ok in your book, Australia is a huge green zone. Plus you will recognise a bad area as soon as you step off the train.

Chopper "D**kh**d" read lives in Victoria and I think you have to pay to even see him now.

m@cc@

In the Sydney city centre, George Street (though there are a few decent bars) is worth avoiding as the night goes on. Some of the stuff I've seen there at 11pm would make your eyes pop out. It's the same as at home, if you're in a group, it'll greatly improve your chances of avoiding any hassle.

brendansmith

In Melbourne avoid King Street in the city, St Kilda can be rough and the place to get 'bashed' by 'hoons' is Hungry Jacks (Burger King) so avoid their outlets:D

As Zambia said though in comparison to Dublin City its pussycat-ville.

Zambia232 wrote: »

Chopper "D**kh**d" read lives in Victoria and I think you have to pay to even see him now.

I saw him on Johnson STreet shouting at some guy on the street. He has a mate who ownes a bail bonds place there and they painted some sh1t paintings of Ned Kelly and were selling them.

m@cc@

brendansmith wrote: »

He has a mate who ownes a bail bonds place there and they painted some sh1t paintings of Ned Kelly and were selling them.

Was it some kind of dirty protest?

hussey

Kings X - I wouldn't go near the place, there are a lot of assaults here.
The clubs can be super clubs etc, but just a lot of alcohol and drugs, and testosterone etc. A lot of the bars around here are run by well known criminals

But areas to live, generally more west you go, the less attractive it is.

But as mentioned no matter where you go, there will always be some trouble, which is a shame.

Mr Yellow

Avoid west melbourne dave, apparently!
kings cross, coogee etc can be fine but alot of pissheads / scumbags do ruin it for everyone

Most places in Oz are dangerous...if you want them to be. (cocs & spiders)
Mind your own business & you can easily avoid trouble

I'd be more concerned of going missing when travelling up the west coast. Be sure to re watch wolf creek before you go.

You'll never want to come home!!! :cool:

mandrake04

Dave! wrote: »

For example, I've seen lots of people on here saying that Coogee is a bit of a sh*thole and there's often assaults etc there (as we know all too well). Is that cos it's a kip, or is it just cos it's the Temple Bar of Sydney so there's a high concentration of drunks?

Coogee is not that bad but I would avoid Bondi.... It attracts the wrong type of people. Mostly Idiots

m@cc@

mandrake04 wrote: »

Coogee is not that bad but I would avoid Bondi.... It attracts the wrong type of people. Mostly Idiots

'County Bondi' kinda says all you need to know about the place. Apparently it's thought of as something to celebrate.

hussey

mandrake04 wrote: »

Coogee is not that bad but I would avoid Bondi.... It attracts the wrong type of people. Mostly Idiots

I wouldn't consider these dangerous as such, although Coogee Bay Hotel and Bondi Hotel can get their fair share of violence at night (again drunk idiots)

During the day these are fine to walk around in.

Mahatma coat

Do not stop your vehicle anywhere between Gladstone and Mackay in QLD

Serious deliverance country, there have been some 'Disapearances' along there.

Yeppoon is the eppicentre of all things Bogan.

SERIOUSLY :eek: Dangerous country.




There are places to avoid thoroughly in the Centre of QLD too, but thats mainly cos the Locals are just a bit frosty, out in Yeppoon they are Hostile

Beachband

Mr Yellow wrote: »

Avoid west melbourne dave, apparently!
kings cross, coogee etc can be fine but alot of pissheads / scumbags do ruin it for everyone

Most places in Oz are dangerous...if you want them to be. (cocs & spiders)
Mind your own business & you can easily avoid trouble

I'd be more concerned of going missing when travelling up the west coast. Be sure to re watch wolf creek before you go.

You'll never want to come home!!! :cool:

I had one of those moments, driving back from Geraldton to Perth, it was pitch dark, complete wilderness and out of nowhere was this ancient ute right on my tail, that movie came to mind while I was driving(nothing else to think about, its basically one long road and after dark it can play tricks on the mind) so I slowed down....ute slows down....I speed up....ute speeds up, this went on for about 20 mins, but I tell ya it seemed like an eternity, especially with the long drive that was in it. Then all of a sudden...the ute decides to overtake...which was fine by me, and thankfully that was the end of that.

uglyjohn

avoid swimming in the ocean north of cairns its Irukandji country.


also dont go near a magpie nest during spring as they swoop and peck your head to protect theie brood.

brendansmith

Stay the fukk outta Rockhampton too. Seriously!

Personal experiences

je suis awesome

just make sure you avoid any stingrays, they're ok, but they've been know to kill iconic tv personalities

Mahatma coat

brendansmith wrote: »

Stay the fukk outta Rockhampton too. Seriously!

Personal experiences

Yeah, Rocky is kinda the epicentre of the wierdness

Akmal had an interestin take on it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrtOkrL_YyU

:D:D

shane86

m@cc@ wrote: »

'County Bondi' kinda says all you need to know about the place. Apparently it's thought of as something to celebrate.

Here we go :rolleyes:

Zambia232 wrote: »

If Dublin city at night is ok in your book, Australia is a huge green zone.

Ah now come on. Fighting is commonplace at bars in the suburbs and in every rural town but lets be honest, actually seeing a drunken brawl in O Connell Street is very rare.

The Irish bars here are a bit rowqdy but generally its people who know each other fighting. Sydney West is a bit of a kip but being honest it hasnt a patch on Finglas and the like. In saying that though there are alot more aggressive junkies and general lunatics wandering Sydney than back home.

Hussey- always reckoned the Coogee Beach Hotel only has a bad rep on that assault list because of the sheer size of it. Must have one of the largest capacitys in Syd, of course it will have more assaults. Its a great night out though, wouldnt put me off.

Beachband

I will be in mellys come march or april/may.
I just want rock n roll to feed my soul, some quality course to feed my mind and some friendliness to feed my heart.
Which part of Melb can this be achieved in?

solas geal

what's wrong with rockhampton? was planning on heading there to visit great keppel island...

brendansmith

solas geal wrote: »

what's wrong with rockhampton? was planning on heading there to visit great keppel island...

Can watch Mahatmas vid as im in work but im sure it will give you the gist.

Everyone in that town has somehow yellowed the whites of their eyes, manky tattoos coveing them from head to toe.

Everyone I spoke to there was just out of jail/up in court that week.

Got threatened in a pub within 5 minutes of walking through the door.

Bandit country. Seriously

ballooba

South Brisbane.

hussey

shane86 wrote: »

Hussey- always reckoned the Coogee Beach Hotel only has a bad rep on that assault list because of the sheer size of it. Must have one of the largest capacitys in Syd, of course it will have more assaults. Its a great night out though, wouldnt put me off.

That is exactly why it is on the assault list, the size and one of the few bars around that area that is open till 5am, I have gone in the past and have had a few great nights there.

Though it seems to attract a lot of - how do we say - a certain well known surfer crew, also

It's a good venue, I just feel a bit too old for it nowadays (I'm 30) - had some great nights when I first arrived!

Mellor

mandrake04 wrote: »

Coogee is not that bad but I would avoid Bondi.... It attracts the wrong type of people. Mostly Idiots

I spend a decent bit of time in Bondi, never seen any trouble. Except for the odd person having a go at a bouncer, but that's his problem.
You may or may not like the crowd, but it's one of the safer places to be "irish"




The only place I don't like walking around is Redfern. The newer parts are fine, but there's areas near the station that have a real ghetto mentality. I know a lot of Aussies that won't walk down a particular street. And that's during the day before work.

brendansmith

Mellor wrote: »

it's one of the safer places to be "irish"

Is there someone out to get us??

Mahatma coat

brendansmith wrote: »

Is there someone out to get us??

The LIZZZZZZZZZZZZARDS MAN :eek: The Lizzzzzzzzards.


In fairness tho It'd be a lot Safer to be Irish in Bondi than Rockhampton

hussey

Redfern is very dodgy.

Dave, bondi and coogee are fine as areas, (as you asked to name sh*tholes)

most places near the city are fine. western and southern areas are generally more dangerous.

Your question about coogee, it would be classed as temple bar of sydney - as a lot of drunk people go there. Rather than a rough area.

In fact australians who live eastern beaches can be classed as a bit $$

ballooba

Mellor wrote: »

The only place I don't like walking around is Redfern. The newer parts are fine, but there's areas near the station that have a real ghetto mentality. I know a lot of Aussies that won't walk down a particular street. And that's during the day before work.

One street does not a ghetto make tbh. That street is well flagged and a simple google search would likely identify it.

myhorse

bugger did a huge post and when I went to post it logged me out.
Anyways a shorter post
south west - avoid like the plague
I also think surry hills is a hole.
Avoid the west. some places real bad some places real real bad and then some places ****ing terrifying.
lakenba, punchbowl etc - dear god!!!!!! (or allah).
there was an article in the press a few yrs back about areas where bus drivers refused to go into after 6pm - will try to dig it out if I can.
Stick to the coastal suburbs and you wont go to far wrong.

edit - oh yeah the cross (kings cross) interesting for a walk through during the day. you maybe in time to catch the next installment of underbelly - its all about the cross (alot of those featured are now major nightclub owners/property tycoons).
redfern - erverleigh street hahaaha drove through there years ago I think I am due a medal or something).
I dont like anywhere on the western line either...

(re: the coogee bay hotel. its fine for a feed and some beer I usually just make sure to be out by 11'ish as thats when the fun starts - there is such a huge police presence around it now that its not too bad. Someone mentioned the size of it - think its 2nd or 3rd biggest bar in the southern hemisphere. btw if some chap mentions he is a bra boy -ffs - dont laugh!!)

Mahatma coat

Dunno, The PApers are sayiun that 'Underbelly - The Golden Mile' is gonna be about Brisbanes Valley during the Sir Joh Years, 'Coruptus in Extremis'.

And this may cause a bit of Consternation amongst some of trhe Posters, but I'd put the Valley in the list of Sh*tholes to be avoided.

myhorse

Mahatma coat wrote: »

Dunno, The PApers are sayiun that 'Underbelly - The Golden Mile' is gonna be about Brisbanes Valley during the Sir Joh Years, 'Coruptus in Extremis'.

And this may cause a bit of Consternation amongst some of trhe Posters, but I'd put the Valley in the list of Sh*tholes to be avoided.

thats the proposed underbelly4 - next one is the cross alright

Mackman

Beachband wrote: »

I will be in mellys come march or april/may.
I just want rock n roll to feed my soul, some quality course to feed my mind and some friendliness to feed my heart.
Which part of Melb can this be achieved in?

Spent a week in Melbourne CBD, best week of my life! awesome place. Didnt venture too much around, but we did head down to St. Kilda one night, got a little rougher down there alright, but still not too bad.
Fitzroy was pretty good too, Brunswick street is the place to go there, all the pubs, restaurants and clubs on one street

ballooba

Mahatma coat wrote: »

Dunno, The PApers are sayiun that 'Underbelly - The Golden Mile' is gonna be about Brisbanes Valley during the Sir Joh Years, 'Coruptus in Extremis'.

And this may cause a bit of Consternation amongst some of trhe Posters, but I'd put the Valley in the list of Sh*tholes to be avoided.

No objection here. The Valley is to bogans what Mecca is to Islam.

The HorsesMouth

Man whatever you do don't drive on the Nullarbor Road(main road that connects SA to WA, its a boring ****ed up place.

Jumpy

The HorsesMouth wrote: »

Man whatever you do don't drive on the Nullarbor Road(main road that connects SA to WA, its a boring ****ed up place.

Any road you can drive on for 28 hours from start to finish is going to be pretty boring

fontanalis

shane86 wrote: »

Here we go :rolleyes:



Ah now come on. Fighting is commonplace at bars in the suburbs and in every rural town but lets be honest, actually seeing a drunken brawl in O Connell Street is very rare.

The Irish bars here are a bit rowqdy but generally its people who know each other fighting. Sydney West is a bit of a kip but being honest it hasnt a patch on Finglas and the like. In saying that though there are alot more aggressive junkies and general lunatics wandering Sydney than back home.

Hussey- always reckoned the Coogee Beach Hotel only has a bad rep on that assault list because of the sheer size of it. Must have one of the largest capacitys in Syd, of course it will have more assaults. Its a great night out though, wouldnt put me off.

That makes it alright?

Osgoodisgood

Mr Yellow wrote: »

Most places in Oz are dangerous...if you want them to be. (cocs & spiders)
:cool:

Avoiding spiders is good advice in Australia. The other item is pretty much always best avoided if you ask me.

Zambia

Osgoodisgood wrote: »

Avoiding spiders is good advice in Australia. The other item is pretty much always best avoided if you ask me.

What never sure you can pat them and all.

Mahatma coat

Osgoodisgood wrote: »

Avoiding spiders is good advice in Australia. The other item is pretty much always best avoided if you ask me.

Dunno, some people are big fans of the Cocs

not me personally but shur theres no accountin for taste

Jumpy

Hey, it took all my willpower not to quote that earlier.

It a pity Steve Irwin is no longer with us, he was a big Coc activist.
Too many people eating Cocs is what the problem was.

Osgoodisgood

Jumpy wrote: »

Hey, it took all my willpower not to quote that earlier.

It a pity Steve Irwin is no longer with us, he was a big Coc activist.
Too many people eating Cocs is what the problem was.

Who needs willpower when a cheap "coc" joke is available?

And i see what you did there, you tagged on 2 above average "coc" gags of your own.

And I liked it!

CabanSail

District_9 wrote: »

What never sure you can pat them and all.

Hello Gertrude!

I call all Huntsmen Spiders "Gertrude" after a certain patient we had at work. These are wonderful beasties which are no bother at all. Have a pic somewhere of a Gertrude which is 17cm across. In the next pic she is feeding on a tasty Cockroach.

I see that Rockhampton has been getting a bit of a slagging here. It's an interesting town alright. I did an external study course through the University there & went up for some Prac Sessions. First night in the place, a Sunday, I went to a Pub which was open & was having a beer & looking at a couple playing Pool. When he went to the Jacks she started to chat to me. Turns out they were not a couple, he was just trying to get into her knickers by buying her drinks. He had no hope as she was a lesbian. Anyways .... her & I became quite friendly & she introduced me to her "Dyke Mates" and I got a tour of the town. Yes it is a Redneck Wonderland but with the right crowd that can be a lot of fun, though will keep those stories away from here.

I have not lived in Sydney for a long time but it seems that some things have not changed. Some areas out in the West can be quite confronting. There are certain Pubs that used to always be the centre of things. The "Comb & Cutter" was one and was normally referred to as just the "Cutter" for reasons other than it's name alone.

Coogee Bay Hotel has had a reputation for years as being a bit wild. Sounds like it's much the same as normal. Was not unusual to get a stabbing in A&E on a Sat night/Sun morn from there. This was in the early 80's. The rest of Coogee is a nice enough place though. Laughing at someone who is a Bra Boy is probably not wise, though I have heard that there are a lot more who claim to be Bra Boys than there really is.

Certain area's around Bankstown/Lakemba have always been trouble. Cabramatta was also a place to be careful, it is often called "Vietnamatta" as it has a large ex-pat Vietnamese Community. I found it a great place for shops & food etc. but it used to be a big Heroin dealing area too.

If you are in tune with where is safe/dodgy here in Ireland then you will also be fairly right in Australia. The "Aussie Culture" is influenced a lot more from it's Irish roots than the British.

If you are sitting next to Chopper then it's more likely you are at a Writers Festival than a Rough Pub these days.

Zambia

I call all Huntsmen Spiders "Gertrude" after a certain patient we had at work. These are wonderful beasties which are no bother at all. Have a pic somewhere of a Gertrude which is 17cm across. In the next pic she is feeding on a tasty Cockroach.

You have to post that, this is the largest spider I have seen in Oz and managed to get on Camera so far. Sometimes the locals who are prone to embelish the truth a bit talk of spiders in Queensland in the Banana fields that would cover a man's whole back. While this may be true I need pictures with a reference (like a 50 cent coin).

CabanSail

I will dig out the pics when at home.

CabanSail

A couple of shots for you. Taken in my Kitchen in November 2005





See how useful Huntsmen Spiders are, they feast on Vermin.

Mr Yellow

hussey wrote: »

Redfern is very dodgy.

100% agree, used to get train to work from there for a bit, it was redfern or walk to central! Thought the steel toe work boots would save me if they attacked me....

Alot of junkies there, & all are begging for a fag or change or....your life ha

Then again, i found the beggars & junkies more polite & grateful than beggars elsewhere in the world, just me opinion tho.

Mr Yellow

Osgoodisgood wrote: »

Avoiding spiders is good advice in Australia. The other item is pretty much always best avoided if you ask me.

Hahaa, well picked up. Realised after i posted that i mispelt it but the mispelling doubled in meaning thankfully!!

Might also wish to watch out for crocs! Which apparently are increasing in size gradually, however, im not sure about cocs!!