A young British backpacker living in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has taken to social media to share his impressions of the city’s contrasting neighbourhoods.
The 21-year-old, known on TikTok as Chambothetraveller, moved from the UK to Australia in March and has been documenting his experiences while working as a trader.
In his recent videos, he has shared strong opinions about the cultural divide between Sydney’s exclusive eastern suburbs and the working-class west.
After visiting areas such as Blacktown and Mount Druitt, he claimed residents in the western suburbs were “much friendlier” than those in affluent eastern areas such as Bondi and Coogee.
“I’ve just finished the tour of all the dodgy places in Sydney and I have to say they can be difficult, they can look a bit s**t, but the people are much nicer,” he said.
‘Like I’m getting tired of living in the eastern suburbs like Bondi or Coogee. “It’s full of shit.”
According to the young backpacker, conversations in Sydney’s eastern suburbs lacked warmth and revolved around activities such as morning runs and acai bowls.
“They just sat there like, ‘oh, I just ran this morning, I just did this, this morning, I just bought an acai bowl,’ fuck the fancy bitches,” she said.
Chambothetraveller claimed people living in Sydney’s western suburbs were “friendlier” than their eastern suburbs counterparts.
In contrast, he described locals in western Sydney as friendly and considerate, stating that people would ask him about his day and offer help.
“Everyone I spoke to was fucking golden and I felt very welcome at Mount Druitt,” he said.
“Definitely not the prettiest area of Sydney though, lovely people… overall a solid seven out of 10 for me.”
He attributed the cultural difference to a wealth disparity between the suburbs.
“They (the people of the eastern suburbs) have so much money that they think they are better than everyone else,” he said.
After finishing a “tour of all the Dodge places in Sydney”, the 21-year-old described the people of Blacktown (pictured) as “golden” and “lovely”.
He labeled residents of Bondi (pictured) and Coogee as ‘posh pr****s’ and claimed money was the reason they were not as friendly as locals in Blacktown or Mount Druitt.
Chambothetraveller highlighted just one concern with the western suburbs: the presence of ‘eshays’, a subculture characterized by young Australians who sport designer sportswear and occasionally engage in anti-social behavior at train stations.
Many Sydneysiders agreed with the young backpacker, saying people in the city’s western suburbs are generally friendlier and more down-to-earth than those in the eastern suburbs.
“We’re unreliable, but we’re the nicest people in Sydney,” said one.
‘That’s why I love western Sydney. The authenticity and kindness of the people here is what makes it an underrated gem,” a second person wrote.
“People in western Sydney are much more honest and sensible,” said a third.
A fourth added: ‘So true. I lived in the eastern suburbs for five years, I spent the last four in the west, I love it, it’s so much nicer and so much friendlier.’