The worst thing about living on Billionaire’s Row as a mum

"I'm doing my first job, on my way to my second. Just because I live here, doesn't mean I'm a lady of leisure."

People judge me harshly for living on the most expensive street in Australia, Sydney's Billionaire's Row.

I used to offer self-deprecating explanations, but really, why should I have to? I live in the worst apartment in the worst house on the street, that's all I'll say.

But you wouldn't believe the grief I get for it - and the people who I get it from.

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The billionaires aren't the real assholes of Wolseley Road

One thing you don't realise until you live in a place like Point Piper is how much money the mega rich really have. 

The standard car is a supercar, a Rolls Royce, or Bentley SUV. The suburb is on a hill, so at first you think the houses are tiny, but there's actually very few properties that front the street: the real, real estate fronts the harbour - what the rest of us see are the back entrances.

But even though I'm literally the poorest person who ever lived there, the neighbours are lovely. My mum - a hard-working, modest immigrant - always worries that "rich people" look down on me, and are insufferable snobs. 

I'm sure some of them are, but I've never met them.

In my opinion, do you know who the real assholes are on the street? The tradies.

The classic tradie double-park where you can't even get into your car, on Wolseley road, Point Piper, aka Billionaire's Row. Image: Supplied

You know people have real money when they buy a $70 million dollar property only to not live in it for three years while it's being renovated. Honestly, in the seven years we've been here, almost half the street has had a major makeover.

I learned fast that one of the side effects of all the extensive renos is that the already minimal street parking is snapped up early every day by tradies. 

They are especially skilled at the suffocating double-park, where you can't even get into the driver's side, and just simply parking too close, where you  need to do million moves to get out.

As a mum, this is infuriating. 

More tradie entitlement whilst doing things for billionaires. Image: Supplied

I'm dealing with angry men before 8am

What drives me especially nuts is having deal with asking them to "please move", so I can get on with my life - because they do not like being disrupted to consider anyone else. I'm very often dealing with angry men before 8am, and it's horrible.

Another such incident happened this morning, after which I was yelled at by the man who had to move his truck to access my car.

As I approached my car on the street, I saw that a truck had double parked next to me, and blocked me in. I couldn't even get into the driver's seat.

Dressed for work, with my son waiting for me to get him to school, I had to navigate the muddy construction to speak to someone.

"Do you know whose car this is? Their double-park has blocked me in," I asked one guy.

"What, is that red car yours?" An infuriating response. Why would I be complaining about someone else being blocked in?

"Yes, and I need to get to school and work, so can you please find the owner and tell him he's blocked me in?"

His reply floored me: "Do you have to get to work or something?"

Through gritted teeth, I told him: ""I'm doing my first job, being a mum, on my way to my second job in the city. Just because I live here, doesn't mean I don't work."

"Yeah right, I'll see if he has time to move it."

He didn't, until 10 minutes later. How about not parking illegally if you don't want to be inconvenienced?

Check out these a-holes, the first who is a lucky SOB with a car lift, and the second (my puppy) who parks wherever he wants. Image: supplied

This happens regularly - at least once a week. A tradie who's blocked access to my car telling me off for disturbing him. Including on the weekends, when you'd expect there to be no works.

Yes, it's Sydney, and parking is an issue everywhere. But double-parking is also illegal. And arrogant, selfish and a dick move just in general.

When it happens, it makes us late, and changes our mood. It's stressful way to start the day. So why do I keep parking in front of building sites? Well, as we all know, in Sydney, you take the parks you can.

You might be wondering:  where do the billionaires park? Well, there's at least eight properties with car lift to access their homes from the street.

But the mega mega rich...? They get driven everywhere, anyway.

Sigh. I could really do with a chauffeur-driven Bentley SUV on school mornings.

Originally published as The worst thing about living on Billionaire’s Row as a mum