www.realestate.com.au is where you'd be wanting to look first for a place to rent.
www.whereis.com.au and type in sydney in 'search maps'.
just pick out locations closer to sydney and work your way out for affordability.
booming areas are parramatta, bankstown (dont believe everything you read lol), burwood, leicharddt (sp), sutherland shire, chatswood.
places to stay away from: bankstown: if you're sensative, redfern: unless you like to sniff petrol and dont mind getting beaten up on the odd occasion for no reason, mt. druitt.
thats pretty much it.