Areas to research

We got our 190 pr visas at the beginning of July for NSW. We are coming over in February 2017 to active our visas n research areas etc. Has anybody done this that could give us an idea of areas to look at. We have 2 children (2 & 7 years) so need an area thst is family friendly ie eating out, playgrounds, sports actitives etc. Good areas for shopping both food and clothes wise. Good schools etc. We have a couple of areas we would like to look at ie Hills area & and middleton grange/ Carnes hill area. Just wondering if there are other areas that we have over looked that we should consider. Many thanks

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Where will you be working? That will be key to where you might want to live. NSW is a very big place.

No idea yet. Just want to research areas to get a short list, Due to needing school etc. Don't want to keep uprooting kids to different areas n schools etc

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Anywhere is as good as anywhere else and schools generally reflect the suburbs they catch clients from and if you wouldn't want to live in a suburb you wouldn't want your kids going to a school in it. Families live all over Australia, there are shops all over Australia and schools are generally much of a muchness. All fairly pointless if you can't get work where you decide to live unfortunately. As I said, it's a very big state - it's three times the area of England!

We know its a large area. We just want areas to look at to get ideas of schools, rental budgets etc. We know it will be dependent on work but we need to research to give us an idea of costings, accessibility to schools, shops etc. We only have limited time in which to do this in, so just asking advice to narrow down the areas. Nothing is set in stone but obviously as in the UK some areas will be better than others

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This will give you an idea of rental costs. Sydney generally is very expensive.

https://www.realestate.com.au/rent

Commuting in Sydney can also be very difficult so place of employment is going to be pivotal to narrowing down your choices.

We know its a large area. We just want areas to look at to get ideas of schools, rental budgets etc. We know it will be dependent on work but we need to research to give us an idea of costings, accessibility to schools, shops etc. We only have limited time in which to do this in, so just asking advice to narrow down the areas. Nothing is set in stone but obviously as in the UK some areas will be better than others

 

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Are you really asking for suggestions in NSW or do you mean greater Sydney? If you do mean NSW then you really are going to have to narrow this down further yourself first. You can be in NSW, drive for twelve hours in a straight line and you will still be in NSW. You don't have enough time to explore the entire state. Everywhere is "family friendly" in that families are living happily everywhere and everyone manages to shop for food and clothes, so this is not going to narrow things down for you.

Work is key. We for example, only had a hope of finding employment in Sydney so that narrowed the fiekd right down. Think about work, not playgrounds and shopping. Costings also will vary massively across NSW, the same house could easily cost a couple of million more depending on where in NSW it is, so think about budget as well as work.

What Bungo said. It does sound as though you're looking at the outer suburbs of Sydney (Middleton Grange is 40 km from Sydney CBD).

The question we'd all like answered is, why are you heading to Sydney? Where are you expecting to find work? That will enable us to give you some suggestions for places to live.

Dropping back in because I've been thinking about this.

I am concerned that you are heading for Sydney. If you currently live in London, then I'd say "go for it" - but if you're coming from anywhere else in the UK, I would be very cautious. Sydney housing is the most expensive in Australia by a long shot (both renting and owning). We see a lot of comments here from migrants who've moved to Sydney - they love the lifestyle but often say they're financially worse off than they were in the UK.

You are looking at distant suburbs where house prices are a bit cheaper - but public transport from the areas you mention is not good, so commuting would be a bit of a nightmare if you're working in the city.

Have you considered a regional area like Newcastle?

We are looking at NSW as that is were the PR visa cane from. It was a state nominated visa. Our prefered area is Perth, due to having family there for 35+ years but we only got our visa as state nominated from NSW. Lookig on seek there are quite a lot more jobs in my field of work (graphic design/digital marketing) in Sydney compared to Perth. We are a little worried that if we don't go to the state that sponsored us it could have an impact when we apply for citizenship. As you are meant to go to the sponsor state for 2 years. We don't want to go to NSW for 2 years, get the kids settled into schols then move to WA. This is why we are researching. Our budget is around 600 aud max a week for rent so we need to look further afield. My wife is looking to work part time, shes has done admin in NHS for the past 18 years but will do anything within reason to help with the money side of things. Looking on seek there seem to be jobs around different suburbs, this is why we are looking further afield

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We are looking at NSW as that is were the PR visa cane from. It was a state nominated visa. Our prefered area is Perth, due to having family there for 35+ years but we only got our visa as state nominated from NSW. Lookig on seek there are quite a lot more jobs in my field of work (graphic design/digital marketing) in Sydney compared to Perth. We are a little worried that if we don't go to the state that sponsored us it could have an impact when we apply for citizenship. As you are meant to go to the sponsor state for 2 years. We don't want to go to NSW for 2 years, get the kids settled into schols then move to WA. This is why we are researching. Our budget is around 600 aud max a week for rent so we need to look further afield. My wife is looking to work part time, shes has done admin in NHS for the past 18 years but will do anything within reason to help with the money side of things. Looking on seek there seem to be jobs around different suburbs, this is why we are looking further afield

 

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With a budget of only $600 a week for rent, I wouldn't be going to Sydney at all as you will have to stay a long way out and face a very long commute.

As for work, three of my friends are graphic designers and they've all struggled to get jobs. They do freelance but barely get enough work to make ends meet. Digital marketing may be a different story though.

So do you mean you are looking for areas in Sydney and not NSW? What about places like Armidale or Port Macquarie...Coffs harbour..Wollongong?

We are looking at NSW as that is were the PR visa cane from. It was a state nominated visa. Our prefered area is Perth, due to having family there for 35+ years but we only got our visa as state nominated from NSW. Lookig on seek there are quite a lot more jobs in my field of work (graphic design/digital marketing) in Sydney compared to Perth. We are a little worried that if we don't go to the state that sponsored us it could have an impact when we apply for citizenship. As you are meant to go to the sponsor state for 2 years. We don't want to go to NSW for 2 years, get the kids settled into schols then move to WA. This is why we are researching. Our budget is around 600 aud max a week for rent so we need to look further afield. My wife is looking to work part time, shes has done admin in NHS for the past 18 years but will do anything within reason to help with the money side of things. Looking on seek there seem to be jobs around different suburbs, this is why we are looking further afield

 

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apologies, pretty busy, so not had time to read the whole post

here's my 2p worth:

Sydney is very expensive, but there's also lots of work opportunities, especially for design, marketing, advertising and digital (Melbourne probably has plenty too). I'm a designer/animator.

We moved here 13 months ago, and had a bit of trial and error stuff, ups and downs, but that kind of thing is to be expected when you make a big move like this. Anyway, I was initially trying to find a perm/full-time role and found myself quite skint. But I learned quite quickly that it's better to consider freelance in this area of work (more money in it). I do ok now.. my daily rate varies, but it's usually between $400 - $500 a day. You usually have to graft a bit for this, but it's nice to see the money come in, so it's all do-able. (just have to drink strong coffee, and there's tons of this here! he he). It helps if you have good references, a strong portfolio (or equivalent), can do it. Professional networking is key, so start now (LinkedIn, Twitter, Google stalking etc! he he). There's loads of British and Irish people in agencies... We're everywhere.

So, Sydney can be expensive yes, but it's also a city with opportunity for your line of work, and there's money to be made. If you can work out how to tap the well Positive thinking goes a long way here, and confidence. Neither are my natural ways of being, but I've learned to be more this way, and it seems to work. People will pay you well if you get the job done on time and do a fairly decent job of it.

the 1st year might be pretty tough, but it'll be a learning curve. Any problems that come your way may be the opportunity to get to where you want to be later on.

In terms of area, rents are expensive... depends on your needs. We need a 4 bedroom house, so that costs more. We found ourselves paying $1k a week for the last year for a 3 bedroom place, with a crappy old 1960s kitchen ($52k! ouch...) It seemed like it would be impossible to pay the rent, but once you get busy and make money, it seems to work out ok. We did it. We know many people with 2 kids and they can fit into a unit or duplex, which might work. This means less rent, and more modern facilities. In terms of houses, some of the places are pretty crappy if you don't want to pay over $1.2 k a week. We've looked at loads of houses. some of them are pretty bad! Before we moved we thought we'd pay up to $600 a week, and people said you'll need to pay more. They were right! But it kind of works out. My wife is a senior nurse and she gets paid a lot more here than she did in North Wales)

You can pick an area with a train line and 'good schools, and on paper this might make total sense, but we learned that these places can be pretty boring! We live up the train line from Chatswood (Killara), and it's not for us. The schools are really great and the train is handy, but otherwise it's just not fun at all. There's nothing much to do here, although there's lots of good things 30 mins drive away. Because of this, we are relocating to Newport next week. My wife and 3 kids will all work / school locally, and i'll have an 80 minute (door to door) commute each way to the city. The commute isn't ideal, but on balance, it's worth it.

So, maybe really think what's going to be good for your family - what you like to do, and what you imagine you would like to do when you're not in work. I do 50 hours a week at work (often more), so when I am off, I would rather be somewhere good when I am off! Also, be wary of people advising on areas for affordability, as their advice is often out of date. People might say you can live in places like Hornsby for cheap, but it's not anymore. So if anyone gives you tips, cross reference those places by searching the suburbs on https://www.realestate.com.au/rent

What you consider good is totally subjective of course. So if you think about that you can research around that... But there's more to life than common sense. If you move here, you probably don't want to live in a dull suburb (and there's loads of these...)

If you want to buy in future, I don't know how to help. It seems if you want to do that, you need to earn a lot, or have money from a UK house (A fair bit) or be prepared to live far out, Penrith, outer end of the hills, far western Sydney etc - we've never solved that one yet. Maybe keep doing the lottery! ha - People rent here and it's not so weird. Most people i know who have property here started with a small unit in the late 90s and are doing very well now. I think to get in the market now, you need to start small/basic and maybe move through the market by trading up over a 10 year period

Good luck anyway. Sure it'll all be fine...

oh, and PS

If you work in digital marketing, assume you'll work in the city. Most of these places are generally around Central Station or Redfern. Most creative shops are in Surry Hills, Redfern, Chippendale, Darlinghurst, Ultimo. Some of the more big money ad agencies are nearer Wynyard and a few in Walsh Bay (which is actually a pain in the bum to get to!). There are also a few around Crows Nest (North Shore), and loads of TV stations around Artarmon, St Leonards and Willoughby (North Shore)

If you do find a nice spot near a train line, you can basically get off the train and you'll be within 15 mins of anywhere you might work (except some of those TV stations, which are a bit of a pain on public transport tbh). All trains go through Redfern, Town Hall, Central, so those stations cover most areas you might work. If you freelance, you might work many places, but they will all be in the city.

If you like beaches, you could live in Sutherland Shire (as an example) and be in work in 40-60 mins by train. It's possible to get a rental there that's not too expensive.. City rentals will cost more. There's loads of cool places near were you might work with hipster cafes and cool pubs, but your kids won't be able to play out on bikes and stuff. SO you should probably look a bit further out!

If you have the money, either come for reccie, or just move here and spend a couple of months staying in different Airbnb places until you find a place you like. We didn't have the money for either of those so just had to wing it...

PPS - It's been known for people to get a state sponsored Visa and then live elsewhere. I know people who have done it, have a NSW visa and they live in QLD... So you might still just be able to live in Perth if you can get work there.

Thanks for the responses. Unfortunately we wouldn't have the funds to be able to Airbnb for any length of time. We will have to wing it as well Captain Roberto ?. We are looking further out and not really planning on working in Sydney but in areas further out ie industrial areas for companies etc. Sutherkand Shire has popped up a few times so think this is one to add to the list. We will have the rent from our UK until we decide to sell then will have a decent lump sum to buy in a few years.

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Sure thing. Many jobs can be done outside the city - my wife is a nurse and works where we are moving to next week.

I think a lot of marketing is more likely to be city based - lots of choice and opportunities there. So probably worth being mindful of your commute (bus/train).

It's possible to drive, but parking isn't cheap, which makes it $$$ prohibitive in my experience.

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If you don't need a beach nearby the hills area is cheaper. Out towards Penrith is also in the cheaper end. And the further away from the ocean you are in Sutherland is cheaper too but also near the train line. Bundeena is very nice. You can get from there to central in about 60-70 mins by driving then parking at Sutherland and jumping on a train.

Anything close to the city or the water will be more expensive. Most of the north shore is also expensive. (And snooty too).

There are always pockets where you can save a bit...

It's a big place and it gets a lot cheaper once you get far enough away from the city. Central and south coasts are great if you can get work there and / or put up with a commute over 90 mins.

Maybe join Facebook groups too and really get into the research? There's a lot more specific groups for various greater sydney areas on there.

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Also - in some ways I am reminded of us when we tried very hard to work it all out from the UK and decide where to live.

Ultimately, you only have the one pair of hands and limited funds. So you try very hard to get it all right. But it's hard to know. Once you get here you can really work it all out for yourselves.

So if you get get here and find you didn't get it right first time, you can always move.

In general, if you have kids and want to get them into a school you'll need to sign up for a 12 month lease on your rental property. So that will tie you on for a year. If you found you haven't really picked the right area, you could correct your choice after 12 months.

It's not easy to work out what's right for you by asking the Internet and other people.

We seriously considered moving to Brisbane. $600 a month would get you a very nice place up there... And buying is a lot more achievable

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Thanks Captain. We would only have one car for quite a while so if i can commute by public transport then my wife would be able to have the car for getting the little people to school. (2 n 7 at the mo). We were drawn to Middleton Grange as it has new build houses at reasonable rent. Have u heard anything about this area??

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Do u know the names of any of the face book groups??

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Thanks Captain. We would only have one car for quite a while so if i can commute by public transport then my wife would be able to have the car for getting the little people to school. (2 n 7 at the mo). We were drawn to Middleton Grange as it has new build houses at reasonable rent. Have u heard anything about this area??

 

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No, don't know it sorry.

What kind of stuff do you want to live by? There's lots of bush... But otherwise, what's going to be good for your kids?

Some suburbs can be a bit boring - so worth trying to find where there are things to do.

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I think if you look for poms in sydney then start asking for areas in there you should start to see bits more specific to areas you are interested in.

There are eastern suburbs groups, inner west, north shore, central coast, northern beaches. All kinds of them.

I'm off back to bed. Damn insomnia!

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Thanks for the help

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With a budget of only $600 a week for rent, I wouldn't be going to Sydney at all as you will have to stay a long way out and face a very long commute.

You could get a decent four bedroomed house with a nice garden for $600 a week in Berowra. Berowra is a suburb of Sydney. Very popular with young families. A very nice place to raise children by all accounts. And only an hour on the train to Sydney CBD.