Hi all,
I am brand new to the site, registered yesterday although have been nosing at all your threads for weeks - really interesting.
Me (39) Hubby (40) 3 girls (13, 11, 6) and boy (9) are in the first stages of our visa application. We are hoping to get SA state sponsorship as we haven't enough points for an independent (getting old!) Also hubbys job - Construction Manager is only on the temp visa list. We are looking at Adelaide at the moment as it seems to be the most affordable option, everywhere else is so expensive housewise and also the climate looks more realistic?
Can any of you advise us on nice suburbs and especially good schools as we will be looking for both primary and secondary, have read on the PomsInAdelaide website of a few horror stories regarding schools?
Also because we are having to go on a temp visa, will our kids be entitled to state education? We are catholic so may well take that route anyway but what are we entitled to?
Also! Are there jobs in construction in Adelaide? We understand the area is entering a boom period?
Hope someone can offer a few bits of advice, my head is spinning thinking of everything. We also considered Perth as Hubby has had good feedback on the job front but WA sponsorship does not include living in the Perth metropolitan area - what does this mean?
Thanks, from a very confused newcomer x
Last edited by half a dozen; 05-04-2008 at 05:48 PM.
Reason: Moved a sentence so it could be read in full on 1 line
We (Me, OH, & 2 children 6 & 7) have just applied to SA for state sponsorship too. Like you OH trade is only on temp list so taking this route as well.
We got hold of a book called "Living in Adelaide" which details the suburbs, including schools. I have also contacted a few schools, and have been really pleasantly surpirsed how helpful the administrators have been, sending info etc.
OH also in construction, and we have made contact with a couple of major building companies and agencies that seem to specialise in this area, just to get his name out there, but obvioulsy can't go any further until we can tell them we have visa and when we will be in the country.
I hope all goes well for you, we hope to have our reply from SA in the next 4-5 weeks, then its on with applying for the visa! Hope to get out to OZ very early 2009.
Thanks for your reply. you seem to be at a similar stage to us, we are waiting for vetassess to ok qualifications before we can move onto next stage. Can you tell me where you got your "Living in Adelaide" book from as I would like to get this and make contact with schools etc.
Good luck with your application, keep dreaming and thanks again
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Hi Julie, Was wondering if you could tell me where you got the book "living in Adelaide" from??? Adelaide is my and my husband's number choice of place to move to in oz, so this book would be very useful.
Many thanks
mandisfam
Hi Julie, Was wondering if you could tell me where you got the book "living in Adelaide" from??? Adelaide is my and my husband's number choice of place to move to in oz, so this book would be very useful.
Many thanks
mandisfam
I've had a quick peek at that book.
Interesting to see it's views considering we live here now.
Good information on the whole.
Just watch the house sale prices and increase/decreases though.It will depend on how many are sold and what for - it showed a minus figure in our booming area!!
__________________ Quality furnished rental accommodation in Adelaide.
Adelaide is a beautiful city. More like a huge country town than a city. Stirling in the Adeliade hills is a lovely place to live and bring up kids. There are many many nice suburbs closer to the city too.
Choice of suburb is a really subjective thing - and what one person likes, might not suit another! I always suggest people rent somewhere fairly central to start with, and sort out where they will be working. That will then help narrow down your choices of where to live, as you can look at commuting distances to and from. It will also depend if you want to live somewhere close to the beaches, or in the hills more, bearing in mind that even from where we are (in Highbury, in the NE) the beaches are still only a 30 minute drive away. Are you a 'sand' person or a 'tree' person?!! Do you prefer flat, or hilly? new or old?
As far as schools go, there are plenty of good primary and high schools all over - both state and private. The catholic and other church-run private schools tend to be slightly cheaper. Most state high schools are zoned, and a few have specialities, such as sports, performing arts etc, so consider what best suits your kids' needs, and don't rush into any decisions to start with.
Have a browse on realestate.com.au and domain.com.au to get a feel for what you can buy with your money in the various suburbs, bearing in mind though that if a particular suburb looks comparatively cheap, there are probably reasons for that! The best way is to hire a car when you arrive, rent centrally, and spend as much time as possible just driving around, chatting to locals, seeing how much graffiti is around, checking out the kids at schoolend time (without getting arrested for loitering!), doing some shopping in the local malls..... find a place that suits your needs that way.
The villages in and around the hills are wonderful, specially at this time of year, but for instance, we decided against living in one of them because of the thought of having to drive up and down a twisty turny, hair-pinny road on a regular basis every time one of the kids had a sports fixture somewhere, and also the thought of the kids driving up and down those roads at night time once they get their licenses (which they can from age 16 - eek!)
Everyone will give you advice, but at the end of the day, it's what suits YOUR family. Good luck, and of course, if there is anywhere specific you'd like views on, ask away and I'm sure you'll get plenty of viewpoints!
__________________ www.h2h.com.au Home2Home Settlements - professional and friendly assistance to settle into your new country, helping new migrants land feet first!
No you don't have to pay any different school fees because you are on Temp visa.
So THATS ALL GOOD!!
I think SA has so many going on temp visas now. Us included........afer wasting loads of time waiting for sponsor to get act together, we have decided to out our TRA in now!!
Could have done that 4 months ago!!!!!!!!!!!!
We'll get there in the end though.
Leanne
__________________
I wanna get outta this place, if its the last thing i ever do!!:wubclub:
Thanks to you all for your replies. Kids go back to school on Monday so my brain might get a minute to think of some more questions soon! I'll be in touch.
Sorry only just read your message about "Where to Live in Adelaide" and where to get book. In case you still need to know, you can get from Amazon, around £12.50 I think.
