Hi Bruce,
Glad to help in any way that I can. However, specific questions would be easier to answer.
Geelong Grammer is where Prince Charles came to go to School.
Two main types of school:
Government (just like the UK... free at point of access, but most schools ask for a "Box Levy" at the start of each year. This is about forty quid, for which your kid gets a box containing all the pens, pencils, glues, sticky tape and stuff that he/she will need for the year. It is supposedly voluntary... but it seems pretty much normal).
Government schools are generally OK, and most people come through either the government or Catholic schools system.
Private: This covers a whole range of school types, from Catholic Schools to the likes of a Geelong Grammar. Catholic Schools are inexpensive private schools, may 600 - 1000 quid a year depending on the school. There are "Christian Schools" "Sports Schools" Islamic Schools".... in fact, just about anything you can want.
I sent all my kids (3 of them) to the local government primary school, but have chosen to send them to a Catholic Secondary School (it was not too expensive, was local, and had a good reputation for discipline and academic outcomes).
We have an airport (Avalon) serviced by Jeststar (owned by Qantas, but operated like Easyjet) that will give you a cheapo one-way to Sydney or Adelaide for about $75 (Thirty quid).. or Brisbane for $100 (about forty quid).
This is wine country. Geelong has a climate not unlike Spain... Definitely seasonal. Winter... Overnight gets down to maybe 6 - 10C. Maybe 4 nights per winter with a light frost. Never see snow here (but you can, if you wish, go to the highlands in winter to ski...about 4 hours by car).
Spring and autumn are like a UK summer... but fewer clouds. ...mid 20s.
Peak summer..high twenties to mid thirties. We are right on the south coast here, and that means that there is a lot of land north of us. In summer there are occasional times when the hot winds from the north come down (Hot Northerlies). This can push the temp up to 40C+, but generally only for a coopuple of days, maybe twice a year.
All in all... a very good place to live. I have spent time in Brisbane and Cairns, and they don't get the same seasonal effects. As an ex-pat, I quite like seasons. ... and we don't get the sweaty humidity here that Sydney gets either.
We also get changing lengths of daylight over the year...but not as extreme as the UK. Winter daylight is 8am to 6pm... summer 6 am to 8pm.
Geelong is great place for Kids.. plenty of parks and a nice beach with kid-safe swimming pool (The pool at Eastern Beach is the piccy beside my name in the posts.)... and the Torquay beach just down the coast is superb, and where we generally take our lot.
Geelong is home to the Ford Motor Company. Ford makes its engines, does its design, and has a test-track and proving-ground here. Unlike elsewhere in the world, Ford is investing here right now. (Seems we make cars that they like in the middle east).
Ford, Holden (read Vauxhall... GM, same cars, different badge... Barina, Zafira, Astra etc..) and Toyota all make cars in Victoria, and hold the major part of teh market here... but most majors are represented. European cars get a tough run (Renault, Fiat, VW), because of the distance to ship product. Hyundai and Kia, Mazda and Suzuki seem to do okay. BMW and Volvo do okay in the premium market.
As to Garages... three types mainly.... "House sites":, run by the dealers to service what they sell (easier to get a job if you are certified on their brand I suppose), "Chains": garage chains who do maintainance and repairs, and the independents and body-shops (of which there are lots. ...and the body shops need machanics too.)
The local newspaper in Geelong is the Geelong Advertiser, and Saturday is the Jobs Day. "The Addy" has an arrangement with a careers website
http://www.careerone.com.au/
So Geelong Jobs advertised with the Addy will also be on CareerOne
Please feel free to ask anything at all, I will do my best to help.
Fraser (in sunny Geelong... 24C spring day today)
