Where to begin

[Meet the Proctors]

Myself, my wife and our 6 month old son have recently been granted our Oz visas.

Now Christmas is out of the way we can start looking into getting ourselves out to Sydney, but really dont know where to start, it would seem that getting the visa was the easy part!

Any info on family friendly areas in Sydney would be great also info regarding mortages / credit etc I think we have to be in Oz for at least two years before we can apply for a mortage or credit cards etc.

We're a bit wet behind the ears here but now on a mission to find out what we need to know prior to a move hopefully June / July 2008.

Any comments would be most welcomed.

[sydneyshell]

Having grown up on the Northern Beaches of Sydney (bounded by Manly in the South, Palm Beach in the North and Belrose/Forestville in the west is a GREAT place for kids to grow up. That's where we are headed with 19mth old Son and baby on the way come March.

If your funds don;t stretch to the rents there, the Hills District is a good place to start - Baulkham Hills, Carlingford, Thornleigh etc etc.

If renting look at Real Estate, Property, Land and Homes for Sale, lease and rent - realestate.com.au and search by 'map' and you can then narrow it down by area eg Northern Beaches, Hills District etc.

I really don;t think there is a limit to getting a mortgage, or credit cards for that matter. If you are really worried, you could set up an HSBC account in the UK and then transfer your funds to HSBC in Australia (they have limited branches). I got a mortgage in Oz (I am Aussie, DH is a Brit) despite not having been a resident for 5 years, so you should be fine as long as you satisfy them that you have regular employment etc.

Good luck and congrats on the Visa!!

[Meet the Proctors]

Many thanks for the info Sydneyshell, esp re mortgages and credit cards. Puts our minds at rest somewhat! We'll certainly go online and search on the areas you suggested.

Cheers!