restfamily

I've not read all the replies but I am 38yo single female bailing on Sydney too. I've been here 6.5 years, Canberra before that. As a physio I can't imagine work would be hard to come by. I think the housing market in Brisbane is totoally different. I can't imagine with a rental history and a job it would be hard. Its definitely cheaper too. I'm trading in a 3 bed townhouse for a 4/5 bed detached home and a pool for 2/3 the price. School fees are 1/3 the price (that was a deal clincher for me!). I've been up for a weekend and I also found the people very friendly, I mean customer service went the extra mile. It's not that people in Sydney aren't friendly it's just it was a step change in Brisbane.

Just checking you know that Brisbane has no beaches? You need to head to Sundshine or Gold Coast.

We are only moving from Sydney so I get the age cut offs etc I've a June who is the youngest and a July who is the oldest. June in nsw is almost unheard of. The unofficial cut off is really Feb here. I took a drive by Sheldon and it looked like an anerican holiday resort and I hated the reliance on car transportation. They don't support ADHD by nature of their "sweat the small stuff" as those kids can't remember all their uniform. Same for autism, it would make these kids more rule obsessed. im glad you Ormiston as it's the one we've settled on. Applications in. Hopefully we will hear next week after school holidays. where do you now live? I wanted to live in Manly as Ormiston feels too remote but if the kids can walk to school it will be better.

Hi we are moving to Brisbane Bayside and are at decision time re schools. I've one of each gender, years 4 and 7, bright kids with ADHD / autism / anxiety, not religious family. For my son the choices are Moreton Bay Boys College and Ormiston College. For my daughter Moreton Bay College, Ormiston College and Lourdes Hill. We will probably live closest to the Moreton Bay Colleges. There are pros and cons to them all, kids at same school, kids close to home, language and sport choices. Does anyone have any inside gossip, especially on Moreton Bay College as it seems to have had a lot of management change recently. Anything else that might tip my decision? thanks

Vacation care is readily available. If you need all day or want to get the government rebate look for programs run by school after care centres. You can go to any school not just your own. The private schools often have exceptional programs. If you just want 9-3 youve loads of choice. Every soccer club, gymnastics centre, computer coding club, many museums offer interesting programs. I'm sending mine to. 3 day AFL course from 9-3. It's costing $250 per child. I could get all day at school for $45 pp after rebate.

I recently toured The Lakes College. I really liked it. I think it's going in the right direction. I'd apply now for kids your ages. Mine are in early high school and I didn't think it was advanced enough as anew school. Primary was awesome. It's next door to the state school the size of which I find terrifying!

When you are closer to the equator you experience a more consistent number of hours of day and night all year. Brisbane would therefore go dark between 5-7pm all year. Southern states operate daylight saving so stay lighter in summer until 8pm. Yes you miss the long summer nights but you don't miss it going dark at 4pm in winter.

Hi we are thinking of moving from Sydney to Brisbane and are struggling to find a school for our daughter. We went up last weekend and looked at Redland, Ormiston, Morton Bay Boys and Moreton Bay college. Redland seemed too religious / didn't have laptops which seems not in keeping with every other school. Ormiston seems too far to travel / possibly too pushy academically (not good for kids that suffer from anxiety). Moreton Bay boys seemed good, a less formal boys school. Moreton bay college seems to be going through some bumpy times with the Princapal leaving this week after only a year. It's the most expensive school and I didn't see much investment. i appreciate I only saw snapshot. Are these fair summaries? I've a daughter who is bright but has learning difficulties so needs a school that will provide support and not apply too much pressure. Any insight on schools in the area, including ones I've not listed would be appreciated. We are not catholic. thanks!

Thanks for the welcome back working at home all day in suburbia I'm noticing unless beauty to walk is right on my doorstep I'm not getting enough exercise. When I lived near a big city park, I'd happily do a lap around at lunch but now I'm short drive it just doesn't happen, so I'm super consious I need to be 5 min walk to some beautiful place to walk. Can be around lakes or by the ocean. Somewhere safe for bikes off road too. So if I narrow it down to Brisbane, where would you suggest? I'm thinking $600-$650k for a house but can stretch if needed, but of course not ideal!! I'd want a pool to do hydrotherapy in daily , for the best part of the year, (another reason for the move).

Hi, long time since I last popped by here, but glad to see it's still up and running. Just celebrated 10 years down under... no going back to uk for us, my children are definitely Australian! We lived 4 years in Canberra - it's not as bad as its reputation, but I outgrew it, what was on offer and different work called. Now we've lived in Sydney's East for 6 years and discovered we may live a short drive to the beach, we rarely go between work, sport and groceries! Who also wants to fight for a car space and carry your stuff miles away. We love being close to the city for events but probably don't go often enough for it to be worth while. Life has turned for me and I've quit the corporate rat race and work from home. I've the choice to move where ever I desire. So my question is, should we move to QLD? And if so Brisbane or Sunshine Coast. Children are sporty, and I've one serious female AFL player, so we need to move somewhere with a string female club / competition. Schools - private, Anglican / Christian (not catholic), high school, coed, with decent sport. Preferred language is mandarin. Everything is cheaper than our current schools ? House - 4 bed, single story, well appointed, pool, in a suburb that is relatively flat, not on a flood plain, 20 min drive to a major shopping centre. A idea of price range for a house that needs no work would be good. stuff for teenagers to do without getting up to mischief! public transport so kids can get about independently, but doesn't have to be great to city etc as wont be working there. Near major hospitals. im torn, I'm used to cities. Conscious I out grew Canberra. Want the sea to walk along. Don't just want to prong myself in another city where I could be doing the Mums taxi thing anywhere! Any ideas??? Thanks

Hi The schools in the ACT are fine. My children are in the public system and are doing well. As with all things down under they are just different. The private system receives funding from the government unlike in the UK so he fees are lower and hence more accessible. The other thing is the Catholic church has a lot (im guessing vast majority) of the private school market and its fees are fairly low e.g $3000 per year, so very reasonable. HTH

Eddy Avenue

I live in Randwick, the commute is easy. I have buses every few minutes to either Central Station or Circular Quay or Bondi junction.

I have to say I totally agree with this post. I lived in Canberra for four happy years. In the end I left for the bright lights of Sydney, but Canberra will always be my Australian home and it doesnt deserve its reputation. Why did I leave? I am single and 30 something... and I needed to meet new people and to have variety and challenge in my career. I have some of the best friends I have ever had in Canberra and leaving them was hard, but its easy to get stuck in a routine in Canberra. I joined the only clubs going for my interests, I went to the one venue that did X on a Thursday and so I never really met anyone or did anything new after a while (which is nice too). I mean to the point I didnt need to ask if my friends where going to venue X, I just rocked up and I always knew people - its a small town! The second major reason was I was over the federal public service. At the management levels the pay is shocking for the level or reponsibility and risk/stress. The culture is very risk adverse and is not exactly bleeding edge in its HR or technology policies! There is still a one job for life / stable pension mentality, that has long gone in the private sector. Dont get be wrong I am not against the public sector at all, I have just spent the best 3 months of my career in NSW state government, just that I need variety in my work and variety in the type of people I deal with. As OP pointed out I found the healthcare harder to come by than the NHS, but once in the system the treatment and care better. The queues at Canberra Hospital A&E are twice as long as anything I have seen in the UK. I waited ages for private and public appointments. Remember if it does all go wrong Canberra has a very very large hospital for a country town, but it therefore doesnt have all the facilites of a city hospital. I took it for granted, thinking it was the capital but when my son needed treatment in ICU, it came as a really big shock to have to be treated in Sydney. I know this doesnt happen to everyone, but it did to us. Sydney is a long way when you have to go regularly for a 30 minute doctor's appointment. I have found the health service in Sydney a lot better. I get a GP appointment when I want it and the same day. I went to the GP on a Tuesday, saw a consultant on the Friday and was in surgery within a week, admittely private, but I doubt I would have seen a consultant in that time in Canberra or NHS. It costs a load whereever you live in Oz! Whilst I have not used a school in NSW my dealings so far are not as positive as Canberra. Canberra has great choice and consistent processes for its schools. NSW seems totally random and at the principal's discretion! If anyone manages to find their catchment areas let me know, because I am not sure the education department has made it into the 20th century yet in NSW! I like the fact all kids get pre-school in Canberra, unlike the other states. I hope that adds some extra value to the OP's post. In summary, I loved living there, its a great place, its suits a certain kind of person, right now that isnt me but for many young families it meets a lot of the criteria. (please excuse the fact its not as well polished as the OP's, I have had 5 hours of meetings and driven 700km of NSW today!)

I like Randwick

The advantage of Vodafone and 3 (now one of the same company here and so are all their prices), when I last checked is that they are the only ones that include international calls in your monthly quota as standard and calling the UK landline is pretty much the same price as calling an Australian mobile.

Hi I am a single 32yo female. I moved to Randwick (next to Coogee) in March, but been in Australia for 4 years. Let me know when you arrive, K

Hi I have recently moved to Sydney after 4 years in Canberra, so I'd be interested in a meet. K

Hi Quoll is right in the cost of living, difficulty with gainign employment without citizenship but I thought I would give you some salary figures. I am a very experienced BA and contracted in management positions in Canberra. Contract wise: $80ph is about the going rate for an average BA 5+ years experience. Public service: There are very few BA positions higher than an EL1 - max salary $90000, but you'd start at $80000. After that you have to be an generalist IT manager, EL2 min salary $100k, with the odd exception you can get this as a BA. Consulting wise: $90-120k depending on experience Canberra has the highest salaries for BAs in the country, and the most constant demand, in my experience... I personally left as I am more keen on Business Change and the work in Canberra is very ICT focussed. The main problem is citizenship, but with some roles you can get employed as a permanent resident. (my consultancy does, I found work contracting and I know others on here that did with some other government departments). HTH

Hi I was a 30 single something in Canberra for a few years, managed to have plenty of fun. Happy to respond to your specific questions. K

Hi I am in! I live in Randwick and work around the city. I recently moved to Sydney from Canberra so am still finding my feet K

Hi I live in Randwick for a couple of reasons, one being as you say you can get better value for money on accomodation and second its quicker to get to work as the bus journey from Randwick to Coogee although not far can add 15 mins to your journey, there are fast buses though that can reduce this. The beach is only a 5 minute drive. I guess it depends how often you want to go to the beach? I only go at weekends, so its not a big deal for me and I have Centennial park at the end of the street as my open space. All the best K

Hi i just moved to Randwick and would be interested in meeting up. I am a single 30-something female! K

Hi I am in I live in Randwick, only been here 3 weeks. My kids are 3 and 5 and we are only free for the long public holiday weekend. No idea where to go though! K

Hey I just PM'd you Karen