Cam

Engadine sounds lovely, and people are really enthusiastic about it but it's possibly a bit too far out. My commute would be 1 hour 12 mins each way by public transport which would make pick-up & drop-off for kids quite difficult. Any ideas for a bit closer? Someone mentioned picnic point, but I had a gut feeling it may be a bit lifeless, we looked at Croydon Park but it seemed a little lifeless. What do people think about Arncliffe and Banksia?

We live in Kingsford, so Eastern Suburbs, just beside Randwick. It is lovely, and our house is lovely, took alot of looking for it. We pay 790 dollars a week rent but we have friends in Maroubra who pay 1200 a week!!! I'm sure you'd be fine, I think we prioritised being close to Centennial Park and possibly beaches and assuming our prior knowledge of kids activities rather than really investigating the right area for us to live as a family (doh!). Public transport commute. I guess at the mo, i have a 15 minute walk to the bus stop, 45 mins on bus to Camperdown, then 5 mins. My husband's commute is 5-10 mins walk to bus stop then 25 mins bus. Although that all gets messed up by one of us having to stop off halfway to pick up or drop off kisa at childcare, but if we lived elsewhere we'd be over the moon to find somewhere for childcare as there's is really poor but no other alternatives in the area. Ironically some days I run it - it's about 5.5 to 6 miles and it's actually quicker for me to run except factoring in the shower at the other end. And yes 8.30-5 is probably a usual working day, so around these times.

We've ping ponged. Sydney for 8 months back in 2009/ 10 and now 12 months from 2012 (also 18 months back in the 90s!). Second time around you know alot more of the systems which really helps and gets you settled in quicker, and also we told ourselves not to get wound up by the small stuff: lack of investment in areas/ services. etc by councils, etc, etc and that has really helped. I didn't get the hooray excitement thing the second time around, it was like oh ok here we go, but I was 7 months pregnant so who knows. Things had changed a bit the rental market was evil we struggled to get a decent rental, but we were in the Sydney eastern suburbs (more fool us!!), so some things were harder. We may just be about to ping back to the UK as the house prices and living in a non-family friendly area are making things not seem as wonderful as we expected them to be. I like going out for dinner (not expensive), but we haven't managed it much as we feel guilty, we've also delayed getting a car as they are so expensive. Perhaps we should have tried a different area, but we were convinced after 8 months before that we really wanted to live near Centennial Park, now we realise that it's just not a longterm viable area for us to live. So I guess I'd say, your prior knowledge and experience will really help, but do some investigation to get you up to date on things like prices, as we thought it was expensive last time, but within our reach, this time possibly out of our reach. But we are in a unique situation where we've gone from 1 baby to 1 child and a baby so we are looking for a different lifestyle now, so not necessarily at all similar to you. Good luck

This sounds like a wish list. We're on the verge of going back after 12 months as the area we live in which is very nice we don't feel is particularly family friendly, and we wouldn't ever be able to afford a 900,000 plus for a 3 bed house without really cutting back on everything else (Ironically we both earn fairly decent wages over here). But, as a last ditch attempt, can anyone recommend any family friendly areas that are 30-45 mins from the CBD with good schools and ideally 3-bedders for around 650000 to 700000 (the fact that most places go to auction doesn't help with ascertaining prices). Mainly because house prices are forecast to keep on going up & up we need to jump on the property ladder asap, so would need to move to the area to rent and be in the catchment for a good school ready for admissions in June/ July, and then possibly after another 6 months be looking at buying. If it's not feasible we kind of need to know so that we can finally make our decision that Oz was an adventure that we loved, we will miss it, but it's time to close the chapter and move on. If it is, happy days!!! Thanks!!:biggrin:

Hi, We may well be leaving in February, but more likely the end of February. Our stuff is maximum of 10 months old, some only 4 months, we have everything from a double bed, a single/ bunk bed - it's an Ikea thing (very cool) to wardrobes, washing machine, fridge/ freezer, bookcases, chests of drawers, the majority Ikea as everywhere was so much more expensive. Let me know if you're interested I can provide a list. We haven't completely made up our mind yet. We're in Kingsford, just beside Randwick. Have you a place to move into? Good luck with the move. Camilla

Glad to hear it's all so positive, it took a long time for you to persuade him into something that he loves, just goes to show sometimes there's a fear of the unknown, but if you can grasp the opportunities and put a positive spin on it then everyone comes out smiling. :biggrin:

Awesome, really glad that everything all turned around. ;-)

That's good, I must have misread it somewhere, so easily done, so many things to read!!!

Careful with selling your car, I think you need to have been over her with your car for a year otherwise you could be heavily taxed, sorry, I could be very wrong. Stupid question, can he not get another job? Sounds like a horrible situation.

I'd be wary of this 2.5 wages thing. In the UK I was paid £32,000, here currently I'm on 45,000 dollars, although after 8 months in employment it looks like my previous experience is going to be taken into account so could go up to 70,000 but this isn't necessarily the case, so I would say 1.5 times. Admittedly my position isn't as senior here, however there's a lack of those positions over here, maybe 3 or 4 years down the line I could get something, I think networks area huge thing here. We're weighing up at the moment our cost of living compared to the UK and securing a financial future for our young family and unfortunately UK keeps on winning. I was shocked to find out today that the CCR is capped at 7500 per child, that means only 2-3 days per week in childcare so we would have to pay full whack of 110 dollars per child for the remaining 2 days per week over the year which is going to really add up. I admit that you can shop around for food and buy poor quality clothes cheap over here, annoying that you have to go on the internet to buy decent ones from the UK. But house prices in Sydney, OMG! We're looking at trying to move to an area where you can buy a nice house for under 700,000 but an easy commute to the CBD, and it's not looking that positive especially with house prices forecast to keep on going up. And then cars, we wouldn't consider paying £10,000 for one in the UK but we'd have to here. Yes, I'm being a damp squid but I guess this is our reality. And my husband is in IT, gets paid pretty well and he says there's no way his wages are 2.5 higher here.

Too true, we gave it a go once, delivery cost 11 dollars, some of the items were incorrectly put in, and others were substituted, very few offers like you would get in the shop, and Coles website was a bit of a pain to get around. Was gutted as I was hoping this would end up being a regular thing.

Good luck, it's so hard. When you feel this has been your dream giving it up can feel like you've failed or done something wrong. But maybe it's what's meant to be, a new start, a new adventure...

Thanks guys, it is soooo exhausting. We've both been weighing everything up from the heart perspective, the pragmatic perspective, the toss a coin perspective & we're still not there. & we're both now so over thinking about it, we almost don't care! I had hoped we'd both have a day off on Thursday without the kids (1st time ever where we could just go off, explore somewhere new & think about it), however my son's been poorly the last few days so that's unlikely 2 happen. Work said 2 me 2day that they'd look at the budgets & see if they could offer me 4-5 days work & have been chasing up my pay review, so I've probably gone & made things more complicated again! I'll let u know when we get there! Any views on suburbs like Padstow, Croydon Park in Sydney?

Paul I think you're right it makes sense, then at least we're covered. I also need to sort out my return to work date... My daughter is 3 3/4, she thinks she knows so much but pinning her down to a real conversation is so hard. She's desperate to return to the UK and her homesickness and subsequent behaviour has been really hard to contend with, however she is much better since Xmas, so I hope we've come to a returning point. What she will miss from Oz will be the beach and ice cream!!! but the reality of it, well it's anyone's guess!!!! She just wants people she's close to around her. My son is 9.5 months and only knows Australia, as long as he's got somewhere to explore and cuddles he'll be happy!!! We've saved sine we got here so we can cover shipping and have return flights, thankfully. But my husband's work contract finished before Xmas so he needs to look for work either here or there, and the longer we spend... We seem to be on the same wavelength thankfully, I just think neither of us has the balls to take the responsibility for the decision, it was a bit like that when we decided to come again!!! Useless!!! I guess if we saw it as an adventure going back...

We have a very short timeline to make a decision whether to stay on here for longer or to go back to the UK & by go back that means close the chapter & dream for a number of years. Short timeline due to me being due back from maternity leave in Feb/ March and the school admissions officer saying that we need a council tax bill for our house by the end of March in order for our daughter to get into one of our local schools (which are good), in which case we need to tell our current tenants pretty much today!! The reasons for going back are that housing in good areas is so much more affordable, our childcare that we have places in is fantastic, there is a very strong local community and the schools are good. My daughter has really missed her friends and grandparents, which is annoying because everyone says that young kids are very adaptable. We went back for a month at Xmas and she loved catching up with friends and family, & yes it is a false situation people are more enthusiastic when they hardly see you, but we've made very few proper friends since being here, although we have been out and about and doing lots. The negative for going back is that I may lose my job in 6 months and may find it hard to find another in my field locally, so that means moving or until there is a recovery finding other work, and that we will be finally giving up on our dream. The reasons for staying are that Oz is a great place, there are certain aspects of the lifestyle we love, which I would put down to the better weather, although ironically skin cancer really scares me - I'd hate for my kids to have issues later in life because we chose to live in Australia. We have finally decided that our decision is not about what is best for us as a couple, but for our children and us as a family. Our aim is to have a nice affordable home in a good community area. Which in Oz would mean moving away from the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) as those boxes haven't been ticked and maybe alot further out. But it is all a risk as there aren't alot of jobs over here in my field, and will those far out suburbs offer the lifestyle, the affordability, the community, the good childcare and the good schools? Our current childcare has alot to be desired, and my little boy (only 9 months seems to pick up colds/ illnesses all the time from there, he's very robust so it's not his constitution). So it's a hard decision which is now a very short timescale as we keep on deciding to go back and then re-checking things, I guess because we don't want to feel that we didn't think it all through properly. When we were in the UK we had 90% decided to return, we even left pretty much all our clothes and Xmas presents, so that we could bring back more clothes and toys on our next flights. We've been here 11.5 months. It's time to be grown up & make a decision...

I went to Uluru about 17 years ago, so my opinion is fairly dated and I did it on a budget, but if you were return to the UK without going I reckon you'd really kick yourself. I thought it was awesome. I chose to walk around the bottom due to respect to the local aborigines, I think it's about 6k or a very comfortable few hours walk, with a guide. I learnt alot about the aboriginal culture and just took it all in. Sunset was awesome and we all slept in the outdoor sleeping bags around the fire. You also have some other amazing rock formations near there that are awesome in their own way and Alice Springs was really interesting. As I was on a budget I took a bus all the way from Sydney, that was long & my recommendation would be to fly in. We came back down to Adelaide by bus which was interesting as we stopped off at Coober Pedy and also met some guy they reckoned was the original 'Crocodile Dundee'. All of it was just seeing another side of Australia, and I guess that is one of the amazing things about Australia is that there are so many different experiences to be had out there. Enjoy your travels, I wish we had the flexibility to go for it.

It's a massive new development and like a 'trial'/ showcase of a new idea. When it's eventually completed it should provide everything you need and I think the aim is that you wouldn't need to drive anywhere, ie everything is accessible on foot and by bike. It is regeneration though and pretty sure the money is pouring in to help transform an originally deprived area. They are planning new transport links. Your best bet would b to go visit, and go with your gut, I would have thought if you invest early & are happy with ongoing works then you could make a dollar or two.

The grass is always greener on the other side. Have come to the conclusion that if we were in the UK we'd want to be in Oz, and as we're in Oz we want to be in the UK. Some people will never be happy!!! (that's pointed at us not anyone else!!!) ;-):wink:

It is really hard moving over here & I do think there are some people who take advantage of your situation. I'm sorry you have had to deal with them. We've had quite a few situations like that from electricity companies to removalists, it's like there are few regulating authorities, everywhere you look there is something. I think in the end you just start accepting it. If you don't you'll end up so stressed and pissed off & thinking, what about this 'fair go' thing? But there are good people around, and possibly that's where word of mouth comes in for recommendations. Although you can't changed Medicare & Centrelink!! That said we seem to be haemorraghing a fair bit to do with the UK at the moment as well. Good luck, hope things start to get better soon.

It's such a good question. I spent 18 months in Sydney in my early 20s & it was awesome. Returned for 8 months a couple of years ago when on maternity leave and regretted leaving when we went back, but the job situation was poor here and I needed to work. Have since been back 9 months, and it has been really hard, maybe a new baby didn't help, but cost of living, meeting people, all the little things that are different that make things feel unjust, I do kind of regret coming back, but my gut reaction before we left wasn't to come, although we loved Sydney - maybe it's a nesting thing, knowing that things like education, leisure opportunities for kids are actually better in the UK (I don't mean parks or beaches or being able to get out & about), more Gymnastics, Dance, swimming lessons. I think one of the key factors for us at the moment is: could we afford to buy a house that we'd be happy with, and the cost of a car, and how our little girl keeps on talking about England, her grandparents and friends!! We are going back to the UK for a month over Xmas, so that will be interesting, it could reaffirm that we did actually do the right thing or otherwise...

Yep, it's normal - yawn, but you are actually lucky to get a make-up day, it is very unusual. Unfortunately you just keep on getting used to making compromises. But trying to get 2 kids into daycare especially when the youngest is 7 months is like trying to win the lottery, so you just end up accepting poor conditions and poor quality care. And as an aside we all have different reasons for wanting to have our kids in daycare, I work 2 days a week as it keeps me sane!!!

Try 'furnished property group' and 'airbnb'

To be honest, the houses aren't a problem,but a reassurance that we at least have a foot on the property ladder and they pay for themselves. We would only sell once we were definitely committed to a life out here, house prices had gone up in the UK and exchange rates are better, until then it's good to know we've got somewhere to live if we decide we prefer the greyer skies of the UK. Another totally honest thing is that I have 2 young kids, one is 4 months old, so I haven't had a decent night's sleep in that amount of time, so it takes away some of the warm, fuzzy feelings, once he is sleeping better I am sure we will be more optimistic, just we had a good dose of homesickness when the Olympics came on!!! and with our daughter finding it hard to settle the guilt over what you have done can be pretty extreme!!

We haven't committed 100% to Oz, and whilst they're rented out and paying off our mortgage, they're a fallback. I agree it does make it harder to settle, but we're giving it a go, and if we can hang on in here for another year or so then at least we can look at things more objectively.

So our reasons were: 1 - Spent 8 months in Sydney 3 years ago and loved it but getting a job was hard so headed back to my job in the UK when my maternity leave ended 2 - We still talked alot about Sydney & Australia & were in 2 minds about staying in UK or heading back 3 - Local government cuts were seriously hitting my job area, with a high chance that I'd lose my job & not get another one in the UK, I'd also been treated quite poorly by my manager since coming back from maternity leave as the whole working 'climate' had changed and they were trying to subtly 'push' people before they had to make cuts, no one is indispensible!! 4 - Pregnant for the second time and maternity leave gave us the option to 'give it another go', then at least if we decided to return to the UK we promised we would never talk about Australia again Think we've always been 50/ 50 and as one friend said, once you've had the opportunity it will always be hard to properly settle somewhere as you'll have a foot in both countries and see both the good and bad in them both, basically love them both and always have times when the grass is greener in the other country. 5 - The weather!! Grey skies and rain and cold.