Petals

My best friends sister in law sent her children there and both of them did very well. Her son is in the USA as a physicist doing research and her daughter is head of maths and science at one of Melbourne's leading schools now. So the education is fine.

Look at the transport site and follow the train lines out, then look at realestate.com.au or domain.com.au for rentals. It will give you an idea of how far out you have to live to get a home in your price range. My daughter pays $500 for a house that is not big enough to swing a cat in in Brunswick. To move to something bigger and they are looking is $700 + for anything decent.

My daughter is type 1 and born here so no migration problems. They do like them to keep it under 8, doubt she does though. I think you will be fine. However he will need letters from his doctor etc and need to register with a doctor straight away so that he can be registered as a type 1 diabetic. This enables him to get cheap pens and blood testing equipment cheaper. He will have to pay for his prescriptions but they usually give a six month supply of insulin on each prescription. Check on the pharmaceutical benefits list to see that the type of insulin being used is available here on the PBS. Anything not on the PBS has to be paid for in full. My daughter goes to an endocrinologist who looks after her, the fee is about $150 a visit but he gets some back on medicare. Look up Diabetes Australia and it will give you lots of information and may help with the medical.

A fair point. There are so many assumptions around the 457 issue and earnings and the like. Most got the wrong end of the stick, thinking such visa's were filling in a market shortage for one thing. Most not even market tested. The entire process is a farce and needs to be hauled in and reduced greatly in number. It has the potential to do great damage to social cohesion within Australia, to say the least.

One of a few 'issues' that require scrutiny I'm afraid.

Discussion on radio yesterday about the 457 farce

Start by looking at the high rating schools. There have always been areas that are associated with different cultures. Pakistani is not one them there are not so many people from Pakistan as from India here hence the difference in our curries.

However as has been said once the children are born here they are Aussies and so its not like it was when we had mass migration. For example my friend's son is married to a Japanese girl, her niece is married to a Korean, her nephew is married to an American etc. So they are just Australian.

I used to drive to the city every day from Edithvale where I lived for 11 years and used Beach Road, very easy but as has been said you need to have car parking, or find a reasonably priced car park because together with the fuel and parking its a large chunk out of wage.

Trains are fine, I would get on at Frankston because always get a seat.

I live on the Peninsula and we have a train that runs to Frankston and a lot of people park at the stations on the Westernport side and take the train to the city. No sweat and lots of parking at the stations.

Your budget is good but houses are rising in price rapidly in and around Frankston. Friends were recently looking to buy and they were cash buyers and they just could not get a foot in the door. Any house with a block of 500 to 600 or above gets snapped up by developers who build either a second home or units and town houses on the blocks. So its tough in the market.

Houses here in Somerville sell like hot cakes and they have gone up a 100,000 since the new freeway went in. The freeway has made a big difference to people's access to all areas of Melbourne via Eastlink. Takes me 40 minutes from Somerville to my daughter's place who lives off Lygon St in Brunswick. That is not in peak of course.

Unfortunately anyone with chronic health problems has this problem when moving countries. Its not just moving or being able to, its whether you will be covered for the condition when you move. If you needed dialysis for example and had to pay for it, how. Health insurance companies are money making concerns and they have no qualms kicking people who are costing them too much from their policies. It happens here. Also our drugs are not subsidised as much as they are in the UK and how much would they cost if you had to pay full cost for them or even part cost.

I know all this because my daughter is a type 1 diabetic and also has had brain cancer and she knows that it would be impossible for her to move countries, or very expensive for her.

Yes they do teach french at some schools but probably private schools these days, asian languages are the ones they like to have taught in the public school system. Of course there are not a lot of jobs for lote teachers as there are already so many people here in Australia who are bilingual. Japanese for example is very popular in some primary schools. It will be hit and miss and which State you wish to settle in. Each state has its own education departments and each state is different to others just like the American system what happens in one State is not the same as another.

Hi Sally, do you know anything or have any advice on deciding between Mt eliza north primary and red hill consolidated primary?

This post is a very old from 2011 so suggest you put one up in the Life in Victoria forum you may get more response there.

As far as the two schools you mention are concerned, they are a long way apart, not anywhere near one another. It will depend where you live which primary school is suitable if you do not want a long drive.

Exercising in Melbourne is best before 9 am and after 6 pm I have found. I walk the dogs in the day sometimes but I hate the flies so early and late, the flies are asleep. Also its quiet and not a lot of people about and i do my best thinking. My husband rode is bike all the time here in Melbourne and he just avoided the very hot days. Like me he went out early before the heat of the day and he rode up to 200 km a week.

I hate any form of running its so bad for the joints etc. Even a lot of walking is bad. Non impact sport is best. How do I know, new knee and need another one. I used to walk 7 km every day for a long long time, had best shoes but still b.......... my knees

If you are planning to work in the city then the proximity to transport is vital. I travelled by train to the city (55 min) but was 5 min walk to the station, other people I worked with were closer to the city 25-30 min train ride but it took them 20 mins to drive to the station and get parked so there was no real difference door to door. At the weekends they could get in a lot quicker but generally they didn't bother as they were there all week.

 

But interesting points Petals on real estate industry needing the inner city suburbs to stay desirable and highly priced. They do paint a picture that everything is perfect if you live inner city and that everyone in the outer suburbs has a poor quality of life!

The surely do paint the picture. What they do not say is that a lot of people are struggling to pay the prices and the mortgage. No point in living in a so called highly desirable suburb if entertainment is off the list due to affordability. Afraid this is so these days though. Two people having to work, pay child care, etc etc not much of a life. I was up in the city at the weekend and I was so pleased to get out of there. Noisy, smelly and crowded ha ha.

About the travel to work though, it takes people an hour from the close in suburbs and it takes people an hour from Frankston which is way down the line. Why because of the gridlock that is the tram networks lot. My daughter lives in Brunswick and it takes her just as long to get to work as it used to when she got the train from Frankston.

After this survey they did another one based on people's recommendation and completely different suburbs came into play. It depends where you people work, its ideal to try to live with a reasonable commute. No good living in one of these suburbs if you work in an outer suburb and vice versa. Not everyone thinks having a coffee bar, wine bar or any other such establishment around the corner is their idea of good.

Transport is important so sticking to the transport routes is always a guide.

Some of the suburbs with high rates of crime still rate as good places to live as there is a saying that criminals do not ................... in their own nest.

Its in the interests of Domain and such like to keep making these inner suburbs desirable as if the prices dropped it would be a catastrophe for many people and banks and lending institutions as they are often highly geared.

Just to add when you find the right place on the Peninsula stay there because that is what most people do who have great property. Its funny the same houses in our area come up for sale all the time. I have grown old with so many people around here, its funny as I knew them in all stages of their lives. We just stick.

It really comes down to where we work how much land we want to live on. I would be dreadfully unhappy if I had to live on the postage stamp my daughter lives on in Brunswick with no car parking. Also my health would suffer too. I have just spent a weekend in the city and came home to asthma attack, the trees and the pollution does not agree with me at all. As far as I am concerned living on acreage close to a small community is heaven. I hate Domain and its ilk telling everyone where they should live. We live where we want to live and I do not want to live in a high density place and I am not alone. Of course they do not do that survey as it would turn out different to what they want to achieve, higher prices in inner Melbourne.

Mount Eliza is in the Mornington Peninsula Shire and they have not put fringe in. Half of it used to be in the City of Frankston but years ago they moved to the Peninsula a better address, some sort of deal with councils at the time.

We moved to Somerville when our children were at primary school and they went to top Tyabb Primary and then across the road to Flinders College. We always meant to move back closer to the city when they got to high school age but we loved living here so much we could not move back. Of course we live on acreage so its not like living on small land. My husband died a couple of years ago and I still live at the same propety albeit I have had it landscaped to make my life easier as a widow. I would not move unless they carried me out of here. I can walk to the shops, my neighbour walks her children to the catholic primary school and walking distance to the high school, doctor, tennis club and everything else. Could not get this lifestyle anywhere else these days.

I know the Peninsula like the back of my hand all the dirt roads and little streets around Red Hill and its wonderful, never tire of driving around the Peninsula. My husband was a cyclist and he used to cycle down to Flinders and around the Peninsula all the time.

Lots of very friendly people. I find Mount Eliza and Hastings the best to visit for traffic both places people always stop for pedestrians even when they are not supposed to. Mornington they try and mow me down.

I go to Mount Eliza a lot as its close to us and as has been said we love to sit at the cafes and admire the dogs etc.

Just to add I worked in Dandenong itself and found it easy to get to work and back. Drove Dandenong Hastings Road, living in Somerville we are very close to it. Also very close to the Peninsula Link so very easy for us transport wise and we also have the train so the kids did use that a bit.

I don't live in Mornington but live 10 minutes away. Not my cup of tea. The reason they say beach side of the highway is that if you live that side your probably will live close enough to walk to Mornington which is helpful if having a nigh out etc . The other side is acres and acres of housing, retirement accommodation and lots of it, industrial and sleeper place I guess. Depends what you like doing age etc. Friday and Sat nights very late is the time the young ones are out and about and like Uk and any other place lots of booze, clubs, queues etc.

I love living on the Peninsula but when I moved here we had two small children and it suited us very well. 30 years on its changed a lot, not my part but Mornington certainly. Mount Martha is sometimes confused as Mornington as they meld together and Bentons Road is the defining road between Mornington and Mount Martha. Bentons Square is just in Mornington.

Padua is the catholic high school and St McCartans is one of the primary schools. Padua has another campus at Tyabb which is popular these days.

I like to visit the big smoke but a visit is enough, its also changed a lot in 30 years and not in a good way.

Most of the population on the Peninsula would be from British, Italian or Dutch people. Hard pressed not to hear a British accent around here.

Teenagers well moving over is difficult in teenage years as they have make new friends and some find it easy others find it hard depends on who they are. There is the beach, there is sport and sport and sport, there is the Peninsula Youth Orchestra. There are lots of other high schools around and when 18 they all head to Mornington Main Street for fun.

If you are going to live the other side you will need two cars to get around and you will have to call one mums or dads taxi if you have teens.

Sand quarries etc around there as well but that area is closer to Skye and Carrum Downs than Langwarrin. Langwarrin stretches right along Cranbourne Road to the Western Port Highway and the south side around Centre Road there are a lot of nice houses etc. McLelland Drive is very busy as well even with the freeway between Carrum Downs and Cranbourne Road.

Noticed that houses are selling very quickly in Somerville and any area that is close to Peninsula Link. There are cheaper homes about 300 but they get snapped up by investors and home buyers as soon as they come on the market. Also developers who want to put units on the land as the blocks are larger.

Most of the areas around now have community pages on Facebook which are helpful if you want to find out the nitty gritty about an area. You can also gauge what how the schools etc are. Pearcedale has one, Somerville has one and I guess Langwarrin will have a page also.

Around Elizabeth Murdoch is ok Warrandyte Drive leads to acreage properties and country areas. I am not that keen on the McLelland Drive side of Langwarrin just after Karingal Hub.

As I said Langwarrin is ok its the transport all that stuff. It sounds as though you want the house with in good area (as in transport, infrastructure etc) at a cheap price. Everyone wants that but it is not possible.

Have a look at some houses in Langwarrin and areas around, you don't like Frankston but good Frankston is expensive just the same as anywhere else. Use a property as a stepping stone most of us who own houses have done this. Buying something we can afford and gives us a decent standard of living, waiting till we are able to move on.

My mums friend who is 97 lives right in Frankston in a street off Cranbourne Road, walking distance to the station and she never has a problem has lived there for yonks. Mum used to live opposite the new pool in a unit until she was 88 and she was fine and it was so easy for her to get the train to the city when she wanted to go.

The areas you mention are ok but of course there are lots of young people around as there are in all Melbourne suburbs such as these. You can usually tell from the street what sort of area it is. Also when looking nip around after school and in the evening and weekends as you get more idea of the area. People tend to both work these days so seeing a house in the day during the week all suburbs look ok and quiet.

Langwarrin is cheaper but I think the main reason is that its not close to the beach, transport is bus and you would need two cars. The further from shops and infrastructure the cheaper the housing is.

Pindara estate does not allow cats so be aware that there are covenants on some of the subdivisions which restrict your use of the land. Make sure you familiarise yourself with these.

Sky is another area that is quite popular but once again its transport.

Langwarrin you would have to drive to the Monash or Eastlink or down to the Frankston Rail Station.

There are a couple of shopping centres lots of doctors, great sports physio where I go.

There is cheaper housing even in Frankston, Somerville, Tyabb, Mornington but houses in this price range in these areas are usually small 30 years old but on good size land and they need renovation or extention. Good entry level housing with all the infrastructure in place. Do not get that with the new build estates.

Just to add basically the price is just land value as the land is usually 800 sq metres which is larger than blocks that are around these days.

Good luck

Mornington is a nice area, the beach side of the Nepean Highway is the most expensive area as near to the water. A lot of people live in the estates around the Bentons Square Shopping Centre. One side of Bentons Road is Mornington and the other side is Mount Martha so do not rule looking at Mount Martha as well. Mount Eliza is a very nice area and has a High School and the two private schools Peninsula and Toorak College. Padua is in Mornington as is Mornington Secondary school. Flinders College is at Tyabb and Balcolme College is in Mount Martha. There is another private school at Baxter Woodleigh which is one of the top private schools and has outdoor education focus.

A lot of people send their children to state primary schools and then on to private high schools. Bayside Christian College is another school which gets good results and is small which is attractive to people.

Once you decide where you want to actually live then have a look around for the schools. There are many Brits in the area and if you join the life in Victoria forum there is a link on the home page of this forum people with children already in school may be able to help you.

Good luck

If you look at the Pharmaceutical Benefits List it gives you the subsidised price and the full price. Which State will you be going to. Its schools that you have to pay for. If you take out health insurance here, your wife would not be covered for 12 months as her condition is an existing one. That is the waiting period for existing health problems.

There are other answers about this on this forum so have a search around if no-one else comes to answer.

Sorry cannot help you with the visa but I have read that some people get a bridging visa whilst their visa is being processed. A migration agent may be able to assist you in the process.

As for the teaching, which State are you heading to. Letting the forum know where you are headed will get you more information as each State is different and has its own State Government.