Naomi from Manchester

Would joining her local surf life saving club be her cup of tea? http://www.surflifesaving.com.au/get-involved/join

I had to abandon my rainy swim in Wylies (Coogee) yesterday for fear of being swept over and smashed into the rocks.

Time to reclaim your 'free spirited' ways of old and give it a try, I reckon. It won't be the end of the world if you decide to return to the UK after a yr or so. If you don't try, you'll always be wondering if it was a missed opportunity. Also, the older your kids grow the more difficult the decision becomes, so the time is now Edited to agree with Marisa re the visa - it would be sensible to set about obtaining permanent residency status ASAP in case your job doesn't work out and you end up wanting to stay in Aus working elsewhere.

I was advised by a public health GP that private health insurance is a waste of money for typically developing children, with the exception being if they experience frequent ear infections and end up needing expensive gromits. Does anyone have any informed views on this?

I thought it was offered for free now on the NHS, I must be wrong! Not many people choose to get it over here, there doesn't seem to be much awareness amongst GPs (in my experience).

MenB isn't free over here yet, and probably won't be any time soon. We paid $150 X 3 for it (since 3 jabs are required). I believe the NHS now offers it to babies born from July 2015 and onwards, so maybe your little one qualifies whilst you're still in the UK.

The $2.50 thing in Sydney on a Sunday is really great

Vaguely interesting article: http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/public-transport-in-australian-cities-among-the-worlds-most-affordable-20150928-gjwkah.html

I don't think buying in Sydney is outrageously unaffordable compared to London or NY. There's no way we could have afforded to buy in a comparable suburb close to the CBD in London working in equivalent jobs for equivalent salaries. We don't earn much, our combined salary is low enough to qualify for child care benefit to help with day care fees. For couples and small families who've worked long enough to save a deposit and who don't expect more than a 2 bedroom unit, I think Sydney is affordable. The problem is when you need more bedrooms, a garden, 2 cars etc. (Do Londoners expect to run 2 cars per family? I dunno).

Good luck with your search, Syd! The city hobo website is quite amusing and gives you a bit of a feel for a lot of suburbs, just google 'city hobo sydney' and explore the site.

Ha ha, I love trying to surf but I'm a terrible, terrible surfer! Anyway, I''ll bear Concord in mind, it's been ages since I was there and I'm always happy to extend my list of favourite cafes.

Hi, only once properly about 4 yrs ago when we were exploring potential places to live. Since then I've only passed through. I've never considered bothering to go re-visit as I thought it was a bit bland, tbh. Maybe I missed something?

I think Camden is quite quaint. Concord is rather dull, it's on the water but I don't rate it as a particularly nice part of the harbour. I've never heard of Melrose Park. As previously mentioned, I'm surprised a potential migrant would be focussing on these areas!

I can just picture this scene. Were you wearing a fedora?

The Newport arms (the one which everyone talks about cos of the view) is currently closed for renovation.

If I moved to Avalon, I would just burn all my shoes. (I probably wouldn't actually burn them, I'd give them to Vinnie's, perhaps).

Reading all this is making me want to swop the Inner West for the Norther Beaches. Bloody hell! Think I would choose Avalon. What's the night life like in Avalon?

Both those same venues still going strong! i just wish Erskineville was also a beach suburb ... Can't have everything.

Oh yes, that's the other school that was mentioned to me, I was trying to remember the name but couldn't. Cheers!

Technically we're Erko. We're sort of on the boarders of Erko / Newtown / Alexandria. A better time than this morning's United game!

Hi Maryrose, *waves* Do you mean One Central Park? We went to the show room when they were going up and we were considering buying off the plan, but those units are so small, quite a bit more cramped inside than other units around. And more expensive too. We were told that they were designed with the Asian market in mind, since small dimensions aren't considered so much of an issue, apparently (I have no idea if that's the case!) There seems to be quite a lot of new child care centres being built round here. I don't know know much about Inner West / City Fringe schools since my daughter is only a toddler, but our local primary, Erskineville Public, has a great reputation, as does the fee paying catholic primary school right opposite it. I gather from previous posts on PIO that there's a shortage of decent state secondary schools in this area (I think there's some decent fee paying secondaries). However, I work with a few former school teachers who inform me that Newtown High School of Performing Arts is really, really excellent and many people's first choice (even if you're not into performing arts). It's 50% selective (very competitive to get in to since it's so popular) and 50% for locals .... but we're one street outside of the catchment area! Anyway, with all the gentrification going on in the Inner West right now, state secondaries which are currently considered pretty terrible are likely to be performing a lot better in 10 yrs time or so.

Ha! I'm terrible at tennis. I've seen a few posts from people looking for doubles partners on our residential website recently. There's lots of clubs round here, I'm sure you'll find one that suits you. I like ocean swimming, and I use the lap pool and little gym in our complex to keep fit. I'd like to play a team sport (maybe water polo), but it's hard to commit to regular weekly practise sessions and weekend match days with a little one to look after.

Captain Roberto - glad to hear that you found somewhere, sounds like you're settling in, I'd forgotten that the first few months can be so hard.

Hi McJim, we're a family of 3 living in an Inner West suburb near Ultimo. This is a fantastic place for small families to live! There's so much happening for children round here, the local councils make a real effort to put things on for families, and most of what's happening is within walking distance or just a few train stops away. If you're happy to live in a 2 bedroom, 1 car space flat (flats are known as 'units'), then you should be able to buy somewhere for around $650,000 (or rent for approx $650 per week). Lots of small families live in the Inner West in a unit within a large residential complex, as we do. Whilst we only have a balcony rather than a private garden, it's great here for kids because our complex has lovely shared garden space, pools, and tennis courts (which does mean there's high strata costs). The kids who live here play out together during evenings and weekends within the complex grounds, which is really nice and probably something that kids who live in houses can't do in their street these days since it isn't safe. We're also right next to a huge park and kid's bike track - there's loads of parks around, and yesterday it only took 20 mins to drive to the beach. Whilst there's a shortage of child care places in Sydney, it's much easier to find a place for a 4 yr old than a 1 yr old. The academic year starts first week in February (rather than in September like in the UK), and you'll find it easier to get a place at this time than in the middle of the year. You'll need to put your name down on every wait list in your area, but I wouldn't worry about finding a place too much - you'll be alright, I don't know of anyone who just hasn't been able to find one in the end.

I'm not sure there are any dental insurance plans that cover implants. Have you contacted your local university dental hospital to see if you're entitled to (massively) discounted treatment performed by supervised post grad students?