Talieandtribe

Some sort of beach club has caught her interest. I'll have a look with her tomorrow. Thanks Naomi. Sending her to the UK isn't an option for us as a family. Thanks for replying though Quoll.

Hi, my daughter who is 16 is struggling with our move. Homesick and missing friends. Any 16-18 year olds out there bored in the holiday and want to socialise? Or any tips for making friends? We're in Forestville, but near the bus route to northern beaches and city. Thanks Talie

So far our favourite has been Collins Beach. The arrival of the ice cream boat makes our day.

Hi we arrived in Forestville a week ago. Our 8 year old girl has fit straight in at Forestville Public School. We are loving the area. We wouldn't have thought of here but are staying with friends made through the forum. As soon as we arrived and looked around we loved it. Easy bus ride in to the city/Waringah Mall/Chatswood/all northern beaches. Lovely little shopping area, nice parks and it's so friendly. We're having a great time. Message me if you'd like to know more. Talie

We didn't mean to fib about our conditions, just never gave it a thought. It's harmless and common like living with a mole... I don't think we pointed out every one of those either. I was just giving some advice from my own experience. Our Dr's didn't give us any information about Gilbert's so I assumed we wouldn't be able to get or need a specialist report, actually no I didn't even think about it at all. I sometimes get thrush too, is that a medical condition I should have disclosed... Ali you've come across as being pretty mean. you're comments have kind of put me off trying to help people on this forum. I have a thin skin as do many people who are also put off giving their opinions. It's a shame people can't all be nice to each other. itegoa I work in a hospital where I just nipped and asked the Dr's about what to do. They all said it's nothing and not to bother. Your choice of course, wouldn't take any more than the GP letter though. Good luck with the medicals and the move.

Hi My husband ans I both have Gilbert's syndrome. Neither of us disclosed this at our medicals because it doesn't cost the health care system anything. There is no treatment required. Talie

Hi, I'm hoping for help on what some job roles are called in NSW. I currently work as a Cord Blood Collector in the UK. I am moving to Sydney in November on a permanent residency visa with my husband. I would like to do the same job role and have seen that the Sydney hospitals do offer a cord blood donation programme. Do any midwives know anything about who carries out this service? Is it the midwives? If this isn't possible I was thinking the skill set would transfer to a support worker role in sexual health or maternity but am struggling to find any information about what qualifications are needed etc I have a level three diploma in young people's workforce and venepuncture certificate. Thanks Talie

Hey, I still look at the forum most days but haven't checked the thread for over a year. We verified our visa over a year ago with three weeks in Sydney. Most of the thread seemed to be heading to Perth. It may as well be another country. I did meet up with couple from the thread who had moved to Sydney already. That was great and we've stayed in touch. We still don't have a move date, somewhere between Aug 2014 - Aug 2015 Are there many of us still in the UK?

Hi My three were worried about spiders too (and we were) Not entirely over it but this place did help. http://www.reptilepark.com.au/ We went to all the shows, the spider show really helped us all feel calmer. The owner tells you all about funnel webs, how slow they are and easy to catch. We spent three weeks in Killarney Heights and didn't see a single spider. I have spent 6 months in Engadine and met one huntsman, the Australian family I stayed with had never seen one before! There are things that I was pulled up on like; Putting washing over my shoulder from the line=not the best place if a spider is on there Putting shoes straight on from outside of the back door Leaving clothes/towels on the floor Leaving the screen open on sliding doors Sugar on the work tops But they are small things that become second nature living somewhere warm with more bugs. It's a bit of a shock when you do see a huntsman, they are massive and fast... but not everywhere We did all look under our pillows for the first week. I looked under the sun visor before getting in to the car every time! Some Aussies are just as scared as Poms. Hope he gets over it soon. Talie

What is a Bogan?

Hi, maybe your "nest egg at the cost of a social life" has something to do with it? I'd try moving into the city and getting out there. Not being out at work must be a strain too... If that doesn't work out then try the UK. We have family in Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester and London we love all three cities. Edinburgh is beautiful but a tiny "scene" Newcastle is really friendly but again not the best social nightlife. We live in Manchester and have a lot of LGBT friends and family. There is a really good social scene for nightlife and support. Same with London. Sorry to focus on your sexuality. The not being "out" at work screamed to me. You're so young and seem to be in an enviable situation. Do it all.

Hi, I'm looking for something similar. North Ryde looks good. I think it ticks all your boxes, even a pool. Ryde Secondary and Chatswood get good results. I'm looking at Turramurra, Killara and Cherrybrook too mainly for their public high schools. They also are on the train line. Some good sites that I've been pointed towards from here are http://allhouses.com.au http://www.allhomes.com.au wrong link sorry http://www.domain.com.au http://www.myschool.edu.au http://bettereducation.com.au/CompareSchools/primary/wa/compare_wa_primary_schools.aspx April, wow. Busy time

Is that just for the VISA or does it include agent costs? Could you do the application independently? Good luck

Hey Thanks again. Yes there only seems to be Sydney college that's good. It has three sites so I need to do more research on what that means... I think it's separate year groups.. The selective system is confusing me, looks like if you're new to the area there isn't much chance of getting in. I'm hoping the part selective will be easier. Looking more closely at schools has really narrowed down the areas we're looking at. Thanks

Hi, Any opinions appreciated. We're a family with three kids who are 14, 11 and 6. We're going around in circles over where to base our search. Work will be in North Ryde but not office based, so commute isn't top of the list.Maybe one day a week in the office. Work will be across Sydney and home based. Office is currently in Reading but living in Manchester and covering the North West. We're looking for a 3 bed house or flat. Budget is around $900. Near a train station, somewhere with a few shops, a local pool would be great. We came out to validate our visa last January and loved Surry Hills, our concern is getting somewhere in budget and schools. We want public schools for our three children. They are in public schools now where they are all high achievers. The schools have made us look more towards the North Shore train line but it was all a bit soulless/boring up there. Chatswood seemed like a business district more than somewhere to live, we didn't look at Ryde or Artarmon when we visited... Lane Cove was nice but no train station. We stayed in Killarney Heights for three weeks and felt really isolated. Cronulla was lovely but too far out. Avalon beautiful but way too far out. We all agreed that easy access to the city was important. We're 10 minutes out of Manchester now. We often get the train in to the city for music events, museum visits, meeting up with friends. We can travel for beaches and national parks at the weekends, we all like camping here for our nature fix. So not asking for much, just an interesting place with a train station, enough local shops to avoid a mall, a pool in walking distance, great local public schools, parks and a library would be handy too. Any suggestions? Thanks for reading, everyones help so far over on Pomsinoz has been a massive help. Talie

http://bettereducation.com.au/school/Secondary/nsw/sydney_top_secondary_schools.aspx This website seems like a good start point for looking at areas with high achieving schools. I don't know how reliable it is. I can't find a league table or OFSTED report equivalent. Between schools and train lines we've been looking at Ryde, Artarmon, Lane Cove, Turramurra.

I liked Argo, how was Zero Dark?

Hey We really liked Surry Hills around Shannon Reserve/Library. If you are over that way pop in to Messinas on Crown steeet for the best gelato in Sydney! The market there on the first Saturday of the month is fun too. Redfern was a little cheaper and only a stones throw away. I'd agree with Markb28 on our brief impression of the areas. Good luck and keep us posted Talie

Hi LKC I lived in Woronora Heights for 6 months when I was 12, went to Engadine Public. I went back to have a look on our trip. It's a lovely area. We're thinking about Cronulla this time, do you know anything about the area in terms of schools etc? Talie

Maya, we really loved Surry Hills. It's very close to the city with lots going on. Good parks and a nearly complete outdoor pool. It's not the most family friendly but our children are 13 Liv,10 Sebastian, and 5 Penelope, so not tiny. We live near to Manchester city centre and enjoy the urban life. The only problem is the cost of rentals in the area. The runners up for us were Lane Cove if we got work on the North Shore or Cronulla if it was South/CBD. Public transport is a big factor for us as I don't drive and our eldest likes to be independent. It's really hard to decide without visiting. I'd pick Cronulla over the Hills for access to beaches, train line, and a see breeze/being a little cooler in summer. It's a personal thing though based on very little real knowledge. Liv is very excited about the move, she's confident and positive. Seb loved Sydney but says it's not worth leaving his family for... He wants to live in Surry Hills in a big enough place to have the grandparents over... not going to happen. Penny is too little really but tells anyone who will listen she's going to live in Sydney forever and isn't coming back! Is public transport an issue? Do you want a beach life? Childcare? Schools? Renting or buying? I'd book a week temp in both places, look around the schools then decide. Sydney is a big place so if you can find a job, before committing to an area that would be ideal.

Hi I'd agree with LKC on the Shire. We recently visited Engadine, nice little place, Miranda, and Cronulla. All on the train line to CBD. Cronulla was a lovely beach area for a day out or to live. You're right next to a huge beautiful national park too. It looked like the nicest of the more sensibly priced areas we visited. Talie

Something that caught us out was getting off the train for a look at places en route, with only a return ticket. Something we often do in Manchester is get off somewhere in the middle then hop back on to complete a journey. You can't do this in Sydney as the turn style (like the tube) will eat your ticket on it's second use regardless of where you are. We had to buy another ticket from Penrith back from the Blue Mountains and Chatswood Back from Sydney to Roseville. Family Funday Sunday tickets were brilliant. Cheap day out all over the place.

Robertsclan I'm sure you do. We did lots of rubber necking at apartment balconys and saw kids stuff on quite a lot. There are plenty of 2/3 bed apartments advertised. Estate agents didn't bat an eye when I asked about 3 bed apartments for a family... I don't know what locals opinions would be... Talie

Maya12 Hi The Northern suburbs were mainly really nice. Frenches Forest and Forestville had nice little parks. We mainly used the Coles in Forestville which is on a nice little shopping strip with a good butchers, bottle shop, childrens toy and clothing store, coffee shop etc. Lots of people sitting around having a chat and a coffee. It was nice. The houses were all in a good state, lots of green, no rubbish, schools looked nice, people were friendly. Wasn't for us though. We were all bored. No train station and two children who are sick on buses. You would need a car. We all felt a bit too far out and disconnected on the north side. Anything you specifically want to know I'll try to help with but we were only there 3 weeks and only took 2 days to completely rule out the area for us. Talie

Hi Northshorepom, Yep we're going to look further in to the city, for a terrace or apartment. Surry Hills, Newtown, Balmain, Rozelle, Erskineville, that kind of way. I think it's mainly inner west. We spent a lot of time around Surry Hills at the Library/community centre, Shannon reserve park. The shops and coffee places were fab. We all felt at home there. Chatswood, wasn't for us, to be fair we only went around the station and the shopping centre. It felt like a place where people worked and shopped but didn't live. Although it would be very convenient. We all liked Lane Cove, nice shopping centre that had a village feel. Easy commute to Macquarie Park but no train station. There wasn't anywhere we really disliked, Sydney is a beautiful place. Talie