aduffield76

Hi all, We have recently moved to Edithvale and are looking to enroll our 2 kids in swimming lessons. they were avid swimmers back in the UK and before they join nippers, we want to get them back up to speed with their swimming. does anyone know of any good clubs/lessons/teachers? cheers Andy

Hi all, we have just arrived in Melbourne (staying in Sandringham) and are close to buying our first Aussie car. However, we need 2 car seats for our kids (ages 7 and 4) but have absolutely no idea where to get them from? can anyone help with advice on the best car seat stores? thanks alot Andy

Hi all, We are moving to a Melbourne on the 5th Jan from the UK and are obviously looking for ways of meeting people and making friends both for us and our 2 ankle biters. My wife's birthday is on the 24th Jan, 2 days before Australia Day and are looking to combine the two (that's not me being tight....just efficient...honest!) How is Australia Day celebrated in the bayside area? Are there events all over or do people just have parties at home and invite friends/neighbours etc? We will be living in the Seaford/Chelsea area so does anyone know of anything happening around there? Cheers guys Andy

Happy Christmas and thanks so much for all you input. i have found 3 or so decent looking cars at decent prices and all from RACV approved dealers. i think I'm going to contact them to arrange to go and do a few test drives. will google car insurance but not sure how easy it will be to get a quotation without the registration details. wheels are in motion (pardon the pun) and thanks to you all again....PIO rules!

Hi all, We will be arriving in Melbourne on the 5th January and one of our first tasks is to buy a car. Apart from actually buying the car, what else do we need to organise along side it....or does the dealer do it all? ie car insurance, registration, road tax? I just want to be as prepared as possible. Also, has anyone recently bought a car through carsales.com.au or any other firms/sites? What were your experiences and do you have any tips? Cheers in advance Andy

Thanks Marinsdad, we love bayside but I am going to be working in Port Melbourne so am a bit concerned about the commute. dont want to spend 3 hours a day commuting. the search continues....

Hi all, Is there anyone out there who has their children in a Primary School in or around Williams Landing? We have found some schools in Altona which are about 15 minutes away but wondered if there are any in and around WL? Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Cheers guys Andy

Hi all, I will be working in Port Melbourne so we are too-ing and fro-ing between looking for 'more for your money' properties on the West side of Melbourne and 'more established but expensive' properties on the East Side. Williams Landing looks an attractive proposition for basing the family but I am unsure as to the primary school situation and also the commute time. I hear the station can be stupidly busy in a morning? I am contemplating getting a scooter (an engined one :cute:) and using that to get to Port Melbourne. Is there anyone out there who A) lives in Williams Landing and can give me some tips, or B) lives around there and can give some good advice on commute and schools? Cheers in advance, Andy

Hi All, What is it like commuting to the city on the train from the bayside suburbs of Parkdale, Cheltenham, and Moorabbin? are the trains rammed? what is the usual commute time? Cheers guys, Andy

Hi all, We are moving over to Melbourne in January 2014. I have secured a job in Port Melbourne but still can't decide on the best areas to live regarding public transport/value for money/things to do/beaches/schools. we love the Parkdale/Mentone/Chelsea areas but also see value in the Cairnlea/Avondale Heights/Maribyrnong suburbs. We have spent time in Bayside but no time in the north west. is there anyone out there who lives in the north west and who can give me some advice? Cheers in advance, Andy

Hi, we have used Halo Financial. They have been superb. andy

We are using PSS removals for our move to Melbourne. around £4000 for our own container.

Hi all, Please can someone help me regarding some questions on renting and rates. When you are renting a house, what is the equivalent to British "Council Tax"? we see many posts mentioning "rates" aswell as "water", "electric" etc If someone is currently renting and can give me a helping hand regarding what to expect to pay, I would appreciate it. we are moving to Melbourne in January and are trying to be as prepared as possible. Thanks in advance guys Andy

Hi Can anyone please give me some recommendations regarding good primary schools in the Mornington area. My family are moving over to oz in Jan and I need to get schools sorted before we arrive so they can start on the first day of term. I have been to see many schools in the bayside area Parkdale, Baumaris etc which look great, however I think Mornington my be a more affordable option regarding property? My children currently attend a small public school with small class sizes which is great, however the schools I have seen so far in Melbourne seem much bigger. I am also keen to understand if there are any childrens groups swimming, gymnastics, football etc so the kids can start meeting other kids? Any help would be appreciated as our trip in Feb focused on Bayside areas, which we loved, however now we are looking at Mornington we have no experience to go on. Thanks Sarah:biggrin:

Hi All We are moving over to Oz in January next year and contemplating bringing over our BBQ from home....on our reccie we noticed that they were much more expensive down under than in England. however, I want to check if the connectors from the BBQ to the propane gas cylinders are the same?? cheers guys Andy

Hi Andrew We are moving over to Melbourne in January 2014. We went over this Feb for a reccie and booked our accommodation through http://www.stayz.com.au, there are lots of places to choose from but note that they are expensive. We have booked our long term rental for January next year through http://www.takeabreak.com.au. There is also http://www.moving-to-melbourne.co.uk which have some nice places too. Try those 3 and you should find somewhere suitable. Andy

Hi all, Does anyone know of any good swimming and gymnastics (not at the same time) clubs/lessons in and around the Bayside area? We are moving to Bayside early next year and want to get our 4 and 7 year old enrolled as they currently attend clubs in the UK. Any info would be hugely appreciated, thanks. Andy

Hi all, We are looking for a weeks accommodation in Melbourne from 5th to 12th January 2014. We have already sorted our long term, just need a short term place for 4 adults and 2 kids. Can anyone help? We have looked on pretty much every single rental site but the only places available...put it this way, I could buy the place for less! Does anyone know anyone or anywhere? Cheers guys

Hi we are looking at leasing a holiday home for a few weeks in Seaford and wondered, apart from the beach, if any of you could recommend any cool things to do in and around the Seaford/Carrum area for kids. Also, regarding a 'Big Shop', where are the best supermarkets/shopping centres? cheers ​andy

Hi all Can anyone recommend a good primary school around Mentone, Parkdale, baumaris, mordi areas? We will be arriving early Jan and need to get my 4 and 7 year olds enrolled in a school whilst still in the uk......Any help advice on areas would be appreciated. ​Thanks Sarah

Thanks caramac, We never thought of that but what a great idea. We will put some feelers out and see if we get any positive answers back. Thanks again Andy

Hi Yes I remember, glad you are doing well over there. Where did you settle in the end and how are you finding it? We went into an estate agents whilst in Mordialloc in February this year and they told us that you are unable to secure a 'normal' rental from outside Australia as they prefer you to see the property before agreeing terms. Is this actually true or should we be contacting more Estate Agencies rather than holiday letting companies? We could then possibly just get holiday rental for 2-3 weeks rather than the 6-8 originally planned. Andy & Sarah

Hi all, Thanks for all your helpful replies. We are still struggling to find somewhere :confused: If we could find somewhere for the end of November/start of December then we would come over then. Finding a place that is available will dictate when we book the flights for. The dates we are provisionally looking for are: 1st December 2013 to 26th January 2014 or 1st December 2013 to 12th January 2014 or 5th January 2014 to 2nd February 2014 or 5th January 2014 to 16th February 2014 If there is an 'aussie rental' angel out there....can you send them my way! :rolleyes: Cheers guys Andy

Hi all After having our visa's since September 2012 and having a reccie holiday to Melbourne this February, we are looking at moving out to Melbourne this coming November. However, we are struggling to find a medium term, furnished holiday rental that will accommodate myself, my wife and our 2 young children for 2-3 months (November to February) whilst I find a job, get the kids settled in one of the schools we went to see and find a more permanent rental. We have looked at stayz.com.au and moving-to-melbourne but are yet to find anything that wont require me to sell a kidney to pay for :biggrin: Please can anyone help or point us in the right direction Cheers guys Andy

kaetio is spot on but having just enrolled our 2 children in a school we have been told by several school principles that catchment areas or zones only come into effect when the schools are full or almost full. As there are so many brilliant schools around Bayside/Kingston you should have no problems.