LittleLakeGirl

I'm going to say it again. If you want convenience, and area with lots of parkland, recreational facilities and within driving distance of beaches (23-30mins for Eastern suburbs, 45-60mins for Northern Beaches) then to anywhere along the inner west trainline to Strathfield and the Northern Line to Epping should suit your budget. I'm gutted we weren't ready to move recently as large 3 bed bungalow went up for rent just up the street from us for $550 p/w. It looked a little shabby on the outside but inside there was a newish kitchen and all the rooms still had period features intact. Generally rents for that size of property are from $600 up.

Hey there We're not in Rhodes but in Concord West so not very far away at all. I can recommend The Concord Hotel if you just want a drink rather than to go out for a meal. There are some interesting regulars but everyone's pretty friendly. We've been in the area around 8 months and have no real desire to move anywhere else, everything is so convenient. I come up to Rhodes on the bike quite a bit because the waterfront is lovely for cycling.

Migrant fares? I don't know of any airline which offers preferential rates for migrants but, dependent on the type of visa you're travelling on certain airlines will allow you larger baggage allowances (up to 40kgs per person). If you're traveling out on a 457 visa then Singapore Airlines will (unofficially) allow you around 25kgs (5 more than the specified per person) before they'll apply excess baggage charges. I believe Emirates allow you to pay for excess baggage in advance which works out cheaper too.

Did I mention the ALP? Nope, I didn't, although perhaps I should have added the caveat that their record is hardly exemplary. Either way it's no justification for voting a party who take an even more extreme position, as clear cut as it may be; as the adage goes: "two wrongs don't make a right"

If you're shipping other items anyway then I'd say bring them, though do keep in mind what you plan to sleep on until they arrive.

Paul, no I'm not at all happy with them being called illegal immigrants because until such time as they cross the boarders unchecked they're not 'illegal'. He and his party are dumbing down the issue and distorting the legal definition to suit their own ends and play up to the xenophobic streak which is evident in the sections of the electorate they're targeting to obtain votes. Exactly the same way parties like UKIP (or the BNP) in the UK do, the difference being that in the UK these parties are considered extreme right and highly unlikely to gain enough seats to form any kind of government let alone a majority one, unlike here where, sadly, it looks like the Libs may form the next government, thereby further legitimizing this view that anyone who attempts to get into the country via non-conventional routes, rather than being desperate to escape something, are in fact dreadful, horrible, queue jumping, scroungers. When in fact a majority of refugees arriving by boat to Australian boarders are found to be legitimate political refugees - fleeing tyranny and persecution we can only imagine - and the percentage of people admitted to the country as asylum seekers is tiny compared to the number of people admitted as fully visa'd up migrants. Here's a handy guide to the UN Refugee convention, bullet pointed for ease of reading, if you're at all confused about the status of those people who chose to risk their lives to arrive here by boat http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/f/myth-long.php FWIW I think the offshore processing is far more contentious in terms of cost to the Aussie taxpayer than supporting the comparatively small number of people admitted as asylum seekers. And the simple fact of the matter is that if you overstay your visa or work outside the restrictions on it then you are operating illegally in the country (wherever in the world) even if you entered the country legally to start with.

Cheers, all! I'll look into those suggestions this evening.

I believe the clue was where you said you were from Inda, right? :wink:

Unfortunately if the Liberals are voted in come September then I hate to say it but perhaps we will be able to judge a whole nation on a few individuals, given that a good number of Liberal 'policies' - or should that be election tactics as actual policies seem pretty thin on the ground? - play on the fears of people who hold these sorts of views and are likely to get them votes. You only need to look at how they constantly refer to asylum seekers as illegal immigrants (they're not, workers and holidaymakers who overstay their visas are illegal immigrants) to see how they're working the concerns of the electorate, or read the rabid responses to stories like this on the FB pages of channels like 7 to realise there's an undercurrent there in certain sections of society which, in all honesty, will be far more damaging than anything the EDL or UKIP in the UK can come up with.

Help! So, here's the thing. There's a huge amount of engineering work on the North Strathfield Rail Underpass going on this holiday weekend and in light of the levels of noise and disruption it will cause - they're working 24/7 for three days - Transport for NSW together with the NSRU Alliance (ie the companies involved in the works) have offered to pay for alternative accommodation for local residents. Now, it would have been helpful if they'd advised us earlier about this but they're offering reimbursements of up to $225 per night for two nights so I'm looking for you suggestions for places to stay in Sydney or places to visit 1 - 2 hours drive from Sydney which might happen to have availability and fit that budget. All the places we've had suggested so far are booked up (it being a holiday weekend) or too pricey, or we've already visited (Katoomba, and we're saving our next visit up there for Yulefest in July). Thanks in advance.

What? You mean even City Extra was shut? http://www.cityextra.com.au/Home/646/n/3/0/0/ EDIT: Re US restaurant service, I have to say the service at the tourist places in SF was the best I've seen, anywhere (aside from Automatic in Bury, Lancashire, where they have the US style service down and a very low staff turnover). The service at Buena Vista especially was an art form and the service at Neptune's Palace (I think that's the name of the place) impeccable.

I think so, certainly if you have the deposit to buy I think it'd be a good investment and somewhere anyone with a family could settle very easily. & of course I forgot to mention all the water views around here too.

Okay, so when we were looking for suitable places to live in Sydney I didn't receive any suggestions for this area and as the 'where's good to live' is a perennial question I thought I'd tell you why I think Concord West is great. Concord West is an Inner West suburb of Sydney, ranked at 18th best in the Sydney Area according to street advisor. Before we came out here we were hearing pretty scary things about the number of shootings in the inner west and I really wasn't sure it was an area we wanted to be living in but... the inner west is a big place and yes, Auburn (which is where quite a number of the shootings have occurred) is not far from here but in reality it's a world away. Concord West and the surround suburbs of Concord, North Strathfield, Rhodes and Cabarita are a very beautiful, leafy, friendly and comparatively reasonably priced place to live. Housing: I won't lie, to buy here is expensive, especially if you're like me and completely in love with the heritage, federation properties. Rental, however is okay. As I've said elsewhere $400 - 450 will get a you a good quality and sized 2 bed unit. Housing however is a little more difficult to come by - because people don't move from here - and will cost in the region of $650 upwards p/w for a 3 bed detached on a good plot. Lots of good schools around here too both public and private. Shopping: Where to start? Four big shopping centres / entertainment complexes at Rhodes - including Ikea -, Top Ryde, Strathfield & Burwood. Thriving highstreets in Concord, North Strathfield, burwood etc. The enormous Sydney & Flemmington markets just ten minutes drive away, a huge designer shopping outlet at Homebush, local farmers markets, the list is endless. Eating & drinking: The Concord Hotel near the station in Concord West is a great local pub but the fact is you could eat out everyday for 6 months here and not visit the same place twice. There are lots of places to choose from in Concord and there's a redeveloped area of North Strathfield (which reminds me of Docklands in London, where there must be no fewer than 20 restaurants, bars and coffee shops) Culture, lifestyle, Health & Fitness: Bicentennial & Sydney Olympic Parks are on the doorstep. Miles of shared, running and cycling tracks in safe surroundings, playparks for the kids. Picnic & BBQ areas World class sporting and leisure facilities, plus the Sydney Showground, ANZ Stadium and Allphones arena, all in walking distance. In addition to this there are any number of other green spaces and reserves in the area. Eastern Suburbs beaches and Northern Beaches are just 30 minutes away in either direction (allow more time for Northern beaches at weekend though). The drive over the Anzac Bridge to the city early morning is just stunning. Transport: Close the M4 corridor - my OH travels away from the city for work and his commute is just 30mins each way even in the evening. The city is 35 - 40 minutes by rail or you can catch a ferry to Circular Quay from Cabarita. Katoomba in the Blue Mountains is just 2 hours away by train from Strathfield station. I'm not a bus person so I can't comment on those, however. Well, now I've written all this don't all move in at once because I don't want you pushing the prices up Seriously though, we really love it here.

Can I ask what kind of accommodation you're looking for? If you're happy to have a 1 bed unit then you will find accommodation very close to the city for around the $450 p/w mark, which is doable on $60,000 before tax (that's my OH's salary, I'm working part time right now & my salary covers our rent but we were managing on that before, though he did have a couple of good overtime stints). If you're looking for more space then I can highly recommend Concord West / North Strathfield / Rhodes / Concord & Cabarita. It's around 35 minutes to Central station from Concord West by train, or you can catch the ferry from Cabarita to Circular Quay. The place is very pretty (known as the Parkland Suburb) Lots of shopping, places to eat and open spaces. Concord West is located right next to Bicentennial and Sydney Olympic Park, the main sporting facilities are less than 30 minutes walk away through gorgeous parkland and mangroves. Here between $400 - $450 p/w will get you a two bed unit in a very lovely friendly place. A drive to the Eastern Suburbs beaches of Bondi, Bronte etc will take you 30 minutes - if you were thinking of the Eastern Suburbs to live it's certainly worth bearing in mind that Bondi Junction is the closest rail station and that's still quite a way from the coast, to get to any of the other areas you'll have to hope on a bus (or cycle of course) as walking will take ages. EDIT: In the city you can't go far wrong with Surry Hills, it's very vibrant, lots of nightlife, gorgeous architecture and a brand new open air pool (which I believe is free to swim in over the winter months) in the park just a minute's walk from Central station. You could also look around Milson's Point and North Sydney but if I had to pick a 'burb I'd say Surry Hills is the better option. Redfern, which used to have a bit of a bad reputation, is next to Surry Hills and is also up-and-coming. As you mentioned that you may have to work out near the airport being near Central station would be good for you as you can catch a train over to the airport from there without having to change, though if you alight at either airport station you also need a platform ticket. Lots of people moan about city rail here but I've found the service really good on the whole.

Gosh, really, @Scousers? I reckon even without me working ATM we've got a comparable quality of life here; I'm utterly in love with Sydney. We drove through the centre to get to Bronte for the sunrise on Saturday morning and it was just stunning, I love that drive in from the West over the Anzac bridge. I just know I'll never tire of it. Phil, we're in Concord West, a great little suburb. A bit quiet for some but there are some lovely properties here (There's a heritage home up for sale in nearby Concord that was voted best maintained last year; what I wouldn't give to have the money to get my mitts on it) and it's convenient for lots of things.

As a Manc, I can honestly say I... really love Liverpool (ha! gotcha, you thought I was going to say I wouldn't go there if you paid me). I went last year for the first time in ages and it's just a really great place. Most things are easy to get to in the centre, the new development looks fabulous and there's some lovely old architecture. Can't comment on Liverpool NSW though, I've only been through it on the train. (Hi Phil, btw, whereabouts in Sydney are you?)

FWIW, whilst I don't agree with the aggressive nature of the post, given that at least some of us will have to take and pass an English language test to get into Australia it might make sense for us to give a monkey's (yes that's right, whatever it is we're giving belongs to the monkey...) about spelling and grammar and actually understand the difference between there, their and they're... Just saying.

We're on a 457, when our Australian migration agent processed the visas we HAD to buy an Australian HEALTH insurance policy (ours is from IMAN, for around $110 p/m), travel insurance wasn't enough to cover us. Once you're here you can sign up for medicare but bear in mind that it only covers you for urgent care and does not cover the cost of ambulances to hospital.

Assuming you're not limiting yourselves to 'just' Manly & Bondi then check out the ratings for Sydney 'burbs (all three hundred odd of them) here... http://www.streetadvisor.com.au/ What size weekly rental budget are you looking at? How many beds? How are you planning on getting around? Is easy access to public transport important? How old are your kids?

From experience I'd suggest getting in touch with Hays Recruitment and Adecco whilst you're still in the UK, if you check their website the do offer a job search service from the UK. I wish I'd done it, I'm going okay 3 weeks in and I'm having bites as far as jobs are concerned but nothing's come of them so far. As to areas to live if you want close to the city but a little cheaper I can recommend Concord / Concord West. We snagged a 2 bed apartment for $450 and there's another in our block for $410 p/w. From what I've seen if you're happy to have a one bedder you can find places at comparatively reasonable prices even in the traditionally expensive areas. $600 pw gets you a nice property, generally. The train station's in Concord West, Cabarita ferry dock is in a gorgeous spot a couple of kms from Concord (in fact try Cabarrita too as it's gorgeous) and Rhodes with shopping, cinema and Ikea is the next stop up on the Northern line. You've also got the motorway connections in Rhodes but they're far enough away for the traffic joining them not to be a problem. There's Olympic Park local too. Apparently trains on the Northern Line are the most unreliable on the service but I've not experienced that. Compared to the UK the public transport is a bloody bargain, though I'm told NYC is cheaper, a Canadian holidaymaker on Circular Quay. Hope that Helps. (Check out street advisor for advice, Concord West was voted 18th best suburb in Sydney). I'd also recommend Lane Cove but it seems like you want something a little less quiet.

Hiya Thanks for the reply. That's pretty much what I thought so going off other posts here I gave the airline a call. If you speak with them they will tell you that you can go to 25kgs without incurring excess baggage charges. I was just over, the combined weight of my two checked bags came to 26kgs, but the woman at the check in desk spoke with her supervisor and he okayed it without a charge. I also had a huge handbag and another rucksack as hand baggage with hand my laptop in it. The rucksack was better than a laptop bag as I could fit more in it. (Been here three weeks today!!) EDIT: With regard to my interparcel suggestion, do bear in mind you will have to fill out the unaccompanied baggage forms and make your own arrangements for the courier you end up using to act as your agent, I was a little confused at first as to when the forms needed to be submitted but Aus customs were very helpful.

I love February in the UK as months go, one day snow, one day rain and then days of beautiful sunny weather that's sometimes warm enough to sit out in in sheltered spots. I just love that whole feeling of newness that comes from a glorious cerulean sky, dotted with little fluffy white clouds as the sun shines through my office window in the afternoon. Then when you leave work and it's still light.

I'm unsure how long an application to sponsor takes but my OH's company had to renew their sponsor status to employ him and it didn't take too long. That said, either option would be nice to have. The benefit of Calgary is of course that it's closer to the UK, cheaper to get to, they have a reciprocal agreement in terms of benefits (IIRC) and it's easier to ship your pets if you have any. Canada was our other option but the OH really fancied Aus and as it's his qualifications and skills we're travelling on he got the casting vote so to speak.

Perhaps it's just me, but given that most of us here are here because we have chosen to take the opportunity to migrate elsewhere to try something different, maybe even something better, I find it strange there can be such poor attitudes towards those choosing to do likewise and migrate into our country of origin. Does it not occur to people that it really is a teeny bit hypocritical? Look at it this way, if us Brits are so perfect at integrating when we travel / live abroad why do we choose English speaking countries over everywhere else? Why is the stereotype of a Brit abroad trying to make themselves understood us SPEAKING MORE LOUDLY AND SLOWLY IN OUR OWN LANGUAGE? and why are there so many ExPat / Brit enclaves in continental resort towns? Re Benefits, the simplest way to ensure you're entitled to them if you have to return to the UK is to continue to pay for them.

Lambfamily, that's terrible. I really hope you get paid out soon, as you say stuff like that isn't cheap and the whole process is such a bloomin' rigmarole (I made myself physically ill over it) I think it both sucks & blows they're now quibbling. Just my two-centsworth anyway...