rosiew

I don't understand why this is news. Most primary school students could tell you it was not 'discovered'

Not really. Fine to use for groceries but you can't usually pay bills with it (and if you can there is a surcharge). Many restaurants and retailers will not accept it. Better to have a card with a Mastercard or Visa imprint.

I'll assume you are joking, but just in case, will this do in Melbourne's most expensive suburb? http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-toorak-418042934

Upwey and FTG are very green and bushy. Pretty immediate access to native bushland. Long established and up to an hour to the city by train. CS is much more closely packed and very new. Larger modern houses on smaller blocks with much greater housing density and the feel of a planned community. The train trip will be a LOT quicker. You are likely to get a smaller older house but a bigger garden in Upwey/ FTG. The two places have a completely different look and feel and I'd have a good explore if I were you to get a feel for which one speaks to you. If you are scared of spiders and bushfires then CS is lower risk! Beach access to the Peninsula/ Phillip Isalnd is pretty good from Upwey/ FTG with Eastlink. From CS you'd be heading for Williamstown/ Altona for a 'city" beach in half an hour or down to Geelong.

The seaweed can be extremely smelly there. I guess you get used to it given the price of houses on the beach!

I understand that people on student visas sometimes have to pay the full cost of their child's education - much higher than the 457 charge.

In Melbourne the body corporate fees range from $1500 per year for a small block of apartments with no facilities apart from a small garden and car park, but then as Petals says, can reach high levels. If you buy in a high rise building with lifts, pool, gym etc then it could easily be $10,000 per year. So, to avoid a high fee avoid lifts and do not go for amenities such as pools, gyms and large communal gardens unless you will realistically use them several times per week. Many smaller blocks no longer accumulate much of a fund for future repairs and prefer to split the costs between the owners when they arise. This is partly because owners do not want to invest in a fund that may never benefit them. But it also has the effect that maintenance may be slow to happen if the block needs painting, a new fence etc.

carsales.com.au

That makes sense! And yes, Melbourne rents are very high as they reflect the inflated house prices which seem likely to be with us for a while yet....

That's very cheap by Melbourne standards - you either have a bargain or you live a long way out!

That's a good example of what you get in that area for that money. Caroline springs is not great for public transport (station is coming....) but it is quite well developed now. Lots of shops, restaurants, doctors and a pretty easy drive to town outside peak times and a wide range of public and private schools. Even has serviced apartments for when the relatives come (!) and good sporting facilities. There are a lot of houses about the vintage of that house - 15 or so years old. There is still some land available nearby so many people would build a new house rather than buy one that is starting to look a bit dated inside. But of course the 15 year old ones have the best access to facilities. I would choose it over Point Cook. Taylors lakes is closer to the city and also has good infrastructure as it is around 15 years older again.

Usually estate agents encourage sellers to declutter, depersonalise and get their homes inspection ready before the photos - so they rarely looked lived in (unless they have tenants in). Remember that when you sell here you have regular open houses so you need to live your life for a few weeks like you are just camping in your house so that it does not get messy! There is no exodus from the west - but there are huge differences in facilities and infrastructure in those places you list.

Just note with the tip above about renting in Box Hill - because of a quaint old law in that municipality there are no pubs...just saying.....

If you can afford it you could requalify here. If you do a 1 year post graduate teaching degree it will incorporate the teaching practise and you will be OK. Otherwise, you could study the same degree by distance but will need to return to Australia for the teaching placements - and there will be up to 3 of those. Of course this means international university fees which are steep. You will need to be sure that you will get a job after all that effort so you will also need to research the number of jobs in your subject area. If you are a primary teacher it may not be worth it at all..... Good luck - I'm sure it is very frustrating for you.

Here is the list of suburbs with a median OVER a million - she's a long list! http://www.reiv.com.au/property-data/high-performers/million-dollar-suburbs

That depends what you call the city. In Melbourne most areas within 10km of the CBD are called the inner suburbs. If you want lots of bars, restaurants and people you could look in Brunswick, Carlton, Fitzroy, Northcote all north of the city. You could look at Richmond, Burnley, Kew to the east and St Kilda, Elwood, Brighton to the South/ beach and then Williamstown in the west if you want to have a beach and a great view back to the city. In a lot of those areas you will be looking at a 2 bed terrace in good nick for a million. If I had a million I'd be looking at Ascot Vale - 15 minutes by train to the north west - some lovely leafy streets, open space and plenty of places nearby to eat and drink. I wouldn't worry about a cider drought - very fashionable at the moment and plenty around.

To give you an idea of train times : Geelong - about 60 minutes depending on which station. Lots of coastal areas to visit nearby Sunbury - 40 mins Gisborne - 45-60 depending on level of express Bendigo - city about 2 hours north west of Melbourne Ballarat - city a bit over an hour west north west of Melbourne Belgrave (end of suburban line, east of city, green and hilly) - just over an hour If you want coastal suggestions, someone will be along - but bear in mind that the coast is expensive and may be out of your budget.

Also the advantage of Sunbury apart from the last stop on the suburban line (more trains) is that you can get a 4 bed, 2 bath house for around $375,000 with good schools and infrastructure. And houses are appreciating which is always good too!

With no offence to the people of Melton, I'd suggest you have a good reccie before you choose it. It is pretty low socio economically and depending on your idea of life in Australia you may find there are places that suit you better. A budget of $400,000 is low not just for Melbourne but for many commutable towns. The median house price in Melbourne is over $600K. If you are interested in commutable "inner country" areas take a look at Sunbury, Bacchus Marsh, a fixer upper in Gisborne maybe. Train fares are nothing compared to the UK (I think around $15 a day including your city travel). As Melbourne is over 100km from side to side commutable country towns are around 50 - 60 km from the CBD. Others will be along with other suggestions. And by the way, the inner suburbs are awash with craft cider....

Everyone is entitled to seek legal help - good case or bad. Do not assume that because the solicitor will take the case on that she thinks you will win. If you want to know if she thinks you will win, you need to ask her for her considered advice on your prospects of success. If she can't give you that based on recent decisions in the area and your own personal circumstances then you need to consult someone with more experience in these cases - and by that I mean taking children to Australia rather than closer and more accessible places.

you are right, it varies a lot. However, you are likely to end up around Melbourne or Geelong. Winter is nothing like as extreme as the UK. the coldest daytime temperature is about 12 and that is only it a couple of days. It tends to hover between 14 and 17 most of the time. Nighttime can get down to 5 but that is rare and usually it is around 10. It does not snow in either place and it rains less too. This kind of weather is really only June/ July and it is getting pleasant again by mid- August. As for daylight the shortest day is 21 June. On that day it is probably light by 7.30 and getting dark at 5.30. It moves by 1 minute a day so by the end of July it is dark at around 6pm. If you come expecting Australia to be hot and sunny all the time, you will be disappointed. Otherwise, most winter days will still seem like a vast improvement. It is also a lot sunnier in the winter - much less of the endless white/grey cloudy sky

You might want to wait and see what your Melbourne house costs first - 11 new suburbs were just added to the "median price over a million" list! More people drive to their holiday homes than fly here - airfares being much more expensive than an Easyjet offer. After you come try out a few places for a weekend - get a feel for the beaches, the towns, the commute etc. It will also depend which side of Melbourne you live. It is certainly a lovely thing to have, and plenty of people do it.

You should note that all of the schools on Quoll's list are private - many in the $25,000 plus per annum category. As far as I know there are no state schools currently offering the IB in Victoria. You also need to factor in that if you are away more than a couple of years your child will be up for international student university fees in the UK and you will be paying those upfront. As Quoll says, it is tricky age to move unless you see your indefinite future here.

That's quite an assertion by your teachers about your chances of going to Cambridge. Unless they have significant experience in Oxbridge entrance I think I would treat their comments with caution and ensure you consider all of your options, both here and away. Remember, you are not far away from being able to move away to university here too.

Try http://www.campaustralia.com.au which is a big provider of holiday day care. Also when my children were younger the melbourne sports and aquatic centre did these which were good (Albert Park). Also try your local YMCA as they sometimes provide them too. Good luck. Also - they are called school holiday programs here - try googling that