Daphne123

Hi If as a family we go on a 457 visa with my wife as main applicant do we have to all enter Australia at the same time or could myself and our daughter arrive after my wife and if so how what is the latest we could arrive after her. many thanks chris

Thanks littlesarah. A different perspective provided here. I will have this discussion with the institution when I talk to them to give them my final decision on their job offer. At least I know now that the question won't seem weird...even if home working is not permitted there. I have always got so much more writing done at home than in the office here in the UK...far too many distractions, particularly if one shares an office...therefore, in terms of me maintaining my publications profile, this is such an important issue for me. Thanks again for your input.

I certainly will do that, thanks littlesarah

Thanks for this post Tina2. They are not outside dogs but as one of my dogs is a rare breed with no hair at all and the other is a dog whose hair doesn't shed, I can't see a problem with them being indoors. Obviously they are fully house trained. This is something which I could discuss with the landlord. Really appreciate the links to websites. Will take a look now.

I suspected that this might be the case and was looking for someone who could make the comparison. Thank you. This is important to me. I write my research papers from home. Always have done. In most uk universities it is understood that this is what working from home means. It is therefore, a question which I will raise with the uni. I too have the perception that an academic post in oz might be more demanding more generally than in the uk. This response has given me much food for thought. Thanks again.

Yes very helpful, thanks DonnaBB. I will take a look at that now. Appreciate your response.

Hi Quite untrue at my own university, I'm afraid...it's very similar in most departments...hence my question.Thanks for your response.

Thanks everyone. This advice has been great! I have two dogs. I have found out via other sites that it can be difficult to find rentable property which allows dogs. I think I will need to do some research to see if that's the case. Thanks again. You have been brilliant!

Hi Can anyone give me an insight into what it's like to work as a Uni lecturer in NSW. I have gained a post at UNE and am just wondering what the working culture is like there. Any insights would be very very much appreciated. I am particularly interested to know whether generally there is an opportunity to work from home on occasion (as is the case at my current institution in the UK). Many thanks.

Thanks for this. Very helpful indeed. We certainly couldn't afford anything like that (wouldn't want the massive mortgage every month) however it is good to see what's at the top end. Can I ask why you personally wouldn't live in Uralla? Obviously it is difficult for me to gauge a place from the web. However, I have seen it recommended by others on this forum, so just wondering what your opinion was. Also, considering my last question on those brick houses within my own price range, do you think they seem reasonable properties from your more knowledgeable position? Obviously you have not seen the properties, but they seem fine to me. It's probably important to note that we are not after a large property. There's just the two of us and we want to keep our monthly bills small. We will just be happy with something in a reasonable area and would be very happy to do any amount of renovation work.

We are able to complete substantial renovation work for ourselves. Thanks for your comments. so from the list, the brick built properties do seem fine? I understand the points made regarding the other materials which houses are made from, but the brick built ones seemed fine to me and still very cheap. Carey Avenue for example is brick built, seems to be in good condition and in British pounds is 159,000. Is there anything else I need to be aware of? Thanks once again for your help and advice.

Hi Everyone Thanks for your help and advice. It has been invaluable. Here are a few properties that I have found in Armidale and nearby Uralla. They are all under $300,000 and it would be really helpful if anyone can tell me whether these houses are in 'good' or 'bad' areas? Thanks so much to everyone. Daphne123 Properties in Uralla 40 Plane Avenue, Uralla, $160,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-uralla-108084841 30a John Street, Uralla, $179,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-uralla-114246171 24 Fitzroy Street, Uralla, $179,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-uralla-112663275 28, Ftizroy Street, Uralla, $220,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-uralla-108378036 35, Rowan Avenue, Uralla, $240,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-uralla-107665696 No address available, Uralla, $272,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-uralla-107027256 140, Bridge Street, Uralla, $275,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-uralla-105777310 9, Maitland Street, Uralla, $280,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-uralla-111641639 Properties in Armidale 8, Bracken Street, Armidale, $189,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-armidale-111926403 26 Drew Street, Armidale, $215,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-armidale-114453967 52, Kirkwood Street, Armidale, $239,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-armidale-113764995 No address available, Armidale, $239,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-armidale-113427323 No address available, Armidale, $265,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-unit-nsw-armidale-108948801 No address available, Armidale, $245,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-armidale-114279951 No address available, Armidale, $249,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-armidale-113392767 No address available, Armidale, $249,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-armidale-113271103 8 Carey Avenue Armidale NSW 2350, $275,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-armidale-114164235 No address available, Armidale, $259,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-armidale-113656519 No address available, Armidale, $259,000 - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-armidale-114076667

This is extremely helpful, thank you so much for your reply. Our minds are starting to become a little more settled I think. Our likes are countryside walks with our dogs (whom we would take over to Oz) and other no/low cost activities. We have never lived extravagantly. The only thing we really couldn't do without is good food and I think that the prices there for food (as long as you eat seasonally) are broadly comparable to the UK? I do worry about the cost of health care, etc, but if people can live off $88k with having to provide for children as well, then I think we should manage...hopefully!

Hi all I wondered if someone could provide a little bit of advice/info for me? My husband and I may be moving to Armidale shortly and we are hoping to live primarily on my wages from a job, which if I decide to take it will bring in $90k (before tax) per annum. If we don't have a mortgage (which seems possible with house privies in Armidale and surrounding areas) and there are just the two of us, does this seem a feasible amount for us to live on? Obviously this would need to cover food, all bills, health cover (I still can't seem to work out how much this would be as a basic cost), taxes, etc? My husband works in IT here in the UK but has no qualifications at all. I think this will preclude him from applying for anything in the area in Oz? If so, we were wondering about a job in retail or the rural industries. Does anyone know what sort of salary he could expect in these sorts of jobs? As I say, initially we would be living on my wages alone and we just don't know if this is feasible. Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks so much for this reply. Armidale does seem to be the sort of place I imagined from my own cursory research. I can certainly handle cold winters and definitely want country living. If we were to make the move we would be keen to clear our mortgage as my husband will have less pressure on him to then find a well paid job. He has many years experience in IT but no qualifications and I think that this will be a severe barrier to him joining the profession in Oz? If we relocate he is happy to do anything to get by. Would you say it might be possible to say find a job in retail or indeed in the rural industries where he could earn $20k? Due to my wages (and without a mortgage) we think we could manage on this. Am I right in thinking that ultimately the cost of living in Armidale is broadly comparable to that in the UK? I do have one last thing to check regarding the house prices. Following your mention of Tamworth, I have looked on the real estate websites for properties in both Armidale and Tamworth and there really are lots and lots under $300k. These are often brick built with a reasonably good sized garden. We don't want lots of bedrooms as we are only the two people. Should I really not be looking at anything under 300? I am assuming the problem with these prices is that the houses are located in bad areas? Perhaps I should give a few examples in my next post? This issue really is working out to be the clincher in the decision making process for us. No mortgage and we move, I reckon, mortgage and we start to worry about my husband getting a better paid job, if you see what I mean. Thanks again for all of your help and advice. P.s. I said I had 48 hours to make up my mind. I have kindly now been given til' the end of next week. My potential employers sound very patient!