can1983

I think they stopped that in about 1963!

So I'm putting it out there. Saw the discussion around the Ponds in Western Sydney. If this was my only option in Sydney I'd leave Sydney. If this was my only option in Australia I'd leave Australia. Why would people saddle themselves with a 30 year mortgage to live here 45km from the beach? There's less space than what's afforded to livestock.

It makes me so sad

1 hour ago, Cerberus1 said:

This interactive map was on the SBS site around 18 months ago. It shows the top countries of birth by Suburb (excluding Australian born). Some of Perth's Northern suburbs have between 20 - 30% British born.

 

interesting so long as you take it with a pinch of salt i suppose.

Just shows you how lucky us poms are all the nice suburbs feature the brits "england" and all the inner city and s**thole suburbs have india, china iraq etc

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

It's on the record.  Of course not ALL British people move to be in a community of Brits, but in Perth, it's FAR more common than anywhere else in Australia.  The statistics prove it. Look it up.

Many nationalities are known for setting up little communities in different countries. I actually think the brits aren't the worst

Germans are pretty notorious at it

This sounds like good old ping ponging to me. UK is a congested basketcase and with young children I would seriously consider no more 'pinging'

Presumably you are not talking southern England? obviously many parts of the UK are considerably cheaper to live than Sydney (anywhere outside of London and home counties)

I will never leave Australia to live in the UK, and I was the British one initially! I'm from the home counties which probably explains why I am so anti UK

11 minutes ago, Skani said:

Yes, agree with the suburbs to avoid given by Toots.  Ravenswood and Rocherlea in particular regularly feature at the top of the social problem hierarchy.  

Some low lying areas of Launceston are prone to flooding:  these are detailed on overlay maps here - Launceston Draft LPS - C12.0 Flood-Prone Hazard Areas Overlay 11k and 55k - Exhibited Version (planning.tas.gov.au)

There are also some pleasant villages within commuting distance of Launceston eg. Evandale, Perth, Longford, Carrick.

even more reason to be on the hills above the city to the west!

Should have said if you are looking at house prices and thinking they look appealing that sort of sums up the problems in tassie recently. What used to be $250k 10 years ago is $750k now - and mainlanders still think its cheap today!

I couldn't believe what we got our place for

if you dont mind hills and sloping driveways Trevallyn or west launnie is the pick for me. lovely view over the city and river and nice recreational space nearby.

can't add value on the single parent side because I'm not one, however...

Isn't quality of life about lots of aspects to life all combining to achieve a happy outcome. If you move here i assume you will have no family for support? and also, initially, no friendships etc? i think that could be quite isolating for you both, certainly initially but potentially long term.

I gain an enormous amount of satisfaction and happiness from the environment and surroundings living here in Australia but it wouldn't be enough for me to overcome the isolation from the balance of my family if I didn't have almost everyone here.

is that 200k your only family income? I honestly would say its not huge as a family income but probably adequate.

Whether it is enough would surely depend on how much of a home loan you need to take out or how much rent you need to pay.

200k would easily pay for day to day expenses with a small mortgage (<300-400k), but $200k isn't going to service a million dollar loan for example (although a bank may well lend it to you) without living very frugally.

So i would look at housing costs its everything here.

5 hours ago, paulhand said:

Or not work at all if you prefer! 

just dont turn to crime to replace the lost income i suppose thats not such a good idea for pr holders, a least wait until you are a citizen 

Is your occupation actually 'project controller' in the eyes of Australian immigration? You normally need formal qualifications and years of experience and if you have just changed career this might be a problem - but an agent can advise.

I've held the title 'project manager' for quite a few years but have no formal qualifications in the field having sort of evolved into it from engineering where i have the qualifications.

yep more info is required for sure on their circumstances

For us moving to Hobart in 2017 presented a huge increase in quality of life from an inner city deprived area in the UK commuting an hour a day to living at the beach less than 5 minutes from work. But even since 2017 its all changed and we wouldn't be able to do the same move in 2024. People would say Tassie has the worst weather of all states but we love it. Its cold in winter but lots of clear days unlike the greyness of the uk

Which state are you thinking, what job etc

15 hours ago, Tulip1 said:

Hopefully you’re still in contact as you will still need her permission to take your daughter to Australia.  
 

Just in case you didn’t notice the signature,  wrussell who commented above is a known migrant agent on this forum.  Perhaps reach out to him. 

There has to be some mechanism when one parent is absent and not contactable.....

Always better to be drawn to a new place rather than pushed away from another.

I certainly never liked living in the UK from the start of my adulthood until i left and i am 100% comfortable with my decision to move to Australia.  It has given me a lifestyle which is impossible in the UK without being very wealthy.

But i think you should look at what you think will improve for you here rather than focusing on what is wrong with the UK

8 minutes ago, Toots said:

I am confused too.  The OP says she wants to work even casually but that is a no no on a visitor visa.  The partner visa makes much more sense.

yep, I was in a similar situation parent to Australian children. I knew once I had pr my right to come and go as i pleased was assured so long as i didn't commit a serious crime or leave and not at least visit Australia a couple of times in a five year period.

Now a citizen which is even better!

I'm confused why would you not apply for a partner visa? I can't see why you wouldn't get pr straight away given time together and children. Leaving the country every 3 months isn't free either and you can't work to pay for the visa so overall surely its financially better to pay for the visa

Once you have pr you can work, get health care etc.

If you leave say 6 months after getting pr you can keep coming back for a few weeks a year as you please.

You can get a RRV if you need to should your travel facility expire. Holidays would meet the 1 day every five years requirement and you would always have significant ties to Australia having two citizens as children.

By not getting pr now you are only going to create the possibility you wont get a visa in the future should your relationship breakdown etc.

13 minutes ago, InnerVoice said:

Or even 3 countries if you're an Aus/UK citizen, courtesy of the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement with New Zealand.

Its a shame the UK isn't in some sort of arrangement like that where its citizens can take an opportunity to live and work in another country. Maybe i could suggest it to them?

13 hours ago, Toots said:

I have just read all of the OP's comments started years ago and yes, I think you are correct.  He/she just mentions grandparents.  Until I read those older comments I just assumed there were other family members.  That's the problem with having 2 passports.  You will always be wondering if the grass is greeener.

I guess having two passports is a bit of a burden. Too easy to move, sometimes visas are a good thing!

14 hours ago, travelbugkim said:

Ah, I was in SE Asia too at an international school for several in Bangkok. I got the same spiel from them.
 

If you haven’t done the English language test, it might be a way to up your points but then I wouldn’t recommend doing IELTS as it’s pretty tough to get 8 across the board apparently and I thought it would be an average of all the areas. 

Good luck though, I think I’ve resided myself to the fact it might not be on the cards for me after all sadly! Maybe one day!

Kim

I wouldn't put your life on hold waiting for an email. I would just get on with life do what you want to do in the UK and maybe one day an opportunity will present itself. You can decide then what to do.

2 hours ago, Marisawright said:

 I did mean 2 hours each direction.  Good to know that Bendigo is still affordable.  

i went to bendigo recently, lovely place just too damn hot

26 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Worth noting when you do find somewhere you want, some higher demand schools may require a 12 month lease to allow a child to be enrolled , to avoid people renting a second house to get in.  We had to lease a furnished house for 12 months when it only suited us for 6 and then store most of our stuff for the second 6 months.  Worth checking before you sign for 6 months.

That's got me researching. I was going to call b***shit but you are completely right in Brisbane they actually have this situation going on

https://www.templetonproperty.com.au/how-to-investigate-school-catchments-in-brisbane/

If I had to live like that id leave what a joke

43 minutes ago, InnerVoice said:

Exactly right, but there's no guarantee that property prices are going to keep increasing at current rates. To buy and then sell a $1m home in QLD it will cost $30k in stamp duty on the way in, and about the same in agent fees on the way out. Add to that legal fees, mortgage registration and transfer fees, moving costs, possibly LMI, and you aren't going to have much change out of $70-80k. That kind of money would pay the rent for two years.

Renting for 6-12 months makes more sense because people will get to know their local area and hopefully be settled in their jobs, so they'll be in a much better position to make an informed buying decision. And if they decided in those first few months that Australia really isn't for them, then it's much easier and cheaper to do a U-turn from rented accommodation.

if you can rent for 2 years in the area you want. If you are forced to live in another suburb because you cant get a rental you aren't going to learn much!

Just now, Marisawright said:

Not relevant to the OP who will need to rent something when they first arrive in Australia.

Could be. I know of several people who brought 3 or 4 bed one bathroom houses in Hobart within 2 weeks of arriving whilst in a 6 week short stay place to avoid the stress of renting and the ongoing hastle of being a tenant. Yes its not going to be a 'forever home' at that short notice but one recently sold for a significant profit 3 years later (of course that was a lucky market)

My point is perhaps if the OP is not fussy buying could be an option

3 hours ago, Eera said:

I've been a landlord for many years, what does make the difference is the agent's impression of the potential tenant after all, as it's been said the agent is working for the landlord, well yes, because I'm paying them to.  After an inspection and applications are in, the agent will collate the potential tenants, tell me about the rental record (if applicable) so any black marks etc, or they'll tell me that you're new to the market because you're just in the country.  Then they'll tell me about whether you can pay based on your potential employment or whether they think the rent will be a stretch for them.  And lastly they'll give their impressions of you which they gain by talking to you. 

The best thing you can do based on my 20-odd years of selecting tenants by this process, is, be personable, polite and show keenness with the agent; emphasise things like how much you love to garden (god, I love a tenant who looks after the garden), and if you've previously owned make the impression that you'll look after a place like your own.  The agent is my eyes and ears so talk to them like you would to me as the landlord and it puts you in good stead.

Well the very best thing to do is buy and never rent ever again.