Captain Roberto

It's also handy to store all these documents in an online place like Dropbox.com or google drive. Then you can always send documents even if you are out and about We have a rental pack folder. Sling all your docs in there and it's easy from there [emoji106] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ah yes. A smartphone scanner would probably suffice. But you still sometimes need to print out forms to fill in. We bought a cheapo one (all in one) and it does the job. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As many as you can get. References, bank statements, records or rent or mortgage payments, many ID docs (if you have all these done for a visa you should already have them anyway). Maybe open an account here in Aus and put soem money is, then get a rpint out or a bank statement of some sort upon arrival, all that helps. We just moved house, and they want all that stuff as a well as the kind of things you get when you arrive such as a medicare card, Oz drivers license etc They just want to verify who you are, see you can pay and hope you'll look after the place. Most of this stuff is done online or over email, so make sure you buy a printer/scanner when you get here. We used ours loads...

Berowra isn't in the city. It's about as far as you can get before you are officially out of Sydney. It's hard t tell from the UK what's what, but the 'city' only really covers the more immediate area (inner west, inner east, around Central down to the airport and the Eastern Suburbs, and some of the area to the south). If you live in Berowra, you would live in a place that really just in the bush, near big river but with some shops nearby (Coles etc), but it's more like a village. You should really look on Google Maps, zoom in, look about. You'll see that these places are not in the city at all. e.g. - http://www.riverfront.com.au/BerowraWaters/BerowraWatersScenic.JPG I really think you could work all this stuff out once you get here. Keep an open mind... We chose an area to live in based on what we read on the internet, and it wasn't right for us, and now we are moving.

Coogee is ace. Never looked into living there but it's a great place to hang out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm sure you're right. I reckon everyone is different. I think over time, you get to know yourself - and even though we all chip in with a bit of advice here, none of it might be useful. It's all quite variable isn't it? But one thing i think is a universal truth is that 'we are not our thoughts'. And if you've had anxiety before (and had it bad), you can tell yourself, 'it never killed me last time' and start gradually giving less of a sh*t about it... It's unpleasant, but so is a very strong cold, childbirth and lots of other things. For me it never hangs around too long, but it does pop it's head up quite often. In my case - coming here and having a lot of tough situations has really improved my anxiety. I've had acute panic a bit here, but I learned that it doesn't kill me. So now I just don't take it seriously.. Here's comes the panic (again!) then let it go. And carry on. The OP might find by taking the seemingly tougher path will help in the long run. Stay, fight, work hard, distract yourself with work... that really helps. Helps me get out of my own head. The way I see it is that sometimes you just need to 'get out of your own way' - and focus on something else.

Hey mate.(OP) Not read the whole thread as in work... But I have had anxiety on and off for the last 22 years or so. It comes and goes, but I am generally always a bit anxious. I've been to counselling and stuff, and it's great, but once your few weeks are over, you're on your own again. It can be unpleasant, but you realise after a while that it's 'just anxiety' and it probably won't kill you anytime soon! Ideas like this are common in mindfulness and mediation practices. You observe your thoughts, but don't take them too seriously. Oddly enough, many softly softly approaches never worked for me. Life gets hard sometimes. I just ignore the panic and it subsides. When I think I am thinking too much, I just keep myself super busy, and I get easily distracted by the task at hand. There's an old book which I listen to on the train on the audible app on my phone. It's this: "How to stop worrying and start living" - link here It's quite old, and there's quite of bit of the parts that just say 'pray and put your trust in god', but even these can be translated to 'put your trust in the universe' or gave faith 'in something' - there are also these online sites like Beyond Blue and stuff. But for me listening to that old book has good tips. Basically, your anxiety and your problem of where you want to be aren't the 'same problem', so separate out your stuff! We are all born with different pros and cons, and if you happen to tend towards anxiety you're in good company. There's lots of us! I think you just have to work with what you've got. Go, stay. It's not necessarily going to help you feel less anxious, so just make a decision quickly and don't look back. Indecisiveness makes me feel anxious (worried). Do just make quicker decisions and get on with life. I worried a lot prior to moving here, and quite a bit for the 1st few months. It's normal! well it is for me... but I am happy a lot too. Good luck!

I'm not a big expert, but I know a few folks who live down that way, even in across the other side of the Hacking River. A guy I worked with lived in Bundeena, drove 20 minutes, dumped the car at Sutherland station (lots of trains stop there) and was in work about 40 mins later in Surry Hills. So basically , even if you're not right on the train down that way, it's easy to drive and train. In some ways I wish we'd done that. It's Nice around the National Park and Bundeena. And not too far to Cronulla and Miranda.

@Rallyman ah man! yeah it's a nightmare isn't it. Parking should be ok. I park now near Lindfield station as i drop kids at school and get the train in. There's usually spaces there... But sounds like i need to be gone a bit earlier. More like 7am...

I picked up a new car from Cantebury way - and then had to go to Rockdale to go to a RM place for rego. It tool 2:45 to get back to Killara (and was bloody frustrating) It;s only about 20km. The A3 was a total roadblock all the way until past the macquarie centre... real pain in the ass! But I guess I just beed to specifically know about the area between Newport and the Link road which is just in St Ives. Soem said it's ok if I am on the road by 7:15, - but I guess it could still be a bit busy. What's it like in your experience?

HI BBB. What's the latest someone can leave to avoid getting stuck in traffic in your opinion? We will drive down from newport, then turn off the MV road at St Ives, and head down the link road to Killara. we need to get there for around 8am tThanks in advance Matt

All good tips here. We are moving from Killara (convenient, great train service, great schools, expensive and deathly dull) to Newport next week as it happens. My wife has a job based on mona vale hospital so it makes a lot of sense. The kids are all staying at their schools in Killara until the end of the year though, just so they can complete their projects and school trips/camp. So I'll drive out on the a3 / Mona Vale road. I heard if we leave before 7:15am we'll beat the worst of the traffic. Then the kids will get to school and I'll carry on getting the train in. I'll probably get the bus in the new year, but as I generally work nearer central/Redfern it means then getting a bus. (Whereas the train is handy because it goes straight into central and Redfern) I came to the conclusion that there is more to life than a convenient commute. But in the other hand I don't really want to be sat in a traffic jam every day (life is too short). L90 bus seems like a winner. Can listen to music instead of being sat behind the wheel. We're all looking forward to living up there. It feels like we moved all the way from Wrexham, only to bottle it and live 20k inland in a neighbourhood full of SUVs and trees. Now we get to where we hoped to be all along. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think if you look for poms in sydney then start asking for areas in there you should start to see bits more specific to areas you are interested in. There are eastern suburbs groups, inner west, north shore, central coast, northern beaches. All kinds of them. I'm off back to bed. Damn insomnia! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No, don't know it sorry. What kind of stuff do you want to live by? There's lots of bush... But otherwise, what's going to be good for your kids? Some suburbs can be a bit boring - so worth trying to find where there are things to do. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Also - in some ways I am reminded of us when we tried very hard to work it all out from the UK and decide where to live. Ultimately, you only have the one pair of hands and limited funds. So you try very hard to get it all right. But it's hard to know. Once you get here you can really work it all out for yourselves. So if you get get here and find you didn't get it right first time, you can always move. In general, if you have kids and want to get them into a school you'll need to sign up for a 12 month lease on your rental property. So that will tie you on for a year. If you found you haven't really picked the right area, you could correct your choice after 12 months. It's not easy to work out what's right for you by asking the Internet and other people. We seriously considered moving to Brisbane. $600 a month would get you a very nice place up there... And buying is a lot more achievable Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you don't need a beach nearby the hills area is cheaper. Out towards Penrith is also in the cheaper end. And the further away from the ocean you are in Sutherland is cheaper too but also near the train line. Bundeena is very nice. You can get from there to central in about 60-70 mins by driving then parking at Sutherland and jumping on a train. Anything close to the city or the water will be more expensive. Most of the north shore is also expensive. (And snooty too). There are always pockets where you can save a bit... It's a big place and it gets a lot cheaper once you get far enough away from the city. Central and south coasts are great if you can get work there and / or put up with a commute over 90 mins. Maybe join Facebook groups too and really get into the research? There's a lot more specific groups for various greater sydney areas on there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sure thing. Many jobs can be done outside the city - my wife is a nurse and works where we are moving to next week. I think a lot of marketing is more likely to be city based - lots of choice and opportunities there. So probably worth being mindful of your commute (bus/train). It's possible to drive, but parking isn't cheap, which makes it $$$ prohibitive in my experience. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cheers all. Looks like we won't move for a while as we are moving closer to the beach in sydney. So maybe we'll look again if we decide to stay permanently and buy a house Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

PPS - It's been known for people to get a state sponsored Visa and then live elsewhere. I know people who have done it, have a NSW visa and they live in QLD... So you might still just be able to live in Perth if you can get work there.

oh, and PS If you work in digital marketing, assume you'll work in the city. Most of these places are generally around Central Station or Redfern. Most creative shops are in Surry Hills, Redfern, Chippendale, Darlinghurst, Ultimo. Some of the more big money ad agencies are nearer Wynyard and a few in Walsh Bay (which is actually a pain in the bum to get to!). There are also a few around Crows Nest (North Shore), and loads of TV stations around Artarmon, St Leonards and Willoughby (North Shore) If you do find a nice spot near a train line, you can basically get off the train and you'll be within 15 mins of anywhere you might work (except some of those TV stations, which are a bit of a pain on public transport tbh). All trains go through Redfern, Town Hall, Central, so those stations cover most areas you might work. If you freelance, you might work many places, but they will all be in the city. If you like beaches, you could live in Sutherland Shire (as an example) and be in work in 40-60 mins by train. It's possible to get a rental there that's not too expensive.. City rentals will cost more. There's loads of cool places near were you might work with hipster cafes and cool pubs, but your kids won't be able to play out on bikes and stuff. SO you should probably look a bit further out! If you have the money, either come for reccie, or just move here and spend a couple of months staying in different Airbnb places until you find a place you like. We didn't have the money for either of those so just had to wing it...

apologies, pretty busy, so not had time to read the whole post here's my 2p worth: Sydney is very expensive, but there's also lots of work opportunities, especially for design, marketing, advertising and digital (Melbourne probably has plenty too). I'm a designer/animator. We moved here 13 months ago, and had a bit of trial and error stuff, ups and downs, but that kind of thing is to be expected when you make a big move like this. Anyway, I was initially trying to find a perm/full-time role and found myself quite skint. But I learned quite quickly that it's better to consider freelance in this area of work (more money in it). I do ok now.. my daily rate varies, but it's usually between $400 - $500 a day. You usually have to graft a bit for this, but it's nice to see the money come in, so it's all do-able. (just have to drink strong coffee, and there's tons of this here! he he). It helps if you have good references, a strong portfolio (or equivalent), can do it. Professional networking is key, so start now (LinkedIn, Twitter, Google stalking etc! he he). There's loads of British and Irish people in agencies... We're everywhere. So, Sydney can be expensive yes, but it's also a city with opportunity for your line of work, and there's money to be made. If you can work out how to tap the well Positive thinking goes a long way here, and confidence. Neither are my natural ways of being, but I've learned to be more this way, and it seems to work. People will pay you well if you get the job done on time and do a fairly decent job of it. the 1st year might be pretty tough, but it'll be a learning curve. Any problems that come your way may be the opportunity to get to where you want to be later on. In terms of area, rents are expensive... depends on your needs. We need a 4 bedroom house, so that costs more. We found ourselves paying $1k a week for the last year for a 3 bedroom place, with a crappy old 1960s kitchen ($52k! ouch...) It seemed like it would be impossible to pay the rent, but once you get busy and make money, it seems to work out ok. We did it. We know many people with 2 kids and they can fit into a unit or duplex, which might work. This means less rent, and more modern facilities. In terms of houses, some of the places are pretty crappy if you don't want to pay over $1.2 k a week. We've looked at loads of houses. some of them are pretty bad! Before we moved we thought we'd pay up to $600 a week, and people said you'll need to pay more. They were right! But it kind of works out. My wife is a senior nurse and she gets paid a lot more here than she did in North Wales) You can pick an area with a train line and 'good schools, and on paper this might make total sense, but we learned that these places can be pretty boring! We live up the train line from Chatswood (Killara), and it's not for us. The schools are really great and the train is handy, but otherwise it's just not fun at all. There's nothing much to do here, although there's lots of good things 30 mins drive away. Because of this, we are relocating to Newport next week. My wife and 3 kids will all work / school locally, and i'll have an 80 minute (door to door) commute each way to the city. The commute isn't ideal, but on balance, it's worth it. So, maybe really think what's going to be good for your family - what you like to do, and what you imagine you would like to do when you're not in work. I do 50 hours a week at work (often more), so when I am off, I would rather be somewhere good when I am off! Also, be wary of people advising on areas for affordability, as their advice is often out of date. People might say you can live in places like Hornsby for cheap, but it's not anymore. So if anyone gives you tips, cross reference those places by searching the suburbs on https://www.realestate.com.au/rent What you consider good is totally subjective of course. So if you think about that you can research around that... But there's more to life than common sense. If you move here, you probably don't want to live in a dull suburb (and there's loads of these...) If you want to buy in future, I don't know how to help. It seems if you want to do that, you need to earn a lot, or have money from a UK house (A fair bit) or be prepared to live far out, Penrith, outer end of the hills, far western Sydney etc - we've never solved that one yet. Maybe keep doing the lottery! ha - People rent here and it's not so weird. Most people i know who have property here started with a small unit in the late 90s and are doing very well now. I think to get in the market now, you need to start small/basic and maybe move through the market by trading up over a 10 year period Good luck anyway. Sure it'll all be fine...

you could live anywhere from Manly up to Mona Vale, Newport areas. Look at Curl Curl, Freshwater, Collaroy, Narrabeen, Warriewood, Mona Vale any of those... If you get time to hang out, you'll get a feel for it yourself. It takes a bit longer to get to where you need to go the higher up yopu are, and depending on where you work. The bus kicks out at Wynyard due to the light rail construction going down George St - so combined time could be over an hour... but if it's a nice place it's probably worth the bother... We moved inland from the Northern beaches on the North Shore train line at Killara. It makes 'sense' on many levels, as the train is fast and reliable... but it's not like living on the beaches at all. It probably suits many, but for us it's quite boring (although the schools, are also great here). People here just work in the city and live in big houses with many trees. So we are moving to Newport in 2 weeks, and my commute might be up to 90 mins each way, instead of 45 / 60 mins it is now. But we think it's worth it. My wife has a job at Mona Vale and the kids will move schools, so they'll all be there. The Eastern Suburbs are also nice, but I think the northern beaches maybe more laid back and family ish. Or you could live down Cronulla way and get the train, but it quite busy near the sea.

Much appreciated Keith, and I probably will come back and ask more stuff. Thanks!

We briefly looked at Victoria Point, Wellington Point or Redland Bay, but we literally stopped for an hour or 2 in each. It's not enough to know... We stayed around Brisbane for a 4 days (the rst of the time we went to the GC) and got the Rivercat into the city. It's hard to know isn't it? I struggle to make big decisions based on such limited information... But in many ways, as the Bay isn't typical beach, we felt it was a bit of a red herring for us (all a matter of personal taste...) I think we felt that if we had to do a big drive to get the GC or SC, we might as well look at other suburbs nearer the city. Other than that, we know very little. All we know if that once you choose a place and the kids settle and make friends, we should stick there and not move again. The kids like it here (Sydney North Shore), and the schools are excellent and it's a nice place to bring up kids. But the price tag is too great - we just couldn't stretch to a house that costs well over $1million. We now both work full time, as we have no choice, and ideally we'd like to be there for the kids.

and commute wise - I can do up to an hour.