Peachy

Hi, We're planning a move to Brisbane at the end of the summer and, although we did a recce 2 years ago, we were only in the city a few days and didn't see every suburb. We're keen to find a suburb with a bit of a community feel, very leafy, lots of trees around, prefer to live in a character home / Queenslander, walking distance to some cafes / restaurants. Also, near good schools (not private) as our son is 7. We won't have jobs initially, so we're having to do things in this order: suburb / school then job... rather than pick a suburb based on where we work. We're used to commuting, but would prefer not to have to travel more than half an hour to the CBD if possible. I've been looking at Bardon and Paddington. Does anyone live in either of these areas and can they give any insights? Also are there any other areas that match the above criteria? Thanks in advance.

Paddington is lovely and highly sought after. I don't live there but have friends that do and wouldn't move anywhere else. Make sure that you check out realestate for both rental and purchase - you may be able to afford to rent, but buying may be more difficult unless you have a big budget.

Also check out the school situation. I note that your son is 7, but you will still need to think about high school - I don't think that Paddington is very well served with high schools and you may need to think about private. Have a look at this website re schools:

https://schoolsdirectory.eq.edu.au/

Free in Australia - but only until 10 yrs old. There are several vacs you may need to catch up on - rotavirus / chicken pox etc. They aren't very expensive to buy - about the same as holidays vacs here.

We needed to get up to date in order to qualify for government subsidy with childcare - not sure if you will be eligible for this if you are on 457.

I agree with what has been said above. Some parts nice - but expensive, other parts not very nice and very industrial. It would not be my first choice as a family friendly location, although does have good links with the city.

Wouldn't worry about Ferny Grove being near the coast unless you both plan to work part time. It goes dark early all year round so in reality your trips to the coast are on weekends. Easy travel from Ferny Grove either north or south to the coast - never had any issues. Enogerra will only take 10 mins off your travel to coast.

Still not quite sure if your aim is to get to Australia or not!!

You also mention pay - and criminal law not paying as much.

Not sure that we can be a lot of help if you are financially motivated rather than looking for a career that will motivate you for the next 40 years.

[This isn't meant to sound aggressive - just difficult to help if you have lots of options/ I am not sure where you are heading/ your goal is earning a lot of money!]

i've been reading this thread with interest - i've just graduated with a first and been offered a training contract with a firm doing criminal law (alot of the work they do is 'duty solicitor work'), immigration law, family law, and employment law, amongst others. i did company and family law at uni but not civil procedure. i am also considering going into accounting or data with one of the accounting firms. the problem is that most of the jobs in the big accounting firms have already been filled - they tend to recruit a year or 6 months in advance. i am therefore considering doing paralegal (or other temporary work) work for 6 -12 months whilst trying to get into the higher paid accounting jobs.

 

which route do you recommend i take?

Hi Westmoreland

I am not sure what sort of career advice that you are seeking. Are you already in Australia? Are you looking for a route to take you to Australia? If so, law and accountancy are tricky for different reasons and may come off the list in the nearish future.

Could you clarify your goal and we may be able to help a little more.

Many thanks

P

Office/ admin work is highly sought after in Brisbane. There can be 100 people applying for a basic admin role in an office. A lot of the CVs that I see are from extremely qualified people looking for work. Going via an agency may be more successful because hopefully they will match you to roles. There are jobs out there but it is a tough market. If you can research a niche area and make some contacts before you go, you may have more luck.

May be other sorts of jobs that are less competitive than office admin.

Hope it works out for you.

P

What a fantastic update (gives us all great hope!) Could I ask what profession are you both? It makes sense to put the effort in before you go, so thanks for that.

 

Which area did you end up? We are looking at Bracken Ridge and around that area.

 

So so happy for you, it seems like you have made the right decision for you and your family x x x

My oh is a social worker and I am a lawyer.

We rented in Ferny Grove and we have bought in Ferny Hills.

I hope your relocation goes well.

P

That's a reassuring post Peachy as we are waiting for my husband's 457 visa to come through,then booking our flights to Brisbane. we intend to rent for a month in CBD serviced apartment,then look at properties for long term rent in Ferny Hills/Ferny Cove and Arana a Hills thanks to tip off from this wonderful forum.

Renting our house out over here in case we don't get residency visa in 2 years time or want to come home.

 

Hoping that we love and get the chance to stay! Nothing ventured nothing gained!

Hi Judan

That is the area that we are in. It is such a family friendly location with a great community feel. You should love it there. Good luck with the move.

P

Thanks for the great update!! may I ask what you guys did in the UK to secure work, as you said you worked hard at it, just preparation or did you guys actually have a job before you landed?

We both bought specialist text books in our particular areas of expertise and had them shipped over from Australia and read them cover to cover. Then narrowed down areas of work and spent a lot of time researching the issues arising in those sectors and tayloring our CVs accordingly. We also made personal contact with the people that advertised the jobs. Before our interviews we each spent 2 full days researching the statutory background to ensure that we could slot in relevant provisions. Probably worked out to be weeks of work but worth it in the end :-)

Yes - we both had permanent jobs offered and accepted before we landed.

With Rental Guardians. I had to complete an online form and at the end I certified to say that I would be renting unseen. I also submitted a detailed statement with pictures of my house in the UK and photos of my cats! Did the trick. Every other estate agent would not consider it. I know that people say that it is very risky, but you can minimise the risk with the right research and tbh we aren't precious about the quality of fixtures as long as it is in the correct location.

A year in - it has gone so quickly! I will try and make this a useful update.

We moved to Brisbane after deciding on a whim after a summer (Brisbane winter) holiday here. We were very happy in the UK with good jobs - basically a 'now or never' thing for no reason.

Bought a second hand Subaru shortly after we arrived. Second hand cars are a bit more expensive over here but seem to last longer. No intention of upgrading as works great and we use the train for the commute.

Public transport is fantastic. Cheap, clean, safe and reliable. My oh spends an hour on the train everyday and the total cost of the return trip is £5.

Housing - sorted a rental before we arrived. Signed to a year contract on a property we hadn't seen! However, had researched the area extremely thoroughly and given that the location was fantastic for the children's school and the station was happy to take the risk on the inside of the property. In fact was lovely and worked out very well.

10 months in we broke our lease and bought a house close by.

Working conditions - work flexible working hours on good pay. Work colleagues are lovely and supportive. Good career opportunities. Both oh and I have had promotions since we have arrived. We put in a HUGE amount of work back in the UK to secure the jobs before our arrival.

Children/ Schooling: kids both settled immediately. Neither of them has been homesick. They have both embraced the opportunities here and do so much more outdoors. They love their school and I am really happy with their progress. Have got their high schools sorted already!

Friends and community: we have made some close friends. People have been very welcoming. Our social life seems to be busier than in the UK.

Missing the UK: We skype our family and friends regularly so no issues with home sickness.

Weather : yes the summer was hot, but now we are down to 18 degrees some evenings, I am longing for the hot weather again!!

Pets: Brought our 3 cats. Ridiculously expensive but worth every penny. They love the warm weather and are very happy and relaxed here. No issues with the travel/ adjusting.

Shipping: We shipped with Doree Bonner who were fab. Brought all of our stuff. Meant that our rental felt like home as soon as everything arrived. However, you can get cheap stuff over here at Kmart and Target.

Cost of food: a touchy subject with some. We have found shopping sensibly and looking for bargains is about the same in Coles and Woolies as in Sainsburys or Tesco.

Random comments: Shops shut really early - no late night shopping where we are. If you need something at 5.30pm on a Saturday night it is too late!! Takeaways seem to operate on a similar principle and have very random opening hours!

You aren't allowed to cross roads unless the green man is flashing! Don't even think about jaywalking.

Overall it has been an amazing year. Not once have I doubted our decision to move.

Talking about 'back home' isn't relevant any more. Home is Brisbane. We won't be going back.

It will depend upon your degree and VIC requirements . I did my degree 20 years ago and I didn't do company law. In Queensland everyone seems to have to do civil procedure and constitutional law. I also have evidence and trusts.

There seem to be a reasonable number of inhouse positions and government jobs but there is strong competition. Australia certainly isn't short of lawyers despite it being on the skills list and many of those want to get out of private practice. The key seems to be making contacts and ensuring that you demonstrate transferable skills. One thing I have discovered is that everyone within a certain field knows each other - networking is even more critical here than in the UK.

Good luck with your move!

Hi Peachy

 

Just wondering how it worked out for you. Your info at the foot of your last post says you got a visa grant on 02/03/15 - does that mean you are now in Oz and working as a solicitor? If so, how did you complete your requalification and did you go on a 189?

 

I'm particularly interested because I'm looking at other options to a 189 as my 45th birthday approaches and I might have to pursue a different route.

 

Hope to hear it's all worked out for you

Hi

I have been extremely lucky and got PR via my husband who is a social worker. I haven't embarked on the conversion course yet because I am not sure whether I am to return to private practice. I have managed to find a job that I love in a similar field but outside the private sector so I enjoy the benefits of flexi time and no more costs and time targets! I may do the courses to keep my options open in the future.

Sorry that I can't help you - I am keeping an eye on this thread because I may go down the route of qualifying over here at some point.

Hi

Wouldn't recommend getting a loan. So much more costly in the long run and commits you long term. Although second hand cars aren't as cheap as the UK, you can go for something with higher mileage because they run for a lot longer.

Also do you definitely need 2 cars? And you certainly won't need 2 cars when you first arrive (unless you have very specific personal circs) if you don't have jobs lined up. Public transport is good and cheap (depending on where you are). Try and live somewhere on the rail or bus route.

Don't feel that you need to get a massive 4 x 4 either. A lot of people do get use out of them, but would just get a very cheap run a round until you are established.

We had 2 heavily used cars in the UK. We now have 1 car, which is primarily used on weekends for longer trip. Saves a fortune!

I second Tangalooma. Had an amazing time there. Will definitely go back.

Noosa and surrounding beaches up the Sunshine Coast also fantastic.

Some of our best days out though have just been picnic and swimming at our local creek - I love that you can do something so simple (and free) within 10 mins of home. Really special family time without the pressure of a big day trip.

We rented until last month. We now have a pool but didn't in the rental. If you can afford one would definitely get somewhere with a pool. Really helps to cool off in the summer and provide a social aspect. Electricity bill is pretty high with a pool though - not just the higher weekly rent.

So now we've found a house that we like, is in budget and we're the only offer. However, of course things aren't that simple. Are my concerns below warranted or am a being an outrageous snob?

 

We went over to the house today, and had more of a look round. There were 2 dogs that sounded pretty large almost constantly barking next door. At first I put it down to the fact we are new voices and they probably feel threatened. It continued for 20 minutes or so as we were at the house so I peered into the back yard of the house next door. The yard is pretty messy, with quite long grass and bare patches all over it. The front yard is also quite messy. One of the dogs seems to be a PitBull or something similar.

 

On the previous inspection, I noticed the somewhat messy yard but didn't hear any dogs.

 

As we left the house, there was a young bloke jump starting his truck. Maybe in his early twenties. I went over to ask about the internet (he lived next door) and he seemed a bit of a bogan. I'm now worried that we might end up living next door to a bit of a nightmare family. The area is known for being fairly middle class but still that bogan element.

 

Am I being very judgmental here? I really don't care if they are a bit bogan, it's the image you see of neighbours suffering all night parties and dealing with noise all day long that bothers me. It'll be our first house with a baby on the way in September so maybe this is making me being overly cautious. Would be interested to know others experience with this and whether it's normal when looking to purchase your first home in a new country.

My concern would be the dogs, especially with a young family (that said with a newborn you won't be the quietest of neighbours either ;-) ). I would be put off by barking dogs. We had very noisy dog next door back in the UK - drove us crazy as always barked when owners were out so they never had to put up with it!! Trust your instincts.

Ferny Hills you would struggle to get 4 bed with that budget too! Agree re Keperra though - some nice parts but very mixed.

It is possible but you would be looking at the not so smart areas or those that are a very long way out. The areas that we looked in the starting prices for 4 bed are $500,000. If you are looking at real estate do look at 3 beds as most have huge 'rumpus ' rooms and although not legal height would function as a guest room. With your budget have a look at Arana Hills, Keperra, Everton Park / Everton Hills. A long way out are places such as North Lakes but very estatey and packed with English families so not much of a cultural mix.

When we located our chosen suburb went round all the streets using Google street view which was very useful.

Samford village would be my dream location. Beautiful views, beautiful houses, little shops, park, supermarket, schools. Just a bit too expensive for us and not on the train line (although does have a great new cycle path to Ferny Grove).

Dogtainers are fab for the Australian side. After the flight from Sydney (quarantine) to Brisbane our cats were delivered to our home at spot on the estimated arrival time, very happy and completely unscathed by the journey.

Have a look at the thread in QLD that Captain Roberto started. Has got comments on suburbs. Most suburbs have their own shops, at least 1 park, doctors, possibly dentist. Have a think about transport links too and how close you want to be to beaches/ CBD/ your place of work. Also depends on your budget.

Thanks all for your tips so far. I guess we need to take our time and really looks at these things. Personally, I have a decent gut instinct that this kind of move would be good for us. But gut instincts without lots of research can be wrong!

 

There are a couple of extra things that we'd like to know, and a couple ideas - I wonder if anyone can give me feedback on them:

 

 

 

• Our kids do like a good bit of beach. Is it pretty normal for people who live closer to the CBD to travel out to one of the coast of a weekend and do the beach life? (GC or SC?)

• Are the neighbourhoods mentioned about quite sociable? (Where we are in Sydney it isn't very, everyone stays in their houses and it feels a little isolated - and in winter there nothing to do in the evenings)

• Is it generally better to have a shorter weekday commute and travel to the coast, or would anyone recommend the other way around - commute longer to work and live nearer the coast?

• What's fun to do around there?

• and what's a god way to get more social and meet people? are certain neighbourhoods better for that kind of thing?

• Is it ok living on the GC? The lower parts seem nice, Burleigh etc, and there are plenty of places a bit inland of there, like Varsity that might be good.

 

 

Just to work in some of our desired things and help convince our kids when the time comes, as they all have friends and like it here in Sydney. They have this idea that we are by the beach here, even though it actually takes half an hour to get there as it is. The way I see it, it's just going to take an extra 30 mins, but you still have to get in the car and drive. (or live by the beach and I'll spend 70+ mins on the train each way to work...)

 

Thanks!

 

Matt

Hi

I would definitely recommend closer to work rather than the beach. After school the kids will be doing sports clubs and hobbies. It gets dark super early and I wouldn't find it practical to go onto the beach every night.

Length of commute will have much more influence on your quality of life.

Re beaches, I live on the northside so we go to Bribie Island which is safe for kids and has a surf beach. About an hour and 15 mins from Brisbane. There are lots other beaches further north which are within an easy drive. You can easily manage a morning play on the beach and back home for lunch.

The suburbs that I mentioned are very family friendly. People go to bed really early so I don't socialise with our neighbours during the week. We have made lots of very good friends through social groups and interests. My husband and I have things to do of an evening with friends. It is a matter of picking the right area and then joining up to as much as time will allow. You will also have more funds for outings if you are reducing your rental payments.

Fun stuff that we do: swimming in the local creeks, park outings, cycling (lots of cycle tracks for families around Brisbane), barefoot bowls, walking, bbqs - this is the day to day stuff. There are heaps of other free activities to do every weekend.

Personal preference, but I am not a fan of the Gold Coast. Traffic is more of an issue and more built up. My colleagues how live on the Gold Coast do moan about the commute. Again, may be my bias, but Brisbane suburbs feel safer than Gold Coast suburbs.

I live in a suburb on northside 30 mins from the city, with views of the mountains, 30 mins (if that) from a swimming creek, and within an hr and 15 mins of a beach. What more can you want :-)

Mitchelton has Mt Maria which has v good rep. I think that Mitchelton folk do tend to send their kids to private, which is pretty cheap in comparison to uk.

Ferny Grove high is fine. Reasonable rep now, but across most of the slightly cheaper suburbs where ycan get nice house for $600k or less there us a leaning towards private for high. Lots of good primaries though .

PS would not be drawn by the cheaper houses up the Sunny Coast - it is one hell of a commute. I would stick to 30 - 45 mins from CBD on public transport (v cheap) and steer clear of anywhere that involves the highway.