Tootsie

On 01/01/2021 at 15:51, MARYROSE02 said:

I had to Google "Keoride!"

I get Keoride - it is a brilliant service. My last trip cost me $2.00. For a taxi the same distance would have cost me $22.00.

On 05/05/2022 at 15:34, North to South said:

I have a budget of $2.5 million and need ideally a 4 bedroom house in a nice area within a 30-40 min commute to the CBD.  I think my preference would be to be in the northern suburbs

Hello

I really like Lane Cove - which is a northern suburb

It has got a really fast direct Express bus service into the CBD. I know because I caught it by accident - takes 15 mins.

It is in your house price range.

It has a lovely little village-like community, great food shopping (Harris Farm is amazing), post office, restaurants and cafes.

Got a really excellent Aquatic center with indoor and outdoor pools, gym, spa, sauna & steam room. 

The suburb is surrounded by the Lane Cove National Park, where you have boating, running trails, biking, and bush walks. 

It is 3km from Chatswoood, which is a larger suburb with two massive shopping centers, restaurants, banks, markets, doctors, schools, a train station and a bus depot.

Plus 3km from RNS Hospital.

And it is 11kms from the Sydney CBD, and takes about 15 - 30 minutes to drive a car (depending if you travel the early tradie rush hour, or the late school rush hour) traffic during the week.

Last Sunday took me 15 mins to drive from Lane Cove to Darling Harbour. I used the M1 motorway and cross city tunnel.

Just a nice all-round place.

On 28/09/2022 at 05:44, AdrianAdrian said:

We have decided that Sydney isn't going to work at the moment. The place is simply too expensive for us to live on with a paltry teacher's salary.

Totally disagree. But never mind.

On 12/09/2022 at 01:02, AdrianAdrian said:

My salary is likely to be around 100k, but we have heard horror stories about living in Sydney with how expensive it is, so we are not sure if we will be able to get by on my salary alone.

Hello

Yes, that is fine for the average family in the suburbs - you can live comfortably

Obviously if you want to to live in Vaucluse, eat a posh restaurants every night and send your children to private school - then that will be an issue on 100K.

On 16/03/2019 at 12:22, Toots said:

t's 70 years since someone died from snake bite in Tassie.

Sadly that is no longer true.

On 09/05/2022 at 19:02, pob said:

What are the shops that have a similar build, quality and choice for home furnishings?

Hello

Loads of different stores to get quality furniture and furnishings from

You could buy antique or get bespoke handcarved

Harvey Norman has some good stuff, as does Myer, Fanuli, David Jones, Matt Blatt, Zjoosh, Temple & Webster, Peters of Kensington and Harris Scarfe

There is something wrong, if you cannot find something good at one of these places.

On 30/08/2022 at 18:23, pob said:

 

I know where I am going on the weekend. The delux boot looks great!

Hello

Bit late now, since we are coming into warmer weather

But ozwearugg have a factory outlet in Rydalmere NSW 2116

You can get some great deals.

I brought some fabulous fur lined boots in June (see photo below) and they cost $99.00 in a sale.

Been great all over winter for walking and keeping feet warm

I saw the exact same boots in a Chatswood Ugg store yesterday, and they were $400.00

They have a wide range of slippers there too - but to get the cheap prices you have to visit the factory outlet

On 18/05/2022 at 13:18, Marisawright said:

No, Australian landlords hate long leases.  

Do they? Not found that myself.

On 13/09/2022 at 01:13, JustJoe said:

The issue is we’d like to live somewhere fairly rural, a town not a city, near the beach, but within commuting distance from city. Don’t want to be much over an hour away. 

 

 

Hello There

Central Coast in NSW could be a possibility

Tuggerawong is near the beach, but also classed as rural with bush and farmland - and is 7klm from the nearest big town

Looking on Real Estate Online I see for that area:

To buy 17.3 acres of land costs just under a million

To buy a four bed-roomed family home is $750,000

To rent a three bed-roomed family home is $400 a week

If you got a job in Hornsby or Newcastle - Tuggerawong is an hours drive from both locations along the M1 motorway (plus 7klm from the railway line connecting to both Sydney and Newcastle)

It is a very nice place.

That is my best suggestion

Hello there

I have sent you a PM with a suggestion of a decent place.

On 04/01/2020 at 20:32, Quoll said:

Why would you expect parents to move to Australia?

I would not expect them to. I never said that.

I said would they consider it as an option.

On 05/01/2020 at 08:47, Marisawright said:

I'm in Victoria and I don't think the media is exaggerating one bit.    

?

You miss my point

I am in Sydney. And had friends and relations in the UK ringing, and emailing, in panic as they think the city has burnt to the ground.

Some of the media in the UK (particularly the Daily Fail Mail) has been reporting the most exaggerated stuff and putting Armageddon fear of God into people.

When in reality, for most cities, life is continuing as normal apart from some smoke.

Brisbane city centre is not on fire.

Just saying to keep things in perspective

Hope you understand the meaning of my comment now

17 minutes ago, desreb said:

We’ve just bought in Avalon Beach with views of Careel Bay, and that’s our “forever home”.

Lucky you - so envious

1 minute ago, Marisawright said:

Since the waiting time for a parent visa is currently at least 7 or 8 years

????

Oh well, sooner they get in line, the better eh!

On 02/01/2020 at 20:55, Wanderer Returns said:

If you believe the BBC News at the moment you’d be forgiven for thinking that the world is about to end in Australia – words like ‘apocalyptic’, ‘evacuation’, and phrases like ‘state of emergency’ frequently appearing in the editorial.

Well please remember that the media exists to make money - most of that by fear mongering

Yes things are horrific and far worse than usual this year

But in Brisbane CBD.... well life goes on as normal

Keep it in perspective

.

14 hours ago, aconcannon said:

but every time I look at my ageing & not so healthy parents I feel tremendous amounts of guilt & an urge to break down in tears! This year, I’ve even had thoughts creep into my mind that

! ?

Bit confused.

You say you have a narcissist mother (which sounds awful)......yet you feel tremendous amounts of guilt

Why?

Is that YOUR guilt?........ Or something your mother is projecting onto you?

All parents age, but the actual health of your parents is their responsibility - not yours.

Would they consider moving to Australia? Certainly a better lifestyle than in the UK.

If not, consider my cousin who lived in the UK against her will as she felt guilty about leaving ageing parents. She had 30 years of being a martyr, before finally permanently moving to Australia upon their deaths.

For the last 5 years they had no idea who she was (added stress)....

She could have been happily living in Australia (where she wanted to be) and looked after them just as well there.

But none of that eventuated, as she was lambasted for years by a narcissist mother

Hope the same fate does not befall you

On 08/05/2019 at 13:30, SarahFitz said:

 offered me anti depressants which I took but I am now concerned this will affect my visa application.

.

It is a WHV, so would not worry.

This should only be a question maybe if migrating

Also, they (immigration) will only know if you tell them

On 24/04/2019 at 18:08, Stephen Jones said:

Any idea of the commute to Sydney from Avalon Beach area. What are the roads like? How congested can it get?

Anyone travel this on the forum??

I do it daily. 

About one hour by car (nearly two hours by bus) - I drive myself

It gets very congested if you leave late (after 7am)

I leave home around 6am every day, and it is still fine then

Alternatively, you could drive to Manly and get the ferry from there.

If you are ratepayer on the Northern Beaches, you get a yearly parking permit, and you can park free all day at Manly

Loads of people do the commute, no dramas at all.

My commute in London was worse.

.

On 03/02/2019 at 13:14, Captain Roberto said:

Cheryl Crescent

 

Think I inspected your old rental recently - if so you lucky sod - what a place!

On 03/02/2019 at 12:13, desreb said:

We moved here two weeks ago and are now living in Bilgola Plateau.

 

Lucky you

A most glorious place to live

On 28/12/2019 at 09:40, Summer 213 said:

I just wondered if anyone was able to recommend any suburbs in Brisbane or Sydney that are good for young families (our daughter is nearly 2).

 

 

Hello

In Sydney:

Berowra or Berowra Heights are lovely areas, and classed as a very safe area to bring up children - crime is virtually non-existent.

Good kindy and schools in suburb, and within 15 minutes on train.

A good community for adults too - supermarket, newsagent, bank, gourmet food market, pub, cafe, restaurants, churches, but in a compacted "village" feel

And within commuting distance to the Sydney CBD by train or car

Cheaper than the Northern Beaches for renting and buying

Within an hours drive of several beaches.

That is my top pick

.

Well four years off makes this really hard to answer - as a LOT can change in four years.

You only have to look at the excessive and insane number of units built in Hornsby and Asquith since 2015, and the place has totally changed 1000 % (for the worst)

Since Dural is classed as rural, I doubt the same thing will occur, so you should be safe. 

If you want bush running or bike riding, and living with water views, then maybe best to look around the Manly Dam or Nareebeen lakes area.

Ask me again in 3.5 years!

On 28/09/2019 at 10:22, Lparker15 said:

Hi, no we didn’t. A opportunity came up in Sydney so we moved here just over a year ago. More opportunities for us as a family 

I was wondering if you had gone to Cooktown too.

Nice place to stop on the way up to Cape York, but not sure I could cope with living there permanently (due to the isolation, and abundance of sandflies and crocodiles).

Would have been an adventure for you though, a bit of pioneering spirit and all that.

But yes, definitely more opportunities in Sydney to be had.

On 05/12/2019 at 23:15, Lambert said:

What is the norm for Christmas Day? I was thinking driving to Airlie beach and take a picnic or something? 
 

Hello

The norm is what you make it surely!

Several options -  that I have done over the years:

Book lunch or dinner at a restaurant. I usually chose a posh place but even a local RSL would be good.

Go to any open attraction (last year I went to the zoo)

Book onto a retreat or resort or hotel for a night or two.

Take picnic or BBQ to a picnic spot or local beach - take bathers or snorkel, or book or music with headphones

Stay at home, watch films, and go for a walk after lunch.

Maybe there is some boat hire to be had, or a cruise leaving from Airlie Beach. Sailing around the Whitsundays sounds good to me

See if any MeetUp groups in the area for other singles.

Have you looked at any organised options for the day at all?

On 18/11/2019 at 00:49, scubacam said:

 Will bank statements be enough to secure it ? Ie possibly no work contract.

Hello

Money talks

Simply offer to pay rent in advance, show them your bank statements,  and explain your situation.

If you were taking a six month lease and offered to pay 3 - 6 months rent in advance, they are hardly going to say no (well they may but unlikely)

Apart from being able to pay the rent, most landlords are concerned about renters throwing parties and trashing the place, so present yourself well and professionally to make that good first  impression.

Written or verbal character references could also work in your favour.

Whatever you do, do not take a place unseen via the internet. You could of course get somewhere nice, but real estate agents have an uncanny knack of making a pig sty look like a palace with online photos.