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Hi , Just wondered if anyone lives/lived.... or has visited Jurien bay . Any Opinions about the area would be great . I have researched about the housing and the population Just would like some more honest good or bad thoughts about the bay Thanks Bridess x

I would love to hear suggestions of the areas to retire to which give the opportunity to be right by the sea, lots of greenery and with places to walk, cycle, with cafe culture, clubs, gym and up to an hour from an airport and with a community spirit. There are so many beautiful places to choose from and we would need to be NSW.

Hi, would love to pick anybodies brains regarding the best place to live in australia.Myself,my partner and three children are off to queensland and sydney for a reccie in february.I have psoriatic arthritis and know i have to be in a warm climate!! Every winter gets worse here in freezing england! However would be interested to hear how people with joint problems who have moved get on? We are lucky that we can go virtually anywhere but it does make it hard to decide. I know i am better in the warmth but am unsure how humidity will affect me? Any experiences greatly appreciated ! Judy:wink:

Hi PIO: I'm a new PIO member and do apologise if I'm in the wrong forum with my very first post. As you'll see, my story is a bit complicated, but I'll try to keep it as brief as possible. I would really appreciate any feedback you might be able to give after reading my story: -My husband and I (both English) were both 17 (although not known to each other at the time) when we first migrated to Oz in 1957. (My husband went to Sydney under the Big Brother Movement sponsorship scheme operating back then). -We met and married in Sydney in 1960, and our daughter was born there in 1961, soon after which we returned to England. -13 years later, with two young children (our son aged 11 was born in Manchester in 1963) we returned to Oz (South Australia) where we happily lived and worked full-time for most of the next 19 years. For personal family reasons (too sad to tell here) my husband and I returned to England in 1993. Still only having Permanent Residential status at the time (yes, we know it was a foolish oversight on our part not to have become Citizens after nearly 24 years living there by then, and we now regret it very much!), we were issued with 5-yr re-entry visas on leaving Australia. Just before these visas expired, 5 years later, for reasons that prevented us from returning to live there permanently at that time, we were granted a second 5-yr re-entry visa, for which we were very grateful. Another five years later, and still not being in a position to return to live in Oz, our second RRV expired about 8 years ago, and because we were told it wasn't possible to be granted a third, accepted that we'd lost our chance to return to live in the country we looked on as 'our second home', and regret to this day that we allowed it to happen. (Another story). Today, our (Australian) daughter (now 50!), and our two grown Australian grandchildren, still live in S. Australia (as well as our two sisters and their families, and all the many friends we made during the 24 (mostly) happy years of living there, and although we have all enjoyed occasional visits with each other over the years since our departure, we miss them so much and very much wish to return there to live, although, from research I've done lately about Aged Parent Sponsorship for migration to Australia, it seems unlikely, given the excessive costs and up-to-20-year wait for completion of application processes, we will ever be able to achieve that now, and feel very dispirited and extremely sad indeed about it. However, it has just come to my notice that it might just be possible for us to apply for permanent residency under a different category than the Aged Parent Sponsorship Scheme if we are able to provide evidence of compelling reasons for our long absence and of our close personal ties to Australia, which is my main reason for posting this thread to PomsInOz now, in the hope someone might just be able to advise us further and perhaps give us renewed hope that all is not lost. Any help and advice would be extremely welcome and we thank you in advance for taking the trouble to read my story. With grateful thanks. barbaitch

Hi We have just returned from our visa validation trip and have fallen for Torquay and the surrounding areas but would like to ask people's advice on what it's like to live there, e.g. infant schools etc. I'll hopefully be working just North of Geelong but want to live as close to the Sea as poss, and Torquay seems to fit the bill whilst we have a young child. Cheers Loz :hug:

Hi we are hopefully moving to the Bunbury area next year and are deciding where we would be best to settle, so far we have looked at Australind, Eaton, Dallyelup and Gelerup. We have a 10yr old into football and cricket and a 7yr old into dancing and horse riding, so we want to find an area which would have enough going on for them. Any advice/opinions most welcome!

Hi everyone, i have a chance of a job in Wooroloo which is about 45km in land from Perth. i have been looking at house prices in Ellenbrook and the close surrounding areas, but i know very little about the place. Does anyone know what it is like, for crime, are there any good high schools, is there plenty of things to do, good shopping centres etc. i would appreciate it if anyone could give me any help and just how far is Wooroloo from Ellenbrook and how long would the journey take by car. cheers for any information, jim & helen. 175 visa lodged 10/3/09

Been reading quite a few comments about Sydney, and some not very good experiences, so thought I would add my thoughts about the different areas to live in Sydney, and their advantages/disadvantages In a nutshell, the eastern and northern suburbs are well off, likewise some of the southern suburbs. The further south west you go, the poorer it gets. The eastern suburbs, so between the CBD and the beach, on the CBD side of the bridge, are the most expensive. Places along the harbour, like Watsons Bay, Vaucluse, Double Bay, Elizabeth Bay, are especially expensive. Veryu nice places to live mind you, if you have the dosh. On the ocean side, Bondi, imho, is a bit overrated for the price, though I have lived there and enjoyed it. Lots of good cafes, a good place to brunch on a Sunday. Bronte, Coogee Beach and Maroubra, the beach suburbs going south of Bondi, are all pretty nice places to live. Something to keep in mind though. The train service terminates at Bondi Junction. So if working in the CBD and wanting to take public transport (the sensible choice, because parking in the city is terrible and expensive), you would get a bus from the beachside suburbs and then the train from Bondi Junction. The northern suburbs, especial betwen the Pacific Highway and the sea, are pretty nice. On the ocean side, Manly has good transport links (ferry, and buses as a back up in case fog closes down the ferry) but going north, through Dee Why and on up to Palm beach, if you have to commute from there, that means driving, and it is a seriously long haul from there, in the rush hour, to get to the CBD. Directly north, suburbs like Turramurra and Warringal are expensive but very bush and country style compared to in closer to the city. On a direct line west from Turramurra, about 15 or 20km west, is Castle Hill. Good quality, big houses. Too far from the city for me, but a nice place to live. Beware Lane Cove. Lovely to look at and visit, especially for picnics down by the Lane Cove River, but if you don't fancy a bush fire right next door, don't go there. Some idiot always seems to set fire to it in the fire season. Going west from the city, the Parramatta Road is a horrible drive if you have to commute to the city each day. If you are living out that way, it's better to catch a train in. Strathfield is very nice, as is Burwood, and close to good schools, private and state. Coming closer into the city, Dulwich Hill/parts of Canterbury, Lakemba tend to be where a lot of middle eastern families live. The main mosque is in Lakemba. Marrickville is quite Chinese/Vietnamese. To the south west of the city you have areas like Campbelltown, Liverpool, Cabramatta, and directly west of the city , far beyond Parramatta, you get to Penrith, and then to Emu Plains which is at the foot of the Blue Mountains. These areas have cheap housing, but this is suburbia with a capital S. In summer these areas are seriously hot, as in 40 degrees C, schooling is very so so, - just dull and boring. And far from the sea. On the south side, Cronulla has a great beach and very good train links into the city. Brighton is nice too. Coming back towards the city, I wouldn't live somewhere like Petersham or Alexandria though - small terrace houses and right underneath the flight path for Sydney airport. Redfern is not such a good area to live. It has a large population of Aborigines and they can get fairly tanked up on the booze. I wouldn't as a lone woman, get off and walk from Redfern station at night. Likewise from central station. Inner city, they may both be, but not such a good walk to and from the city. They remind me of somewhere like Hulme in Manchester or Muirhouse here in Edinburgh. Avoid Kings Cross and Darlinghurst. These are inner city but on the east side, and are the red light districts. If you fancy the inner city on the east side, Paddington is a lovely area to live, though a bit pricey and not really value for money. Just up from Paddington, Woollahra is very nice - lots of good antique shops there. Both have good bus links into the city. On the inner west side, my favourite part of town is Balmain. Brilliant cafes, good transport links (ferry and bus) to town. Though, if you fancy the ferry, my advice is to live down at the point, near the main terminus, and not on the west side near the Thamse street stop. The west side ferries don't always turn up. Going back towards the city, Rozelle is okay, but not as nice as Balmain - poky houses. Pyrmont and Ultimo are quite grainy. In a way they are trendy, but basically they are converted or redeveloped factories. We lived in Ultimo for a time, and I found the flats were solid but didn't have good air flow. No good parks nearby. Not a very nice walk into town. Going away again, along Parramatta Road, Glebe is a nice place to live. Opposite Sydney University, so well situated if you want to study. Good cafes. Right in the city, I always fancied living in The Rocks (the area underneath Sydney Harbour Bridge. Good night life but a bit hairy if walking home alone at night.

Hi there. I am a newbie here. I found this forum to be very helpful. Reading through this tread... http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/78714-176-visa-obligations-unemployment.html I was able to understand that not being able to fulfill the obligation to live in the sponsoring state for 2 years does not have any legal implications. Here is my dilemma... My family and I have been an Australian PR since Nov 2009. However, I have been working in the Middle East and have not relocated to Australia yet. My visa category is Visa 176 with South Australia State Sponsorship. I thought that it'll be a better idea to secure a job offer prior our arrival. But when we learned that my wife is pregnant for our 2nd child, we had to plan much faster because we want to be there months before she gives birth. After months of searching for a job, finally, I was able to get 2 job offers. One is in Adelaide and one is in Melbourne. The job offer in Adelaide I would say is attractive and acceptable. On the other hand, the offer in Melbourne offers a better salary package that also comes with a relocation package. The company in Melbourne is also a global organization so this is something that is difficult to say NO to. I am now considering choosing the job offer in Melbourne over Adelaide. Aside from the better job offer, we've got friends in Melbourne who has offered their assistance to look after my first child by the time my wife gives birth. Their assistance would be very helpful because we've got no relatives in Australia. Here are my questions. 1. I know that I am not legally required to live in Adelaide. My migration agent said that I still have a choice and since I don't intend to live there anyway, I might as well not contact the South Australia government. What can you say about this approach? What implication will this approach make in the near future? 2. Will I encounter any issues with Victoria when we apply for Centrelink, Medicare etc..? 3. Will this be an issue if we apply for citizenship? 4. Will this be an issue if we apply for visas for our relatives if they would have to come visit us for short period of time? I am also considering consulting another migration agent regarding this matter but I thought that maybe some of you guys here can provide some answers too. TIA

Hello there! I am a 21 year old British resident and I have just left Australia after having a two year working holiday visa. During that time I have met the love of my life and would really like to be able to live in Australia. I am now moving to New Zealand so we can stay together although still, ideally I would love to live in Australia. I would be happy to get married but i'm sure that's not even as straight forward as that. We have lots of proof of living together and I've met all her family and have photos etcetc. Just wondering what are my options? I've heard it's pretty expensive which ever way, but yes, just wondering if anyone has any experience or some advice for me? I understand that this topic will be very talked about, but I want a personal recommendation!! Thanks for your time, any help would be appreciated. Alex

We're not surprised: http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/541603/20140304/act-canberra-australia-livable-city-adelaide.htm

Hi Friends, We currently live in Sydney. My husband has secured a job in Carrum Downs. We have a year old son. How is Carrum Downs as a place for bringing up children? Unfortunately or not, Carrum downs does not have a train station. We would prefer to live nearby train station,because we are yet to buy a car and I have to look out for jobs, so I might have to make frequent trips to the city. I read the nearest railway stations to Carrum Downs as Seaford, Kananook on Frankston line and Cranbourne,Merinda Park on Cranbourne line. We have no idea how these places are!We would want to rent in any of these areas, or preferably somewhere close to Carrum Downs. What we are looking for most primarily are: Community minded suburb close to train station and commutable distance to Carrum Downs,a nice Childcare,close to shops,safe suburb. Suggestions/help appreciated. Thanks, Shilpa :biggrin:

Hi,:idea: On Friday morning woke up and had my cup of tea in bed, put on GMTV see what was going on in the world. There was an advertisment on TV asking for skilled people to come over to Australia. Thought that would be a good idea, so came home that evening and completed the first part of the form on line and have passed. I am married and we have a 10 year old son, know you have to start somewhere so we are looking at Adelaide and the surrounding areas, as I originally come from London have been looking at places like Fulham etc, as we haven't got a clue. How do we find out about the following: Surrounding towns Schools Cost of property Are we mad to be even considering this, we are both in our early 40's and just want more out of life, its quite amazing how obsessed we have been with it the last few days. Think we need some major advice. Thanks Mark

We are looking to move to Adelaide and are trying to fnd some nice areas to look for rental accomodation. Criteria as follows; 1 - Near to good schools (2 kids aged 2 & 5) 2 - Not to far from beach if possible (< 30 mins) 3 - Nice area (obvious really) 4 - Commutable to city for work Any advice? Thanks, Andy

OK so I plan to move to Canberra in the next 12 months or so under a 176 Visa along with my wife and two daughters (11 and 8) and we are scanning the map of canberra and school websites to find the bext areas to live in. So we need good schools for the girls, plus residential districts with a bit of space and good sized house plots. So all those of you already in ACT - can you recommend where we should be looking for rented houses? Thanks The Cook's

Hi all We have been lucky enough to have been granted a Skilled (migrant) (class VE) subclass 176 (skilled-sponsored) visa. We were sponsored by Adelaide but not sure if that means we are bound to live and work in Adelaide. Information on the interent is a little vague. We have been told it is only a moral obligation to live and work there, but wondered if there would be any fall out from immigration if we didn't live / work there. A 176 visa means we can live and work anywhere in australia but worried about the state sponsorship meaning more that just giving us the points we needed?? Arrrgghhhh can anybody help clarify this? Has anyone done it??:mad: We really want to live in Perth where my family is. Thanks x :hug:

we live in the uk and have done so for 10 years, previously lived in melbourne for 10 years, I have an Australian Passport and my wife is a midwife so we are thinking of coming back to Aus, but do not want to live in a big city,we fancy living in cairns, Would love to hear from anyone who is living in cairns or surrounding area, re whats it like , jobs, schools etc Regards Linc

The most difficult thing about moving, whether it's interstate or from overseas is not knowing the suburbs and if they have a good or bad rep. I will try and put together some information about the suburbs around Cairns and will also submit a questionnaire that a family put together about the different burbs and what their thoughts were. This family are currently back in the UK but are hoping to get out once they have a place in Queensland Police. Here is a quick run down of the suburbs. The most desirable area in Cairns is Northern Beaches (everyone wants the beach life) followed by the rainforest life of suburbs like Redlynch and Brinsmead. NORTHERN BEACHES: Palm Cove – A beautiful suburb, with a very tropical feel, white sandy beaches lined with Palm trees. It is very well set up for tourists with seafront hotels, apartments and restaurants along the Esplanade. Beachside is a very busy area, however, if you cross the Captain Cook Highway they have built a gorgeous estate surrounded by the rainforest, if you live high on the estate you will have stunning sea views. Clifton Beach – No Esplanade as such. New small shopping centre out at the main Roadside. No real holiday industry here. Expensive at the water front. Kewarra Beach – More affordable areas. Large development taking place. Not much in the way of facilities but not far to travel to them. Trinity Beach – A mini Palm Cove. Very nice. Trinity Park – No beach. Water inlet. Big money going in here. Want to park your yacht at the bottom of the garden ? Yorkeys Knob – Marina and small beach. In flight path, an older suburb. Holloways Beach - Flight path. There are nicer suburbs Machans Beach - Flight path. Poor reputation. NORTH: Smithfield – This is where the large shopping centre is, you have quite a few industrial units, Bunnings, Fast Food, etc, A very busy suburb, there is a touch of graffiti in the North Point Estate as this backs on to the industrial area, nothing major and nothing compared to suburbs in Melbourne. The nicest estate is Canopys Edge which also has the cable skiing. Gateway to the Tablelands and Kuranda. Caravonica – Some very nice new housing. Can be subject to flooding in wet season Kamerunga – Mainly rainforest type living. Pole homes. Freshwater – Older suburb but very nice and upmarket Stratford – Tipped to become the next Edge Hill. Redlynch – Offers a lot. New suburb spread over several km. Great schools Redlynch Valley - Life in the rainforests, stunning area, swimming in the creek, a few minutes to Crystal Cascades, a very family friendly area. Brinsmead – Old and new. Better stuff tends to be up the hill. Good. Park Ridge – Was part of Whitfield, a new estate which has become it's own suburb. East is virtually millionaire territory. The views are sensational – breathtaking million-dollar panoramas of the city and harbour on one side, and tranquil rural vistas over the valleys and mountains on the other. Whitfield – Older leafy burb. Some good, some bad. Edge Hill – Older leafy burb in excellent location and has a good reputation. Surrounded by the Botanical Gardens and has a lovely shopping complex. Mooroobool – Prime example of where good meets bad. Some very good and some very bad. City Views within Mooroobool is where a lot of big money people live. CITY SUBURBS: Unfortunately, unlike other cities, it is not desirable to live in the inner Cairns suburbs, the properties are old and run down Aeroglen – Close to Freshwater, floods in wet season and next to the airport Bungalow – Old housing meets industrial. Manoora – Probably the worst burb in Cairns. Manunda – Again a suburb to avoid, they always say avoid the 3 M's if moving to Cairns and I have to agree they are definitely right Parramatta Park – Just made the news due to increasing crime rate. Portsmith – Not much housing. Industrial leading to the port. Westcourt – Bordering the main Mulgrave Road. Woree – Same as Westcourt. SOUTHSIDE: Earlville – Older. Better stuff is at the back toward the hills. One of the largest shopping centres with cinemas. Bayview Heights – Where the original money people of Cairns live – or lived ? Better at the back toward the hills. Some lovely areas and some not so nice, choose your area well. White Rock – Not somewhere I would choose to live Forest Gardens - Brand new estate, some gorgeous properties Mount Sheridan – Older leafy burb. Bentley Park – Nicknamed Nappy Valley. Cheaper housing. Lot of development out the back where it is now adjoining Edmonton. Edmonton – High velocity expansion. A lovely suburb, some lovely housing built around the water park. Plans to join it with Gordonvale which is a 10 minute drive to the South Gordonvale – Semi rural. Farming and cane field country. Some run down areas, but lots of developing going on. An area where you can get acreage for a reasonable price.

Hello All, First of all I'd like to express my gratefulness for this forum for helping throught my visa processing. Now, as I am in Australia as a PR, I wonder if I can bring my parents to live here in Australia, and I have an unmarried 22 years old sister, are they gonna let her come with my parents ? ... I've checked the immi website, and found three types of visas and couldn't really get the difference between them. Obviousely one of them has an extreemly expensive 2nd installment (what is the 2nd installment anyway :mad: ? I didnt' have to pay any for my GSM visa). I also noticed that there was a Queue calculator ?? it seems complicated to me ... I would be grateful if anyone can shed some light or give a brief about this matter. Regards Roky

Cant decide if qld or w.a.,a pipefitter by trade and worked in the oil and gas industry for many years since i was 19yrs old,now 36yrs old and with many of them years offshore too,whats the best place to be. I fancy qld cause there is more to see and do,but perth might be best for my trade,anyone had the same problem and not know where to head.

Hi there - am looking for some words of wisdom and inspiration here please. We are moving to Oz in April 2011 - I will be working as a midwife at Dandenong Hospital and are trying to decide where to live? I will be working shifts so don't want to live more than 20-30 mins drive from the hospital. We have two children ages 5 and 11 so want to make sure we get a rental somewhere where, if we decide to stay, we can buy so that we don't have to uproot our kids again - my daughter is in Primary 7 and would go up to secondary school while we're in Australia so want to make sure she does that with friends she's already made in primary 7. We can't decide if the coast option is best or if the country is better. The seaside appeals, but it would appear the house prices and rentals are lesser the more inland you go, and maybe you get more for your money? We are an active family who enjoy running, orienteering, golfing, hiking, biking, most sports! and my daughter adores horses - so these facilities need to be close by, escecially horses!!! We have looked at Berwick and Cranbourne etc - but Mordialloc, Aspendale etc appeals too! Any advice much appreciated! So glad we've found Poms In Oz! :biggrin:

My family and I have recently moved to Central Coast - and are staying in Terrigal. My OH is a bricklayer and is working in and around Central Coast, my son is 16 and will be starting Terrigal High School in January, but has got himself a summer job in a local fish restaurant, and I have a part time job in a local hotel. Anyone got any tips as to what goes on in and around the area regards to meeting friends and getting to kbow the "neighbours". It would be great to hear from anyone in the same boat, or anyone who has been here a while and can show us the ropes !:unsure:

Hello, This is the first time I have posted a thread so am new to this but wondered if anyone has any advice that could help me. My husband and I along with our 1 year old son are planning to move to Brisbane in May/June this year. In order to help me narrow my research could anyone advise of the best areas to live - we are looking for a suburb with good schools which is family friendly due to our young son. We are happy to be up to 45 minutes out of Brisbane itself. Although we will be looking to buy a property we will obviously rent intially until we find out feet - appreciate the cost of renting varies largely on size of property and location but if anyone could advise me of an approximate costing that would be great - also are utlities incl electricity etc more expensive that the UK? We are just trying to get ourselves as prepared as possible for our move. Thank you to anyone who may be able to help me! Caroline

Hi Can anyone help, we should have our visa this year and need to decide where to live, we did a reckie last year (Melbourne,Sydney,Brisbane,Cairns) we did prefer Melbourne although our thoughts have now changed. We want somewhere on the coast with great beaches, suitable for families, suburbs as want to be in an affordable area for property but not to far from the city due to work, 1 hour away would be fine. The main thing is the climate, we dont want sweltering heat but also dont want cold winters...I dont ask for much.. been thinking South Sydney and Adelaide, even Darwin?? very confused at the moment, we are planning another reckie this year but need to get it right this time, any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Chris

G'day peoples. :em3600: I was born in Perth but have spent most of my life in England. I am returning to Australia this year with my husband and my son. Thing is, we can't decide between Cairns (Which looks simply stunning and never gets cold) and the Gold Coast (which may have more opportunities and things to do for teens). Any pros and cons on either place please...? :biggrin: Many thanks Chantel