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HI, I am an International student and is coming to Australia to pursue Masters in SCM and Project Management.I got admission from both UOW Sydney and Wollongong. Which is a better place in terms of part time jobs ? I just want a situation where I can pay for my own expenses over there. Any help would be a relief .

Hi all, just looking for some opinions. i am currently living in Wollongong with my partner and new baby, and we are considering moving due to a lack of jobs and opportunities in the area. My partner has a lot of family in south west sydney so we ideally want to stay in the state so we are close enough to drive to see them but we don't really want to be in Sydney. We are looking for somewhere with reasonable house prices and jobs on offer (a big ask anywhere i know!) My partner is a chef but is looking for a career change and is just finding nothing down here. any advice would be much appreciated, thanks!

Hi guys we moved down to Shellharbour from Sunny QLD about a month ago, we left all our friends up there and we would like to meet some people down here. We are both 30, professionals, like a good night out and enjoy walking our dog. Would be great to meet done new faces! Anyone around??

First Post!! I am about to leave for Wollongong in 3 weeks and I am incredibly nervous! I am 20 and will move to Wollongong for the year where my mum is unable to fly out and visit me during the year due to money, I am so scared about saying goodbye to her and the rest of my family at heathrow and despite being so thrilled with the opportunity to study there for a year as a an exchange from my home university of Exeter, I am feeling so nervous about it all!! Apart from living away from home in Exeter during term time, the longest I've gone without seeing anyone from my family is about 2 months tops! Does anyone have any tips of advice to help make me feel at ease about my move for the year? Between November - February I have to move out of halls and will look to go travelling if I have enough money, but this is another cause of why I'm feeling nervous as plans for this period are completely up in the air until I get to Wollongong and settle in! If anyone has any knowledge of Wollongong and what they think of it as well as the university itself, and student life in Australia that could help to make me feel more at ease! Jen

Hi Please take it easy with me, this is my first post. I have just excepted a Field Service position based in Sydney. Start date is 16 March. I have done lots of research on Domain and real estate for rental properties, but now I'm really over whelmed. My situation is:- Myself, wife and 10 year old daughter $500 - $550 max per week rental The role is field based, with work either in Sydney CBD, greater region or a flight away to Melbourne etc I do not mind 1 - 1,5 hrs commute each way (I currently do this in the UK) looking for:- 3 bed, property (not apartment) Garden Garage Family friendly & Safe Suburb Wife like moderen and open plan at most short drive (15 mins) to beach Good Schools Areas we have considered - Thoughts on these please Wollongong, figtree, Berkeley, Bellambi, Woonona, Austinmer & Corrimal, Terrigal & Central Coast Region Camden, Mount Annan, Spring Farm Gosford, Kariong Emu Plains, Springwood, Penrtith - You get a lot for your $ here and would keep Wife happy, but long way from the coast. I know its a long list, but if anyone can comment on any of the above, re schools, shops, safety commute times, out door lifestyle it would be great. We have friends who live in Oxford Falls and Brookvale, but the northern beaches are way out of our budget. All info guidance appreciated.

Hi all, Just wanted to share my experience with you. Quite recently I had my medical in Wollongong- great experience, no wait time and very efficient. I have since recommended it to a few of my friends and they all had the same reports. I have heard that Sydney CBD and Parramatta can have wait time as long as 2 hours which would be pretty painful. So if you can, go the Gong and make a day of it! Parking is pretty easy to find and also quite reasonable! Good luck to all

Hi all, I just moved to Oz, specifically Wollongong, 2 weeks ago. As I'm now in a minority group (pom) I feel far more obliged to support our team in Brazil. If there any brits in Wollongong who would like to watch the game in town this coming Sunday morning, please let me know as I'm eager to get out and cheer our team on. Cheers, Alex

Hi I'm a 38 year old single mum of 2 children 6 and 4, just about to do my return to nursing course at the end of September. Completion and pin number should be in place around March 2014. I first qualified in 2002 and then did 2 and a half years on a specialised Spinal injuries Unit, followed by bank nursing on a variety of wards/specialisations up until 2008. My Sister is an Australian citizen and lives in Sydney. After completing my re-registration, apart from the clinical hours on an orthopaedic surgery ward I will have done to gain this, I won't have any recent clinical experience. Will this be a hindrance to my getting a skilled/state nominated visa? Also can anyone recommend areas outside of Sydney in NSW that are good for families with young children, or can offer any advice on what Wollongong is like to live in? And finally does anyone have any idea how long it would take to get registered with Australian Nursing and Midwifery board, and does this have to be done before applying for the visa? Sorry its so long winded, and Thanks in advance!

Hi! Have just moved to Wollongong and looking to make some new friends in the area. Have been in Australia for a year now and lived in the city, which I loved but we have just bought a place down here as it is cheaper. I am 27 with a 1 Year old and a stay at home mum. Looking to meet other mums or non mums :smile: Hope to hear from some fellow poms soon

Hi all, Me and my family are moving to Thirroul near wollongong in october. were excited/nervous about the move and any advice on the area from wollongong upwards (to austimer) would be greatly appreciated! it is just me, m husband and my 2 and a half ear old daughter. we have a holiday let sorted for the first 4 weeks of our stay but we need to find a rental place after the 4 weeks. any advice on suburbs to live with children, schools, where to buy cars, things to do with toddlers would be great! Thanks Abz

Which is better for an international student? I have an offer from two universities - one in Wollongong and one is Sydney. Which one do you think is better for a first time visitor? Thanks.

Hi, i was wondering if anyone could help? We relocated from Manchester to Kiama 7 weeks ago and i am really struggling to find work, i am a time served tiler and plasterer with 25 years experience. I have bought a ute and my tools arrive from the UK in 2 weeks. To be honest things are getting a little stressful, i would grately appreciate it if anyone could let me know if they have or know of any work going accross the Wollongong area. Cheers Stuart

hello everyone am sue new to this site. have been on poms in adelaide for the past 5 months because thats where we decided on living but now we are thinking of n.s.w wollongong. could anyone tell me what this place is like is it for families whats the schools like etc i have 4 boys so this would be a great help to me. whats a nice suburb for families with plenty to do? i have read some threads and it looks and sounds wonderful(fab photies skippy) hope you guys will give me your honest answers:yes: thanks suexxx

Hi i am 28year new mum to be looking to meet other mums in the wollongong area i have been in wollongong for 3 weeks and relocated from WA on maternity leave as my husband is orignally from wollongong so moved here to be closer to his family and have the baby here. I have been Australia for 3 years now and i love it. Its just all new to me moving to wollongong as i have left all my friends back in WA my husband currently works in WA he is a fly and fly out. I am hopeing to join a mother and baby group.

http://80sdreamer.blogspot.com/2011/07/80s-rewind-hits-wollongong-nsw.html I've booked our weekend passes, tickets went on sale this morning, this has got get together written all over it, got some mates from Sydney and the Gong interested and I reckon it'll be a blast. Great line up too, tickets available at Moshtix hope to see some of you there :biggrin:

Hi Everyone I'm hoping that someone from Wollongong can give some suggestions of a good garage in the area. Our car is arriving in a few weeks and we will need to get the rego done as soon as it comes off the boat. The closest town is Wollongong but we have not yet been down there. Can anyone suggest a good garage for us to book the car into? Many thanks Emma

Anyone got time to meet up? My hubby starting work a week Monday leaving me and DD at home. Desperate to meet with other like minded souls as I'll be missing home no doubt. I'm 32 and DD is nearly 4. hubby a mechanic an will be working flat out! Would like to work but need to find somewhere to live long term first! If you want to catch up, feel free to pm me. I'm easy going and love socialising, goin to the pics, reading and just generally having a catch up over a brew!!!

Hi there, We visited Melbourne in April this year and since been back in the UK, hubby has been offered a job in Wollongong. We havent been there but have spoken to people who have. We have been told its a small City which I think would be most suitable for us as we are done with the bright lights of the big city! Can anyone tell me if its true that there is a lot of drugs there in particular. I have been reading various stories online and a lot of people are suggesting there are drug addicts using the free bus service and hanging out in Crown central Mall. I'm not naive to the fact that there are drug issues everywhere these days but I would prefer not to live somewhere where it is a big problem. We are hoping to live either more northwards or southwards of the city (up to an hour commute ideally). Next question is about education! I'm told we would have to pay for pre-school, kindergarden and schooling as its not free until we are permenant residents. Can anyone give me some sort of indication as to what costs are involved for education. Our dd is 3 (4 in January). I know that she doesnt have to go to school until she is 5 but I would ideally like her to continue with some sort of nursery schooling so she keeps up. My husband wont be on huge wages and apparently there is no need for family day carers at the moment so I will have to find another source of employment which is a real pain as here in the Uk I am a registered Childminder. Final question is about getting PR. I've been told many things about this. Firstly that we should apply as soon as we get there if we are sure that we want to stay (recruiter said I'm not supposed to tell you that?!). Another recruiter said that we must wait 2 years before we can apply for it and that it will cost in the region of $8k. Someone else quoted $500 so I really am not sure who to believe!! Is 9% Superannuation average or low? I'm sure another job offer hubby had was 12%?? And finally, can anyone recommend places to look to live. We live 20 miles from the City here and like our semi rural location. We love to be part of a community which is another reason that we felt that we would not be so suited to Melbourne as its just soooo big! Anyway, all advice welcomed!

Hi anyone from my part of Oz, been here a while a miss UK London

Hi looking for some information on living in Wollongong re. family life work etc :jiggy:

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO CAN HELP ME WITH SOME ADVICE? NEXT SEPT I AM GOING TO GO TO AUSTRALIA ON A ONE YEAR WORKING VISA AND WANT TO EXTEND IT WITH ALL INTENTIONS OF WANTING TO LIVE THERE. NOW ALTHOUGH I HAVE WORKED IN A TILING STORE AND LEARNED A FEW SKILLS AND HAVE HELPED A FAMILY MEMBER IN JOBS WHO IS A TILER I HAVE NO QUALIFICATIONS OR EVIDENCE OF MY WORK. SO MY QUESTION IS CAN I GO TO AUSTRALIA AND DO THERE RECOGNISED QUALIFICATIONS TO TRY AND SECURE A SPONSORSHIP VISA? ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED AS THIS IS MY VERY FIRST POST.:biggrin:

Hi FPIO (Fellow Poms in Oz) We are driving up from Wollongong, NSW to Brisbane in about a weeks time with our two furry friends (pooches). Looking at gmaps it looks like it is a 13 hour drive. So we were hoping to stop on the way up and make a proper road trip of it and see a bit of NSW and QLD. So the question is, can anyone suggest place we could stay with our furry friends? Thanks FC :jiggy:

Hi All Looking at options in Wollomgong now and woul love to hear any good or bad points from anyone with first hand experience. My initial opinion is it looks like a great place to live.

left wollongong in feb, went back to the north east uk, couldnt be happier....my advice is if you want to live in oz dont pick the wollongong region....prob because its too much like the uk.....unemployment ,crime etc,etc....but each to their own....i know where i want to be....bye,bye wollongong!

Hi Folks:biggrin: I have the potential to come over to Aus with work, the job is based in Wollongong. So the question is where is the best place to live in the surrounding area with no more than a one hour commute by car, train etc. I have read in these forums that Wollongong is not to nice. So we would be looking to live outside the area. I have to take into consideration to furry friends who be joining my wife and I later. So things like dog friendly areas need to be a consideration. I deally location would be not far from the beach, good shops and restaurants, places to cycle, run and walk the dogs. We will be renting for the first 18 months, so will also be looking for rented accomodation with a good garden or is it called 'yard' :wink: Phew not much to ask for! Thanks Flappy