Chedeakee Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 I am just waiting for my visa to be granted which will put me in NSW, but I hope to move to Toowoomba as soon as possible after I get over there. it is the one area that I looked at that I really felt was for me. My aunt used to live in Brisbane and said it was nice there but a little far out for her, I want far out as I have lived in big cities most of my life and really want rural. I have two children younger than yours and think this would be a perfect place for them. If is doesn't work out like that then I will find somewhere that is. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Abroad Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 I think Toowoomba is a lovely town, but you would have to like the quiet, simple life. There is a University of Southern Queensland campus in Toowoomba, but it would be about a 15-20 minute drive from Cotswold Hills, which is far in Toowoomba terms! Gets really chilly in winter too, with fog descending and never lifting some days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Just as an aside stacey I know why you might get that impression from the internet but it's not prone to flooding. It is on top of a mountain range. cheers, i dont know much about Dalby at all, only a few things. Seems that it has most things that people need. Still waiting for a yes or no anyway. Applied for a job that said it was based in Mackay/whitsunday, asked them if they would sponsor and they said if he got onto the next stage then yes. so we'll see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 cheers, i dont know much about Dalby at all, only a few things. Seems that it has most things that people need. Still waiting for a yes or no anyway. Applied for a job that said it was based in Mackay/whitsunday, asked them if they would sponsor and they said if he got onto the next stage then yes. so we'll see oops sorry, when you said a few hours from brisbane I assumed you meant Toowoomba...have no idea about Dalby flooding...that could be more prone? Good luck. I think we are all waiting with fingers crossed for you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 oops sorry, when you said a few hours from brisbane I assumed you meant Toowoomba...have no idea about Dalby flooding...that could be more prone? Good luck. I think we are all waiting with fingers crossed for you... its cool, was my fault for not being clear lol. Just have to see what happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galahad Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 (edited) Toowoomba - beautiful place....called 'The Garden City'.....when I last went there I had an excellent meal at one of the restaurants, great coffee sitting outside a cafe in the middle of the town & there were beautiful flowers gracing the median strips in the middle of the wide roads.... A town with a very strong sense of its own identity.... Being high up you'll avoid a lot of the humidity which is part & parcel of the QLD heat nearer the coast & lower down....but yes it can get cold....well it is up a mountain... Easy drive down (& I do mean 'down') to Brisbane - about 197 ks, I think, 190-something anyway.... Are your children boys or girls ? Do they like horses ? I read once that there were more horses in the area around Toowoomba than humans..... Aaaaah - my kinda place !!! I would think a great place to bring up a family. Edited May 13, 2012 by Galahad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conniebygaslight Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Toowoomba is Australia's largest inland city. We lived in Highfields and that is really pretty as is Toowoomba. The Hoff is probably refering to me when he says about a PIO member who didn't like it. I don't have anything against Toowoomba perse we have a young family and my husband is from there and all his family still lives there. I personally think that Toowoomba is a lovely place to bring up a family (particularly Highfields) for us it was the whole culture of Australia didn't fit and I personally think that we wouldn't have liked it anywhere.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansi Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 Morning all, Some great info overnight, seems that the general impression is that Toowoomba is a nice place to live. ScottishStacey, have you looked into housing in Mackay at all? I turned down a job there as the housing is almost impossible to find and is expensive due to that. It tipped us above the 'living comfortably' bracket. Highfields does look lovely, it seems a little far out for working in Toowoomba though although I know I need to get my head around distances being different. Anyway, keep all the info coming and thanks once again, this is really helpful. Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansi Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 Galahad, My Girls are 8 and 17, with the eldest having done equine studies at school. Horses are a pet/family member we would like to have the time and money to consider, but never have whilst in the UK, so lets hope that changes eh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Toowoomba is Australia's largest inland city. .... After Canberra :wink:... Canberra's population is 365k. Toowoomba's population is a third of the size at 132k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Toowoomba is Australia's largest inland city. We lived in Highfields and that is really pretty as is Toowoomba. The Hoff is probably refering to me when he says about a PIO member who didn't like it. I don't have anything against Toowoomba perse we have a young family and my husband is from there and all his family still lives there. I personally think that Toowoomba is a lovely place to bring up a family (particularly Highfields) for us it was the whole culture of Australia didn't fit and I personally think that we wouldn't have liked it anywhere.... Theres a guy on here who hates the place, he has lived there for 24 years, 25 years, 28 years and finally 30 years, he can't make his mind up, but he does rant on and i don't believe anything he says, but if he hated it so much yer think he would leave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Morning all, Some great info overnight, seems that the general impression is that Toowoomba is a nice place to live. ScottishStacey, have you looked into housing in Mackay at all? I turned down a job there as the housing is almost impossible to find and is expensive due to that. It tipped us above the 'living comfortably' bracket. Highfields does look lovely, it seems a little far out for working in Toowoomba though although I know I need to get my head around distances being different. Anyway, keep all the info coming and thanks once again, this is really helpful. Simon Hey, no i havent looked at housing, i think the company was only being polite by saying they would consider sponsorship if he got through to the next stage. They also said that as long as it didnt cost them anything and he would still be on a 6month probabation period the same as anyone else. Tbh i dont think they even knew what was involved in sponsoring especially for daves occupation, probably just a way of getting me to shut up lol. I'll just have to see if anything happens with the Dalby company and if nothing happens then give up for a while. Best of luck with your job, I think you should take it if your happy with all the details Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Toowoomba is Australia's largest inland city. We lived in Highfields and that is really pretty as is Toowoomba. The Hoff is probably refering to me when he says about a PIO member who didn't like it. I don't have anything against Toowoomba perse we have a young family and my husband is from there and all his family still lives there. I personally think that Toowoomba is a lovely place to bring up a family (particularly Highfields) for us it was the whole culture of Australia didn't fit and I personally think that we wouldn't have liked it anywhere.... From posts like yours and other sources I think places like Highfields can have quite a different culture to many other locations in Australia and your experiences and others are worth learning from...the opinions, interests and options available to people in out of the way inland towns like Highfields can be totally different to those in inner city Melbourne to take the example to it's extreme. Potential immigrants should consider this and make sure they realise small inland places like this attract different people with different interests and different opportunities than big city or city edge semi-rural living. Rural Australia is generally not like the UK where in many places you can be in the country but within commuter distance of a big UK town so the mix of people is different. People looking for that sort of rural should consider city edge semi-rural properties imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galahad Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 (edited) To quote The RopeyHoff.... 'an obscure out of the way Location' NOT! (if it's Toowoomba you're referring to, Ropey - if your comment was general - my apologies in advance) Toowoomba is certainly not one of those....! Dansi, for both your girls I don't think you could be better placed (join the local Pony Club, it's great for kids - with or without horse - lots of the children your younger daughter goes to school with will have horses & ponies...) For people reading this in the UK - the horse-riding/equine industry is not the same as it is in the UK or the USA where it is mainly a 'leisure & pleasure' activity - in Australia the horse is still so much a working animal, part & parcel of the rural environment - 'the stockman' is alive & well, (although sadly they don't all look like Hugh Jackman) not a revived relic on MGM... So it takes a lot of the 'elitism' out of it.... For your older daughter.... The University of Queensland, Gatton campus is only 37ks away - well known for it's excellent equine department. I have a young friend who has just completed a vet degree there & she has joined a practice in Canungra (Gold Coast Hinterland at the foot of Tamborine Mountain)...the university's website is very informative.....Gatton is between Toowoomba & Ipswich.... Your interest at the moment is 'what is best for your family' & for all of us that often guides all our choices until the family is old enough to make independent decisions.... But with your daughters' interests at the centre of your considerations right now - Toowoomba could be the ideal starting point.... It's not a little tin-pot town - it's a mature city & a relatively wealthy city.... I didn't have my own horse until I went to Australia - always rode, but always other people's horses....in Australia I could actually afford it & it has given me & hopefully will still continue to give me a great 'outdoors' activity... When I lived in Australia I had more than one & still have the black in my avatar (with a friend in Queensland) My daughter-in-law studied Marine Biology/Sciences at Uni in Brisbane - she was based at St.Lucia (Brisbane) & they had 'field trips' to places like Stradbroke Island & Norfolk Island which she loved....the water is a tad warmer than off the coast in Brighton ! Edited May 13, 2012 by Galahad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxboz Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 I know an Aussie couple in their late 20s who moved to Toowoomba years ago and absolutely love it and would not live anywhere else now. I suppose everyone is different in what they are looking for. I have certainly never heard anything negative about Toowoomba only positive from other people who have lived there at some stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansi Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 Well all is looking rather positive. Lets hope the response I get from my prospective employers is as positive and I can get things moving!!! One question though (hehe), without having to depend on my OH getting a job, how would AUD80,000 support us all (2 adults, 2 girls and 2 dogs)? bearing in mind I'll be on a 457 Visa and paying high tax and not getting rent assist etc...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 (edited) Well all is looking rather positive. Lets hope the response I get from my prospective employers is as positive and I can get things moving!!! One question though (hehe), without having to depend on my OH getting a job, how would AUD80,000 support us all (2 adults, 2 girls and 2 dogs)? bearing in mind I'll be on a 457 Visa and paying high tax and not getting rent assist etc...... I don't think your tax will be any higher than everyone else will it? Edited May 13, 2012 by fish.01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansi Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 I don't think your tax will be any higher than everyone else will it? 457 Visa applicants do not get the tax breaks as I understood it so pay 27% from dollar 1.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conniebygaslight Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Highfields is about 15-20 mins commute... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galahad Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 (edited) You won't have a lot to spare that's for sure, but with a couple of 'tinnies' on the back deck after a hard day's work, overlooking the Queensland sunset, you'll be able to throw another King Prawn on the barbie & FEEL a million dollars.... Edited May 13, 2012 by Galahad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 457 Visa applicants do not get the tax breaks as I understood it so pay 27% from dollar 1.... You sure? I thought 457 holders were residents for tax purposes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pintpot Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 You sure? I thought 457 holders were residents for tax purposes? Yeah, they are. But it's easy to get confused by the ATO website Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansi Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 You sure? I thought 457 holders were residents for tax purposes? I was looking in WA at the time but, 457 didn't get a minimum tax threshold, but paid 27% from the get go, maybe QLD is different if so I'll do a jig lol. I'll look into it a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pintpot Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Tax is federal, so no difference between states; but I think you are misreading the definition of "resident for tax purposes". 457 holders are, in general, tax residents so the same rates apply as for all others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully81 Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 Hi we moved to toowoomba beginning of march. Like everybody is saying, depends what you want. We do not have kids and are renting at the moment in south toowoomba paying 300 a week for 3 bedroom house. It s bit small but exactly what we want. I am still looking for job but getting by comfortably on partner money about 1500 every two weeks. No money to buy big things but we do not need things at moment, shipped a lot over. About city, it is not that big. Loads of house. Most areas look lovely and even though small there is plenty of shops. Not saying it is crime free but I feel very safe in house and walking round city. I go for walk most mornings and you just can't beat the feeling of sun on your back and hearing all the birdies. I also walk to shops and cbd. There has been some crappy days with weather but not that bad and not so constant as in uk. It will rain for few days and sunny for a lot of days. Again it does get chilly but not like uk. Today is fresh outside but sunny so you still feel like getting out and doing something. To finish off, if you don't mind smaller city then toowoomba good place to start. It is so easy to sort everything as everybody so friendly and helpful which you don't always get in bigger places. And is still close enough to Brisbane and other places that you can go away for weekend. As soon as I get job that is what we going to do but for now enjoying toowoomba and sunshine! Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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