Coffs harbour and families

[Guest the stanleys]

Hi there,

we are looking around various places in NSW as a place to finally end up and Harbour has caught our eye. But having never been there we were wondering what it would be like for a young family, our children are 6,4 and 21 months. I am sure I will be ok for work as I have already noted a number of jobs (I am a nurse) and will start enquiring more seriously after christmas. But any advice and info would be great. Thanks!!!:jiggy:

[Guest]

I've posted info on Coffs before and read others posts on it. Click on the search button, type in coffs Harbour and you'll get lots of info.

 

it's fab, we love it, but sadly probably wont be going due to job situation, there isn't the right sort of work for my husband there. I'd be there like a shot if i were you.

 

good luck!

[Guest wannabeinoz]

Ooh, we love the area. When we finally get our visa we'll be moving to Bellingen, which is 20 mins south of Coffs (and in land a bit). The whole area is absolutley beautiful. My 6 yr old step son lives there (with a 4 yr old brother) and he is loving life. We've spent quite a lot of time there and on our first visit, I fell in love with the place...

There is plenty for little ones to do - the rivers to have picnics by and go swimming, all the amazing beaches of course - lots of clubs like little athletics and gymnastics, footie - the monthly markets in Bellingen are awesome (from a real girlie point of view) but they always have lots for the little one's at the markets too...there is always something on. check out Bellingen On-line, accommodation, business and community links in the Bellingen Shire Cos even if u settle in Coffs, u'll be visiting Bello frequently I'm sure. (Oh Sawtell is also nice if you want to be beside the sea!!)

 

If you do end up there, stay in touch- be good to meet up in the beautiful land. Hope this helps.

 

All the best for your move

 

Clare xx

[Guest oxboy]

yep coffs realy is a beautiful area to live and as a nurse there are plenty of ops at the health campus, we moved here ( having never been here before ) in august 07 and we absolutely love the place , everyone we meet seems so freindly and yes there are a few poms aswell. although make note house prices are on the increase as it seems to be the place to live due to the great climate and the best shopping on the mid north coast mid way in between brissie and sydney.

[Guest the stanleys]

Thanks for that we the more research we do the more we like it. Can you recommend any areas considered nice areas to live or maybe even avoid, good schools are definately going to be a pull having three little ones!!!

[Guest amjam]

Hi.

We are looking at Coffs Harbour too and it looks and sounds great. I have heard people say house prices are going up but compared to here they are still good. I still have a few concerns though. My son, 4, has special needs so I need to get a good school for him and hubby works for the railway so an office nearby is a must. Other than that I can't wait to go. Hopefully we'll go for a holiday first but it's so expensive, we don't know whether to save the money and put it towards the actual move.

When are you looking to move.

 

Steph xx

[Guest the stanleys]

Hi there, we are hoping to go within the next 12 months (the sooner the better!!). we are waiting for a case officer at the moment then we will sort medicals and police checks out. We have never been ourselves and are taking the plunge without a reccie, as you pointed out it is a very expensive trip. There are 5 of us and we have decided to save the money and put it towards the move. Maybe a bit mad but you only live once!!

[Guest amjam]

Thats what I say. And if you don't like it you can always come back. A friend of mine moved to New Zealand last year and said not to come back to England for about 18 months. You really have to give yourself chance to settle in. From what I hear, Oz, really is a friendly place to live. I think if we don't do a reccie first, we will have a long holiday when we get there to get the feel of things.

[Guest the stanleys]

The holiday idea is something we plan to do when we first get there. We have some relatives in Sydney which will be a good starting point, then we will work our way up the coast. I am in the early stages of trying to sort employment out as that will certainly take the pressure off a little. Fingers crossed. Have you started the process yet? where are you at? keep us informed!

karen x

[Guest amjam]

All we have done so far is contacted an agency. Employment is a big issue for us. My husband works for the railway so needs needs to get an office as close as possible. I'm at home with the kids but would like to start something when I move.

Any tips would be great on the whole process. There seems to be so much to do, its quite daunting.

Steph.

[Guest the stanleys]

We went through an agent mainly to ensure everything was done correctly and they have been great. I am sure we could have done it ourselves but being such a big step we just wanted to be sure. If i can help i will do my best but there is loads of advice on this site someone always knows the answer somewhere!!!!

[Guest sazzle76]

Coffs is beautiful. we have just appointed Grist intl to assist in our 175 as Jo has excellent reviews on here )

I love so many places in oz, Merimbula, Northern beaches, Coffs - we have been on 2 long hols to oz but unsure which of our fav places offer the best in panel beating jobs?

[Guest amjam]

Tell me more about Coffs. We haven't been. We have decided to save the money to just move. We have contacted Go Matilda as our agent. We are waiting for a reply though regarding our 5 year old son, who has special needs. I think we need to prove he won't be a burden on the state or something.

I have looked at Coffs on the internet and it looks fab. Do you think it is a good place to live or a bit touristy.

[Guest oxboy]

have been here now 10 months and we still love it in coffs, the winter ( yeah right ) is still warmish 22 deg most days but the nites get chilly brrrrr. far ebtter than we imagined and far better than where we lived in the uk, honest if you want what we have here in the uk then you would need to be at least half a millionaire here a third of that will do

[Guest amjam]

Hi Oxboy

 

Just wondering if you are still in Coffs. If so how is it?

 

Steph

[Guest oxboy]

hey steph

thanks for asking , coffs is still great, have now been here one year and no regrets no worries and no hasles , it really is a great place to live. yes you have to put in some hard work but you have to do that anywhere to get on, buti ts worth it here.

still loving every minute.

[Guest pedrowe]

Gday from Corindi Beach - 35 kms north of Coffs. We (Pete, Kiran and Harry, 5) moved here last December after nearly 5 years in Wollongong. Bought land five minute walk to the beach. 25 min drive to work in Coffs. If you are still serious about move here, happy to offer any advice etc. Kiran originally from yorkshire, Pete a southerner, burt lived in Oxford before departing Down Under in 2002.

I am deputy editor of local daily newspaper, so know area and keep abreast of local issues etc.

Pete

[Guest pedrowe]

We moved to Corindi Beach, 35 km north of Coffs Harbour, 10 months ago and love the stunning natural beauty of the area. Both my husband and I travel to Coffs (25-30 minutes) everyday for work and drive past the ocean, banana plantations and lovely undulating hills. He is the deputy editor of the Coffs Coast Advocate newspaper and I started with Medicare two moths ago. Fortunately, I got my Aussie citizenship in June so could apply for the job as you need Australian citizenship to work for the government here.We are building a house in Corindi Beach, a small costal village where you can still buy land from $135,000 only a five-minute walk from the beach. And Corindi Beach is beautiful. We looked all over the Coffs area before deciding to settle in Corindi Beach. Diggers Beach is the most expensive suburb, followed by Korora, Sapphire, Moonee and Emerald beaches, all on the northern beaches. Bellingen is trendy,beautiful with a great monthly outdoor market, but gets very hot in the summer and very cold (below freezing) in the winter because it is inland. Sawtell is popular, but like, Bellingen, property prices are high. Having said that the property market is down so you can get better deals now than a year ago when we were looking. Bonville, which has an international golf course, is lovely but very expensive. Other good affordable places to live are Urunga and Valla Beach, south of Coffs, which have great beaches. Urunga has a fantastic very long wooden walkway which goes over the river and close to the ocean. Safety Beach, Mullaway and Arrawarra are also great spots to live. We were told to avoid Toormina as it's a bit rough and some parts of the city centre are crap - avoid the area around Boultwood Street as it's not a place to venture out in at night. Coffs has a large shopping mall - Park Beach Plaza - off the Pacific Highway and a good selection of shops, cafes, restaurants etc in the city centre. The jetty is very picturesque and there is a great walk up Muttonbird Island - great for whale and dolphin watching. The downside of Coffs is there are no major companies based here, unlike cities such as Brisbane and Sydney, so types of jobs are limited. Most jobs are in tourism, retail, local government and the medical profession. Another minus is having to go to Sydney or Brisbane for international flights. Coffs Harbour airport has good daily connections to both cities. Either that or it's a 4-hour drive to Brisbane or 6 hours to Sydney. For 4 years we lived near Wollongong on the south coast of NSW, 2 hours from Sydney and an hour from the airport, so I do miss not being close to that city anymore. If we were better off finanically I would love to live in one of the lovely parts of Sydney. It think it's a great city and the best place to live in Australia. My husband would probably disagree as he likes the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Coffs is not as cosmopolitan as Sydney or Brisbane but a lot of families with young children are moving out of these cities to Coffs because they to raise their kids in a safer, less congested, less polluted area where they can afford to live in a house with a big backyard and close to the beach.

[Guest Kazbah]

Hi Pedrowe,

 

I am new to this site and I am really glad I have found it. Now..I am not a pommie, I am a aussie living in Sydney with my boyfriend. We are seriously looking at relocating to Coffs and are coming up on the long weekend in October to check it out.

 

I found your post really useful..it is good to know which suburbs are more expensive and areas to avoid etc.

 

I guess the only concern my partner and I have is employment. He is a lawyer and I am in recruitment. I had a look on seek and there wasnt much available. I would be happy to do admin and get a weekend job as well to kick start things.

 

Sydney is just too expensive. A one bedroom apartment in the lower north shore is going to cost us at least $500,000. We just cant justify paying that, in a city that is beautiful but also very populated and stressful.

 

We think Coffs would be a great location to achieve work life balance, work hard but also enjoy it.

 

Is there anything else you think we need to know before we venture up next weekend to check it out??

 

Thanks again.

 

[Guest sazzle76]

this info is great! I dont think I will have a problem finding a job as I work in the tourism industry but I think OH will have a prob. hes a panel beater and having problems finding jobs in and around coffs (

dont fancy QLD as much and dont want to pay SYD prices.

I might have to ask you some more info further down the visa line!

thanx

[Guest pedrowe]

No worries - happy to help out. Best of luck with visa process etc.

[Guest Undecided!]

Great Post Pedrowe - really helpful. We've been seriously thinking about a move to either Coffs Harbour or Wollongong and are still trying to get as much information together as possible before making our move at the end of 2009. The fact that you've lived in both places seems like a great opportunity for us! Coffs looks like a beautiful place to live - the natural scenery etc - and the housing seems much more affordable than many other places on the coast. Our main concerns would be distance from Sydney and whether we'll miss being within striking distance of a big city (we're an hour from London now) - is there enough going on? Our other concern would be the climate - does it get very hot and humid in the summer? We lived in Sydney for a year 15 yrs ago and found the summer hot enough - how would it compare in Coffs? (OH is originally from Melbourne with fair Celtic skin and is worried about how he'll cope!). So we started looking at Wollongong as a possible alternative - further south, not so hot maybe(?) - and closer to Sydney. What would you say were the main pros and cons between the two areas? For background, we are a family of 5 (children 12, 10 & 7). I'm a Pom, OH is Aussie but has lived in the UK for the last 20yrs. All info gratefully received!

[Guest pedrowe]

Great Post Pedrowe - really helpful. We've been seriously thinking about a move to either Coffs Harbour or Wollongong and are still trying to get as much information together as possible before making our move at the end of 2009. The fact that you've lived in both places seems like a great opportunity for us! Coffs looks like a beautiful place to live - the natural scenery etc - and the housing seems much more affordable than many other places on the coast. Our main concerns would be distance from Sydney and whether we'll miss being within striking distance of a big city (we're an hour from London now) - is there enough going on? Our other concern would be the climate - does it get very hot and humid in the summer? We lived in Sydney for a year 15 yrs ago and found the summer hot enough - how would it compare in Coffs? (OH is originally from Melbourne with fair Celtic skin and is worried about how he'll cope!). So we started looking at Wollongong as a possible alternative - further south, not so hot maybe(?) - and closer to Sydney. What would you say were the main pros and cons between the two areas? For background, we are a family of 5 (children 12, 10 & 7). I'm a Pom, OH is Aussie but has lived in the UK for the last 20yrs. All info gratefully received!

 

Firstly Wollongong. An industrial city with a major international steel works company - Bluescope Steel - and coal mines. Closer to Sydney than Coffs - 90 minutes by car or 2 hours by train (although the trains are often smelly, dirty and overcrowded during peak periods). The Gong is also only an hour from Sydney Airport. Good for shopping (has Australia's two major department stores - Myer and David Jones - and possibly more job opportunities than Coffs. Good places to live are Kiama, Jamberoo and Gerringong south of the city but would be a 2-hour commute if you worked in Sydney. On the northern beaches Austinmer, Bulli, Stanwell Park, Coledale and Thirroul are lovely as very close to the ocean but property prices are very high. Cheaper suburbs are Dapto, Albion Park, Shellharbour south of the city but very built-up. Even cheaper are the older suburbs of Warrawong, Berkeley and Port Kembla but aren't particularly pleasant,although Port Kembla beach is good. On the downside The Gong is on level 3 water restrictions (means you can only water your garden with a hosepipe twice a week( before 10am and after 4pm),you can't wash your car on your driveway or use a hosepipe to wash windows or anything else. Wollongong is much colder in winter than Coffs. The winds are fiersome in August and September.

 

Coffs: regional city on mid-north coast of NSW, Classified as semi-tropical, not hot and extreme like Qld. Winter average day temp 20 degrees, average summer 28. World Health Organisation in 2004 said Coffs Coast had one of the most livable climates in the world. The air is very clean and some nights you see millions of stars in the clear sky..

Anything grows here - banana plantations, tropical fruits, all year round. Corindi, 35km north of Coffs, has lots of blueberry farms. In fact they are sold in Sainsbury's in the UK !!!

 

No water restrictions here like Wollongong. Four hours drive to Brisbane, three hours to the Gold Coast and theme parks, six hours south to Sydney. Regional airport with daily links to both cities - one hour flights.

 

Property prices easier than northern Wollongong. $450k aussie dollars will buy a four bed home with nice backyard near beach. The beaches are fabulous here and very clean. The ocean temperature is warmer than The Gong because we get the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef current. You can also go whale and dolphin watching between June and October. Went on a whalewatching trip in Hervey Bay during a holiday in Queensland and was blown away by the experience.

 

The downside of Coffs is if you are into London-style shopping centres or big shopping malls or factory outlet shops then you won't like Coffs. These type of shops are on the Gold Coast three hours away.

 

A big plus for Coffs is that the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast are within easy driving distance - not something you can say about Wollongong to Queensland. Best to fly.

 

If you like the outdoor lifestyle then Coffs is great because of the good climate. Coffs attracts a lot of families with children moving out of the big cities like Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne because they get better value for money and a better quality of life. Coffs is a very popular holiday spot for Australians.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Kiran and Pete

[Guest Undecided!]

Thanks Kiran and Pete for such a long and detailed reply. It is really is much appreciated. It seems to me that, on balance, you seem to be leaning in favour of Coffs. Would you agree? Out of interest, why did you move to Coffs - was it for work reasons or were you looking for a different way of life? I have to say, we just keep coming back to Coffs - we can't find anywhere else that appeals as much - it just seems to tick so many boxes. The thing that I do worry about is being so far from a big city fix - though maybe Coffs wouldn't be Coffs if it was an hour from Sydney - and part of this move is to have a complete change of lifestyle so I think I've just got to stop trying to hedge my bets and go for it!... Kiran, you mention in your earlier post that you just got your citizenship - where are you from originally? I gather there's quite a big British expat community in Coffs - is this the case?

 

Apologies for all these questions! Many thanks again for all your help.

 

Heidi

[Guest pedrowe]

Hi guys

 

glad it was of some assistance. Yes, we probably do lean towards Coffs now, although two years ago living in the Gong maybe we wouldn't. We moved because Pete was offered a job with better seniority etc, and after four years of as 3 hour commute into Sydney, we had decided we needed a lifestyle change. Sydney is great and having worked in both London and Sydney, the latter now wins, it is expensive and busy with just as much traffic jams at London.

Where we now live is quite literally a five minute walk to the beach - and in budget - which we could never have achieved in Sydney or even wollongong.

we see each other more now and spend more time together as a family, Pete even picks Harry up from school once a week, which he would never had the chance to do.

Harry is five- going on 15!! loves the outdoors, swimming at the beach and he and dad are going fishing together next week during school hols!

Kiran is originally from Yorkshire and Pete a long time ago from Dorset. We last lived in UK in Bicester, near Oxford until Feb 2003. Pete was CEO of a professional football club, but stress, and the egos of a board of directors etc made us decide there was more to life.

Pete had lived here in Oz before, coming here in 1988 and returning to Uk in 1992, he was already an Aussie Citizen, so Kiran got a spouse visa. Harry is a dual national by parentage.

Yes, there are a number of Poms in Coffs - even a social group that meets once a month, and you can always hear the various accents when walking around.

As for the lure of the city - I guess it does depend on what you want. Here, we have a movie complex, a small regional theatre, a couple of art galleries and a museum, lots of open spaces, parks, beaches, mountains and rainforests a short drive, monthly community markets, we have an international buskers festival next weekend, there are also other fairs and carnivals etc. But on the whole many are not big time affairs. Not big 'Notting Hill Carnivals' - more smaller, community led affairs.

Whereas Sydney has more museums, theatres, events etc as it is an international city. But we figure it is only an hour away on a plane, so we can visit if we want.

Although the glitz and glam and brashness of the Gold Coast is three hours north - which is very popular. And there are great theme parks for the kids.

If you want some space, some time, less hectic life, where you can send quality time with family, then Coffs is great. We have shops and cafes and restaurants etc but not in numbers or scale of any large metro city.

The fashionable label stores - if you need that fix - are on the Gold Coast. And in Sydney.

Coffs isn't small, as in 'small'. It has about 80,000 people, airport, shops etc etc - on the coast and property prices are lower than Sydney and nicer parts of wollongong. Here you can still buy a block of land and get a builder to build your dream home. That is something you cannot do in UK.

 

website for our bit of paradise: http://www.corindibeachestate.com/

Trust that helps

 

regards

 

Kiran and Pete