Guest sazzle76 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Your a wealth of info pedrowe! I looked at Bellingen and Korora - both look really nice. Can you recommend or know of any good semi rural areas slightly inland of coffs? We are country lovers and as long as we can get to the beach within about 40 mins drive that would be ideal. Im a little confused about how the supply water works to tho, I notice a lot of rural areas have huge water butts for water etc but not sure if you can drink it or how the maintenance of these work or if they run out! town water maybe best ;o) Also we have 2 little boys who will be 1 and 3 in nov so great schools are a must. I hear you have to pay a small fee for public schools, is this only for residents or citizens as well? as we wont be citz. only res. IS the fee payable yearly or termly? Sorry for all the questions but I think you've made yourself a favourite on here LOL many thanx Sally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pedrowe Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Gday thanks for the compliments, happy to offer any assistance to anyone planning to move out this way. If you are looking inland from Coffs, then Nana Glen is real nice, rural yet only 30 mins from the CBD. Russell Crowe has a big spread there. good local school and Russell even paid to build a swimming pool there recently. Bellingen is south west and inland, nice - hotter in summer and cooler in winter with frosts in July. They have a great community market there once a month. We live at Corindi Beach, 35 kms north of Coffs small beachside rural village, with blueberry farms nearby. I hear they sell them in Sainsbury in UK! Other areas to consider are Coramba, Upper Orara, where you can still buy 5 acre lots in some places. Our biggest town near us is Woolgoolga (Woopi to the locals). It has a pub, a couple of clubs, supermarkets, restaurants etc and the largest indian population in Oz, about 3,000. Some good curries!! Many of them own the banana plantations, originally migrated here 100 years ago. Plenty of roadside banana and avocado stalls selling fresh produce. In rural areas you may not be on mains water - properties have a dam with a purification system and septic tanks for waste disposal. In rural areas there will be phones, but no post delivery - we don't have one, we go to the local village post office and collect our mail, which is quite good because it gives us a chance to meet others and gossip about life! If you are thinking of buying a few acres of land, almost anything will grow - all year round. We have citrus trees, and veggies, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, chillies, eggplants etc etc will all grow very easily. Even delicacies like mangoes and guavas will grow. Some farm macadamia nuts and pecans grow out Bellingen way. As for schools, there are no charges, apart from voluntary contributions to assist with additional educational material, books etc. Each school sets its own fees. We pay $10 per year, others may be as high as $30 a year. No other fees apply. There are private schools as well. Bishop Druitt College is one of the best schools in the state, although unsure of the fees. To be honest, this is not an urban metropolis - rural and semi-rural and lots of communities - so there is a feel about plenty of places that sadly disappeared in UK long ago. People leave things outside - and they don't get nicked! People stop and say G'day - even strangers! Corindi Beach Estate the website above has a couple of regional real estate links I think, so that may help, certainly LJ Hooker. Pete and Kiran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest amjam Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 You should get paid for this info. You give the best advice I have had yet. Keep it coming. Its making my decision to move easier and easier Thanks so much Steph x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Undecided! Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I agree with Amjam! Thanks Kiran & Pete - this is fantastic info. I'm getting more and more excited at the prospect of moving now. I'll have to change my user name - no longer Undecided! Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pedrowe Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Not sure if it's advice - more options to help you guys choose. We'd hate to be wrong and you didn't like it when you got here. After all some people love london and all it offers - we've done that and could never like in a big metropolis again. We lived in Yorkshire a decade ago, but wouldn't want to live there now. But others do, and fair play to them. We still get homesick though - I'm sure everyone goes through those phases, most get over it, some don't. We miss family from time to time, especially with Harry not seeing grandparents regularly, although we use Skype the VOIP internet communications system that allows for FREE calls regularly. And we are expecting lots of visitors in the new year when the new house is complete.So that will be fantastic in itself showing them around. Oz isn't for everyone - and that's perfectly ok. But if you can embrace the great outdoors, the very clean air, the blue sky, the millions of stars on a clear night, the stinking hot days - and nights - come to terms with the distance, the jokes about Poms (and yes, by and large they are jokes), the almost uncomplicated english type lifestyle tat exists that many of us might remember of our youth or even before that - 70s and perhaps early 80s - then you'll do fine. Oh, and the price of petrol at half that of UK!! Seriously though, there are some things we know that are different to UK, but we try not to dwell on them and as time goes by and young Harry's accent moves more Aussie than Yorkshire, we now feel quite settled. Life s what you get out of it... and on that note, it's time to bid adieu until next time from the beautiful Coffs Coast, where temps today dipped to 20 with some rain. But back to blue skies and a top of 27 on friday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Undecided! Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Hello again Kiran and Pete, Just wondered if you could shed some light on this: we really like the look of Korora but in all our web searches, we can't see whether there are any shops in the area - I'm mainly thinking of milk bars, coffee shops etc. Do you know if there are any? If not, is there a reason - some sort of restriction on commercial operations? Also, it also seems like there's an awful lot of property for sale in Korora compared to, say, Sawtell. Do you know if that is the case and if so, why do you think that is? Thanks again! H x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pedrowe Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Gday guys Public holiday here today, so we've been beach walking and exploring, 27 and warm. water still a bit too cold for a swim, although we spotted plenty of kids in having a dip!!! Korora is only a five min drive to the Park Beach Plaza shopping mall, so doesn't really have any shops or pubs, milk bars of its own really. It amazingly, doesn't have a post box either, although one lady has been campaigning for one for a while. Most people head into Coffs itself. Can't really say why there appears to be more property for sale there than in Sawtell. Both are 'older' suburbs so much of the property is 20 years old. There are a few new builds, but most new builds and land are available in West Coffs, Sapphire, and further north where we are. Both are nice suburbs, Sawtell does have its own amenities, shops, a pub, a good RSL Club, and even a cinema! Also a great beach. And at Toormina there is a great shopping mall currently undergoing a massive facelift, with a major supermarket and other stores. Sawtell house prices are high, probably because of the location. And most properties are older. If you want land that way, try North Bonville, Lyons Road. A 5 min drive into Sawtell itself. Avoid Toormina area - Badlands!! Not sure if that is of any help. Pete and Kiran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Undecided! Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Wow! Thanks for your speedy reply. Must be very late for you guys now? Thanks for your answers - I can't believe there are no milk bars or even post boxes in Korora! Mmm might have to think hard about whether that's the right place for us... I just love the look of it - a bit hilly and green and still close to Coffs. We'll see. Thanks too for the weather report - it's 15oC and grey, grey, grey here today.... Winter is definately on the way.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pedrowe Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 check out the coffs council web pages for new residents... Coffs Harbour City Council - Welcome New Residents good luck speak soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathK Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 To Pedrowe I'm loving all your info on Coffs! My OH spotted it on Google Earth & loved the look of it, so I'm trying to find out all I can! Bit worried about job prospects, my OH is a sheet metal worker (stainless steel etc), & whilst he has found some businesses in Coffs, we're not sure if there are enough opportunities - do you know? (I've looked on their website & registered him on the job matching site already, so am waiting to see if anything comes from it - but not too hopeful!) Also my concern was how far it is from Brisbane & Sydney - are you fairly self sufficient in Coffs, ie do you have much need to go to the big cities anyway? Presumably you have shopping centres & main stores, plus leisure facilities there etc? Thanks Kath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pedrowe Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Gday to you in Peterborough from a wet Coffs Coast. Plenty of rain this week, although not cold, still about 23. The Coffs Coast Advocate is the local newspaper, so you might find jobs there, although there is no real heavy industry in Coffs. More tourism and service industries. Smiths are a local company who manufacture steel fabrications etc, I think. I am sure they would have a web address via google. Now, how far from Sydney - 600 kms - about 7 hour drive! Brisbane is closer - about a 4 hour drive. Although the Gold Coast is 3 hours and has all the designer label shops you might need, and is a great place for a weekend trip. Coffs is about 90,000 people, has supermarkets, a couple of shopping malls, the usual Big W, Target etc etc - but no real huge dept stores or designer label stops. We have a cinema complex, an airport, Park Beach Plaza with about 100 stores, the usual fast food outlets, plenty of pub, clubs and restaurants - from Thai, Chinese, Indian, Oz, steakhouse, Italian etc etc. Leisure facilities - beaches galore - really clean and many with few people on. Rainforests, markets, concerts etc etc and a small theatre. If you want Disney style leisure parks etc, then the Gold Coast is the place to drive for a weekend, they even have a Versace hotel! But back to Coffs, yes we are self sufficient. Don't really miss for anything and like I say, if you want a really serious shopping exped, then the G Coast is the place to drive to. We haven't been to Sydney for a year, but Brisbane and Gold Coast earlier this year for a break and there are plenty of other great places to visit within a 90-min to 2 hour drive for mini-breaks: Byron Bay for example or Port Macquarie to the south. Flights into Sydney are twice a day with Virgin, and currently about $80 each way, if you want to catch the big city feel. Brissy is easier to drive than fly. Land prices for houses etc are cheaper than Sydney of course - and the climate is sub-tropical with banana, avocado, peach and blueberry farms. Plus a working harbour for superb fresh fish and prawns etc. If you love the outdoors, the warm climate all year round - not too hot because we are on the coast - and a relaxed way of life, then you'll love it here. And petrol has just dropped to $1 a litre here! Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sazzle76 Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 Great info again! Im not a lover of places like the Gold Coast so figure Coffs is the place. Been looking at Nana Glen, Bellingen areas but again not sure of job prospects for OH - hes a panel beater. Seen a few companies listed in the =yellow pages so will probably email them. He currently works for an insurance panel shop (churchill/direct line/NIG insurance) and prefers the larger groups other than small businesses, but then there are hardly any small panel shops in the UK anymore. Also - regarding housing, is it cheaper and do you get more land for your money if you buy land and then have a house built on it or buy an acreage that already has a home on it? OH is fed up with renos, new kitchens, bathrooms, fire places, decorating plastering etc etc!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pedrowe Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 Both Bello and Nana Glen are driving distance to coffs and all the maim businesses etc. Nana Gen is a beautiful small village abut 20 mins drive inland, wheras Bellingen is a separate town, about 8000 people, with its own shops etc and very nice great market, superb pub, but very hot in summer as inland in a valley. No real work there. There are a few panel beaters here, don't know if any workers required etc. Mostly small companies as that sort of business has not gone global in this part of the world - even though the insurance companies have. As for land etc and the pros and cons, we;; we've done both. We bought a ready built house in Wollongong which was big and nice, but we had no input into what we wanted. Ok, but now we have bought land in Corindi Beach and are building a 4 bed, 2 bath 30 square single story home. link to land available here ;;; Corindi Beach Estate Land is available but beware there are hills here - we are close to the great dividing range escarpment, so some blocks might look great value, they could also be on a slope and that will add $40,000 to your build. One advantage right now is the land tax you pay on a block of land is about $4000 to govt, whereas on a house valued at $400,000 (average here) it would be about $14,000. And here's is a great advantage... if you have never owned a home here in NSW before then you are entitled to the the first home buyers grant --- $21,000 from the govt on a new build home - plus some other top-ups which can take it to around $29,000!! Now that is worth having! There is acreage, if you want that - or smaller more manageable blocks. Ours is not far short of a quarter acre, and it suits us fine. You choose and buy your land, then choose your builder and sit down and design your new home. everything from bricks, to roof tiles design, paint colours, windows, floorig and tiles etc, carpets, kitchen etc etc. Pretty simple sort of. Much more personal flexibility than in UK, where you usually get no choice at all. Trust that helps, have a look at land website, there are links to other real estate agents on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest James.S Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 Hi, just wanted to say that this is all such fantastic info... we are going to travel to Coffs in late Jan 09 as we are looking to settle down around there somewhere! All this info has been really helpful.. James... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest allangibbs Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 Hi. We are looking to move over east from Perth WA. We are looking at the northern beaches of Coffs. Emerald, Safety, Sapphire or Corindi beaches. We have 2 girls under the age of 2, so schools will be on the horizon in the not too distant future. We have built twice here in Perth so have been looking at land on the internet. Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks Allan, Rachael, Lauren & Hannah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pedrowe Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 Gday from Corindi Beach Try this link for land: Corindi Beach Estate We moved up here 3 years ago from Wollongong. Beautiful little village, with great beach, local primary school which our son goes to, pre-school, a shop, caravan park on headland, post office and a pub! About 30 mins easy drive into Coffs or north to Grafton. Sub tropical climate, never really cold, as in English cold. Today 23 and sunny. Never too hot either because of the coastal breezes. Land cheapest on the coast, they say. See the link I have provided. Certainly cheaper than in Coffs or Sapphire. Safety is nice, a bit further south from here, but you have to drive into Woopi (Woolgoolga) for everything whereas here you can walk to the shop, school, pub. It depends what sort of lifestyle you want. Happy to offer any other help you might need. Pete and Kiran Rowe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest famousfive Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 Hi,just a quick post as i'm about to head out the door.We live in Sawtell which is just 10mins south of Coffs.My first advice to you would be to research the availability of work in the area first and foremost.House and land prices may seem good but the reality is Coffs has very high unemployment and has had for a lot of years,depending on your chosen field of course. I will write a longer post later with the inside scoop of what living in and aaround the Coffs area is like and hopefully may be helpful to you. All the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest allangibbs Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 Thanks. Any information is greatly received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest famousfive Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 Coffs and surrounding areas have a combined population of about 80,000.In terms of climate,it gets nippy of a winters night so if building make sure to add heating as well as air-com.Summer averages about 28c,gets humid at times but then we get a sea breeze in the afternoon which keeps it pleasant.The area is hilly which you need to be mindful of if buying land,you don't want to be in a very low lying area in case of floods[we do get them at times]and you will miss the sea breeze too. The area has most of the services you would need-airport,schools,2 shopping malls and plenty of smaller shops,a public and a private hospital,churches,cinema,public pool,library,weekly market,Taffe and Uni,sports stadium,surf clubs,porpoise pool,ice skating,water slides,lots of kids playgrounds,indoor play areas,cafes,pubs and more.Most of the beaches are safe for swimming and the main ones are patrolled in summer. It is a slow paced town,even the people walk slowly,this suits some and not others.A lot of retirees move here for the climate but in recent years it has become popular with young families too.The town has it's share of binge drinking youths but no more so than elsewhere I suppose. The amount of non-locals buying property here does inflate house prices in some areas and gives the impression that the area is better off than what it is in reality.The true story is that Coffs is a town of high unemployment and always has been,it is not just the GFC.The availability of work does of course depend on your occupation,but many jobs are part-time,casual or seasonal,and the season is short. The public schools all seem to be of a similar standard but unfortunatly do not rate too highly on the My Schools website.Plenty of pre-schools so no problems there and some of the private schools seem good.A suburb profile web search is a good idea as is a look at the jobseekers site and wage calculator/comparisson sites. I hope this is of some help to you and feel free to ask for more info if you have specific questions.As you may have gathered I don't mind waffling on.:chatterbox: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest allangibbs Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Hi again. Just a quick question on flood areas. Whats the main places to stay away from? We have been looking at blocks of land in Valla Beach. Is this prone to flooding?? Regards the work situation, I am a printer/graphic designer. Probably not much work in that field. Thinking of setting up maybe a mobile car valet service or something like that. You say there is high unemployment. Is this because of lack of jobs or lazy people not wanting to work? Even a job in Bunnings would do for a start!!!!!!!!!! Cheers Allan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest famousfive Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Hi Allan,with the unemployment situation it is a bit of both,some do no want to work but also jobs can be hard to come by.I do not really know how the situation would be in your area of expertise but it may be an idea to check some of the online job sites.Best to just google your job title and coffs harbour jobs to see what the situation is like.The Coffs Coast Advocate is the local paper and has ads on a Wed and Sat,should be online i'm sure.Job agencies are worth a look too.Another idea may be to check the online business directory to see how many companies in the area for your job. Flooding-Coffs had a very bad winter last year with floods but none so far this year.It is not an annual occurance but the CBD businesses have all raised their floors and entrances to combat the problem so it is something the people have to prepare for.Valla had some flooding too but not as severe as Sawtell and Coffs itself.The best advice would be to buy on a hill or at least get a flood assesment of the land you plan to buy,the agent will be able to help you with that one.The floods last year were the worst for years,if a property was flood free through that you are probably on a winner.I would not,however,buy too close to a creek,just in case. If you google floods coffs/valla you can have a look at it all online.I would not let the flooding put me off as it is isolated and not an annual thing,but I would do my research before buying a property. It is a lovely area,naturally beautiful with plenty to do if you can afford it.The question is I suppose,will the work be there for you to afford it,it is not cheap to live here.If you need more info feel free to ask.Sorry this is a bit all over the place but in a rush at the mo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucylou1 Posted August 26, 2010 Share Posted August 26, 2010 Hi again.Just a quick question on flood areas. Whats the main places to stay away from? We have been looking at blocks of land in Valla Beach. Is this prone to flooding?? Regards the work situation, I am a printer/graphic designer. Probably not much work in that field. Thinking of setting up maybe a mobile car valet service or something like that. You say there is high unemployment. Is this because of lack of jobs or lazy people not wanting to work? Even a job in Bunnings would do for a start!!!!!!!!!! Cheers Allan. Hi Allan My parnter and I have just brought a property in Urunga, just 20 minutes south of Coffs Harbour. Gorgeous little village with easy access to Coffs harbour and Sawtell. My Partner, Karl is from the UK and I have lived in the Coffs harbour are most of my life!! In relation to your proposed business there is a company in the area Home of "DRIVEWISE" - BUY YOURSELF A 'UNIQUE' BUSINESS AND HELP YOUR OWN AUSSIE TOWN not sure if its the same as you are thinking of but thought it might be of interest to you. Anyway good luck with your decision to move to the area it really is beautiful and let us know where you decide...Im sure Karl would love to meet up with someone from his homeland!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adierininoz Posted August 26, 2010 Share Posted August 26, 2010 Hi I wonder if anyone has the time and patience to advice me!lol I have been offered a place and scholarshipo to undertake a PhD at the Uni of NSW in Feb 2011. I will be moving down under (yey!!) with an 8 year old and need much advice as to where to look to l;ive! I don't really want to live in the city even though the uni campus I am attached too is in Kensington - I would prefer a more beach/suburb location with families and houses as oppose to apartments and flats. Ideally I want this 'ideal' location to be within train/bus travel of Kensington so that I can get to Uni quickly and back to get my daugther from school! I know...when I read it it sounds like I want the world without probs but I'm not picky, my priority is a nice family area close too a good school. With much anticipation Andria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest loishannah Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 Hi My husband and I plus 2 girls - 3 and 18 months, are moving to Coffs Harbour in January. My husband is a GP and has will be working at Coffs Medical Centre. I am also a doctor and will hopefully be working at the healthcare campus but not straight away as want to get kids settled. I am struggling to get a grip on the pre school system in oz! My eldest one is starting preschool in uk on monday - but understand that preschool/kindergarten starts much later in oz. What is childcare like in Coffs? Are there 'pre-school's? and what age do they start at them? Also any advise re the primary schools - public and private? Secondly any advise on good places centrally for a few weeks summer let for when we arrive and some where trustworthy to buy a car! Any help gratefully recieved, I'm excited abuot going but slightly daunted at same time! Lois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucylou1 Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 HiMy husband and I plus 2 girls - 3 and 18 months, are moving to Coffs Harbour in January. My husband is a GP and has will be working at Coffs Medical Centre. I am also a doctor and will hopefully be working at the healthcare campus but not straight away as want to get kids settled. I am struggling to get a grip on the pre school system in oz! My eldest one is starting preschool in uk on monday - but understand that preschool/kindergarten starts much later in oz. What is childcare like in Coffs? Are there 'pre-school's? and what age do they start at them? Also any advise re the primary schools - public and private? Secondly any advise on good places centrally for a few weeks summer let for when we arrive and some where trustworthy to buy a car! Any help gratefully recieved, I'm excited abuot going but slightly daunted at same time! Lois Hi there Lois, I have lived in the Coffs harbour area almost my whole life. I now live in a little village about 20kms south of Coffs with my British partner. In relation to your schooling questions....Kids can start "pre-school" from as young as 6 weeks of age depending on the Pre-School selected. The majority of kids will enter pre-school on a part-time basis from about the age of 3-4 years. The pre-school system is used as an alternative to "family day care". Family day care is done by a registered carer and is done within the carere own home (after stringent checks etc). This is a very affordable option plus it means the kids are still within a home environment. Max of 5 kids in a carers home. Coffs Harbour family day care operates in Coffs harbour and the surrounding areas Coffs Harbour Family Day Care. In my opinion for smaller kids I would suggest the family day care option as you can "interview" a number of carers to find someone who you click with and who you feel comfortable with. If you want to go down the pre-school option you will need to check with the schools is they will take your youngest child. There are only a few who are licensed to take kids under 2 years of age. Again you are invited to inspect the school and talk to the staff to find somewhere you are comfortable with. Public schooling (in my opinion) is very good especially for younger kids of primary school age. If you want private schools there are only a few in the area, Biship druitt College takes from primary school through to high school, so the kids woulnd change schools when they turn 13, the school caters for all ages. The main consideration is that all the private schools are catholic based. Not sure if that effects you but the ciriculum is based (to a certain extent) around the catholic religion. If you want a summer rental house I would suggest Pacific Property Management Coffs Harbour Accommodation | Coffs Tourist Accommodation Centre or Crown Property Sales Coffs Harbour Real Estate | Coffs Harbour Real Estate Agents | Crown Property Sales | Home For cars Coffs Car Sales is good or refer to www.drive.com.au www.carsales.com.au www.carpoint.com.au . Most used car yards/lots will advertise on the listed websites or in the trading post. Trading Post is great for all things second hand (pre-loved) www.tradingpost.com.au Where abouts in the UK are you guys from? Please keep in touch as my partner would love to meet up with some fellow Brits. Cheers Alicia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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