Daphne123 Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Hi all I have just been offered a job at the University of New England (UNE) in Armidale. I applied thinking that I had no chance of being successful and here I am with a job offer. I had, of course done some research on UNE and Armidale itself prior to applying, but must say that this was rather cursory (something I am now regretting). I wondered whether anyone had direct experience of working at UNE as a lecturer and what the academic culture there was like, etc? In the UK, many academics often get a chance to spend some of their working week at home (when research and writing papers are the order of the day). Is this also the case at UNE or is it a 9-5/6pm in-office culture? In terms of Armidale itself, I am pretty much convinced that the four seasons, (including very cold winters) and countryside lifestyle is exactly what my husband and I are looking for, so this is not a problem. The only other question I have concerns buying a house. The price of houses in and around Armidale seems to be most reasonable. I am looking at properties on sale for prices which mean we could move and clear our mortgage. It seems that we could buy a house for under 150,000 British Pounds...is this too good to be true? Does Armidale and its surrounding districts have any really bad areas? Everywhere has them, so I figure Armidale is unlikely to be different. Could anyone give me an idea of any areas to look at through real estate agents which would highlight the difference in prices between good and bad areas? We are really looking to be away from it all. So I am thinking that central Armidale is probably not where we want to be (although I gather the area is rather rural anyway). We currently live in the countryside. Sorry for all the questions. I have 48 hours to make up my mind! Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Can't help with the academic side but I like Armidale. It reminds me of Canberra which has a similar climate and feel. As well as the Uni, there are also a few rather expensive private boarding schools in Armidale (the sort of schools rich graziers send their kids to). It has a lot of highly educated people living there so there are more cultural events and activities and better shops and facilities than the average Australian country town. You probably wouldn't want to buy the cheapest house in Armidale (they'd be cheap for a reason) but you should get something OK for $300k. Armidale is only a couple of hours to the coast at Coffs Harbour via one of the most scenic drives in the country when you want a trip to the beach. It's close to Tamworth which is another decent-sized town with good shops. If you want country-living and can handle the cold winters then I'd recommend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne123 Posted August 2, 2013 Author Share Posted August 2, 2013 Can't help with the academic side but I like Armidale. It reminds me of Canberra which has a similar climate and feel. As well as the Uni, there are also a few rather expensive private boarding schools in Armidale (the sort of schools rich graziers send their kids to). It has a lot of highly educated people living there so there are more cultural events and activities and better shops and facilities than the average Australian country town. You probably wouldn't want to buy the cheapest house in Armidale (they'd be cheap for a reason) but you should get something OK for $300k. Armidale is only a couple of hours to the coast at Coffs Harbour via one of the most scenic drives in the country when you want a trip to the beach. It's close to Tamworth which is another decent-sized town with good shops. If you want country-living and can handle the cold winters then I'd recommend it. Thanks so much for this reply. Armidale does seem to be the sort of place I imagined from my own cursory research. I can certainly handle cold winters and definitely want country living. If we were to make the move we would be keen to clear our mortgage as my husband will have less pressure on him to then find a well paid job. He has many years experience in IT but no qualifications and I think that this will be a severe barrier to him joining the profession in Oz? If we relocate he is happy to do anything to get by. Would you say it might be possible to say find a job in retail or indeed in the rural industries where he could earn $20k? Due to my wages (and without a mortgage) we think we could manage on this. Am I right in thinking that ultimately the cost of living in Armidale is broadly comparable to that in the UK? I do have one last thing to check regarding the house prices. Following your mention of Tamworth, I have looked on the real estate websites for properties in both Armidale and Tamworth and there really are lots and lots under $300k. These are often brick built with a reasonably good sized garden. We don't want lots of bedrooms as we are only the two people. Should I really not be looking at anything under 300? I am assuming the problem with these prices is that the houses are located in bad areas? Perhaps I should give a few examples in my next post? This issue really is working out to be the clincher in the decision making process for us. No mortgage and we move, I reckon, mortgage and we start to worry about my husband getting a better paid job, if you see what I mean. Thanks again for all of your help and advice. P.s. I said I had 48 hours to make up my mind. I have kindly now been given til' the end of next week. My potential employers sound very patient! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del70 Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Hi! I replied to your other post too, as we lived in Armidale for 6 months a couple of years ago, on a Teacher Exchange. We loved Armidale. It took just under 3 hours to get to the coast if we fancied a change of scenery. Plenty to do in Armidale - a great rural city, and UNE seemed a popular university. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Thanks so much for this reply. Armidale does seem to be the sort of place I imagined from my own cursory research. I can certainly handle cold winters and definitely want country living. If we were to make the move we would be keen to clear our mortgage as my husband will have less pressure on him to then find a well paid job. He has many years experience in IT but no qualifications and I think that this will be a severe barrier to him joining the profession in Oz? If we relocate he is happy to do anything to get by. Would you say it might be possible to say find a job in retail or indeed in the rural industries where he could earn $20k? Due to my wages (and without a mortgage) we think we could manage on this. Am I right in thinking that ultimately the cost of living in Armidale is broadly comparable to that in the UK?I do have one last thing to check regarding the house prices. Following your mention of Tamworth, I have looked on the real estate websites for properties in both Armidale and Tamworth and there really are lots and lots under $300k. These are often brick built with a reasonably good sized garden. We don't want lots of bedrooms as we are only the two people. Should I really not be looking at anything under 300? I am assuming the problem with these prices is that the houses are located in bad areas? Perhaps I should give a few examples in my next post? This issue really is working out to be the clincher in the decision making process for us. No mortgage and we move, I reckon, mortgage and we start to worry about my husband getting a better paid job, if you see what I mean. Thanks again for all of your help and advice. P.s. I said I had 48 hours to make up my mind. I have kindly now been given til' the end of next week. My potential employers sound very patient! I've only ever visited Armidale - I've never lived there so I'm no expert on jobs or real estate prices. I would be cautious when looking at realestate.com or domain.com. Places can look nice in the photos and be pretty bad in reality. There is always a reason why cheap property is cheap - whether it's because the area is awful, the house is grotty, the suburb is flood-prone or there are power-lines just out of sight of the photo. You might find a good place for under $300k but a quick look at real-estate.com showed that some of them in that range are questionable. Lots seem to be marketed at investors which tends to mean that the place is OK to be rented out but you probably wouldn't want to live there yourself. You could try 'walking' around the streets using Google maps - you can often get a feel for an area. Sorry I can't help more.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Been to Armidale many many times and 2 things are worth thinking about in winter, apart from -12 C nights, that is... 1. The airport is often 'socked in' due to fog (had to wait 2 ½ hours for fog to lift). It is 1080 metres above sea level. 2. Woodsmoke from the numerous wood burning heaters. As Armidale is in a hollow, the woodsmoke hangs over the town and is considered to be carcinogenic. A study was taken in the late 80s, I believe. Apart from that, it is a beautiful town and has a good shopping precinct. Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Armidale is a beautiful place, was offered a job there years ago and didn't take it for family reasons but have regrated it ever since. Very dry in summer but as others have said not that far to the coast - well not in Aussie terms though three hours is a long way to many poms LOL Why not rent something for say 6 months will give you time to look around at property. Some really lovely old homes in Armidale and if you want to be a bit more rural well 15 minuets is all it takes in the car. Schools some of the best in the country, good shops. I would say go for it. If you don't like it but still want a rural life then you could look for work in Toowoomba Qld. Will also give you time to drive around and look at other areas. http://www.whereis.com/ is a really good web site. You can key in any town - Armidale and it will bring up a map of the town and surrounding areas, then you can key in a different suburb and it will give you distance and KM between the two locations. Also you can key in anything you are looking for like school, shops, churches and it will bring up a list and icon on the maps. Weather is cold in winter, Autumn is spectacular with all the autumn trees, Summer hot but not humid, spring really pretty with lots of spring flowers. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Concerning the woodsmoke I mentioned earlier: http://www.armidale.nsw.gov.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=733&Itemid=1920 Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del70 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 There are obviously some areas of Armidale that aren't as desirable as others...... There's a railway line , so suppose you wouldn't want to be right next to that. Some areas close to the university have more 'student' type accomodation. We lived on the south hill, but have friends dotted around all over Armidale. I agree that you should rent first if possible. It won't take you long to get a feel for the place, and which areas are the 'best'. We found it to be a lovely, friendly place. The Centro shopping centre is good, and as most places in Australia, has free parking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del70 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 http://www.localguidesigns.com.au/armidale-tourism/armidale-maps.php As for winter - yes, cold at night, but then quite often by lunchtime we were outside having a BBQ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 If you are worried about wood smoke, and with the size of Armidale not to many seem concerned and there are new laws now on emissions, but if you are concerned you could look at Guyra, or Uralla both around 30 minuets either side of Armidale, easy drive but you do have to watch out for black ice in the winter, both places are pretty rural and you would need to go to Armidale to do your shopping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmo Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I don't know the area myself but is't that the place that is always in the news with the train rage nutters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del70 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I don't know the area myself but is't that the place that is always in the news with the train rage nutters? ??!! Can't imagine anything like that in Armidale NSW! Is it Armadale WA you're thinking of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I don't know the area myself but is't that the place that is always in the news with the train rage nutters? You might be thinking of the Armadale train line in Perth rather than the university town named Armidale in NSW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I don't know the area myself but is't that the place that is always in the news with the train rage nutters? could be wrong but I think that is Armidale Victoria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Probably not this one in NSW Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 ... I am assuming the problem with these prices is that the houses are located in bad areas? Perhaps I should give a few examples in my next post? T... Struggling end of town is on the eastern outskirts of town here: https://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=armidale+nsw&hl=en&ll=-30.527897,151.681066&spn=0.00524,0.026425&hnear=Armidale+New+South+Wales&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=-30.5279,151.68107&panoid=gxsdz243aymgqxoqi5lUDg&cbp=11,163.74,,0,4.63 A lot of the town had streets closer to this though: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Nice Photos Fish (one with the garden not the housing commission photo LOL) where about in Armidale is that. What about Ben Venue sort of South East seem to remember driving around that area a couple of years ago new style homes and not to bad a place , mind you if money were no option would love a place in an older area with nices houses and lots of big trees. Daphnie if you do buy just be careful not to buy to close to a lot of bush land, it is very different to the UK you can get some nasty fires in the scrub areas during summer time, not to mention the odd snake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Nice Photos Fish (one with the garden not the housing commission photo LOL) where about in Armidale is that. What about Ben Venue sort of South East seem to remember driving around that area a couple of years ago new style homes and not to bad a place , mind you if money were no option would love a place in an older area with nices houses and lots of big trees.... 81 Beardy St...courtesy of realestateview that one Agreed, some of the bluestone homes in inner Armidale look great. Though being from Brisbane I'm used to warmer weather and the character homes around me being like this: Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr So Armidale winters and their blue brick character homes (below) might be a step too far for my sensibilities as nice as they can be If it suits it looks like it could be a great place to live. Seems to have a quite a broad arts and heritage offering for a country town. I imagine it has quite a few interesting groups to join if you are that way inclined. Armidale blue brick house, and a confused Camellia. #coolArmidalehouses by RainbowsandDaydreams, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmo Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 You might be thinking of the Armadale train line in Perth rather than the university town named Armidale in NSW. Yes. You're correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Yes. You're correct. Great. Did I win a bogan ? Here's my photo of Armidale train station Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr The town of Armidale fought long and hard to have their train services restored. Another one of its benefits...a direct 8 hour run into Sydney on the train. There's a community run museum inside the train station where they can show the rail history the town was built on. I think they used to have 100's of rail workers based there maintaining the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Hi Fish stop with the Brisbane photos you are making me home sick ! Our old home looked a lot like the photo you put up of the Queenslander LOL don't mind the Central West NSW climate actually must be the pom in me coming out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Hi Fish stop with the Brisbane photos you are making me home sick ! Our old home looked a lot like the photo you put up of the Queenslander LOL don't mind the Central West NSW climate actually must be the pom in me coming out. What was that ? You lived in a Queenslander like that and you miss it and would like to see more? Sure, I'll see what I can do to help....took this around the corner from that house...looking forward to Jacaranda season: Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr And a few streets over: Oh, stop showing them...sorry back to Armidale: They're not short of Cathedrals for a country town: Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr Courthouse: Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr Was facing the wrong way after the town decided to grow behind it rather than where they expected....they had to bite the bullet one year and turn it around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del70 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Armidale is proud to be 'The highest city in Australia' ! It's a fabulous rural 'city' - we loved it there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 This place is very affordable: http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-armidale-114453967 I wonder if it floods being near the creek ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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