owensfamily Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 It's 5:30 am Sydney time and I can't sleep, we have been here 3 days and I'm not sure if it's jet lag or the millions of things swirling around my head or a combination but I thought I might as well write down our experiences so far We are entering Sydney to validate our visa, family of four, two girls aged 7 and 8. We are staying for 3 weeks to research and make a decision to move permanently or not. I work in IT, the wife is a nurse, we have a 175 PR visa. Flight We flew with Etihad MAN to Abu Dhabi, then Virgin Australia to Sydney, both flights were good but would say the Ethiad flight was better for kids, the Virgin flight cabin crew seemed pretty busy so maybe that was the difference but Ethiad made a fuss over the kids with free activity pack which went down well. Abu Dhabi airport when we first arrived seemed very dated and so busy, we had to walk around for 20 minutes trying to find a seat, we had a 3 hour stop over and it wasn't until we thought we would make our way to near our gate (31) that we discovered a whole new airport, very new, very nice just a shame we didn't gave time to look around. Car hire We used Apex car rentals near the airport, they were friendly and relatively good value, we have a new Hyundai elentra which is big enough for a family of four although the boot only fitted 3 suitcases. We planned on using the iPad for sat nav with the iPhone as backup, I'd installed a free sat nav app (same version works fine in uk) but we couldn't get a gps signal, so after going completely the wrong way and ending up in Brighton we were getting a little tired and grumpy, we stopped and asked this old guy who was really helpful, he even went and got his son from local apartment who offered to let us connect to the internet via his phone to try and get the GPS working, in the end the route to Curl Curl was pretty simple but after a 24 hour journey and next to no sleep our brains were hurting First impressions We are lucky enough to be staying about 300m from north Curl Curl beach in a lovely apartment (beach house Sydney), the sun is shining and so far it's been great, we have so many things to do and find out before we go back in just under three weeks but it's a great adventure Shopping The bad bits $11 for a bunch of grapes, $9 for two chocolate bars and some chewing gum (ripped off in circular quay)...in all seriousness I think it works out similar to the UK IF you shop around and don't buy premium brands. Coles seems (is) really expensive, Aldi is reasonable and the choice was fine, Harris farm markets were also good for a lot of fresh fruit and veg. I think you just have to adjust your eating habits, we tend to eat a lot of salad and fresh fruit , cous cous, rice, pasta, white meat and fish. Here some salad like watercress is a lot cheaper but tomatoes aren't, apples seem ok but berry fruits seem very expensive, back home we eat a lot of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and grapes - here they are expensive as is water melon which is another favourite. We have done a weekly shop and it came to just over $200, I think it makes you more selective in what you buy and careful of what you use as wasting good here is not a good idea. Getting around We have bought my multi tickets (zone 3), it has cost $130 for the week and gives us free travel over most of NSW, we only need 2 adult and 1 child ticket as one child goes free, this wasn't obvious and it was the ticket man at Manly who told us this, and this after refunding our my multi (zone 2) tickets we had bought at a local store as they wouldn't get us on the ferry from Manly. We have hardly used the car, basically only to do the shopping, we will use it later in the week as we want to visit some areas. The beach Curl curl beach is really nice as is Dee Why, we bought the girls wetsuits to keep them warm and protect them from the sun, they weren't cheap so it's probably a good idea to get them online if possible but they make a big difference, they went body boarding for the first time yesterday and they loved it although I think the wetsuits we bought them helped keep them warm (and protected from the sun), we bought ours from rip curl in Manly which I'm sure wasn't the cheapest so possibly shop online or get them from the UK. The people All the people we have met so far have been helpful and friendly, that's from airport staff, in shops, people out and about, however nobody thanks you for giving way when driving, this must be the norm rather than people being rude. The seagulls We were having lunch at circular quay, just a wrap sitting on the benches and a seagull literally landed on my wife's head and pinched the wrap out of her hand! The kids went hysterical as about 30 gulls came squawking down around us fighting over the wrap, to make it worse my eldest dropped her sandwich to which caused more mayhem. It's lucky some those gulls are still alive! As we left the youngest was so upset she dropped here purse with all her holiday money in it (yes she shouldn't have had it all with her but we didn't realise until after), luckily a kind gentleman came running after us with it. Bank Although we turned up 30 mins late to activate our account due to it taking a lot longer (2 hours) to travel the 12 miles across Sydney they were very helpful, we received our cards, pins and set up Internet banking there and then, one thing to note is we thought we had deposited money in our current account (cheque account) but when we used the card for the first time we had to choose savings. Anyway enough for now, I'll update it as we explore Cheers Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Great write up - enjoy your adventure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 The reason why grapes and berry fruit are expensive at the moment is because they are summer fruits... and it's not yet summer. So they are either being flown in from overseas at great expense or, in the case of strawberries maybe, coming from just a few early season areas...so are in short supply...therefore are more expensive. Prices will decrease once the summer season gets into full swing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robo234 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Really enjoyed reading your adventure so far, enjoy & keep us posted x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Food tends to be more seasonal here. And Circular Key is silly expensive. Farmers markets etc are the go, supercraps are for emergencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toodolou Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 enjoy sydney ... damn seagulls! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 A "current account" is often called a savings account over here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owensfamily Posted October 25, 2013 Author Share Posted October 25, 2013 A week in and this is what we have found: Sydney is a beautiful city with so many different things to do, in general the people we have met have been helpful, the places we have visited such as Wildlife Sydney, Taronga zoo and many different beaches have been fanatastic, the choice of restaurants is great, the shopping malls (Warringah) seem to have everything you could need. Both my wife and I were pretty much sold on the idea of living here.....but, and its a pretty big but its just too expensive! One of the things we decided on early on was the standard of living we wished to maintain had to be very similar to back home, we are willing to compromise on a lot of things but not things that affect the kids. From the information we have been able to gather the cost of living here is as follows (this is based on getting quotes from places like comparethemarket.com.au, experiences shopping here, going out here, domain.com.au, paycalculator.com.au, seek.com.au) Our income, I work in IT, the wife is a nurse - based on a annual income of $140,000 with me working FT, the wife working PT or possibly agency work (higher pay, less hours, more risk). According to paycalculator this would give us a weekly income of approx $2100/ week after deductions. Our outgoings, bearing in mind we dont live extravagantly, we dont eat out much, we dont have an expensive car, back home we live in a nice area, in a nice 4 bed semi near good schools, the yougest goes to gym 4 times a week, the eldest gym once a week and horse riding once a week Rent - $900 This is based on the areas we would want to live, we dont see the point moving 12,000 miles to be 1 hour from the coast and work, yes there are lots of nice places in the $700 range but not what we are looking for Food - $250 This is based on what we have bought in the last week, we appreciate its seasonal here and are happy to buy items in season, to split shopping across Aldi, Woolies and local shops but to buy food of a quality similar to the UK and I'm not talking steak and oysters every night it costs approx $250/week Utilities - $133 This is were we might be out a little as its not easy to work out so I have based it on information Ive found online, it breaks down to Council rates $25 Electricity $20 Gas $15 Water $20 Pay TV $12 (only the basic Foxtel, we have full Sky at home so this is a compromise, it could be taken off completly to reduce costs) Home phone and Internet $24 Mobile $17 (PAYG Sims for 2, back home we generally have the latest phones on decent contracts so again another compromise) Kids Pocket money $10 ($5 each) School fees $10 (not quite sure how accurate this is, but it would be state school they would go too) Sports and activities $180 (this is expensive, breaks down as 3x gym $70, 1x gym $20 + 1x horseriding $90, it doesnt include gym competition fees, extra horseriding "pony management days", so they will add up on top of this but as I said above the girls love these and to move them 12,000 and then deprive them of what they love to do isnt fair, we appreciate there are lots of other things to do as well that are free that we dont have in the UK) Insurances $63 Based on life $28, car $15, home and content $20 (if renting wouldnt need home) Transport Car loan $50 (based on a car in the region of $10,000, this could be reduced if we buy out of savings) Rego & licence $15 Fuel $40 (based on wife using car for work, I'd be getting public transport) Public transport $52 (based on Opal card, may cycle part way to work) So with just these basic costs, we are looking at approx $1700/week, we havent costed in childcare - back home we have the grandparents; vet bills (insurance); going out to eat, cinema, bowling etc; clothing; home maintenance; car maintenance; holidays; savings; price increases in utilities etc and we only have $400/week left to cover all this. If we looked at buying a house, 3 bed houses in areas we want are over $850,000 - we would have a sizeable deposit but mortgage repayments at the current best rate would still be around $1000/week so more expensive than renting. At this moment its not looking very good, we still have lots to research, we both need to go to our respective job agencies and see if the salaries we have are in fact accurate but I doubt they are a million miles away from this. To be honest I'm not quite sure how people live in Sydney even in cheaper areas, we both have good jobs with our combined salary of $140,000 we arent entitled to any benefits (not that I can see on Centrelink) so you would think $140,000 should be adequate to live on but at the moment I cant see how without making major compromises Would appreciate any help in making these costs more accurate Cheers Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tayloal Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Great read on both your posts. I was really interested to read your latest update on costs. I've been doing my own research for moving to Perth and based everything on a single income of around $90k, unfortunately the only employment interest I have had has offered a wage of $75k and i'm thinking that my compromises would be plentiful compared to how I currently live. The increase in the cost of living over there certainly has surprised me. You've still got a couple of weeks of your holiday left to maybe look at some compromises regarding housing etc if you really wanted to go that route. I hope everything falls into place for you and you come away with a firm decision. I'm hoping to activate my visa in the next couple of months. Good luck and keep us updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stamford1 Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 (edited) A week in and this is what we have found: Sydney is a beautiful city with so many different things to do, in general the people we have met have been helpful, the places we have visited such as Wildlife Sydney, Taronga zoo and many different beaches have been fanatastic, the choice of restaurants is great, the shopping malls (Warringah) seem to have everything you could need. Both my wife and I were pretty much sold on the idea of living here.....but, and its a pretty big but its just too expensive! One of the things we decided on early on was the standard of living we wished to maintain had to be very similar to back home, we are willing to compromise on a lot of things but not things that affect the kids. From the information we have been able to gather the cost of living here is as follows (this is based on getting quotes from places like comparethemarket.com.au, experiences shopping here, going out here, domain.com.au, paycalculator.com.au, seek.com.au) Our income, I work in IT, the wife is a nurse - based on a annual income of $140,000 with me working FT, the wife working PT or possibly agency work (higher pay, less hours, more risk). According to paycalculator this would give us a weekly income of approx $2100/ week after deductions. Our outgoings, bearing in mind we dont live extravagantly, we dont eat out much, we dont have an expensive car, back home we live in a nice area, in a nice 4 bed semi near good schools, the yougest goes to gym 4 times a week, the eldest gym once a week and horse riding once a week Rent - $900 This is based on the areas we would want to live, we dont see the point moving 12,000 miles to be 1 hour from the coast and work, yes there are lots of nice places in the $700 range but not what we are looking for Food - $250 This is based on what we have bought in the last week, we appreciate its seasonal here and are happy to buy items in season, to split shopping across Aldi, Woolies and local shops but to buy food of a quality similar to the UK and I'm not talking steak and oysters every night it costs approx $250/week Utilities - $133 This is were we might be out a little as its not easy to work out so I have based it on information Ive found online, it breaks down to Council rates $25 Electricity $20 Gas $15 Water $20 Pay TV $12 (only the basic Foxtel, we have full Sky at home so this is a compromise, it could be taken off completly to reduce costs) Home phone and Internet $24 Mobile $17 (PAYG Sims for 2, back home we generally have the latest phones on decent contracts so again another compromise) Kids Pocket money $10 ($5 each) School fees $10 (not quite sure how accurate this is, but it would be state school they would go too) Sports and activities $180 (this is expensive, breaks down as 3x gym $70, 1x gym $20 + 1x horseriding $90, it doesnt include gym competition fees, extra horseriding "pony management days", so they will add up on top of this but as I said above the girls love these and to move them 12,000 and then deprive them of what they love to do isnt fair, we appreciate there are lots of other things to do as well that are free that we dont have in the UK) Insurances $63 Based on life $28, car $15, home and content $20 (if renting wouldnt need home) Transport Car loan $50 (based on a car in the region of $10,000, this could be reduced if we buy out of savings) Rego & licence $15 Fuel $40 (based on wife using car for work, I'd be getting public transport) Public transport $52 (based on Opal card, may cycle part way to work) So with just these basic costs, we are looking at approx $1700/week, we havent costed in childcare - back home we have the grandparents; vet bills (insurance); going out to eat, cinema, bowling etc; clothing; home maintenance; car maintenance; holidays; savings; price increases in utilities etc and we only have $400/week left to cover all this. If we looked at buying a house, 3 bed houses in areas we want are over $850,000 - we would have a sizeable deposit but mortgage repayments at the current best rate would still be around $1000/week so more expensive than renting. At this moment its not looking very good, we still have lots to research, we both need to go to our respective job agencies and see if the salaries we have are in fact accurate but I doubt they are a million miles away from this. To be honest I'm not quite sure how people live in Sydney even in cheaper areas, we both have good jobs with our combined salary of $140,000 we arent entitled to any benefits (not that I can see on Centrelink) so you would think $140,000 should be adequate to live on but at the moment I cant see how without making major compromises Would appreciate any help in making these costs more accurate Cheers Rob A really good and honest view. We are moving to Sydney in the coming weeks and your $140k salary sounds really good. If you can't manage on that money, then people must be on mega money to enable them to live there. We were initially looking at places close to the coast but the nearer you get, it seems the more you pay and then get far less for your outlay. We have taken the view that we want a nice house in a good area with a good school for our 10 year old. We won't be close to the beach but we won't be more than an hours drive away if we want it. Rental prices are scary and to give over half your monthly income away in rent and utilities is never going to work. Hope you find the jobs and wage you want. Edited October 25, 2013 by Stamford1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owensfamily Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 (edited) Well more with more research done I think things are looking more promising for a future in Oz if we want it, we were basing our salaries on the lower end of the job market which I think is sensible but realistically the joint income should be between $150,000 and $190,000, this is after several conversations with recruitment agencies here in Sydney. That extra income makes a considerable difference especially if it's near the top end. Shopping is still really expensive but you can save by shopping around, for example you can pay $6 for bread or $2 if you shop around, if you stay away from prepared food and make a little more effort in the kitchen, don't waste food and plan meals it's much more affordable. Driving around has been an experience at times, although most road rules are similar to the UK the drivers aren't although most seem to obey speed limits. Another bonus, my youngest has started gymnastics here, something she does a lot of at home (13 hours a week) and I have to say the facilities and coaching staff are excellent, it's a lot more expensive but I think worth it. Before she went to gym, she was a 1 (with 1 being definitely don't want to live in Oz, 10 definitely do), she now says she is a 5....so that's a big step, she has been so against living here and that's the first time she has even considered it. Housing, there is still more too research here....need to check out the Hills district but realistically we want to be east of Pymble, you get more for your money out west but commute time and distance to beaches is just too far for what we want. Schools in the area we have been looking all seem to have a good reputation, also after school clubs seem a possibility for child care when we need it Edited October 29, 2013 by owensfamily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Nice posts and updates. You'll get there if you really want to mate. Try a few different gyms btw if you think it's expensive. Generally sport here is cheaper than the equivalent in the UK. Are your kids into swimming too. I've found it's been a godsend for the kids, pools are cheap to get in and are generally 50m. Coaches are everywhere and are usually good. My kids have met loads of friends through swimming clubs and surf club membership, as have we. The 50m outdoor pool in the botanic gardens is great. There are a lot of free rock pools around Sydney too and at Bondi there is the Icebergs pool and club. As you aren't a resident yet you can sign in to go in the bar there and have a swim if you want. If not just check out the bar and balcony on a nice day. View along Bondi is stunning and the club do nice food and cheapish beer and wine. When we were there last year they had a bottle of wine and meal deal for $20. It was about this time of year too with the sculpture by the sea on (worth a visit but it gets really busy at weekends). Just a quick one on the wetsuits, you couldn't have picked a more expensive place than the ripcurl shop tbh. There are heaps of surf shops that sell wetsuits cheap, even branded ones like ripcurl you can generally find about half the price that they charge in the shop. I'm surprised they needed wetsuits and not just a rashie and shorts, the water would be plenty warm enough, wetsuits are good if you are planning to stay in for a long time though. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 ... Housing, there is still more too research here....need to check out the Hills district but realistically we want to be east of Pymble, you get more for your money out west but commute time and distance to beaches is just too far for what we want. ... If you do look at the Hills district you might want to take this future infrastructure into account: http://northwestrail.com.au/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owensfamily Posted October 31, 2013 Author Share Posted October 31, 2013 If you do look at the Hills district you might want to take this future infrastructure into account: http://northwestrail.com.au/ Thanks, I had heard about the new lines going in but didn't know when. The hills do look nice I just think the commute would be too much. We are going to have a look around Kellyville next week so will have a better idea then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owensfamily Posted October 31, 2013 Author Share Posted October 31, 2013 Nice posts and updates. You'll get there if you really want to mate. Try a few different gyms btw if you think it's expensive. Generally sport here is cheaper than the equivalent in the UK. Are your kids into swimming too. I've found it's been a godsend for the kids, pools are cheap to get in and are generally 50m. Coaches are everywhere and are usually good. My kids have met loads of friends through swimming clubs and surf club membership, as have we. The 50m outdoor pool in the botanic gardens is great. There are a lot of free rock pools around Sydney too and at Bondi there is the Icebergs pool and club. As you aren't a resident yet you can sign in to go in the bar there and have a swim if you want. If not just check out the bar and balcony on a nice day. View along Bondi is stunning and the club do nice food and cheapish beer and wine. When we were there last year they had a bottle of wine and meal deal for $20. It was about this time of year too with the sculpture by the sea on (worth a visit but it gets really busy at weekends). Just a quick one on the wetsuits, you couldn't have picked a more expensive place than the ripcurl shop tbh. There are heaps of surf shops that sell wetsuits cheap, even branded ones like ripcurl you can generally find about half the price that they charge in the shop. I'm surprised they needed wetsuits and not just a rashie and shorts, the water would be plenty warm enough, wetsuits are good if you are planning to stay in for a long time though. Good luck. Thanks Paul, gymnastics here has much better facilities so don't mind paying extra, my youngest has been training at Manly this week, it's a big cost but she is a talented gymnast and more importantly enjoys it so I would be willing to pay it. Swimming is definitely something we want the kids to get into, for safety if not anything else both can swim and gad lessons in the uk but I wouldn't let them swim in the ocean unsupervised at the moment, I think I'd take up lessons too, I've never been a great swimmer but I've never been taught properly. As for wetsuits, I'm sure I could gave got them cheaper but it was a bit of an impulse buy, we are on holiday and they are terrible for getting out of the water because they are cold so thought wetsuits would keep them warmer and they could enjoy it more, unfortunately we haven't had many beach days since then due to weather or the beach being closed when we have gone, hopefully get there today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owensfamily Posted October 31, 2013 Author Share Posted October 31, 2013 A really good and honest view. We are moving to Sydney in the coming weeks and your $140k salary sounds really good. If you can't manage on that money, then people must be on mega money to enable them to live there. We were initially looking at places close to the coast but the nearer you get, it seems the more you pay and then get far less for your outlay. We have taken the view that we want a nice house in a good area with a good school for our 10 year old. We won't be close to the beach but we won't be more than an hours drive away if we want it. Rental prices are scary and to give over half your monthly income away in rent and utilities is never going to work. Hope you find the jobs and wage you want. I think you can manage on $140k a year, it just depends on what your willing to accept as a compromise, for us living in a nice area with good schools and shortish commutes is important, allowing the kids to continue with activities such as horse riding and gymnastics is too, those two activities alone add up to $200 per week. Good luck with your move and I hope it all works out for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosiew Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 btw if you are renting you do not pay council rates (they are only paid by owners, it is not the equivalent of council tax) and your water will probably be nothing like $20 per week as you only pay for usage not the rates part. So there are a couple of savings. Oh, and don't buy out of season fruits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfndirt Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 Very good approach and analysis here mate - can see why you are on the 140k salary range = head screwed on. As many have said on other threads in the past, it is a very unfortunate fact of Aussie life that - moving here now is pretty much a down grade in lifestyle for most middle class people from UK, Canada, USA. Mid nineties, hell yeah - best standard of living and place to live in the world I reckon twenty tinies - not at all. What really interests me is the number of people who will come for a look see and then start trying to justify the move with a list as long as your arm of stuff you will need to compromise on when living in Aus. What, may I ask, is the point of that? Going from a Waitrose lifestyle to an Aldi struggle so you can join the Aussie dream. Doesn't make any sense to me. Greed, excessive immigration and a generation which have benefited from a never ending positive economic cycle have totally changed this country - the Billy Connolly Australia of the Ninties is gone I'm affraid. Replaced with 'investment portfolio's' and 'the latest SUV' or 'cafe culture'.... There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, it's called Alice Springs & Tasmania... The real Australia! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Well more with more research done I think things are looking more promising for a future in Oz if we want it, we were basing our salaries on the lower end of the job market which I think is sensible but realistically the joint income should be between $150,000 and $190,000, this is after several conversations with recruitment agencies here in Sydney. That extra income makes a considerable difference especially if it's near the top end. Shopping is still really expensive but you can save by shopping around, for example you can pay $6 for bread or $2 if you shop around, if you stay away from prepared food and make a little more effort in the kitchen, don't waste food and plan meals it's much more affordable. Driving around has been an experience at times, although most road rules are similar to the UK the drivers aren't although most seem to obey speed limits. Another bonus, my youngest has started gymnastics here, something she does a lot of at home (13 hours a week) and I have to say the facilities and coaching staff are excellent, it's a lot more expensive but I think worth it. Before she went to gym, she was a 1 (with 1 being definitely don't want to live in Oz, 10 definitely do), she now says she is a 5....so that's a big step, she has been so against living here and that's the first time she has even considered it. Housing, there is still more too research here....need to check out the Hills district but realistically we want to be east of Pymble, you get more for your money out west but commute time and distance to beaches is just too far for what we want. Schools in the area we have been looking all seem to have a good reputation, also after school clubs seem a possibility for child care when we need it This isn't a go at you per se, but like most poms you need to change your shopping habits. Self explanatory really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owensfamily Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Very good approach and analysis here mate - can see why you are on the 140k salary range = head screwed on. As many have said on other threads in the past, it is a very unfortunate fact of Aussie life that - moving here now is pretty much a down grade in lifestyle for most middle class people from UK, Canada, USA. Mid nineties, hell yeah - best standard of living and place to live in the world I reckon twenty tinies - not at all. What really interests me is the number of people who will come for a look see and then start trying to justify the move with a list as long as your arm of stuff you will need to compromise on when living in Aus. What, may I ask, is the point of that? Going from a Waitrose lifestyle to an Aldi struggle so you can join the Aussie dream. Doesn't make any sense to me. Greed, excessive immigration and a generation which have benefited from a never ending positive economic cycle have totally changed this country - the Billy Connolly Australia of the Ninties is gone I'm affraid. Replaced with 'investment portfolio's' and 'the latest SUV' or 'cafe culture'.... There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, it's called Alice Springs & Tasmania... The real Australia! Cheers Surfndirt, I don't know about having my head screwed on right but I agree with what you're saying, coming to Australia for us has to improve our standard of living, there is lots of good here like people seem happier and are more helpful (whether that is true is less expensive areas I don't know), Sport/ health seems to be a big driver for a lot of things, just today a number of schools where on the beach doing PE, Gymnastics facilities are amazing, Climate is so much better which in turn allows so many other things such as days out etc, Public transport seems reliable and not bad value, Shopping facilities seem equal, Westfields is huge with pretty much everything you could want,Eating out seems similar possibly a little more expensive but not relative to Aussie earnings...there is lots to like here, lots that's better, what we have decide is if the salary we can earn in Australia can provide an better standard of living We are off to a school in Frenchs Forest on Monday, the principal was really helpful so hopefully that will give us more insight into life in Oz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Cheers Surfndirt, I don't know about having my head screwed on right but I agree with what you're saying, coming to Australia for us has to improve our standard of living, there is lots of good here like people seem happier and are more helpful (whether that is true is less expensive areas I don't know), Sport/ health seems to be a big driver for a lot of things, just today a number of schools where on the beach doing PE, Gymnastics facilities are amazing, Climate is so much better which in turn allows so many other things such as days out etc, Public transport seems reliable and not bad value, Shopping facilities seem equal, Westfields is huge with pretty much everything you could want,Eating out seems similar possibly a little more expensive but not relative to Aussie earnings...there is lots to like here, lots that's better, what we have decide is if the salary we can earn in Australia can provide an better standard of living We are off to a school in Frenchs Forest on Monday, the principal was really helpful so hopefully that will give us more insight into life in Oz Forget even trying to compare the standard of living. It wouldn't matter if I were a multi millionaire living in the UK. The lifestyle we have here is just not available. It's not a money issue. A few friends and I did the Anaconda adventure race in Augusta this last weekend. We've been doing it since it started a few years ago. It's the biggest one in the world now. We stayed on In Augusta for a few days and we were in the pub after the Melbourne cup, sorting the World out after a few beers and wines. My friends are also ex-pats and his brother is still in London doing very well for himself as a self employed builder. Million dollar plus house, kids in private schools etc. My friend said he's more happy that he's knocked off half an hour from his Anaconda time than being able to earn $100,000 a year more, which he probably could if he stopped training and spent more time at work. Depends what your priorities are, lots of people are looking at success as power and money but that usually means spending longer at work and taking on more responsibility. We aren't broke by any means and go out for meals, pub, holidays but we would all rather spend more time off with the family, training, doing different sports, socialising with people with the same interests. We knew when we emigrated that neither me or the wife wanted to make lots of money and have a big house with a pool, boat and all the trimmings. We knew that we would be happy with the equivalent of what we had in the UK and all the other stuff that makes our lifestyle so much better is free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danners Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 First impressions We are lucky enough to be staying about 300m from north Curl Curl beach in a lovely apartment (beach house Sydney), the sun is shining and so far it's been great, we have so many things to do and find out before we go back in just under three weeks but it's a great adventure Rob We stayed there too on our recce in July! Say Hi to Nicky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owensfamily Posted November 7, 2013 Author Share Posted November 7, 2013 We stayed there too on our recce in July! Say Hi to Nicky! It's really nice isn't it, wouldn't hesitate to recommend it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owensfamily Posted November 7, 2013 Author Share Posted November 7, 2013 Forget even trying to compare the standard of living. It wouldn't matter if I were a multi millionaire living in the UK. The lifestyle we have here is just not available. It's not a money issue. A few friends and I did the Anaconda adventure race in Augusta this last weekend. We've been doing it since it started a few years ago. It's the biggest one in the world now. We stayed on In Augusta for a few days and we were in the pub after the Melbourne cup, sorting the World out after a few beers and wines. My friends are also ex-pats and his brother is still in London doing very well for himself as a self employed builder. Million dollar plus house, kids in private schools etc. My friend said he's more happy that he's knocked off half an hour from his Anaconda time than being able to earn $100,000 a year more, which he probably could if he stopped training and spent more time at work. Depends what your priorities are, lots of people are looking at success as power and money but that usually means spending longer at work and taking on more responsibility. We aren't broke by any means and go out for meals, pub, holidays but we would all rather spend more time off with the family, training, doing different sports, socialising with people with the same interests. We knew when we emigrated that neither me or the wife wanted to make lots of money and have a big house with a pool, boat and all the trimmings. We knew that we would be happy with the equivalent of what we had in the UK and all the other stuff that makes our lifestyle so much better is free. Youre right you can't buy this lifestyle in the Uk however, power and money is not success for me, providing a good and happy life for my family is but in Sydney the money you have to earn to have a comparable lifestyle I.e. Eating good quality and healthy food, live in a nice house (comparable to a standard semi in the uk), near good schools and allow the kids to continue to do things they love in the uk is ridiculous, without fulfilling these basic things we take for granted back in the uk the fact that the sun is shining and we can go the beach is going to wear thin pretty quick. I think we have pretty much decided Sydney isn't an option, we could manage but I don't really want to take an $800,000 mortgage out now and still be paying it as retirement looms, that and how will the kids manage I want to be able to assist them financially in uni or whatever they choose. Saying all that Sydney is fanatastic pretty much everything except cost of living is as good or better than home. We are still thinking of moving here (Oz) but not Sydney, Melbourne appeals cost of housing in particular seems half of the cost in Sydney, plus gymnastics and horse riding are about half the cost, my job pays a little less, the wife's about the same. Perth is another option although the remoteness has always put me off but we haven't ruled it out. Cheers Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLexpat Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Thanks for sharing as this is really useful. We're going down the State Sponsorship route so we don't have a choice but to make a go of it in Sydney at least in the first few years. I love that city though and I am looking forward to lots of the free stuff at the parks and the beaches with our kids. I'm under no illusion though that it won't be expensive. I can't believe the price of those grapes!! Maybe I'll need a veggie patch ;-) Good luck with your Melbourne search. We have close friends there too who love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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