Bucklevitch Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Hi everyone I hope I can get some advice. It's long been my dream to emigrate to Brisbane or close to, I went when I was 16 and was hooked. I'm 42 with two kids and a partner plus dog hoping to go down skilled sponsor migration route but of course have a few niggling doubts one due to the fact neither myself nor my partner drive. We would likely learn once settled there if we had to, we've honestly never found we had to here in the UK. So how difficult are we going to find it IF my sponsorship and visa go ahead? I'm looking at the sunshine coast as they have plenty of childcare jobs on offer and a large company may be interested in me. Thanks for reading and the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 It really depends where you go. You could live easily in Melbourne or Sydney without a car (I did for 6 years) because both have good tram/rail/bus services. I think Brisbane is fairly good too. The problem arises in Australia when you go outside the capital cities. Bus timetables can be infrequent and limited. I remember when we arrived in country Victoria, there was literally NO public transport within about 200km! Buses on the Sunshine Coast are run by Translink http://jp.translink.com.au/travel-information/network-information/buses/all-timetables Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucklevitch Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 It really depends where you go. You could live easily in Melbourne or Sydney without a car (I did for 6 years) because both have good tram/rail/bus services. I think Brisbane is fairly good too. The problem arises in Australia when you go outside the capital cities. Bus timetables can be infrequent and limited. I remember when we arrived in country Victoria, there was literally NO public transport within about 200km! Buses on the Sunshine Coast are run by Translink http://jp.translink.com.au/travel-information/network-information/buses/all-timetables That's reassuring, I have looked at areas and done research to ensure choice of area has transport links, we aren't afraid of walking and wouldn't want to be remote either. I have a lot of family in redlands but can't work there due to the visa type so we would essentially be on our own most of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 I cannot imagine the possibility of a family of 4 plus dog loving here without having at least one car but preferably two. Not many homes would be within reach of work, schools, shops, doctors, vets etc and that is just essential journeys. Walking and cycling are not recommended in the middle of a summer's day. Even finding a place to live is tricky without your own wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucklevitch Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 I cannot imagine the possibility of a family of 4 plus dog loving here without having at least one car but preferably two. Not many homes would be within reach of work, schools, shops, doctors, vets etc and that is just essential journeys. Walking and cycling are not recommended in the middle of a summer's day. Even finding a place to live is tricky without your own wheels. thanks for the advice. we've managed the last 12 years doing school runs, working, shopping, buying furniture and even moving towns without the need of a car. i completely understand how vast oz is and how being able to drive would be so much easier but if, like previous responder said, we chose an area with good transport links and close to schools (which i think i have found) can it really be so difficult? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 thanks for the advice. we've managed the last 12 years doing school runs, working, shopping, buying furniture and even moving towns without the need of a car. i completely understand how vast oz is and how being able to drive would be so much easier but if, like previous responder said, we chose an area with good transport links and close to schools (which i think i have found) can it really be so difficult? Yes it is that difficult! Like I said, where I lived in country Victoria there was no public transport at all - not even a Greyhound style bus. I don't like driving and do without a car whenever I can. I'd have no qualms about living in Brisbane without a car, but public transport is far, far more limited in regional Australia than it is in regional Britain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Hi Bucklevitch I don't like driving either, although I do drive and I have a car. I just don't like doing long distances and /or motorways. My husband used to drive but he is getting more reluctant to do long journeys as we get older. We have spent many months visiting family in Sydney and have always managed without wheels. We did a house swap on the Northern beaches for a month once and managed totally without a car or taxi for the whole time. I think (as I'm sure you know) its about choosing your location carefully and being a bit better organised than most car users. We have visited Brisbane and found the city centre easily manageable on foot, even in the middle of the day. I think Marisawright is correct in her assumption that the further out of town you live, the more difficult it is to do without a car though. We intend to settle (when our parent's visa eventually comes through!) in a town with a railway station, but having a car will give us more choice of property - if you can drive, you can live further out and drive to the station if you don't want to do the long distance stuff. If I were you, I'd give driving ago - its convenient for jobs 'round town' and you never know, you might even find you enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 thanks for the advice. we've managed the last 12 years doing school runs, working, shopping, buying furniture and even moving towns without the need of a car. i completely understand how vast oz is and how being able to drive would be so much easier but if, like previous responder said, we chose an area with good transport links and close to schools (which i think i have found) can it really be so difficult? I used to live in yokine in Perth and I hardly ever drove. I did own a car though. Good bus service to the city. You can do it if you pick the right suburb. But oz is more car centric than the UK. Saying that, it would be easier to learn there, and cheaper to drive there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Yes it is that difficult! Like I said, where I lived in country Victoria there was no public transport at all - not even a Greyhound style bus. I don't like driving and do without a car whenever I can. I'd have no qualms about living in Brisbane without a car, but public transport is far, far more limited in regional Australia than it is in regional Britain. Marisa, She has repeatedly said she is moving to Brisbane not country Victoria. The situation in country Victoria is totally irrelevant. Why do you keep going on about regional Australia ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 thanks for the advice. we've managed the last 12 years doing school runs, working, shopping, buying furniture and even moving towns without the need of a car. i completely understand how vast oz is and how being able to drive would be so much easier but if, like previous responder said, we chose an area with good transport links and close to schools (which i think i have found) can it really be so difficult? We had a car in England but rarely used it. The mainline station to London was just a 10 minute walk away and we had local shops literally round the corner as was school. This was all despite living in a suburb 20 miles from the city. We could not afford a family home in the city either there or here as they tend to come with a hefty price tag. You can grocery shop online here and have delivery so that helps. I do wonder how many respondents who did without a car in Oz had a family at the time. It is often a different proposition with kids. After school activities, going to friends houses, trips out etc. If you can find the right home for your family in an affordable area with good transport links then go for it. As Marissa says the further out you go the further everything is spread. Nobody I think could be without a car in most of the suburbs here including mine. Their home would become their prison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRandLou Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Hi i would strongly suggest learning to drive in UK as should be quicker and cheaper. You will need a car, we tried living with just 1 car but when I had it for work my wife felt trapped at home. The buses not great in our area(North Lakes) and walking in the heat is hard work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxlornaxx Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 I really don't know how we would have done the move without a car...trying to get round to all the house viewings that have sometimes no time to blink between them n trapsing back n forward to find work n sort Medicare n Drs n visa stuff etc..it would just have been a huge added stress, we don't know anyone here to help. Plus we ended up sleeping in car couple of times when accomdation fell through at last minute. And then there's all the beautiful places we would have missed if we only went on guided tours or public transport. Ive come across a few situations where I've looked at my husband and said 'omg imagine we didn't have the car'. If your not going to live regional then yes I think having no car is fine but will make it harder initially although definitely not impossible but it's not something I would want to do having made the move twice now. I had no car for years and it's fine when your settled in a country. I would Advise u get lisence in uk before u Go even if u don't use it as if u change your mind in the future QLD is a pain for all the things u need to go through to get just restricted licence. Also for job opportunities, they often want drivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxlornaxx Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 And yeah the heat...the aircon in car is often a welcome and much needed relief when your trying to run around and do a million things at once n remember what they all are when u first land! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 It's not impossible and don't let not having a car/driving put you off going for what you want, if it becomes a necessity you can learn when you're here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Marisa, She has repeatedly said she is moving to Brisbane not country Victoria.The situation in country Victoria is totally irrelevant. Why do you keep going on about regional Australia ? Because she is NOT moving to Brisbane, she is moving to the Sunshine Coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 thanks for the advice. we've managed the last 12 years doing school runs, working, shopping, buying furniture and even moving towns without the need of a car. i completely understand how vast oz is and how being able to drive would be so much easier but if, like previous responder said, we chose an area with good transport links and close to schools (which i think i have found) can it really be so difficult? I don't know Brisbane so can't comment on the city for public transport. I do know it can be horrible walking, heck even standing anywhere for even a few minutes in 35-40C heat or humidity. The place where you do your weekly shop may be a 5 minute car drive but a 40 minute walk (as it is for us). And in anything over 27C ish in the day is not pleasant to be stuck out in and over 30C its not something I would do. Plus the get it all home before it cooks aspect. Bike ride to the shops is fine for a few items but its not the weekly shop solution. Its hilly and I'd be going uphill all the way home. Steep hills. And then there is the UV aspect. The sun really does burn for a number of hours of the day and you can feel the effects of it standing outside for even just a few minutes. Where we live now I often walk my son to school all year round but won't walk him home if the temp is over a certain number and the UV high. They are hot and tired anyways and that just adds to it for all of us. Metropolitan living may work as access to city, public transport etc would be fine. Going anywhere else would be a chore though. We managed fine in Adelaide when we first arrived (we were in a busy metropolitan beach suburb on the flat) apart from the school aspect which was further away and needed a car or bus or bike to get to it. Not ideal as it meant 3pm in 35C heat to get home quite often. Also I could not have done any play dates or picked up extra kids without a car as their homes were too far to walk or it was too long to take them back to ours on public transport and walking. Shopping was fine as it was a 3 minute walk to the shops but that was only because of where the house was. Elsewhere could have seen a 20 minute plus walk each way in the same suburb. Suburban living would be hard going IMHO. Things like a local corner shop don't really exist (least not in the suburbs I am used to where we are). Also people can live a 5 minute car drive but its a 20-30 minute walk to their house and not really on any bus routes. How would you manage play dates or picking up a school friend and dropping them home. I kid you not, car is king here and although its annoying there is a reason for it. Also things like kids party invites. So far ours has been invited into the CBD, a beach suburb to a big playhouse place, laser quest a ways away and elsewhere, all of which are 30 minutes plus in the car with clear traffic. To try to get to these parties on public transport would see a trip taking well over an hour, probably an hour and a half each way. And many other kids don't live that close by though parents would be happy to take or bring back if in the same area. Cities sprawl out for miles and location is vital, more so if you don't have a car and need access to public transport. Days out to places could be hard going without a car. Getting from south to north for us for things takes an hour plus in the car, double that on public transport (often with crappy air con). Sure into the CBD is fine but outside of that, its buses, changing buses to get another one or a train/tram and then possibly changing again. Oh, dog walking. Perhaps not so fun either depending on dog by laws, dog parks and places to go. We live in an area with loads of places to go but when we lived closer to the city it was far more limited and dog parks were about it. Going to said dog park was a 30-40 minute walk at least, 5-10 in the car. On hot days, even at 7am it can be 30C here and walking so far would be hard going for dog and human in the heat. When I met my husband he was living in the CBD here, had no car (but could drive) and rode his bike everywhere. It was perfect then as we had no kids, the central market 2 blocks away and the main shopping mall in the CBD a 10 minute walk. Plus lots of parklands, cafes, parks and more on the doorstep pretty much. A huge supermarket round the corner and Chinatown the other end of the street. We would take the tram to the coast, easy so long as going to the same coastal suburb. Bus on the loop round the city if need be. Fast forward quite a few years we have a child, live in the suburbs and we cannot manage without a car even though we use it as little as possible. Hubby rides his bike still and we try to walk to school etc but we certainly need the car. It'd be expensive, inconvenient and take up a lot of time out of our day otherwise. Having said all that, if you are used to it you'd probably manage somehow. However I do think you need to factor in the heat of the day and being out and about and things like shopping (or have it delivered to your door). And a good location would be vital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 I think you would struggle living anywhere other than maybe the centre of Caloundra or the likes. Somewhere like that you 'should' manage to do day to day things but you would miss out on lots of the things and sights that QLD has to offer, a trip to the zoo or a different beach would be nigh on impossible. A visit to the Gold Coast or Brisbane of a weekend, fireworks at NY or for the River festival would be some other things you would miss out on.. Overall i would say its probably do-able (if you pick a very built up area ) but lots of things wont be and you could feel a bit alienated/ confined to your home town. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 I don't like driving but do drive out of necessity in Brisbane. Always lived near bus ways/trains and the service is good in and out of the city but not good if you're going any other way. I don't know any Australians who don't drive - it's an expectation here although a high proportion of those have automatic licences only. Personally I think it would be a pain in Brisbane and preclude you from many nice places if you didn't drive, and nigh on impossible in the Sunshine Coast. If I were you, I'd go to one of the one week intensive courses in the UK and get it over with. They don't seem to have the equivalent here, and I suspect it is much cheaper in UK than Oz to learn. Once you've got your licence you can always have some local 'refresher' lessons here and gain confidence at your own speed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robfromdublin Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 I live in Brisbane and for the first time I really feel like I absolutely need a car. Previously I've lived in several small cities (<500,000 people) and one Brisbane-sized one (~2m) and not felt like I've needed a car at all. Remember, properties are much bigger in Brisbane which means lower population density. You need to travel further for the basics. It also means that utilities that you take for granted in the UK (e.g. footpaths) won't always be present. Public transport is one of the most expensive in the world and if you need to travel anywhere other than directly into and out of the CBD then you're looking at two buses probably. Bike paths are not extensive and you will probably want to avoid main roads on your bike (much less bike friendly than UK main roads I found). For the dog, there are very few 'off-leash' exercise areas of any size around the city. Most are small, fenced-off areas in parks. On the plus side, in the last year or so the big supermarkets have started delivering so that's one problem out of the way. It's certainly doable but I would consider it very limiting. If you were to attempt it I would live within about 7-8 km of the CBD. Melbourne or Sydney would be better options for non-car living if you were considering them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Oh, and another factor we hadn't properly considered. We are only a 5-10 minute walk from the school bus pick-up. It happens though that our daughter plays the cello and most days it is either going in with her or coming home. Even without that the kids here carry all their books to and from school plus a laptop and their packed lunch and water bottles, spare suncream etc. Most of the kids wheel a baggage trolley type thing round the school with all their stuff. The car boot is normally full at pick up and drop off. We hate the driving school run with a passion but struggling to see how we can manage otherwise certainly this time of the year when it is way too hot to struggle back from the bus stop laden down in the hot late afternoon sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 One of the downsides to Australian suburban living IMO is car dependency. A big minus and has played a part on the locations I have lived. For example I wouldn't consider living in a place with inadequate public transport facilities. A must. Yes it is fully possible to live without a car in Australia if decide location well. A bicycle done me fine when lived in a large regional centre in WA as well as keeping me fit. Where the car did necessitate was employment. At least for a time until located in permanent position. Partner needed a car more so though, which was a prime reason to buying one. We found hiring a car when going on holidays perfectly sufficient for the early years. Living in a city location I seldom use a car. I have known a few people without a car licence. One was even a former Mayor. Decades ago a number of women didn't drive. Saying that some of the out laying newly established burbs where many are enticed due to price, it would be near impossible to survive sans auto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Not many here don't drive except the young and the very old ( and some of those keep their licences until they are 90 +). In an emergency it is good to have a car here. Unless you are pretty much living in the city you will probably find you need to drive, you would be trapped without a car. I never bothered to drive when I lived in the Uk as a young person, living in London. Here I pretty soon found you can only walk so much, especially when it is really hot outside. Buses often don't turn up round here though the trains are ok ( but who wants to live that close to a railway line?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Another thought - I agree it would be worth learning to drive and getting your licence in the UK as it will probably be cheaper. Also, you've got enough to do in your first year in Australia, without worrying about driving lessons. Then it's a fairly simple matter to convert your UK licence when you get here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pommekate Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 I strongly recommend you get your licence before coming to Australia, after passing your test in England you are on a full licence, but here in Australia you will be sit a computer test before getting your L's, then a driving test before getting your red P's, then another computer test before your green P's and after a couple of years get your full licence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicF Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 If you are used to not having a car then with careful selection of area you could manage perfectly fine without one here as well. Part of the problem is people with cars can never imagine living without them so think they are completely necessary. We have one car between the two of us and there are plenty of times when I choose not to use it even though I could. We used to have two cars in the UK and I could never imagine living without a car then. These days I reckon we could manage at a push. I catch the bus everyday to work and back, walking to and from the bus stop at each end regardless of the temperature. If we head in to the city on the weekend I will often choose to take the bus rather than drive. When the weather is cooler I will walk to our local shops, which are a 40 minute walk away. Without a car I would simply catch the bus to the shop as I see plenty of people doing when travelling on the bus myself. There have been times when we have been unable to get one child somewhere because one of us is taking the other child in the car, but at these times knowing other parents with kids going to the same place can be very helpful. I would do your own research in to the public transport options in the areas you are thinking about living and make your own mind up based on your current experience of living without a car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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