CVS Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Hi We're going for a state sponsored visa but have to head to Far South NSW, can anyone tell me the most northerly town that is in the right post code? Is it Nowra? Anybody living and working in that area and can shed any light on what life's like? We live in Gibraltar so used to small town life but concerned about the job market and schooling. My husband is an IT Manager and I'm a PA/Office Manager, we have kids aged 4 & 6. Any advice or insight would be gratefully received! Thanks C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Nowra is pretty much the main Southern NSW town. Nowra is fine, and if you want to live coastal there are plenty of options. Obviously work is the main objective and your husband will need to focus on finding work in Nowra or South of Nowra (Seek.com.au) and live where the work is. Once you've lived in Australia long enough to obtain PR you will be able to move wherever you like (major cities obviously will have more work and better salaries for an IT manager, but equally far higher property prices). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVS Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 6 minutes ago, CaptainR said: Nowra is pretty much the main Southern NSW town. Nowra is fine, and if you want to live coastal there are plenty of options. Obviously work is the main objective and your husband will need to focus on finding work in Nowra or South of Nowra (Seek.com.au) and live where the work is. Once you've lived in Australia long enough to obtain PR you will be able to move wherever you like (major cities obviously will have more work and better salaries for an IT manager, but equally far higher property prices). Thanks for the reply, what's Nowra like? A sleepy town? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 (edited) 9 hours ago, CVS said: Thanks for the reply, what's Nowra like? A sleepy town? I wouldn't say sleepy. It's the biggest town in the region so it's a busy place with all the amenities you need. It's also your best chance of employment, because every other town in the region IS sleepy. Nowra suffers from a reputation for being rough and full of bogans (the Aussie equivalent of a chav), but like most places, it depends which part of Nowra you live in. From memory, it's a question of choosing the right side of the river, though I can't remember which is which! Edited May 11, 2018 by Marisawright 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misskat0 Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 We arrived in Nowra about 18 months ago (from London...). It's an administrative and commercial hub town, with however limited employment opportunities - I was competing with applicants from Wollongong and beyond, and it took a few months. Many people choose to live in the coastal villages and commute in (about half an hour away or more) because of the rep the town has - but the trouble spots are well known (e.g. East Nowra) and are easily avoided. People rate North Nowra - I found it too suburban - newer subdivisions on tiny blocks in West Nowra - but we ended up in an obscure, quiet street on the Nowra side of the river. Easy walk to supermarkets (yes, we have an Aldi too), best fishmonger/butcher and veg market in the area, and the riverbank. Not much in terms of nightlife or culture, not terribly diverse (though we do have a couple of all right bars and curry places!), but some of the schools are well regarded. State and local government are main admin employers here; also Albatross (naval base) might have IT opportunities. I wouldn't be put off. Cheaper housing here too, but all the far south coast is going up in price as retirees cash out of Sydney and Canberra. Expect to pay A$500k for something tolerable, more in the "nice" areas and coastal villages. Nowra (at least, Bomaderry across the river) is also the last stop south on the train from Sydney, which is a plus. Ulladulla and Batemans Bay are the next big towns going south, but employment is even more difficult to come by and the distance from the city starts to bite. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVS Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 3 hours ago, misskat0 said: We arrived in Nowra about 18 months ago (from London...). It's an administrative and commercial hub town, with however limited employment opportunities - I was competing with applicants from Wollongong and beyond, and it took a few months. Many people choose to live in the coastal villages and commute in (about half an hour away or more) because of the rep the town has - but the trouble spots are well known (e.g. East Nowra) and are easily avoided. People rate North Nowra - I found it too suburban - newer subdivisions on tiny blocks in West Nowra - but we ended up in an obscure, quiet street on the Nowra side of the river. Easy walk to supermarkets (yes, we have an Aldi too), best fishmonger/butcher and veg market in the area, and the riverbank. Not much in terms of nightlife or culture, not terribly diverse (though we do have a couple of all right bars and curry places!), but some of the schools are well regarded. State and local government are main admin employers here; also Albatross (naval base) might have IT opportunities. I wouldn't be put off. Cheaper housing here too, but all the far south coast is going up in price as retirees cash out of Sydney and Canberra. Expect to pay A$500k for something tolerable, more in the "nice" areas and coastal villages. Nowra (at least, Bomaderry across the river) is also the last stop south on the train from Sydney, which is a plus. Ulladulla and Batemans Bay are the next big towns going south, but employment is even more difficult to come by and the distance from the city starts to bite. Good luck! Thank you! Really appreciate your response, may pick your brains further down the visa process! Have a great weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr and Mrs Holmesy Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Hi, We are also hoping to go to far south coast and have been looking into the areas around Nowra. The responses and opinions on this post have been very informative- thank you :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVS Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 9 hours ago, Mr and Mrs Holmesy said: Hi, We are also hoping to go to far south coast and have been looking into the areas around Nowra. The responses and opinions on this post have been very informative- thank you :-) Hi, how are you getting on with the whole process?! It's so hard to know where to go and what to do! I think Nowra will be a good starting point! Are you moving with kids? Let's keep in touch! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slean Wolfhead Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 (edited) On 5/11/2018 at 21:55, CVS said: Hi We're going for a state sponsored visa but have to head to Far South NSW, can anyone tell me the most northerly town that is in the right post code? Is it Nowra? Anybody living and working in that area and can shed any light on what life's like? We live in Gibraltar so used to small town life but concerned about the job market and schooling. My husband is an IT Manager and I'm a PA/Office Manager, we have kids aged 4 & 6. Any advice or insight would be gratefully received! Thanks C It's all about work really. Quite a few people who work in Canberra (high wages, lots of jobs) live on the South Coast. It can be done with some flexible jobs and you pack your working week into 4 days. They come to Canberra on a Monday morning, stay over 2 nights and drive home after work on Wednesday, then work at home Thursday on paperwork to reach the 38-40 hours. 2 nights in Canberra, 5 nights on the coast at home. Maybe that would be an option for one of you if you struggle getting the right jobs in the right places. The further South you go, the cheaper it is, with less people and less traffic. They're all about 3 hours from Canberra. Edited May 12, 2018 by Slean Wolfhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVS Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 29 minutes ago, Slean Wolfhead said: It's all about work really. Quite a few people who work in Canberra (high wages, lots of jobs) live on the South Coast. It can be done with some flexible jobs and you pack your working week into 4 days. They come to Canberra on a Monday morning, stay over 2 nights and drive home after work on Wednesday, then work at home Thursday on paperwork to reach the 38-40 hours. 2 nights in Canberra, 5 nights on the coast at home. Maybe that would be an option for one of you if you struggle getting the right jobs in the right places. The further South you go, the cheaper it is, with less people and less traffic. They're all about 3 hours from Canberra. Interesting! Thank you v much for your input, much appreciated! 18 hours ago, misskat0 said: We arrived in Nowra about 18 months ago (from London...). It's an administrative and commercial hub town, with however limited employment opportunities - I was competing with applicants from Wollongong and beyond, and it took a few months. Many people choose to live in the coastal villages and commute in (about half an hour away or more) because of the rep the town has - but the trouble spots are well known (e.g. East Nowra) and are easily avoided. People rate North Nowra - I found it too suburban - newer subdivisions on tiny blocks in West Nowra - but we ended up in an obscure, quiet street on the Nowra side of the river. Easy walk to supermarkets (yes, we have an Aldi too), best fishmonger/butcher and veg market in the area, and the riverbank. Not much in terms of nightlife or culture, not terribly diverse (though we do have a couple of all right bars and curry places!), but some of the schools are well regarded. State and local government are main admin employers here; also Albatross (naval base) might have IT opportunities. I wouldn't be put off. Cheaper housing here too, but all the far south coast is going up in price as retirees cash out of Sydney and Canberra. Expect to pay A$500k for something tolerable, more in the "nice" areas and coastal villages. Nowra (at least, Bomaderry across the river) is also the last stop south on the train from Sydney, which is a plus. Ulladulla and Batemans Bay are the next big towns going south, but employment is even more difficult to come by and the distance from the city starts to bite. Good luck! Thank you! Really appreciate your response, may pick your brains further down the visa process! Have a great weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr and Mrs Holmesy Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 3 hours ago, CVS said: Hi, how are you getting on with the whole process?! It's so hard to know where to go and what to do! I think Nowra will be a good starting point! Are you moving with kids? Let's keep in touch! :-) I am just at the stage of waiting for my skills assessment to come back (my profession takes approx 6 months...!) It should be back anytime soon though and then we will be applying for the 489 straight away. I’m realising this is a process that you have to let take it’s natural course- I’m not the world’s most patient person!! We have a 7 year old daughter so will have to take into account schools etc. What about you...? Do you have children? You’re right- it’s a hard process trying to pinpoint what and where etc but I’m enjoying the research and finding out about the area as a whole. There are certainly some beautiful spots...! How is it all going for you? Are you much further along in the process? Let’s definitely keep in touch! Good to know someone is in a similar boat and we can always swap notes :-) Thanks for replying and enjoy the rest of your weekend! Best wishes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVS Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 On 13/05/2018 at 00:07, Mr and Mrs Holmesy said: I am just at the stage of waiting for my skills assessment to come back (my profession takes approx 6 months...!) It should be back anytime soon though and then we will be applying for the 489 straight away. I’m realising this is a process that you have to let take it’s natural course- I’m not the world’s most patient person!! We have a 7 year old daughter so will have to take into account schools etc. What about you...? Do you have children? You’re right- it’s a hard process trying to pinpoint what and where etc but I’m enjoying the research and finding out about the area as a whole. There are certainly some beautiful spots...! How is it all going for you? Are you much further along in the process? Let’s definitely keep in touch! Good to know someone is in a similar boat and we can always swap notes Thanks for replying and enjoy the rest of your weekend! Best wishes Morning, It seems we're at about the same stage in the whole process, we're waiting for my husband's skills assessment to come back, it's such a long old process!! Really hope you get yours back soon, 6 months is an age! We have 2 kids, nearly 4 and 6 1/2 so in the same boat as you! It's all a bit daunting but great to hear from people going through it and those that have been through it! My main worry is finding work that can support us but according to our immigration agent you just need to work, it doesn't need to be in the field you are applying in (which seems odd to me!). I'm trying not to get too ahead of myself because it can be a bit exasperating! As you say we have to let it take its natural course! Fingers crossed you get some news soon! Have a great Monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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