Central Coast Newbie

[Ahames]

1 minute ago, aconcannon said:

 

Honestly, I think you’d even struggle to get a 2 bed house really far inland for that price. The cost of living in & around Sydney is crazy! That’s why we left. You might get something out West but I doubt it. Is the central coast coming up in your budget? We used to pay $720 in Sydney for a small & fairly outdated 2 bed flat with no facilities. We live in the GC now & are paying $650 for a huge 4 bed home with pool & large garden.

 

Yep cc can offer it that’s why we are looking there. Can’t see us affording much else without being a flat which is pointless.

 

just a shame the job is there! But we have said it’s a starting point - he’s not tied to it. 

 

thanks  for your views, it has helped 

[Ahames]

5 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

An awful lot of people are finding that they can't.  Even people born in Sydney are moving elsewhere because they can't afford it.  Look at @aconcannon - their experience is exactly why most of us tend to tell potential migrants to go elsewhere.

I think I read something similar about Cambridge in the UK (or was it Oxford?).  It's so expensive, it's got to the point where no ordinary person can afford to live there, so they can't get nurses or tradies any more because no matter how far out they go, they can't afford a place to live. That's where Sydney is now.

Did you know that the average Sydney resident lives at least an hour from the beach?  You're trying to move to Sydney and live on millionaire's row from day 1, and that's not realistic. Most Australians do not have the beach lifestyle depicted in Home and Away (which is filmed in a part of Sydney where even modest houses cost millions).  Most of Sydney's population lives out around Parramatta.  They live there because they can't afford to live by the coast.  

There are plenty of respectable suburbs out west.  The problem with the Western suburbs is that they all tend to be faceless places, just row after row of houses.  They don't have pubs, and some don't even have a supermarket.  They might have a Chinese or Lebanese takeaway, a convenience store and a launderette, and that's your lot.  Everyone drives to the big Westfield malls for their shopping now.  Then there's the heat.  Summer is stinking hot, humid and airless and temperatures are 2 or 3 degrees higher than the coast.  It's manageable because you'll have air conditioning and the shopping malls are cool too, but it means you don't get the outdoor lifestyle you're probably hoping for. 

Honestly, in your shoes I would be sacrificing the job and starting out in Newcastle instead. Yes, it's scary to go without a job lined up, but that's what most people do.  Ask yourself what's going to cost you more in the end - a few months without a salary at the start, or paying twice as much rent/mortgage for the rest of your life?

 

Thanks for the honest reply. Sitting here with my house in boxes as it’s being shipped tomorrow - now wanting to cry !

this was why we wouldn’t of picked nsw originally , knew it’d be expensive!

back to the search

thanks again 

[aconcannon]

Yep cc can offer it that’s why we are looking there. Can’t see us affording much else without being a flat which is pointless.
 
just a shame the job is there! But we have said it’s a starting point - he’s not tied to it. 
 
thanks  for your views, it has helped 

I wish I could be more positive & tell you a suburb where you’d get a 3 bed house for that price but sadly, there’s a reason why Sydney is rated one of the most expensive suburbs in the world to live in. We moved from the uk to Sydney with no jobs & then from Sydney to the Gold Coast with no jobs & we were both working within a month. Work isn’t hard to come by. I’d honestly be considering living elsewhere - heading north of Newcastle. Can definitely reccommend the Gold Coast for affordability, more of an ‘Aussie dream’ & year round better weather! Hope you get everything sorted. I know how daunting it is moving over :( it’ll all work out in the end!

[Ahames]

Just now, aconcannon said:

 

I wish I could be more positive & tell you a suburb where you’d get a 3 bed house for that price but sadly, there’s a reason why Sydney is rated one of the most expensive suburbs in the world to live in. We moved from the uk to Sydney with no jobs & then from Sydney to the Gold Coast with no jobs & we were both working within a month. Work isn’t hard to come by. I’d honestly be considering living elsewhere - heading north of Newcastle. Can definitely reccommend the Gold Coast for affordability, more of an ‘Aussie dream’ & year round better weather! Hope you get everything sorted. I know how daunting it is moving over it’ll all work out in the end!

 

We are restricted to nsw. Otherwise we’d be in Brisbane

need to stay for 2yr so we’ll stick it out, it’s what you make of it!

 

glad you guys are happy thou 

[aconcannon]

We are restricted to nsw. Otherwise we’d be in Brisbane [emoji1]
need to stay for 2yr so we’ll stick it out, it’s what you make of it!
 
glad you guys are happy thou 

I probably shouldn’t advertise this but it’s only a moral obligation for you to stay in NSW for 2 years, it’s not a legal one. I know 3 different couples who emigrated on state sponsored visas. None of them lived in the states where they were nominated for longer than a month & 1 couple didn’t go there at all! You really don’t have to be in NSW, but you ‘should’. No not Brisbane; you don’t want to go there! There’s no beaches!

[Marisawright]

19 minutes ago, Ahames said:

Thanks for the honest reply. Sitting here with my house in boxes as it’s being shipped tomorrow - now wanting to cry !

this was why we wouldn’t of picked nsw originally , knew it’d be expensive!

back to the search

thanks again 

NSW is not expensive.  Sydney is expensive, and Sydney is only one city.  All the towns up and down the coast will be half the price of Sydney and give you a lifestyle close to the beach.

Here's an idea.   Be brave and go without a job.   Go to Newcastle or Port Macquarie.   

Give it three or four months.  If your oh finds a job within that time, you can settle - both are lovely beachside places to live. 

If he doesn't, write to Immigration with proof that he's knocked himself out looking for work in the area, and request a release from your obligation, on the grounds that he can't afford to be out of work with a young family.  It's highy likely they will grant it, and you'll be able to move to Brisbane immediately.

Edited October 17, 2018 by Marisawright

[Marisawright]

15 minutes ago, aconcannon said:

 

I probably shouldn’t advertise this but it’s only a moral obligation for you to stay in NSW for 2 years, it’s not a legal one. I know 3 different couples who emigrated on state sponsored visas. None of them lived in the states where they were nominated for longer than a month & 1 couple didn’t go there at all! You really don’t have to be in NSW, but you ‘should’. No not Brisbane; you don’t want to go there! There’s no beaches!

 

Ah, but the migration agents have been posting here recently to say they're starting to cancel 190 visas if they catch people doing that.

However, they are still very generous with releases, so that's the way to approach it now.  You have to at least try to get settled for a few months, then if you can't find work, you can make an application to be released from the obligation.  Once they approve the release, you can go anywhere you like.

[Ahames]

14 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Ah, but the migration agents have been posting here recently to say they're starting to cancel 190 visas if they catch people doing that.

However, they are still very generous with releases, so that's the way to approach it now.  You have to at least try to get settled for a few months, then if you can't find work, you can make an application to be released from the obligation.  Once they approve the release, you can go anywhere you like.

Yep - it’s all over. I can’t risk loosing out on citizenship or having my visa cancelled. 

[Ahames]

20 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

NSW is not expensive.  Sydney is expensive, and Sydney is only one city.  All the towns up and down the coast will be half the price of Sydney and give you a lifestyle close to the beach.

Here's an idea.   Be brave and go without a job.   Go to Newcastle or Port Macquarie.   

Give it three or four months.  If your oh finds a job within that time, you can settle - both are lovely beachside places to live. 

If he doesn't, write to Immigration with proof that he's knocked himself out looking for work in the area, and request a release from your obligation, on the grounds that he can't afford to be out of work with a young family.  It's highy likely they will grant it, and you'll be able to move to Brisbane immediately.

Port Mac and Newcastle were our original areas to live.

 

once our house is empty - it’s time to sit and have a re-think I think!

 

thank you for your advice 

[Marisawright]

 

4 hours ago, Ahames said:

Yep - it’s all over. I can’t risk loosing out on citizenship or having my visa cancelled. 

BUT did you see my other post.   

If you move to NSW and then your husband can't find work, you can apply to be released from NSW.     They are lenient - if you move to Port or Newcastle, and genuinely can't find work, you'd get your release and be off to Queensland in only a few months.  Absolutely NO risk of having your visa cancelled and NO risk to your citizenship, because it's all official and above board. 

It's true he's already got a job, but you've now discovered you can't afford to move to Sydney. That's fine, Immigration will understand that.  You'll just explain that you had to go to a regional area which you can afford and try to find something.

It's a win-win - either he finds a job and you stay for two years in a nice. affordable town, OR you stay there for three months or so, apply for a release and head for Brisbane.

Whereas your current idea of going to Sydney means you'll be struggling to survive on the breadline for two years. It doesn't work for me.

Edited October 18, 2018 by Marisawright

[Anolo Lohgun]

5 hours ago, Ahames said:

Massive thanks for your reply. That link is very good...seems like lots of orange/red spots

 

im struggling here! Where can we live that’s affordable but far enough from city?!

 

 

Orange/red spots are not necessarily bad. Just wanted to stress what I've already mentioned before that NAPLAN result is not the be all and end all measure, far from it instead. But it is useful to show the 'nice' part of Sydney at a macro level.

@Ahames, where are you currently based in the UK?  Moving to Sydney is similar to moving to London.

Ask yourself, can you afford to live in Kensington or Chelsea? If you can then you will be able to afford the poshest parts of Sydney.

Some parts of SW London is the equivalent of Lower North Shore, Northern Beaches (the more expensive part) and most of SW London is the equivalent of NW Sydney. It's generally middle-class affluent neighbourhoods. 

We live in CC because our jobs allow us to do so, I would have dreamt of moving up here if we're tied down to Sydney for jobs. Others can do it, but I won't be able to, it's just not worth the epic commute (to me personally). 

In different job circumstances, we will most likely live somewhere around Hornsby/Westleigh/Thornleigh. The Hills (NW) is a nice and leafy area, but I prefer the Hornsby area.

 

At your budget (550/week) you can get a decent house in Kellyville and surround. My brother-in-law lives around that area for school reasons. It is very far from the beach, but then you'd be living like most of the Sydney-siders do

 

 

 

[Ahames]

3 hours ago, Marisawright said:

 

BUT did you see my other post.   

If you move to NSW and then your husband can't find work, you can apply to be released from NSW.     They are lenient - if you move to Port or Newcastle, and genuinely can't find work, you'd get your release and be off to Queensland in only a few months.  Absolutely NO risk of having your visa cancelled and NO risk to your citizenship, because it's all official and above board. 

It's true he's already got a job, but you've now discovered you can't afford to move to Sydney. That's fine, Immigration will understand that.  You'll just explain that you had to go to a regional area which you can afford and try to find something.

It's a win-win - either he finds a job and you stay for two years in a nice. affordable town, OR you stay there for three months or so, apply for a release and head for Brisbane.

Whereas your current idea of going to Sydney means you'll be struggling to survive on the breadline for two years. It doesn't work for me.

We’ve heard NSW don’t offer release. A friend looked into it as she wanted Perth and can’t see his job paying enough in NSW. 

Itll all work out - still happy to be heading over!

[Ahames]

3 hours ago, Anolo Lohgun said:

 

Orange/red spots are not necessarily bad. Just wanted to stress what I've already mentioned before that NAPLAN result is not the be all and end all measure, far from it instead. But it is useful to show the 'nice' part of Sydney at a macro level.

@Ahames, where are you currently based in the UK?  Moving to Sydney is similar to moving to London.

Ask yourself, can you afford to live in Kensington or Chelsea? If you can then you will be able to afford the poshest parts of Sydney.

Some parts of SW London is the equivalent of Lower North Shore, Northern Beaches (the more expensive part) and most of SW London is the equivalent of NW Sydney. It's generally middle-class affluent neighbourhoods. 

We live in CC because our jobs allow us to do so, I would have dreamt of moving up here if we're tied down to Sydney for jobs. Others can do it, but I won't be able to, it's just not worth the epic commute (to me personally). 

In different job circumstances, we will most likely live somewhere around Hornsby/Westleigh/Thornleigh. The Hills (NW) is a nice and leafy area, but I prefer the Hornsby area.

 

At your budget (550/week) you can get a decent house in Kellyville and surround. My brother-in-law lives around that area for school reasons. It is very far from the beach, but then you'd be living like most of the Sydney-siders do

 

 

 

We are in Hertfordshire here, about 30min train from kings cross. 

 

We’d never think of living in Posh parts of London - so I see your point. But we’d not want to live that near to Sydney anyways. City life isn’t for us. 

But I’ll check out those areas. Realistically we need to arrive to see if we can find anywhere or hubby can handle the commute!

 

thank you 

[Tootsie]

On 18/10/2018 at 08:05, aconcannon said:

It’s nice there but it’s very quiet, pretty much in the middle of nowhere by Sydney standards & a fair trek to the city or nearest beach etc

 

 

????

It is certainly NOT....... "pretty much in the middle of nowhere"

And it is a lot closer to the work location than the Central Coast - where the OP was thinking about anyway

And nor is it a fair trek to the city or beach.

How you actually been there? Or did you just look at a map?

It is 40 minutes on the train from Berowra station, to the Sydney city central business district.

And 40 minutes by car to the Central Coast Beaches, unless you want to hire a boat and visit one of the secluded beaches along the Berowra Creek. Or you can swim at the nearby  Marramarra Creek or Fishponds

And there is some excellent schools just 15 minutes away in the Hornsby area.

Loads of things to do and see in the area (swimming, boating, bushwalking, fishing, trail bike circuit, wildlife), and an extremely safe place to raise children.

Totally disagree with your comments.

 

 

[Ahames]

2 hours ago, Tootsie said:

 

????

It is certainly NOT....... "pretty much in the middle of nowhere"

And it is a lot closer to the work location than the Central Coast - where the OP was thinking about anyway

And nor is it a fair trek to the city or beach.

How you actually been there? Or did you just look at a map?

It is 40 minutes on the train from Berowra station, to the Sydney city central business district.

And 40 minutes by car to the Central Coast Beaches, unless you want to hire a boat and visit one of the secluded beaches along the Berowra Creek. Or you can swim at the nearby  Marramarra Creek or Fishponds

And there is some excellent schools just 15 minutes away in the Hornsby area.

Loads of things to do and see in the area (swimming, boating, bushwalking, fishing, trail bike circuit, wildlife), and an extremely safe place to raise children.

Totally disagree with your comments.

 

 

My husband said about Hornsby, so we are looking around that area.

 

do you know wheee we can look into schools? Are there websites that we can use?

 

thanks 

[CaptainR]

Perhaps consider a temporary rental for 2-3 months in an apartment near to your husbands work and then from there scout out your chosen list of suburbs. A lot of people commute 1hr+ into Sydney every day from the outskirts whether thats Wollongong, Central Coast or the Outer West/Lower Blue Mountains. I know a lot of people even commute from Newcastle where we are now... Ouch... But everyone makes a choice which suits them. 
 I work in Newcastle and chose to live in Lake Macquarie and commit myself to a 30 minute drive each way. I always said I'd live right next to the office, but when you have a family you have to make choices that suit them. That said, when we live in the Lower Blue Mountains I knew so many people leaving home at 5am and then not getting back until 7 or 8pm and the same people told me how awful it was that I worked away for 6+ months of the year yet I reckon I still got a lot more time with my kids with the 5-6 months off I had. 

[Ahames]

2 hours ago, CaptainR said:

Perhaps consider a temporary rental for 2-3 months in an apartment near to your husbands work and then from there scout out your chosen list of suburbs. A lot of people commute 1hr+ into Sydney every day from the outskirts whether thats Wollongong, Central Coast or the Outer West/Lower Blue Mountains. I know a lot of people even commute from Newcastle where we are now... Ouch... But everyone makes a choice which suits them. 
 I work in Newcastle and chose to live in Lake Macquarie and commit myself to a 30 minute drive each way. I always said I'd live right next to the office, but when you have a family you have to make choices that suit them. That said, when we live in the Lower Blue Mountains I knew so many people leaving home at 5am and then not getting back until 7 or 8pm and the same people told me how awful it was that I worked away for 6+ months of the year yet I reckon I still got a lot more time with my kids with the 5-6 months off I had. 

Thank you. I have considered this but it’ll mean moving the kids from schoo again and not sure that’s a good thing?!

i understand that most people commute, due to the vast area. I think he’ll still see kids a lot as they are older and they’ll go to be 8+, we’ll have weekends together, where we don’t have much of that here.

 

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, Ahames said:

Thank you. I have considered this but it’ll mean moving the kids from schoo again and not sure that’s a good thing?!

i understand that most people commute, due to the vast area. I think he’ll still see kids a lot as they are older and they’ll go to be 8+, we’ll have weekends together, where we don’t have much of that here.

 

When are you arriving?  I know some people don't put their children into school immediately.  I'm not sure what the regulations are in NSW about how long you can delay enrolment. 

Have you tried this calculator on realestate.com.au. You plug in whether you want to rent or buy, how much you can afford and which state, and it will show you which suburbs and towns you can afford.

Annoyingly, you'll get results for the whole of NSW so you'll then have to do a Google search to find out which are close to Sydney, but it's a starting point:

https://www.realestate.com.au/neighbourhoods?cid=cid:buy:left:homepg:neighbourhoods

Notice there's also a search bar.  Type a suburb in there and you'll get a profile which will give you the median price of a house in that area.

Also look at homely.com.au to get reviews of suburbs.

Edited October 20, 2018 by Marisawright

[Ahames]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

When are you arriving?  I know some people don't put their children into school immediately.  I'm not sure what the regulations are in NSW about how long you can delay enrolment. 

Have you tried this calculator on realestate.com.au. You plug in whether you want to rent or buy, how much you can afford and which state, and it will show you which suburbs and towns you can afford.

Annoyingly, you'll get results for the whole of NSW so you'll then have to do a Google search to find out which are close to Sydney, but it's a starting point:

https://www.realestate.com.au/neighbourhoods?cid=cid:buy:left:homepg:neighbourhoods

Notice there's also a search bar.  Type a suburb in there and you'll get a profile which will give you the median price of a house in that area.

Also look at homely.com.au to get reviews of suburbs.

Great, I’ll look at those links. Thanks 

 

we hope to arrive late nov 

[Marisawright]

School breaks up late December so really not worth starting late November. Then it’s the long summer break and new term doesn’t start till the very end of January.

[AJ]

5 hours ago, Marisawright said:

School breaks up late December so really not worth starting late November. Then it’s the long summer break and new term doesn’t start till the very end of January.

I totally disagree with this.  Get kids into school as soon as you can.  It gives them a chance to make a couple of friends that they can hang out with during the holidays.  7 weeks is a long time for kids not having mates to do things with

[Guest The Pom Queen]

11 minutes ago, AJ said:

I totally disagree with this.  Get kids into school as soon as you can.  It gives them a chance to make a couple of friends that they can hang out with during the holidays.  7 weeks is a long time for kids not having mates to do things with

We have done this both ways. When we first moved from the UK we took the kids off school for 3 month, it was a long holiday for them, we went to Qld and did a road trip and used the time to find a Suburb and area we were really happy with.

When we moved to Cairns from Melbourne there were 3 weeks left of the school term and we were going to wait until the new year until the principal commented that he found children settled more if they start straight away. In this instance I have to agree my eldest said it was a better process for him as he now knew what his new school was like, had made friends and didn’t need to stress about it over the summer holidays.

Personally I don’t think either way is wrong they both have there plus and negatives.

[Marisawright]

3 hours ago, AJ said:

I totally disagree with this.  Get kids into school as soon as you can.  It gives them a chance to make a couple of friends that they can hang out with during the holidays.  7 weeks is a long time for kids not having mates to do things with

Maybe true, but the OP is struggling to find somewhere affordable to live from a distance.   They could end up anywhere on the outskirts of Sydney in any direction.

I was suggesting it because it's going to add considerably to their stress if they commit to a school when they arrive, and then find they're struggling to afford a home in that area.

Edited October 21, 2018 by Marisawright

[Ahames]

4 hours ago, AJ said:

I totally disagree with this.  Get kids into school as soon as you can.  It gives them a chance to make a couple of friends that they can hang out with during the holidays.  7 weeks is a long time for kids not having mates to do things with

7 weeks! Wow!

 

i just want to get them registered before the break, happy to send them in for few last days of term if it’s allowed / we arrive in time 

[Ahames]

3 hours ago, The Pom Queen said:

We have done this both ways. When we first moved from the UK we took the kids off school for 3 month, it was a long holiday for them, we went to Qld and did a road trip and used the time to find a Suburb and area we were really happy with.

When we moved to Cairns from Melbourne there were 3 weeks left of the school term and we were going to wait until the new year until the principal commented that he found children settled more if they start straight away. In this instance I have to agree my eldest said it was a better process for him as he now knew what his new school was like, had made friends and didn’t need to stress about it over the summer holidays.

Personally I don’t think either way is wrong they both have there plus and negatives.

To be honest, it’s a very good point. I didn’t think of them setting in first. 

 

Youve had had an amazing Aussie journey! Very jealous!