Cost of moving to Oz

[Quoll]

4 minutes ago, Amber Snowball said:

I think the £50K is a possibility if you are 6 months + out of work. It can and does take people a while to find work. Not sure what sort of SW you do or what the vacancy rates are in each state but if it looks like you are struggling to find work in the area you want I suspect you’ll do what you’d do here in the uk and take a less than perfect job in order to pay the bills.

That's it exactly, Amber.  A lot of people get caught by the lack of jobs - they think it will be as easy as it was back in UK but the Aus employment system can move exceeding slow in some cases and the states always used to say that migrants need to show that they have enough funds to see them through 6 months without work.  I dont know if they still check up.  If you think the average salary these days is around $85k then for 6 months you'd be thinking (ball park) $40k - that's nigh on £20k.  A decent car is going to cost you around the $10-15k and heaven help you if you need two! Health insurance if you need it is going to cost you $3-4kpa, then you've got car rego and insurances, home insurances (they always seem to be about $1k a pop these days) They all do mount up unfortunately.  We easily spent £10k just getting us and our stuff here recently what with one thing and another and that was without visas and the need to find a home because we have one.  It was silly little things like communications, larder stocking, seeing a doctor for first prescriptions (ouch), getting back on health insurance so as not to incur the age penalty, repairing things we needed in the house, stocking up on wood for the winter etc etc. All those other things we didnt have to deal with like visa costs, visa agents, skills assessments, kids flights, setting kids up for school and, of course, the recent quarantine charges, they  would raise the cost even more, especially if, to get a seat, you have to pay Business or 1st class fares (the mind boggles)

[Amber Snowball]

@Corrina it’s a leap of faith at the end of the day. If you really want to do it then bite the bullet and do it. Just accept it might not be what you thought and if it’s not then hopefully all you lose is money. I am genuinely pleased when I moved in 2005 I didn’t know half of what is talked about on here as I may not have moved at all. I really didn’t think very hard at all tbh.....possibly not the recommended approach. 
You are doing your research, accept there’s a risk, start the process. The visa process isn’t quick so best crack on if that’s what you really want to do otherwise the opportunity may pass. 
Migration is expensive. Australia is expensive in my opinion. Each family is different with different needs, expectations and earning capacity so it’s hard to pin down an exact comparison and also Australia is huge and each state is different. For every person that loves Australia there’ll be another that hates it.  
The forum is full of information and people willing to share experiences and opinions but ultimately you need to decide. Flip a coin, heads you stay, tails you leave. If you flip heads and say best of 3 you have your answer.

[Toots]

35 minutes ago, Quoll said:

That's it exactly, Amber.  A lot of people get caught by the lack of jobs - they think it will be as easy as it was back in UK but the Aus employment system can move exceeding slow in some cases and the states always used to say that migrants need to show that they have enough funds to see them through 6 months without work.  I dont know if they still check up.  If you think the average salary these days is around $85k then for 6 months you'd be thinking (ball park) $40k - that's nigh on £20k.  A decent car is going to cost you around the $10-15k and heaven help you if you need two! Health insurance if you need it is going to cost you $3-4kpa, then you've got car rego and insurances, home insurances (they always seem to be about $1k a pop these days) They all do mount up unfortunately.  We easily spent £10k just getting us and our stuff here recently what with one thing and another and that was without visas and the need to find a home because we have one.  It was silly little things like communications, larder stocking, seeing a doctor for first prescriptions (ouch), getting back on health insurance so as not to incur the age penalty, repairing things we needed in the house, stocking up on wood for the winter etc etc. All those other things we didnt have to deal with like visa costs, visa agents, skills assessments, kids flights, setting kids up for school and, of course, the recent quarantine charges, they  would raise the cost even more, especially if, to get a seat, you have to pay Business or 1st class fares (the mind boggles)

I know where you are coming from Quoll.  It wasn't cheap moving from Sydney to Tasmania especially as we got rid of a lot of stuff we had had for years and had a massive declutter.  Like you we are mortgage free but just restocking on household bits and pieces, fridge, vacuum cleaner and some items of furniture all added up I can tell you especially as there isn't the huge choice of furniture/white goods stores we were used to in Sydney.  I can just imagine what it must be like to migrate with everything it entails.  

[Ausvisitor]

8 hours ago, Corrina said:

 Our daughter is happy to wait a bit longer to head off to uni. She doesn't feel ready for it all just yet but is currently in college. She would like a few gap years until she feels ready to commit. She's only 16. It's so young if you're still not sure about the world. 

So her not wanting to rush into training might be a blessing for now. It might offer us more time to see if we can secure PR  

The problem you are going to have here, is whilst anyone who gets PR automatically qualifies for AUS home fees as a uni student it isn't the case in the UK.

Most people assume if you are UK you get to pay UK fees, that isn't the case you need to live in the UK full-time for the three years preceding the first day of the course otherwise you are classed as an international student.

So let's say you go to Oz next year (she is 17 and you go on a 190/189 so you are PR)

At 18 (uni year) she decides to have a year off

During that year you all decide to move home so she starts what could have been uni year 2 in the UK

Except now she has to wait 3 years or pay UK international fees (general rule £20k+ per year instead of £9k and no loan to pay for it either)

Think carefully about moving a child nearing UNI age as you could be locking them into having to stay in AUS even if they hate it there or having to put their life on hold for 3 years

Edited September 13, 2020 by Ausvisitor

[ali]

8 hours ago, Corrina said:

Hi Tulip, 

Thank you. I appreciate all the raw but honest advice. The things that people don't really tell you or talk about!... Where was all of this on Wanted Down Under?? It's true though, people do manage it, even if they don't have the finances secured. I hope that their dreams work out for them, even if just for a short time. 

We do have the money to go for it, but I sure wish I could know that we'd manage to recoup it eventually through higher salaries. Then it would all be worth it. 

Our daughter is happy to wait a bit longer to head off to uni. She doesn't feel ready for it all just yet but is currently in college. She would like a few gap years until she feels ready to commit. She's only 16. It's so young if you're still not sure about the world. 

So her not wanting to rush into training might be a blessing for now. It might offer us more time to see if we can secure PR  

The easiest way for you to prove her dependence at time of visa grant is for her to be in education.

[Corrina]

5 hours ago, Quoll said:

Only thing I can agree with here is the adventure - that is the one reason why you might think of moving.

Higher salaries (but dont go on straight comparisons, compare as a percentage of the local average salary), yes, but higher living costs too - I shudder at my weekly grocery shop here and for relatively little it seems.  Better climate - for some maybe, and for others not so good - personally I hate the incessant heat, having to get out at 6am so I can walk without burning to a crisp in summer, lurching from air conditioned car to air conditioned mall and back (hopefully this year) to our air conditioned house and a week of hot sweaty nights is wrist slitting territory.  Our houses (Canberra) arent built for the cold either so this winter has been a shock to my system after 8+years in UK - we've gone through over a tonne of wood just to keep warm.  Outdoor lifestyle - lovely if you like mozzies and flies and various other creepy crawlies; I am much less inclined to be outside (in summer especially) than I ever was in UK, no sitting on the grass having picnics that's for sure (no real grass, just couch grass which is most bare skin unfriendly although I think they might have real grass down in Vic and Tas). I know a lot of people on here are beach people but after a while I am of the "seen one beach, seen them all" persuasion - it's all personal choice. Laid back approach - nice joke. Longer working week, fewer vacation days and a CV driven need to climb the greasy pole and meanwhile keep step with the Joneses.  Most families I know are dual income because they cant afford to live on one income (yes, Canberra is expensive).   If you also choose to budget for trips "home" to keep in touch with family, that's one holiday a year gone and a lot of money in the process.  If you have no family left to visit then you are quids in but dont expect people to come out and visit you either - it's expensive, it takes up a big chunk of their holidays and the older you get the less appealing is the 24 hours flying.

Canberra used to do  a lot of social work sponsorship and usually within the first couple of years, 90% of them would have moved on, mostly moving home because of the burn out.  Had a chat with a lot of them and whilst we in the associated fields really loved their approach, the management would clamp down so hard on them that they would give up in despair at not being able to do a proper job.  Hopefully that may have changed by now. Someone even wrote a semi autobiographical novel about her SW experiences here before she headed home, it was very amusing but I suspect it took her a while to recover.

You mentioned living about an hour away from the City - an hour away from the centre of the big cities means you are still in the Big City - the suburbs go on boringly for hours.  You may mean one of the smaller country towns and they generally have a nicer sense of community, but they will generally be some hours from the major capital cities (Canberra is the exception however, we are a nice size and although the suburbs are spreading like cancer they're nowhere like in the Sydney Melbourne league)

WDU is one step removed from H&A I suspect - sugary viewing and bearing little resemblance to the reality. Have the salt pot ready when you watch it.

However, as I said, if you are only in it for the adventure then go for it and to hell with the pennies.

Hi Quoll...wow, you've painted the most depressing picture of life in Oz I do like your style of writing, but cheer it up a bit please mate...Is there Anything positive out there at all? Thank god I love flies, mosquitos, crap dried grass and avoiding the scorching sun!.... You have made me smile this Sunday morning (UK) though. And I get that everywhere in the world has its good and bad points, and of course, we all experience things differently. Moving isn't just for an adventure for us. We have many reasons. And we need to hear the good, bad and the ugly. Thank you. If I could buy you a beer to cheer you up, I would

[Corrina]

5 hours ago, vickyplum said:

Hi @Corrina, have been reading this thread with interest and trying to think back to our actual costs when we moved in 2015.  Not that it will help you reduce your costs, but may give you a realistic idea about setting up a home and $$ associated with that.

Roughly we spent $4500 setting up home - ie, pretty much purchasing everything from scratch, apart from sofa, fridge, TV and a spare bed (gifted from family and since replaced with new - apart from the sofa which is on it's way out soon!!).  This was buying nothing more fancy than Ikea - lots of Kmart, Target, Ikea, local Asian shops etc.  Think iron, cutlery, clothes pegs, crockery, cleaning products, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, cooking pots and pans/utensils, kettle, toaster, beds/bedding, dining table/chairs, a few other bits of furniture and so on - all the things you would need to function in your home.  Since then, we've replace some items with better quality, but this is what it was at the time.

We rent, so had to put down a deposit of $3k ish.

Moving costs of:  visa GBP 2k  for application, medical, police checks,  etc /flights $3k ish / Move Cube for shipping of personal items $700 plus possible some extra $$ for actual delivery of the boxes to our door.

So that's well over $10k with nothing special included. We stayed with relatives when we first arrived, didn't buy a car and I was working within a few weeks - so didn't have to fall back on other funds (just as well because we didn't really have any!!).

However you cut it, migrating here isn't cheap, and being here isn't that cheap either - depending on how you live and what choices you make, will vary that of course.

For reference, I'm in Sydney (from London before that, and Oxfordshire before that!).

Hi Vicky, thanks so much for your reply. Very honest and real. Just what I needed. I have rough figures in my head for things and I'd say yours is fair comparison given the time difference. Thank you. 

We live in Monmouthshire, South Wales and considering Perth, Adelaide or The east coast. Have friends in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, NSW and Darwin. 

[Corrina]

4 hours ago, calNgary said:

They are pretty much the reasons we moved and so far all is good and many of those boxes ticked. In a couple of months we will have been here 14 years., its scary how time flies but we have no regrets . From reading your posts it sounds like you have done your research ,which is good and its even better to hear you have friends who have already made the move so no doubt they can give you a heads up of any pitfalls. Although more expensive at the beginning a PR visa gives you way more 'perks' (for want of a better word) once you have arrived, so with kids id definately be going that over a sponsored visa if you can.

Costs do add up and its normally silly things like a driving licence, some sort of work licence, school charges etc that you sometimes forget to budget for but remember these things are over time, its not like you step off the plane and are hit with a $20k bill. I read you did an online shop which would have given you a good idea of what things costs,just remember to buy when items are on offer (especially at supermarkets) they have different offers each week so you soon get used to buying a little more when its cheaper / half price and storing it, over the year it certainly saves you a few dollars. Coles do Flybys and Woolworths do reward points, i use the reward points to get $10 off my shop every 3 or 4 weeks and 4 cents a litre off fuel whenever i fuel up, again another good saving if calculated across the year. 

 Lots of luck with everything

   Cal x

Hi Cal. Thank you so much. Such a lovely and positive response. I needed to hear that  

Thanks for the heads up re money saving tips. My husband doesn't go a day without a deal searching and finding. He loves it. So he'll be chuffed to read this x

[Corrina]

3 hours ago, Amber Snowball said:

I think the £50K is a possibility if you are 6 months + out of work. It can and does take people a while to find work. Not sure what sort of SW you do or what the vacancy rates are in each state but if it looks like you are struggling to find work in the area you want I suspect you’ll do what you’d do here in the uk and take a less than perfect job in order to pay the bills.

Thanks Amber. Yeah I guess it could add up to a figure like that over time, but it wouldn't be all within a lump sum. So it's still doable. There are lots of places willing to do interviews via Skype or at their base in the UK. So we aim for at least one of us to have a job to go to before we get there. But absolutely, as you say, we'd take a less than perfect job to get by, if we had to

[Corrina]

3 hours ago, Amber Snowball said:

@Corrina it’s a leap of faith at the end of the day. If you really want to do it then bite the bullet and do it. Just accept it might not be what you thought and if it’s not then hopefully all you lose is money. I am genuinely pleased when I moved in 2005 I didn’t know half of what is talked about on here as I may not have moved at all. I really didn’t think very hard at all tbh.....possibly not the recommended approach. 
You are doing your research, accept there’s a risk, start the process. The visa process isn’t quick so best crack on if that’s what you really want to do otherwise the opportunity may pass. 
Migration is expensive. Australia is expensive in my opinion. Each family is different with different needs, expectations and earning capacity so it’s hard to pin down an exact comparison and also Australia is huge and each state is different. For every person that loves Australia there’ll be another that hates it.  
The forum is full of information and people willing to share experiences and opinions but ultimately you need to decide. Flip a coin, heads you stay, tails you leave. If you flip heads and say best of 3 you have your answer.

Spot on Amber, thank you. 

We're absolutely under no illusion. We've talked as a family how difficult the first year would be and why. Thanks again for your honesty. 

[Corrina]

1 hour ago, Ausvisitor said:

The problem you are going to have here, is whilst anyone who gets PR automatically qualifies for AUS home fees as a uni student it isn't the case in the UK.

Most people assume if you are UK you get to pay UK fees, that isn't the case you need to live in the UK full-time for the three years preceding the first day of the course otherwise you are classed as an international student.

So let's say you go to Oz next year (she is 17 and you go on a 190/189 so you are PR)

At 18 (uni year) she decides to have a year off

During that year you all decide to move home so she starts what could have been uni year 2 in the UK

Except now she has to wait 3 years or pay UK international fees (general rule £20k+ per year instead of £9k and no loan to pay for it either)

Think carefully about moving a child nearing UNI age as you could be locking them into having to stay in AUS even if they hate it there or having to put their life on hold for 3 years

Thank you. We have all thought very long and hard about it all and weighed up lots of options. 

[Corrina]

1 hour ago, ali said:

The easiest way for you to prove her dependence at time of visa grant is for her to be in education.

Thanks. She will be remaining in education until she decides to head to uni. 

[Quoll]

1 hour ago, Corrina said:

Hi Quoll...wow, you've painted the most depressing picture of life in Oz I do like your style of writing, but cheer it up a bit please mate...Is there Anything positive out there at all? Thank god I love flies, mosquitos, crap dried grass and avoiding the scorching sun!.... You have made me smile this Sunday morning (UK) though. And I get that everywhere in the world has its good and bad points, and of course, we all experience things differently. Moving isn't just for an adventure for us. We have many reasons. And we need to hear the good, bad and the ugly. Thank you. If I could buy you a beer to cheer you up, I would

The showers are good - I love my shower! The car parking spaces are wider and our local malls have indicator lights which tell you where the spaces are! They’re definite positives! The wine’s not bad either. But the sausages are genuinely crap (lol - always a bone of contention here)
You might be lucky with the mozzies - interestingly my DH never gets bitten here in Aus, but in U.K. he was forever being bitten and itched for days whereas Pommie mozzies ignored me but the Aussie ones bite as soon as I stick my nose out of the door. So if the Pommie ones love you, chances are the Aussie ones won’t. 

I hope you like birds too - got swooped for the first time this season a couple of days ago - being dive bombed my a magpie is certainly an experience you’ll never get in England!  Not only that I also got swooped by a mynah the other day too - he definitely had an identity crisis, must have been modelling on the maggies. 

Hope for the best, expect the worst and take what comes with an adventure, I reckon. If you do that you won’t be disappointed. 

[Corrina]

22 minutes ago, Quoll said:

The showers are good - I love my shower! The car parking spaces are wider and our local malls have indicator lights which tell you where the spaces are! They’re definite positives! The wine’s not bad either. But the sausages are genuinely crap (lol - always a bone of contention here)
You might be lucky with the mozzies - interestingly my DH never gets bitten here in Aus, but in U.K. he was forever being bitten and itched for days whereas Pommie mozzies ignored me but the Aussie ones bite as soon as I stick my nose out of the door. So if the Pommie ones love you, chances are the Aussie ones won’t. 

I hope you like birds too - got swooped for the first time this season a couple of days ago - being dive bombed my a magpie is certainly an experience you’ll never get in England!  Not only that I also got swooped by a mynah the other day too - he definitely had an identity crisis, must have been modelling on the maggies. 

Hope for the best, expect the worst and take what comes with an adventure, I reckon. If you do that you won’t be disappointed. 

Love it. Love that. Thank you

[Marisawright]

21 hours ago, Corrina said:

I agree with you. I think it would be naive to assume that work life would be so different. In our line of work particularly. I have friends who have moved to Australia over the years. Most of them social workers, and I've asked them lots of questions believe me. 

We don't want to live in a city. Perhaps an hour or so away. We prefer more quiet, community orientated suburbs.

I find Australian suburbs are very different from British ones.  British suburbs often have their own personalities - perhaps because so many of them were originally villages or hamlets that got swallowed up by the big city.  A British suburb will have its own pub and high street and a sense of community.  Australian suburbs didn't grow from villages - they were created by urban sprawl, and they are often faceless "dormitory suburbs" with no personality and  not much sense of community.  In Sydney especially, they'll often have no pub, no cafés and almost no shops (everyone drives to the nearest mall).  

As a social worker, you've got an opportunity office workers don't have - your work is just as in demand in regional centres.  If you'd like your daughter to stay at home while she's at uni, you'll need to consider where the universities are, of course - but the regional universities are a good choice, because they are smaller and more personal while still having good reputations.  In a regional city, you'll have the advantage of much cheaper house prices, all the amenities of a city, but a quieter lifestyle with a community focus. 

Newcastle is worth looking at - close enough for visits to Sydney friends, a manageable drive to Brisbane for your friends there, great beaches and on the edge of wine country.  Armidale is also worth considering.  Though a small town, it's charming, with a lively cultural life because of the university and the two large private schools.  It's attractive to me because it has a cooler climate (I'm not good with humidity) but that may not suit you - but you could live in Coffs Harbour and your daughter could stay on campus and come home on weekends (no doubt invading the house with university friends who want to go to the beach, so that may not be something you'd wish for....)

Edited September 13, 2020 by Marisawright

[AliQ]

10 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Australian suburbs didn't grow from villages - they were created by urban sprawl, and they are often faceless "dormitory suburbs" with no personality and  not much sense of community.

Agree 100%

[ramot]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

I find Australian suburbs are very different from British ones.  British suburbs often have their own personalities - perhaps because so many of them were originally villages or hamlets that got swallowed up by the big city.  A British suburb will have its own pub and high street and a sense of community.  Australian suburbs didn't grow from villages - they were created by urban sprawl, and they are often faceless "dormitory suburbs" with no personality and  not much sense of community.  In Sydney especially, they'll often have no pub, no cafés and almost no shops (everyone drives to the nearest mall).  

As a social worker, you've got an opportunity office workers don't have - your work is just as in demand in regional centres.  If you'd like your daughter to stay at home while she's at uni, you'll need to consider where the universities are, of course - but the regional universities are a good choice, because they are smaller and more personal while still having good reputations.  In a regional city, you'll have the advantage of much cheaper house prices, all the amenities of a city, but a quieter lifestyle with a community focus. 

Newcastle is worth looking at - close enough for visits to Sydney friends, a manageable drive to Brisbane for your friends there, great beaches and on the edge of wine country.  Armidale is also worth considering.  Though a small town, it's charming, with a lively cultural life because of the university and the two large private schools.  It's attractive to me because it has a cooler climate (I'm not good with humidity) but that may not suit you - but you could live in Coffs Harbour and your daughter could stay on campus and come home on weekends (no doubt invading the house with university friends who want to go to the beach, so that may not be something you'd wish for....)

When we decided to move to Qld we were retired, so our move wasn’t dominated by work restrictions, but we had lived in a village in UK, so were hopefully looking for a similar environment. Although we didn’t move to Buderim it does have a community feel, with a high St, and we moved close, to an now established area, we have a square with all the shops, a Woolworths,  butcher, green grocer, wet fish shop, Dr. Dentist etc plus a, Tavern which is what it is. Much better facilities than our old large village had, or has now, and once you have lived here for a while you certainly feel local.

Good university close as well, best not mention the beaches.

I grew up in a S W London suburb in the 1950’s never felt much like a village to me,

You are probably right that  Sydney suburbs are faceless, I haven’t lived there like you, but I think some of them do have  an individual feel about them? my daughter lives close to the city, does know people in the shops, and there are pubs where you feel welcome, but Sydney is obviously very different to London, so difficult to compare.

Edited September 14, 2020 by ramot

[Corrina]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

I find Australian suburbs are very different from British ones.  British suburbs often have their own personalities - perhaps because so many of them were originally villages or hamlets that got swallowed up by the big city.  A British suburb will have its own pub and high street and a sense of community.  Australian suburbs didn't grow from villages - they were created by urban sprawl, and they are often faceless "dormitory suburbs" with no personality and  not much sense of community.  In Sydney especially, they'll often have no pub, no cafés and almost no shops (everyone drives to the nearest mall).  

As a social worker, you've got an opportunity office workers don't have - your work is just as in demand in regional centres.  If you'd like your daughter to stay at home while she's at uni, you'll need to consider where the universities are, of course - but the regional universities are a good choice, because they are smaller and more personal while still having good reputations.  In a regional city, you'll have the advantage of much cheaper house prices, all the amenities of a city, but a quieter lifestyle with a community focus. 

Newcastle is worth looking at - close enough for visits to Sydney friends, a manageable drive to Brisbane for your friends there, great beaches and on the edge of wine country.  Armidale is also worth considering.  Though a small town, it's charming, with a lively cultural life because of the university and the two large private schools.  It's attractive to me because it has a cooler climate (I'm not good with humidity) but that may not suit you - but you could live in Coffs Harbour and your daughter could stay on campus and come home on weekends (no doubt invading the house with university friends who want to go to the beach, so that may not be something you'd wish for....)

Fabulous advice, thank you. I'm much the same regarding humidity. Or rather my hair doesn't cope well with it! Warm, sunny, dry, breezy weather is perfect for us. Cooler evenings too and it'd be perfect....but thanks, I will do some research on those you have mentioned. 

[Bobj]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

I find Australian suburbs are very different from British ones.  British suburbs often have their own personalities - perhaps because so many of them were originally villages or hamlets that got swallowed up by the big city.  A British suburb will have its own pub and high street and a sense of community.  Australian suburbs didn't grow from villages - they were created by urban sprawl, and they are often faceless "dormitory suburbs" with no personality and  not much sense of community.  In Sydney especially, they'll often have no pub, no cafés and almost no shops (everyone drives to the nearest mall).  

As a social worker, you've got an opportunity office workers don't have - your work is just as in demand in regional centres.  If you'd like your daughter to stay at home while she's at uni, you'll need to consider where the universities are, of course - but the regional universities are a good choice, because they are smaller and more personal while still having good reputations.  In a regional city, you'll have the advantage of much cheaper house prices, all the amenities of a city, but a quieter lifestyle with a community focus. 

Newcastle is worth looking at - close enough for visits to Sydney friends, a manageable drive to Brisbane for your friends there, great beaches and on the edge of wine country.  Armidale is also worth considering.  Though a small town, it's charming, with a lively cultural life because of the university and the two large private schools.  It's attractive to me because it has a cooler climate (I'm not good with humidity) but that may not suit you - but you could live in Coffs Harbour and your daughter could stay on campus and come home on weekends (no doubt invading the house with university friends who want to go to the beach, so that may not be something you'd wish for....)

I would not consider Armidale, NSW, especially in winter. The town is in a hollow and gets enormous frosts and fogs along with woodsmoke from a few thousand wood stoves that quite often settle until late morning. During 2018, there was quite a controvercy regards wood smoke and carcinogens. The airport often gets 'socked in' due to the heavy fogs.

I lived in Glen Innes and often had to go there for work seminars.

Cheers, Bobj.

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, ramot said:

... we had lived in a village in UK, so were hopefully looking for a similar environment. Although we didn’t move to Buderim it does have a community feel, with a high St, and we moved close, to an now established area, we have a square with all the shops, a Woolworths,  butcher, green grocer, wet fish shop, Dr. Dentist etc plus a, Tavern which is what it is. ...

Good university close as well, best not mention the beaches.

You are probably right that  Sydney suburbs are faceless, I haven’t lived there like you, but I think some of them do have  an individual feel about them? 

Yes, Sunshine Coast is one of the regional spots I was thinking of, but I don't know it well enough to recommend specific towns, so thanks.

Of course there are nice Sydney suburbs - you'll notice I said "often" not "always".  Stay within a 5km radius of the city and you'll find lots of lively suburbs full of pubs, cafés and restaurants.  However at over 2 million for a tiny terrace house, it's not cheap to own a home there.  You'll also find plenty of little gems further out - Sydney is a huge sprawl, after all - but they're the minority not the majority, and of course they're more expensive.  

Edited September 14, 2020 by Marisawright

[Corrina]

7 hours ago, Bobj said:

I would not consider Armidale, NSW, especially in winter. The town is in a hollow and gets enormous frosts and fogs along with woodsmoke from a few thousand wood stoves that quite often settle until late morning. During 2018, there was quite a controvercy regards wood smoke and carcinogens. The airport often gets 'socked in' due to the heavy fogs.

I lived in Glen Innes and often had to go there for work seminars.

Cheers, Bobj.

Thanks for the info Bobj. We wouldn't like that at all. 

[Corrina]

6 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Yes, Sunshine Coast is one of the regional spots I was thinking of, but I don't know it well enough to recommend specific towns, so thanks.

Of course there are nice Sydney suburbs - you'll notice I said "often" not "always".  Stay within a 5km radius of the city and you'll find lots of lively suburbs full of pubs, cafés and restaurants.  However at over 2 million for a tiny terrace house, it's not cheap to own a home there.  You'll also find plenty of little gems further out - Sydney is a huge sprawl, after all - but they're the minority not the majority, and of course they're more expensive.  

Thanks. Yeah we're not really considering NSW and prices like that are way over our budget  

[Lavers]

Hi Corrina we moved to Adelaide nearly 3 months ago (Me,Wife and 2 girls 5 & 10) and are costs where:

£4150 for visas

£1520 for skill assessment 

£860 for medicals

£1800 for airbnb (6 weeks)

£1860 for flights

£1600 for large movecube

Fees for visas and skill assessments did go up after we applied 18months ago but not that much.

We had to do qaurantine for 4 weeks which was free luckily, then when we came out I found a job within the 1st week as a metal fabricator, so lucky really.

Costs after the above really depend on how long you are out of work and how much you want to spend on things. Our bills a month probably sit around $4000, and that includes money to go out at weekend with.

I feel like having a day out in Aus is cheaper than the UK. Last week we went to a wildlife park, had KFC for tea, had ice creams and donuts all for $100.

We spent well above what I thought on new furniture but that was our choice.

I planned on getting a cheap run around but didnt want to have issues with the car so ended up spending 17k on a 3 year old car with only 10,000km on the clock.

 

 

[Doris Hamilton]

What does it cost for a container to deliver from uk to Perth household goods 

[Marisawright]

On 14/09/2020 at 18:54, Corrina said:

Thanks. Yeah we're not really considering NSW and prices like that are way over our budget  

@Corrina, yes, Sydney is a bit like London in that house prices are spectactularly more expensive than the rest of the country. 

Why are you not considering NSW?  Is it because you are going for a regional visa and NSW isn't offering - in which case I can understand.  However if that's not the case, it would be a pity to dismiss a whole state and I'd love to know the reason why you think it's not worth looking at.