Very beginning

[Paul1Perth]

1 minute ago, Marisawright said:

I go for a walk every morning, which can extend to two or three hours if I stop for a coffee or lunch, especially if I'm with friends.  Pre-Covid, I'd go to a social dance one or two afternoons a week. Then there's dance classes, playing my piano, painting, and my U3a activities. No decent beaches in Melbourne but I doubt I'd have time to go even if there were.

I'm sure I'd be a better guitar player and golfer Marisa. My wife might even get the doors we bought about 3 years ago, pre prepared for painting actually painted

[Marisawright]

16 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

I'm sure I'd be a better guitar player and golfer Marisa. My wife might even get the doors we bought about 3 years ago, pre prepared for painting actually painted

I didn't mean that kind of painting.  I've just started dabbling in it by doing Paint by Numbers, this was my first attempt.

[Paul1Perth]

3 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I didn't mean that kind of painting.  I've just started dabbling in it by doing Paint by Numbers, this was my first attempt.

Good effort Marisa. Painting is a nice relaxing hobby. My Mum was really good at art and we have a painting of Chatsworth House she did in our entrance.

She played the piano too. When my Sister got them to move from Chesterfield we couldn't give the piano away. It went down the tip.

Pity it was a really nice old piano.

[Tulip1]

Of the few people I know that took the automatic only test, they all wish they had done the manual one. It’s a bit easier when learning I expect but the bulk of learning to drive I’d say is about being on the road safely rather than changing a few gears. I’d say to anyone just do the manual, you never know when you might need it. It could be necessary in an emergency one day.  That may be less needed in Australia though because they do use automatics far more. I think what we’re missing here though is this guy hasn’t learnt to drive yet.  No idea how old he/they are but they have two children so unlikely to be very young. If they haven’t done it yet there is likely to be a reason why. Few people just haven’t got round to it yet in their 30’s for example although that could be the case.  It restricts you so much not driving, I couldn’t wait to learn at 17 and even had a moped at 16. 

[Marisawright]

35 minutes ago, Tulip1 said:

No idea how old he/they are but they have two children so unlikely to be very young. If they haven’t done it yet there is likely to be a reason why. Few people just haven’t got round to it yet in their 30’s for example although that could be the case.  It restricts you so much not driving, I couldn’t wait to learn at 17 and even had a moped at 16. 

It's funny, but I didn't learn to drive until I was in my 30's.  Mind you, I did have my motorbike licence.   My previous partner and my current partner both learned late, too.   I think people who live in big cities with good public transport and no parking are less likely to learn early.

Edited March 24, 2021 by Marisawright

[AliG]

7 hours ago, calNgary said:

Yes, Auto cars are probably more popular although i wouldn't say Manual are rare.. You only need to look at job ad's to see how many require an Open Manual Licence. Its definately something the OP needs to bear in mind if its going to narrow to his work opportunities.

 Cal x

Thanks Cal - thats useful knowledge.

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Paul1Perth said:

Good effort Marisa. Painting is a nice relaxing hobby.

It's a cheat because it's only a Paint By Numbers. I used to paint when I was younger,but nervous about painting anything from scratch now, so it felt like a good ice-breaker.

[Toots]

31 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

It's funny, but I didn't learn to drive until I was in my 30's.  Mind you, I did have my motorbike licence.   My previous partner and my current partner both learned late, too.   I think people who live in big cities with good public transport and no parking are less likely to learn early.

I learnt to drive when I was 18 but was never a very confident driver.  Hardly ever drove in Sydney due to using public transport but it was handy to jump in the car to visit friends out in the Boonies.  Really disliked driving through Sydney and it was always a relief to hit the outskirts.  I can walk to almost everything here in Devonport but a car is definitely necessary for going anywhere else as the public transport is pretty poor.  My ancient Corolla is manual.

[Lavers]

6 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Yes, you're right. The point is that in most of Australia, the great majority of people drive automatics so most used cars are automatic.  Therefore there's no real need to learn how to drive a manual, which is slightly more difficult.   I've been here over thirty years, have never owned a manual and can think of only two friends who had one.

However Calngary has said that a lot of vans are manual, so if someone's job is likely to require driving a van, then learning on a manual would be wise.  

I have a manual

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Lavers said:

I have a manual

You're a new migrant. Give it time...

https://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/automatic-for-the-people-20100722-10n7g

https://www.caradvice.com.au/868584/endangered-the-decline-of-manual-transmissions/

Edited March 24, 2021 by Marisawright

[Parley]

I used to like those dot to dot drawings. Don't know if they still exist for kids these days.

[s713]

On 21/03/2021 at 15:17, Moobear said:

Hi everyone,

My family and I are in the very beginning of our process (covid has of course put a pause on it) we know we want to come over using a 189 visa. However we don’t know exactly where in Australia we want to go and would love some advice from those in the know. We have two kids (8 and 2) and them attending good schools is a MUST for us. My partner is an electrician and neither of us drive so would need to be somewhere there are local or commutable work opportunities. We would also love to be walking distance to the beach as we live in a coastal town now and our favourite thing to do is walk to the beach. 
Thanks for reading  

Learn to drive before you move to Australia otherwise you've no chance of making it work. Seriously.

[newjez]

1 hour ago, s713 said:

Learn to drive before you move to Australia otherwise you've no chance of making it work. Seriously.

I learnt to drive in Perth. It was simples. I can't imagine learning to drive in the UK. Especially a UK city. So busy.

[Tulip1]

5 hours ago, Toots said:

I learnt to drive when I was 18 but was never a very confident driver.  Hardly ever drove in Sydney due to using public transport but it was handy to jump in the car to visit friends out in the Boonies.  Really disliked driving through Sydney and it was always a relief to hit the outskirts.  I can walk to almost everything here in Devonport but a car is definitely necessary for going anywhere else as the public transport is pretty poor.  My ancient Corolla is manual.

I learnt to drive and passed my test in a Toyota Corolla, loved it. 

[newjez]

4 minutes ago, Tulip1 said:

I learnt to drive and passed my test in a Toyota Corolla, loved it. 

I can't remember what I learnt to drive in. Some horrible little Datsun I think it was.

My first car was a Volkswagen beetle. My father really pressured me into buying it. I think he thought if I owned a large powerful car I would be dangerous.

He effectively put me in a death trap. I've seen what happens to beetles when hit by large Australian cars. Not pleasant.

Best intentions I guess. Just lucky I never had an accident in it.

[DukeNinja]

7 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I did have my motorbike licence

[DukeNinja]

4 hours ago, Marisawright said:

You're a new migrant. Give it time...

I concur. My first car was a manual. I moved to an auto very soon after.

[Moobear]

On 21/03/2021 at 22:08, rammygirl said:

Living within walking distance to a beach will mean a small town or millions of dollars. Small town means less facilities not like UK some are more like hamlets or small villages. Have a good look on google earth and realestate.com.au.

I live in the Adelaide hills, we can get 40 plus days in the summer (dry heat) and frost in the winter. There are lots of small vibrant towns up here and it is very touristy but no Uber allowed up here.  Being able to drive will make a huge difference.

 

[Moobear]

On 21/03/2021 at 23:32, Tulip1 said:

I agree with what others have said regarding driving. Even more necessary for  electrician jobs I would think as that type of work is rarely in the same place and travelling about common. I’d seriously consider getting your partner to pass his test prior to making the move. That said, he hasn’t done so yet so maybe there’s an issue with him doing so. Either way, it will limit job opportunities I think.
 

You’d like to live near the beach. Based on needing public transport to get there (unless you’re going to live within walking distance) I’d start with that. Check out areas you think seem nice, check out the transport system and check out the prices. To be within walking distance of a beach is going to be expensive.  That may not be an issue for you but if you don’t have a huge budget then you’ll need to look a bit more inland and that’s when the important transport comes into play 

Marisa asks a good question, what is it you like about Australia.  I’d write down half a dozen things you like/hope to have/achieve and that in turn will be a good starting block. What clubs do you want for your children/yourself? Do you want to be able to walk to shops/restaurants/pubs? Perhaps also write down dislikes.  If you hate really hot temperatures or creepy crawlies then some places will be a no go. 

Hi thanks for the response. I have a list as long as myself that I have been adding to for over a decade about why I would like to relocate. I have weighed up the pros and cons multiple times and every time Australia has come out on top ( even with the terrifying creepy crawlies) We will now definitely be investing in driving tests before we come as its become very apparent life will be difficult without them. We will be renting initially so although we are a working family the price of buying a house on the beach doesn't worry us to much just yet. 

[Moobear]

On 22/03/2021 at 01:45, mt9754 said:

I’d start with the weather to narrow things down.  All the states are very family friendly, SA and WA are probably the most Englishy historically.

WA (Perth) - Hottest (33-35°C), driest and windiest

SA (Adelaide) - Hot (30-34°C), dry, cooler in winter

Queensland (Brisbane) - Hot (30-32°C), humid, no discernible winter

NSW (Sydney) - Hot (28°C) dry, warm winter

Victoria (Melbourne) - Cooler (24-26°C) wetter, cooler winter (still much nicer than UK!)

This is really helpful thank you. I've lost track of how many weather aps I have looked at to gauge a general idea of temperature but its great to have it all laid out by someone who lives there so thanks so much. Based on this it looks like WA or NSW would suit us best as we are trying to loose those depressing winters and possibly seasons all together haha but I don't do well With humidity so Queensland is an absolute no go.

[Moobear]

This is really helpful thanks so much. Its so tricky to tell where would work and where wont when your not going for the obvious places like Sydney etc. It's almost impossible to tell what the smaller towns are going to be like so having the perspective of someone who has visited them or lived their is beyond awesome.

On 22/03/2021 at 21:56, Marisawright said:

If you're thinking of Sydney, then forget it.    Sydney is more than twice the size of Birmingham.  You can drive two hours from the centre of Sydney and still be in the suburbs.    A lot of British people choose the Central Coast because it's got the beaches, but it's an awfully long commute, there are a lot of bogans (chavs) and it's not even that cheap.  My boss used to drive down every day and I lost count of the number of accidents he had (because there are a lot of trucks on that route and it's very busy).

If you want to go for NSW, then I'd look at Newcastle, population 500,000.  Big enough to have a reasonable amount of work and a choice of good schools, rentals half the price of Sydney.   I had two colleagues who got transferred from Newcastle to our head office in Sydney, and they refused to move their families down to Sydney because they felt Newcastle was a much better place to raise their kids

Living on the outskirts would be more realistic in Perth.  I'm sure Paul1Perth will be along to tell you what a fantastic place it is.  Not denying that, but I have one concern about it. Let's say you choose Newcastle, arrive and realise you'd like something quieter where you could afford a place by the beach.  You'll have a huge choice of small towns and cities up and down the coast, many within driving distance, so it's practical to suss them out on weekends and holidays, and not too expensive to relocate if that's what you decide.   In other words, you've got flexiibility.   

Whereas if you go to Perth, there's much less choice of smaller towns, apart from the Margaret River area.   If you want to research other states, you'll have to take an expensive flight every time.  If you want to move to another state, shipping your stuff can cost almost as much as it did to move it from the UK.  

If you'd been to Perth and know you love it, I'd say pick Perth and go for it.  But if you don't know Australia, then I think it's wiser to pick a location where you can move around easily if you make the wrong choice first up.

 

[Moobear]

On 22/03/2021 at 23:41, Paul1Perth said:

Depends where you go but you could easily do it in Perth. 

We live about 30km North, walking distance to a glorious beach in a nice suburb, good schools for all ages an easy bike ride away. Our kids always went on their bikes. Public transport is good, busses tend to run between train stations, through suburbs and back to another train station. The trains go down the centre of the freeway, North and South and are regular and cheap.

If your hubby is an electrician there's certainly plenty of work. Not having a driving licence would be a huge detriment though. Most electricians have to carry tools to the job. There are great tax breaks however. My eldest is a sparkie, had an XR6 turbo ute for about 3 years and claimed everything to do with the ute on tax. Cost him next to nothing to own and run. As long as you can carry your tools in the ute you're laughing.

Fly in Fly out work is another option, currently what my son is doing on oil and gas rigs up North. Briliant money but a job for single people I reckon. His swin is 3 weeks on 3 weeks off, which he likes but I know a lot of people who've tried it married and it's a strain on the relationship.

OOH can I ask where you are? Its almost impossible to tell from here how realistic it is to find a smaller town with good work opportunities and schools. I have lived in a small town in norfolk for 5 years so am used to a lack of shops etc thats not my worry. The most important thing for me is to be able to get my kids to school and the other half to work. 

[Quoll]

11 hours ago, Lavers said:

I have a manual

You're lucky to have found one! I like my gears but ask the cars I've been vaguely interested in areas autos.  I'm still a girl racer at heart not the old lady I actually am! 

[Quoll]

2 hours ago, Moobear said:

OOH can I ask where you are? Its almost impossible to tell from here how realistic it is to find a smaller town with good work opportunities and schools. I have lived in a small town in norfolk for 5 years so am used to a lack of shops etc thats not my worry. The most important thing for me is to be able to get my kids to school and the other half to work. 

A small town in Norfolk isn't really going to compare with a small town in Australia unfortunately.  It really depends on what you consider a small town of course. As a very broad example, in Victoria for instance, if you live in a small town like Orbost then you'd have a primary school and a high school but if you lived 20 minutes away in a smaller town like Marlo, where you might have a small convenience store you'd  have to take the kids to Orbost for school. Getting work in Orbost could be a much bigger challenge of course and your DH might have to drive for an hour to Bairnsdale for work.  Australia is littered with small places like this but until you see them you aren't going to know.  It'll be the work that decides where you need to be, I suspect. The smaller the town, the harder it will be to get work and the further you'll have to travel to get it. An hour's drive to work or school is nothing in the country. 

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, Moobear said:

we are trying to loose those depressing winters and possibly seasons all together haha but I don't do well With humidity so Queensland is an absolute no go.

That's the kind of information we were hoping for.

Probably what you need to do is try to quantify what you mean by "humidity".  When we were back in the UK a few years ago, we often heard people complaining about how humid it was and fell about laughing, because by Queensland or even Sydney standards, it was hardly humid at all.   If you struggle with humidity in a normal summer in the UK then you'd find the whole East Coast, all the way down past Sydney, tough in summer. 

Many people will say to you, "But it's only a few days at the height of summer" but those are people who cope well with humidity!  I don't cope well and I can tell you, I struggled all the way from November to March.  It's not insurmountable, and it's not every day.  It just means you spend the hottest summer days indoors in the air conditioning.  Since "winter" means glorious blue skies and mild weather, you'll still get lots of opportunities to be outdoors, just not in the season you were expecting.  

I would look seriously at South Australia, because they have a dry heat.  It does get hot, but I'm surprised how well I coped in 40 degrees in Adelaide, whereas I'm a sweaty puddle if it's 28 degrees and humid.  When they say "cool winters", they're nothing like British winters.  Even here in Victoria, where we're famous for having British-style weather, winter is more like an extra-long autumn than a real winter.