Very beginning

[Marisawright]

3 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. 

What's the population of that small town?  I dont think anyone is suggesting you look at small towns in Australia.  Not practical from a work perspective.  Small cities, yes.  

All the capital cities are big cities, about the size of Birmingham or Manchester. Unlike big British cities, most don't have a ring of cute little villages within easy commuting distance--you will be living in a suburb.  So if you don't like the idea of living in a Birmingham or Manchester-size city, you need to either be prepared for a longer commute or look at smaller cities, similar in size to, say, Canterbury or King's Lynn.  

Edited March 24, 2021 by Marisawright

[Toots]

10 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

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.

I hear you Marisa!  I could cope with temps well into the 30s in Perth (dry heat) but 25C on a humid day in Sydney was horrible.  Some people love it but not me.  Heck, I hated humid days IN SCOTLAND.  

[rammygirl]

Yes Adelaide is much drier heat. And although we get frost in the hills it is rare down in town or on the coast, where the sea breeze also keeps it cooler in summer than the city.  Close to the city coastal property is very expensive but further south less so.

[Paul1Perth]

4 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. 

Check out google maps for anywhere around Hillary's boat harbour and North of there. We are only about 10mins from there by car. We were down there last night for the $10 chicken parmi and $6 pints of guiness. The further North from there the cheaper the suburbs get.

You can do the same going South too, have a look at Secret Harbour, my Sister loved it there when they applied for emigration. Unfortunately they didn't get in.

[Tulip1]

3 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

Check out google maps for anywhere around Hillary's boat harbour and North of there. We are only about 10mins from there by car. We were down there last night for the $10 chicken parmi and $6 pints of guiness. The further North from there the cheaper the suburbs get.

You can do the same going South too, have a look at Secret Harbour, my Sister loved it there when they applied for emigration. Unfortunately they didn't get in.

A bit further north like you say would be worth a look and a little cheaper. Jindalee and Alkimos for example are by the sea, local schools and not far from shopping centres etc.  Sounds like they may suit the OP. 

[Paul1Perth]

1 hour ago, Quoll said:

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. 

It's certainly not a small town where we live but has the feeling of a "village". The type of place where you go to the local supermarket and small shopping centre and usually see a couple of people you know. Local cafes and pubs, a few parks in the area, you can walk to the beach through nice quite roads.

I love it as we have all the advantages of being close to a big City but still feel like we are out in the country somehow.

[Tulip1]

11 hours ago, Parley said:

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

They do still exist, brilliant things.  I remember one of those and a sticker book were worth their weight in gold on a long haul flight.  You could potentially get hours of peace and quiet handing a few of those out. 

[newjez]

4 hours ago, Tulip1 said:

A bit further north like you say would be worth a look and a little cheaper. Jindalee and Alkimos for example are by the sea, local schools and not far from shopping centres etc.  Sounds like they may suit the OP. 

Lancelin, Moore river, busselton, Mandurah

Edited March 25, 2021 by newjez

[Lavers]

9 hours ago, Marisawright said:

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.

Adelaide is a good choice and it is easy to get around. We have had a mild summer apparently so only a few days hitting 40s, and it still didn't feel as hot as late 20s in the UK.

We came last winter and the days would be around 17deg and it dropped to about 5 or 6deg at night. I cycle to work and everyone keeps saying what am I going to do in winter haha. I keep telling them that winter here is like a summers day in the UK.

[ali]

I would say you'd struggle in WA not being able to drive, especially for your husband with work - it's really unusual to just be able to do local jobs.  My hubby works in telecommunications and his 'patch' is approx 300km (Yanchep to Dunsborough).  That said ... I love living in WA

[Paul1Perth]

22 hours ago, newjez said:

Lancelin, Moore river, busselton, Mandurah

Be a treck for work from Lancelin or Moore River, unless you could find local work. Next to no public transport either, you would definitely need a car.

Busselton or Mandurah are a lot bigger and South rather than North. Mandurah has decent rail and public transport links, it wouldn't be hard to get from Mandurah to Perth by train.

Busselton is far enough away to have it's own economy, mostly based on tourism, wineries. It's a nice place and if you could find local work a good place to settle.

House prices have gone ballistic down there though and rentals are almost none existant, everyone seems to have gone to Airb&b for more money.

[Skani]

On 25/03/2021 at 05:38, Moobear said:

 I don't do well With humidity so Queensland is an absolute no go.

Bear in mind that coastal New South Wales can be uncomfortably humid in summer - including Sydney.   I've never lived south of Sydney so am not sure about the NSW south coast.  

Quote

...we are trying to loose those depressing winters and possibly seasons all together

I'd reserve judgement on losing seasons altogether.    Missing the 4 seasons is one of the most common reasons homesick Poms give for  wanting to return to the UK.  

[Skani]

On 25/03/2021 at 08:08, Quoll said:

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! 

Decades after driving only manuals  I bought my first automatic in 2007 - and I love it to bits.  It's so easy for  city driving.  But it also has an option which can switch into manual mode  -  so useful on the hilly, winding roads in Tasmania.   It's a Mazda 2 - but not sure if they offer that option on current models.