Torquay secondary education

[jo.b]

Hi All

Now Covid restrictions have been lifted and our visas extended, we're back in the game for moving to Oz!!

Quite fancying Torquay, Victoria and wondering if there's anyone out there that can give first hand advice on Surf Coast Secondary College? I have two girls that will likely go into Year 7 and Year 9 by the time we move. Looking at Better Education trend of the school it seems to be ok, but some first hand knowledge would really be appreciated.

Belmont High School and Oberon High School seem the better schools stat wise, but on paper I think we'd prefer to actually live in Torquay (closer to the beach) and appreciate the schools are all zoned.

Any feedback welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Jo

[Cup Final 1973]

Can’t give any help on the schools but just curious as to why you want to live in Torquay?  House prices are very high, it’s horrendous in summer with tourists flocking and dead in winter!

[jo.b]

Was originally looking at Geelong, which to be honest, would be much more affordable for us to buy. Torquay seems really expensive to buy but similar to Geelong to rent.

Just fancied living on the surf coast, but maybe Geelong would be the better option? Are you local?

[Cup Final 1973]

We came back to England last year after 15 years in Victoria.  We lived in Bendigo but used to go to Torquay and Anglesea quite often, both in summer and winter - great to visit but personally I think Geelong gives you better options.

[jo.b]

Oh well welcome home! Can I ask what prompted your move home after 15 years? We need to live regionally due to visa requirements. To be perfectly honest , we started on the migration journey when the kids were young and we had rose tinted glasses on and were 10 years younger! We're really now in two minds about what to do. One side says you have an opportunity that you probably shouldn't pass up and have worked hard to get. The other says the kids are now older (11 and 13), we're closer to 50 than 30 and is it all now a bit too late and a bit too much effort!!! I do like the sound of Geelong. Small city vibe, near good surf and bay beaches and close to Melbourne. Work options and pay seems good so think we'd have a fairly good quality of life and we're looking for a bit of a lifestyle change. Plan B was Cornwall, which has always had a soft spot in our hearts. Where have you returned to?

[Marisawright]

Another vote for Geelong here.   I don't know Torquay well but it's got more than its fair share of retirement villages, and I think it would be too quiet for a family in winter and too many day trippers in summer.

It's a tough decision, good luck with it.  Everyone is different so it's hard to offer advice.  For what it's worth, my gut feeling would be, if you're not itching to make the move, don't do it.  Migrating is stressful and costly (budget around 30 grand by the time you've made the move, got settled, and lived off your savings while you find work).  Remember, you're coming to a foreign country that happens to speak English, not England with sun.  Everything is done differently here, and it'll drive you up the wall at first.   If you're 110% committed, you'll battle through it all and adapt.   If you already had doubts before you arrived, it's likely to get you down, you'll start bickering, there'll be more than a few, "I knew we should've gone to Cornwall" talks.  Worse, it'll colour your view of Australia and you're less likely to ever quite settle.  

Good luck with it whatever you decide.

 

[rammygirl]

Another vote for Geelong. We stayed there a while back and loads of people asked us why.  Their memories did not reflect the new reality.  It is now a vibrant city with some great suburbs. We loved it!  We have also stayed in Ballarat and Bendigo, both OK but too cold in winter for us.

[Quoll]

You'd probably have more opportunities in Geelong and it seems like a nice enough place.  Some of my inlaws live in Lara and they seem very happy.  Their son went to Geelong College and then to Melbourne Uni and he still commutes into Melbourne - the train seems good.  None of them are beach bunnies so that side of it would be irrelevant for them.  Do be aware, though, that there is a degree of ageism in Australia - getting a job when you are past 50 can be a challenge unless you have a skill set which is in high demand (I know, there will be folk on here who have got jobs after 50 as did my DH and I but that was more a "who you know" kind of deal rather than "what you know" - just be aware that it can be a challenge).  The other thing to bear in mind is that you will need to save extra hard with your super for a decent retirement.  You're going to have to do in 15-20 years what takes everyone 35-40 years (the pension in Australia is a benefit not a right and is means tested).

You've got a couple of years for a taste and try adventure before the education gates sort of close for your kids if you decide that it isn't quite what you had in mind but I tend to agree with Marisa, if you aren't absolutely busting to move and have at least an expensive adventure then dont do it. Good luck with your decision.

[Cup Final 1973]

Hi Jo,  we had a lovely 15 years in Oz and made lots of good friends.  One daughter followed us to Bendigo and the other stayed in Yorkshire and produced grandsons!  So the move back to Yorkshire was a mixture of family and a longing for some history!  We went on a long trip to Scandinavia, UK and France in 2019 and just felt something was missing when we got back to Oz.  There are things I miss from Australia just as I missed things from England when we were there.  We certainly don’t regret having gone - and we were mid 50s when we arrived - but I agree with others that have posted, it’s not to be undertaken lightly.

 

[jo.b]

Hmmm well food for thought here...thank you all. The rose tinted glasses that were off, are now in the bin!  but it's good to get other people's perspective, especially those on the ground or recently returned or even ping ponged!

One of things that we were thinking might be better was the cost of living, as the UK is at the start of what is going to be a bit of a hard time I think and we were wondering if jumping ship would help us ride out the hard times ahead here. There's the current energy crisis and food price hikes that are going to result in a big cost of living increase. Is Australia facing the same though? Not sure if what's happening here is currently affecting Oz or likely to?

Pension wise, it's not something I've really considered, though realise I should have. We do have rental property that we've kind of banked on giving us a small pension, but not sure what kind of pension/income you'd need to live out retirement in Oz and no doubt they'd be tax implications involved in that!

As with the schools, I did also think that we probably have a couple of years to try it. Was thinking maybe my eldest could do Year 9 and 10 to 'give it a go' and if it wasn't working come back here for her GCSE's, but appreciate we already seem to then be going with a plan for coming back! None of this was in our original plan of moving when the kids were in primary school and to do that to my eldest daughters education seems risky and not ideal for her to be honest.

As for the 'ageism' in job hunting, I did contact a recruitment agency a while back for advice on job prospects and two of his bits of advice were to remove my date of birth from my CV and change the fact I had over 20 years experience to 'extensive'! Although I've worked in project management/admin related roles I kind of thought I'd probably be able to pick something up, even if it's not my ideal job?

From reading what I've just written, I'm now thinking we might be mad to even be considering it, but it's soooo hard to give up on such a long held and hard won dream. 

But sounds like if we do decide to go, Geelong gets the thumbs up as a good place to try.

[rammygirl]

Prices are rising here too, just the same. Wage’s aren’t but. House prices are outpacing everything!

Some schools do offer the international baccalaureate (not sure re Geelong) but even public schools are not free like in the UK, admin fees, equipment, books, iPads etc all have to be supplied by you.

Do your sums carefully.

[Marisawright]

6 hours ago, jo.b said:

One of things that we were thinking might be better was the cost of living, as the UK is at the start of what is going to be a bit of a hard time I think and we were wondering if jumping ship would help us ride out the hard times ahead here. There's the current energy crisis and food price hikes that are going to result in a big cost of living increase. Is Australia facing the same though? Not sure if what's happening here is currently affecting Oz or likely to?

Energy costs and food price hikes will affect Australia too, because energy is a global market, and Australia imports a lot of its food (although we're a large country, much of the land is too infertile, or lacks the water, for farming).  

Personally, I wouldn't use cost of living as a major factor in your decision, because there are too many imponderables.  If it is better here - and I don't know, you'd have to ask someone who's lived in both countries more recently than me - then you have to offset that against the 30K it will cost you to make the move, the hefty FIRB surcharge if you buy a house on a 489, and the loss of/reduction in pensions when you retire.  Then there's the question of your salary - how will it compare to the UK? Will you have to take a step down in your career to break into the Australian market, and if so, how will that affect your income and for how long?   

Last century, Australia was definitely the land of opportunity, a place where you'd come to earn a better salary and afford a better house.  It's not nearly so clear-cut now, especially as house prices have soared in the last few years.  I'd say your decision should really come down to lifestyle.  

I tried to retire to the UK in 2015 but couldn't settle, because I'm too used to the Australian lifestyle. It's hard to explain without sounding critical of English culture, which isn't my intention.  It's to do with café culture vs. pub culture, and bluntness/directness vs. politeness and reserve. Nothing to do with beaches or weather (just as well, since I've ended up in Melbourne where most Australians would describe the weather as s***, but I like it). 

[Parley]

Melbourne has fantastic weather. Look at what NSW and QLD have just been through.

We have had the most glorious summer. Over 4 months of perfect weather. Lovely autumn days at the moment too in the low 20s.

Also it hardly ever rains in Melbourne.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Parley

[Marisawright]

22 minutes ago, Parley said:

Melbourne has fantastic weather.

I love the weather in Melbourne, but you have to admit that most Australians think it's bad. 

Having lived most of my time in Australia in Sydney, I have loved going out and buying woolly hats, nice gloves and a proper winter coat again. And I certainly do NOT miss the sweat dripping off the end of my nose on a stifling hot, humid Sydney summer's day.   I love the fact that even on a hot day, Melbourne's mornings are cool and fresh (whereas in Sydney, I'd be sweating by 10am). 

Compared to Sydney, I feel it rains more in Melbourne. I've had to learn to carry an umbrella or a rainjacket again, where I rarely bothered in Sydney.   I think that's because Melbourne has less rainfall than Sydney BUT it comes in drizzle and light showers as well as downpours, so it's more frequent.  When it rains in Sydney it's practically a monsoon, then it's over and the sun comes out again.

 

[jo.b]

Originally we really wanted to go to SE Queensland but seeing all the flooding has been totally off-putting. And before that all the fires. I definitely still want the seasons but just with longer, warmer Summers, so think Melbourne fits the bill nicely there.

Also don't think my husband could stomach the flies, but I'm sure they're in Melbourne too.

Thanks for the info re: costs

10 hours ago, Marisawright said:

then you have to offset that against the 30K it will cost you to make the move, the hefty FIRB surcharge if you buy a house on a 489, and the loss of/reduction in pensions when you retire.  Then there's the question of your salary - how will it compare to the UK?

I'll have to do my sums regarding the pensions. We have the savings for the move and weren't planning on buying until PR comes through due to the FIRB surcharge. Only downside with that is that's it means it's probably at least 4-5 years away before we could buy, as need to fulfil 2 year visa requirements, then PR visa processing time was around 24 months last time I heard! Think I could be better off salary wise by the move, but that all depends on being able to secure a job!

It was always the lifestyle that was the draw for us.

[Marisawright]

15 minutes ago, jo.b said:

Originally we really wanted to go to SE Queensland but seeing all the flooding has been totally off-putting. And before that all the fires. I definitely still want the seasons but just with longer, warmer Summers, so think Melbourne fits the bill nicely there.

Also don't think my husband could stomach the flies, but I'm sure they're in Melbourne too.

Flies are a problem in parts of country Victoria, but we've been in Melbourne 6 years now and never had a problem with flies.  In fact, we don't have flyscreens on any of our windows, something that would've been unthinkable in Sydney.  

One of the great pleasures of living here is the almost total absence of cockroaches. The only invaders we get are huntsmen spiders and ants.

[jo.b]

Good news about flies and cockroaches, but oh no - Huntsman spiders!! 

Had a terrible experience when I went to Melbourne as a child with my parents and one plopped off the top of the fly screen door onto my head and ran down my arm, only to be annihilated by my Dad's slipper! None of us had ever seen a spider so big and hence my lifelong fear began!

[rammygirl]

We have a resident Huntsman in our house at the moment. Spidey is allowed to stay as it eats other spiders and doesn’t spin webs. I have zero tolerance for red backs (rare indoors) and white tails (more common) they are exterminated. I like huntsmen but they can startle you as they seem to teleport and suddenly appear in a new spot. I do warn visitors as my sons partner doesn’t like spiders, she has learned to respect it (as long as it keeps a good distance!) she is actually happier when it is out in the open and she knows where it is.

We do get cockroaches here in the Adelaide Hills, ants and small lizards in the house despite flyscreens 
I have yet to see a live snake, although I know they are there somewhere. 

Definitely Autumn here and the trees are beautiful reds and yellows near us, people come just to look at them. I do like having four seasons but now feel the cold and we often go North during winter.

[Marisawright]

12 hours ago, jo.b said:

Good news about flies and cockroaches, but oh no - Huntsman spiders!! 

Had a terrible experience when I went to Melbourne as a child with my parents and one plopped off the top of the fly screen door onto my head and ran down my arm, only to be annihilated by my Dad's slipper! None of us had ever seen a spider so big and hence my lifelong fear began!

They are big softies really, it was far more scared of you than you were of it.  We never kill them because they are good at eating flies, mozzies etc. .

Just get a big Pyrex jug and put it over them, slip a piece of paper between the jug and the wall, and then you can carry it safely outside.  And this is someone who's scared of little spiders speaking.