Itinerary for Reccie Trip

[InnerVoice]

1 hour ago, Cheery Thistle said:

It’s the same for Sydney and the harbour bridge and opera house - they are synonymous! I don’t think you can really compare the price for the bridge climb and going up the tower. They are totally different . I think we paid about €75 for the 3 of us to go up in April 2022. Waited in a queue for over an hour in interesting weather. Then the whole thing is over pretty quickly. I think it’s quite expensive for what it is, especially if you have a couple of kids. But I think it’s a must-do at least once. I’ve done it so many times because I used to lead annual senior school Paris trips. Have done the climb on foot a few times (to cut waiting times) but wouldn’t do it with the 10 year old. I prefer the Tour Montparnasse. Not as iconic but has better views - you get to actually see the Eiffel Tower lit up from there if you go at night. 
To be honest if I went back to Paris I wouldn’t do the Eiffel Tower again unless I was with someone who hadn’t done it. 
 

Re: Bridge climb - my $, my bucket list, I’m not asking you to pay!! 

That's good to hear because I'm not offering!

I think you need to have done both before you can make a fair comparison. When I did the bridge climb it was less than half the price of what it is now, so it seems exorbitant. That said, if I hadn't yet done it then I'm sure I'd still want to do it because I'd hate to think I missed out on something memorable, so I appreciate where you're coming from.

I agree the view of Paris from Tour Montparnasse - or from the Sacré Coeur for that matter - is better than the from the Eiffel Tower. I've been up 3 times and I think there's lots of interesting stuff about the construction and history, particularly if you walk up the stairs. I don't think people go up the Eiffel Tower just to look at the view. It's also about the whole experience.

Newcastle is worth spending a night in even if you have no intention of living there. There are some lovely places on the way up to Brisbane, like Port Macquarie, South West Rocks, Nambucca Heads and Coffs Harbour (panorama below) to name a few, that are definitely worth a detour if you've got an extra couple of days. I hope you enjoy you trip.

Edited January 6 by InnerVoice

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, InnerVoice said:

Newcastle is worth spending a night in even if you have no intention of living there. There are some lovely places on the way up to Brisbane, like Port Macquarie, South West Rocks, Nambucca Heads and Coffs Harbour (panorama below) to name a few, that are definitely worth a detour if you've got an extra couple of days. I hope you enjoy you trip.

I loive the Koala Hospital at Port Macquarie.  It's a small place and you don't get to cuddle the Koalas, but they often have orphan babies which are awfully cute.  

Once upon a time I'd have said Ballina was an absolute must, to see the Pelican Man, but I believe he passed away a few years ago.  Does anyone know if someone is carrying on the tradition?  I remember watching him on the waterfront feeding a great crowd of pelicans -- then he'd spot one with a hook in its beak or a fishing line on its leg, and he'd take a flying jump into the water, get his arms around its neck, and haul it out.  There were always onlookers eager to help him hold the bird while he removed the hook or whatever, (though you could sometimes regret it if you didn't keep its beak closed properly, as you'd get a lapful of regurgitated fish). 

Edited January 6 by Marisawright

[Parley]

Can't you just go up to the top of Centrepoint tower to get a great view of the city 360 degrees.

I assume it is still there.

[Ausvisitor]

On 06/01/2024 at 10:29, Cheery Thistle said:

It’s the same for Sydney and the harbour bridge and opera house - they are synonymous! I don’t think you can really compare the price for the bridge climb and going up the tower. They are totally different . I think we paid about €75 for the 3 of us to go up in April 2022. Waited in a queue for over an hour in interesting weather. Then the whole thing is over pretty quickly. I think it’s quite expensive for what it is, especially if you have a couple of kids. But I think it’s a must-do at least once. I’ve done it so many times because I used to lead annual senior school Paris trips. Have done the climb on foot a few times (to cut waiting times) but wouldn’t do it with the 10 year old. I prefer the Tour Montparnasse. Not as iconic but has better views - you get to actually see the Eiffel Tower lit up from there if you go at night. 
To be honest if I went back to Paris I wouldn’t do the Eiffel Tower again unless I was with someone who hadn’t done it. 
 

Re: Bridge climb - my $, my bucket list, I’m not asking you to pay!! 

I find it interesting that when asked what is Australian the five things that get mentioned (and it's always these five):

1. Kangaroos

2. Koalas

3. Crocodile Dundee

4. Opera House

5. Harbour Bridge

The only place you can see all five in one day is Sydney, yet then people say Sydney isn't really Australia and I wouldn't want to live there... Go figure!

 

(Of course people can live where they want, I just find it odd that the things that are synonymous with Australia are in the place people say they don't want to be)

[Marisawright]

16 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said:

I find it interesting that when asked what is Australian the five things that get mentioned (and it's always these five):

1. Kangaroos

2. Koalas

3. Crocodile Dundee

4. Opera House

5. Harbour Bridge

The only place you can see all five in one day is Sydney, yet then people say Sydney isn't really Australia and I wouldn't want to live there... Go figure!

It just goes to show how wrong foreigners can be about a country. 

It's like when foreigners are asked, "What is Scottish?, they say, "Kilts, haggis, bagpipes, the Loch Ness Monster and highland cows".    Totally unrepresentative of what Scotland is really like.   

You yourself say Sydney is not like the rest of Australia. That's why you say you wouldn't want to live anywhere else in Australia. An awful lot of Australians hold exactly the opposite opinion.   (I'm not one of them BTW -- I loved living in Sydney and would still be there if it wasn't so bloody hot and expensive).  

Besides, I don't agree that you can see all those things in Sydney.  Yes you can see kangaroos and koalas in Sydney, but ONLY in exactly the same way you'd see them in London or Edinburgh -- in a zoo. You might as well have stayed at home. 

Where is Crocodile Dundee in Sydney?  

Edited January 9 by Marisawright

[BendigoBoy]

33 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Where is Crocodile Dundee in Sydney?  

Heaven only knows, but if Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef, or the Great Ocean Road aren't making the list for most tourists, it says waaaaaay more about the tourists than it does about Australia.

[Jon the Hat]

1 hour ago, BendigoBoy said:

Heaven only knows, but if Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef, or the Great Ocean Road aren't making the list for most tourists, it says waaaaaay more about the tourists than it does about Australia.

Tourists have to start somewhere, you can't do it all in one holiday.

[BendigoBoy]

8 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Tourists have to start somewhere, you can't do it all in one holiday.

Not suggesting they can.

Simply astounded that apparently *nobody* would put any of them in the top five, going by what some believe.

[Amber Snowball]

On 05/01/2024 at 23:39, Cheery Thistle said:

We will. After all, I don’t want to end up an old lady not able to do it and wish that I had when I could. 

Exactly! You might not even be old! I woke up one morning aged 47 and my life completely changed, never be the same again as far as I can tell and very unlikely to be able to climb the stairs of the Eiffel Tower or do the bridge climb. So putting things off blithely assuming you won’t be hit by a health issue and have all the time in the world to do all this stuff is ambitious at best. Take life by the scruff of the neck and give it a shake at every opportunity I say.

 I haven’t ever really travelled in my life mainly due to finances but thought I’d do stuff once I had retired. Now that might not happen because I am having to reduce my work hours so again won’t have the money I thought I would, mobility is slightly compromised as well, so hey ho, rethinking it all again. And it could all be very different again by that time. Rolling eyes emoji.

This might be a dramatic response to talk of climbing a bridge but I felt the subject symbolic of life experiences generally!

[Cheery Thistle]

5 minutes ago, Amber Snowball said:

Exactly! You might not even be old! I woke up one morning aged 47 and my life completely changed, never be the same again as far as I can tell and very unlikely to be able to climb the stairs of the Eiffel Tower or do the bridge climb. So putting things off blithely assuming you won’t be hit by a health issue and have all the time in the world to do all this stuff is ambitious at best. Take life by the scruff of the neck and give it a shake at every opportunity I say.

 I haven’t ever really travelled in my life mainly due to finances but thought I’d do stuff once I had retired. Now that might not happen because I am having to reduce my work hours so again won’t have the money I thought I would, mobility is slightly compromised as well, so hey ho, rethinking it all again. And it could all be very different again by that time. Rolling eyes emoji.

This might be a dramatic response to talk of climbing a bridge but I felt the subject symbolic of life experiences generally!

I know, we’re well aware. Hubby had a series of health crises aged 48 and we weren’t even sure he would pass the medical for Aus. Thankfully all was well and it was actually me who had an issue on the day (blood pressure, white coat syndrome!!). So he had reduced mobility for a while. It was all a bit of a shock since he’s the fit one (ex royal marine, champion navy boxer etc etc) and I’m the wee fat one! Laughing face!! 
He is back to fitness now and we want to make the most of things. Hence massive life change, emigration and squeezing every last drop of enjoyment we can out of life.
 

When someone nearly takes it all away, you start to appreciate it more. 

[Cheery Thistle]

3 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

I find it interesting that when asked what is Australian the five things that get mentioned (and it's always these five):

1. Kangaroos

2. Koalas

3. Crocodile Dundee

4. Opera House

5. Harbour Bridge

The only place you can see all five in one day is Sydney, yet then people say Sydney isn't really Australia and I wouldn't want to live there... Go figure!

 

(Of course people can live where they want, I just find it odd that the things that are synonymous with Australia are in the place people say they don't want to be)

I think it’s a living vs visiting thing. It’s like going to London - can be fun but don’t want to live there. For me, conversely, the same could be said about the Isle of Skye or other places - too rural. 

[bluequay]

If you are definately going to make the move rather than using the trip as confirmation then I would spend less time worrying about the touristy stuff as you will have ample opportunity to do all of that when you move, and spend more time scouting out potential locations to live. Getting a feel for the neighbourhoods and schools.

That is what we did on our last visit before the move because we only want to move the kids schools once so it's important to get not just the city\state but the area within a city correct. The last thing you need is to end up with your kids going to school at the opposite end of the city to where you end up living!

[Cheery Thistle]

5 minutes ago, bluequay said:

If you are definately going to make the move rather than using the trip as confirmation then I would spend less time worrying about the touristy stuff as you will have ample opportunity to do all of that when you move, and spend more time scouting out potential locations to live. Getting a feel for the neighbourhoods and schools.

That is what we did on our last visit before the move because we only want to move the kids schools once so it's important to get not just the city\state but the area within a city correct. The last thing you need is to end up with your kids going to school at the opposite end of the city to where you end up living!

Hi thanks for this. We need to decide if we definitely want to move - this trip is for confirmation. It’s a huge decision especially as it’s so far away. 
 

Provisionally we have already decided where we want to live (from research and using online tools), but hope to confirm it when we visit. Hopefully it wont all change when we actually see the place! I have also started making enquiries at schools. I agree with you, I don’t want to move school more than once. It’s one of the reasons private schools appeal as they are not so catchment-based. 

We were thinking of Airbnb until we secure jobs, then get a rental based around that. Have changed mind and now going to use a relocation agent to find us a place before we arrive and get jobs based round that location. It’s all coming into sharp focus now! 

[Cheery Thistle]

Just to add I have had to save my holidays for the trip - have only had 2 weeks off since last January - so I also need some R and R/a bit of rest built in!! 

[excitedbutterrified]

22 hours ago, bluequay said:

If you are definately going to make the move rather than using the trip as confirmation then I would spend less time worrying about the touristy stuff as you will have ample opportunity to do all of that when you move, and spend more time scouting out potential locations to live. Getting a feel for the neighbourhoods and schools.

That is what we did on our last visit before the move because we only want to move the kids schools once so it's important to get not just the city\state but the area within a city correct. The last thing you need is to end up with your kids going to school at the opposite end of the city to where you end up living!

I second this. 

When we decided to move to Melbourne in 2015, we had already booked a month long holiday in Perth some months before(to stay with friends) and got job offers in the time between booking the Perth trip and our holiday.  (at this point we had never visited Melbourne)

We tried to still do all the tourist stuff in WA we already had planned and shoehorn in a recce to Melbourne.  cut our holiday by a few days and flew over for just 3 days in Melbourne to check out suburbs/schools/housing/childcare ......... the list is endless.    There was zero relaxation on the recce. Spent all the time rushing about meeting our new work bosses, viewed a couple of rentals, looked around primary schools & nurseries.  Spent a couple of hours relaxing on the beach at st kilda but that was it! 

With hindsight we should of adjusted our trip to spend a good couple of weeks at least in Melbourne so we could get a better feel for the place.  The good thing is, that coming from UK, any location in Oz will feel like a holiday destination - particularly if your chosen town is close to a beach, and certainly in summer time. Like Bluequay says - once you are resident, you can do the tourist things at your leisure.

Generally - we have also been stung trying to squash too much itinerary into a short holiday, but your itinerary doesn't look bad in that respect.  That drive from Newcastle to Byron looks chunky, Will likely eat a whole day of your trip, maybe a stop in Coffs harbor might suit to break he newcastle/brisbane drive into more equal chunks?

[Cheery Thistle]

32 minutes ago, excitedbutterrified said:

I second this. 

When we decided to move to Melbourne in 2015, we had already booked a month long holiday in Perth some months before(to stay with friends) and got job offers in the time between booking the Perth trip and our holiday.  (at this point we had never visited Melbourne)

We tried to still do all the tourist stuff in WA we already had planned and shoehorn in a recce to Melbourne.  cut our holiday by a few days and flew over for just 3 days in Melbourne to check out suburbs/schools/housing/childcare ......... the list is endless.    There was zero relaxation on the recce. Spent all the time rushing about meeting our new work bosses, viewed a couple of rentals, looked around primary schools & nurseries.  Spent a couple of hours relaxing on the beach at st kilda but that was it! 

With hindsight we should of adjusted our trip to spend a good couple of weeks at least in Melbourne so we could get a better feel for the place.  The good thing is, that coming from UK, any location in Oz will feel like a holiday destination - particularly if your chosen town is close to a beach, and certainly in summer time. Like Bluequay says - once you are resident, you can do the tourist things at your leisure.

Generally - we have also been stung trying to squash too much itinerary into a short holiday, but your itinerary doesn't look bad in that respect.  That drive from Newcastle to Byron looks chunky, Will likely eat a whole day of your trip, maybe a stop in Coffs harbor might suit to break he newcastle/brisbane drive into more equal chunks?

Thanks! We’ve decided to cut Newcastle out to give us more time in Brisbane. 
 

We think we have already narrowed down the area we want to live in so that helps quite a lot with schools etc. We plan on using and paying a relocation agent to find us a rental so that should help a bit. And we are trying to go with 6 months living money so that we can settle a bit before starting work etc. We won’t have jobs before we go and will probably leave the actual job hunt until we arrive. We are fairly chilled out in that respect. I don’t know if we should be just a wee bit more frantic by this point but it’s not really my style. 
 

When we booked the trip originally we didn’t even know if we would get visas. It happened really quite quickly. I also have had very little time off and have had to keep my holidays for this trip, so I do need a bit of a rest too, since when we get back I know things will get very busy in the run up to actually leaving. 
 

Will let you all know how we get on. 

 

 

[pinkpom]

On 05/01/2024 at 00:35, pinkpom said:

OP has already said Sydney’s not an option to live, so therefore I agree they’d be better off spending time elsewhere to decide where they want to live, no question.

 

For those who NEED to live in Sydney due to jobs/family support/just damn familiarity it gets a bit depressing and samey, tbh.

Otherwise yeah go look around OP. Where do you want to live/ where are the jobs for your family? Concentrate round there. 

Can I just clarify - I meant the Sydney bashing gets a bit boring, not Sydney itself! I absolutely love it. Yes it’s expensive but anyone who’s going to move there should know that already. 
 

I didn’t proof read before I posted. Sorry about that. 

[Cheery Thistle]

All booked! Just the car hire to sort out….

[Rallyman]

On 04/01/2024 at 20:31, Cheery Thistle said:

I can’t afford to live in Sydney or London and I don’t want to either. I literally can’t stand London. It’s OK to visit for a day or 2 but I can’t wait to leave. The way that everyone ‘accelerates’ immediately when you get off the plane and goes into London gear. I mean, nothing is important enough to shove folk out of the way, surely? The dirt, the mix of people all so close together, the lack of connection.
One thing I would say is that, with the exception of housing, I didn’t find London materially that much more expensive than Edinburgh or even Glasgow last time I was down (end of November). Hubby is worse than me, he would happily never go back! 

I thought Newcastle was worth a look - big enough population to have amenities and jobs, coastal, environment looks good, growing and attracting investment. Close enough to Sydney for flights and travel not to be too difficult. Should be less traffic and congestion than Brisbane. We have never really lived in a big city and I’m slightly concerned that we might not like it. We are townies though, no 2 ways about that. Not into rural/remote. 

It’s only really 4 nights in Sydney which I didn’t think was excessive as we don’t arrive until evening on 25th. Then possibly one day/night catching up with cousins (if we and they can). Will spend the first day chilling and recovering, want to do the bridge climb, the harbour, Taronga. Will easily fill the time in each location I’m sure! 

What line of work are you looking at ? , this will have a big say on your location, We lived in Sydney for 6 years before moving out ( sans Souci  and then monavale to Hunter valley, Sydney is a great place but a nightmare to travel by car and get to work , I have sat in traffic for up to 3 hrs for a journey that takes 20min with little traffic. 
Newcastle is a great place  it’s definitely on the up but costs are expensive and closing in on Sydney prices quickly. Traffic is also getting worse by the year. The days of buying cheap housing is long gone in Australia unless it’s in the middle of absolutely nowhere 

[Rallyman]

On 10/01/2024 at 22:20, bluequay said:

If you are definately going to make the move rather than using the trip as confirmation then I would spend less time worrying about the touristy stuff as you will have ample opportunity to do all of that when you move, and spend more time scouting out potential locations to live. Getting a feel for the neighbourhoods and schools.

That is what we did on our last visit before the move because we only want to move the kids schools once so it's important to get not just the city\state but the area within a city correct. The last thing you need is to end up with your kids going to school at the opposite end of the city to where you end up living!

Best advice in this thread !

[Cheery Thistle]

22 minutes ago, Rallyman said:

What line of work are you looking at ? , this will have a big say on your location, We lived in Sydney for 6 years before moving out ( sans Souci  and then monavale to Hunter valley, Sydney is a great place but a nightmare to travel by car and get to work , I have sat in traffic for up to 3 hrs for a journey that takes 20min with little traffic. 
Newcastle is a great place  it’s definitely on the up but costs are expensive and closing in on Sydney prices quickly. Traffic is also getting worse by the year. The days of buying cheap housing is long gone in Australia unless it’s in the middle of absolutely nowhere 

We have a few options for work I think. I’m quite niche in a way - I’d call myself a learning designer/learning technologist I suppose.  Day to day I create online and blended learning training solutions for public sector organisations. 
 There is private and public sector work in my field in Aus - preference would be public sector as that’s where all my experience is in the UK. I’m a qualified teacher and was a middle manager in a ‘good’ state school for some years. European languages is my subject so again, a bit niche, but I would say I feel quite comfortable in English, social subjects, humanities. Less so in science or maths. But I always say you teach children not subjects lol.
 

The visa is on my teaching quals so all AITSL approved and I’m well qualified by both UK and Aus standards. I think my absolute dream job would combine digital solutions and education in some way. 
Hubby is a self employed gas engineer here. He has had his own business in one guise or another for 25 years. He’s an ex-commando, then had a transport business, then helped run his family business, and has had his gas business for about 7 years now. He’s not going to redo his qualifications so looking at facilities management, pest control or water technician roles. 
 

[bluequay]

@Cheery Thistle How did your trip go? Has it given you a clear plan going forward?

[Cheery Thistle]

1 hour ago, bluequay said:

@Cheery Thistle How did your trip go? Has it given you a clear plan going forward?

Oh hello there! I have had a sabbatical away from the forum and it has been really nice actually! 
 

Yes we are just back and on the whole had a great trip. 
 

We did a few nights in Coogee and then caught up with the family for a night. Then headed up to Port Stephens for a couple of nights to see more relatives. Dropped in on Newcastle for lunch and a wander and drive up to Byron. From there headed to Noosa via a visit to GC and Surfer’s Paradise. Spent a few nights in Noosa and then a week in North Brisbane. Rounded off with a last night in Darling Harbour. 
 

Impressions of places in case it helps others -

Coogee - found it really chilled and loved the beach facilities and access to the ocean baths nearby. Whilst there we visited Bondi and Manly for a day each also. 
Port Stephens - Didn’t see much due to spending time with family which in itself was lovely. Stayed at the Koala Sanctuary for one night which was fun. 
Newcastle - was a bit disappointed in it from what we saw. Not somewhere I could see us settling. 
Byron - probably the worst of the lot. Far to woo woo and new age for me. Either for students of middle aged vegans. Enough said. The weather probably didn’t help - wall to wall torrential rain! Noosa - beautiful place. Overall found the SC gorgeous but couldn’t see ourselves living there. Did flying visits to Caloundra, Peregian and Coolum as well. A bit like a time warp and hubby’s comment that after 7pm it’s like a retirement home up here lol. Also saw lots of mullets and full body tattoos - including scalps (on ladies). Culture shock. 

Brisbane - Stayed north side and we see ourselves settling in this area. Visited a few schools and have narrowed it down to a specific area and a few schools. 
 

Overall really glad we did the trip. Daughter is now really excited to move as she can see the difference in lifestyle she will have, so it has calmed any nerves she had and also made the sacrifice of losing being near her grandad more bearable. It has also reassured us about jobs as literally every person we came across from family, to Airbnb owners to taxi drivers said we’d be grand, no shortage of jobs but big shortage of qualified experienced people who are actually willing to work! 

[bluequay]

That's great news, sounds like a very productive trip 

[Cheery Thistle]

Yes thanks, so since we have got back I have been trying to gather some quotes for a container, get the process moving for sending our 2 dogs over and also gather paperwork for school applications. Since they seem to reserve school places in the womb I am applying to a few in the hope that a space comes up. Our moving date will depend on the dogs.