Guest PaddyO Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Hi everyone, LHD, I can really relate to your situation. I have 2 sons also (5 and 7) and I worry about their future too, so we're gonna give it a go. We'll settle when we find the right place. I really related to your description of doing the right thing for your babies. Me too. Good luck x.:smile: Thanks for your reply Paddy0, what do you reckon, Manly, Kiama or Avoca/Terrigal, which would you pick? I've only been to Manly, about ten years ago now, but loved the vibe. It's just too expensive to buy a house there. Or it seems that way on realestate. If you had to pick Kiama or Avoca/Terrigal which would it be? Or would it be somewhere else nearby? Would really appreciate your comments from someone who has been to all areas. I agree about the family. My husband and kids come first.:smile: If it was purely to live and was not influenced by work or anything else then Kiama, if I was working north of the sydney bridges then MAYBE Avoca/Terrigal. IMO Kiama is more suited to blue collar workers and families and has far more beaches. Thats not a socialist statement, just observation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldiesRUs Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Thanks for your reply Paddy0, what do you reckon, Manly, Kiama or Avoca/Terrigal, which would you pick? I've only been to Manly, about ten years ago now, but loved the vibe. It's just too expensive to buy a house there. Or it seems that way on realestate. If you had to pick Kiama or Avoca/Terrigal which would it be? Or would it be somewhere else nearby? Would really appreciate your comments from someone who has been to all areas. I agree about the family. My husband and kids come first.:smile: Over the years my son has been in Oz, he has lived in Manly, Avoca Beach and Kiama, so we have stayed in all three. Our choice is definitely Kiama, although Avoca Beach would be my 2nd choice, if only for the fabulous quirky cinema! Having said that, we are obviously a lot older and don't need to worry about schools and activities for children, or to consider if there will be enough for them when they get to teenagers. All three place have their own merits, so it's down to personal choice. Jean:wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sandy25 Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 HI Paddy0 and Jean, thanks for the replies. Very interesting! and helpful.:smile: Jean , if you did have to worry about schools, activities and things to do when their teenagers, where then would it be? Thankyou for your help it's much appreciated. Wendy:smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldiesRUs Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Hi Wendy - would go for Manly or Kiama, purely because they are bigger than Avoca. Jean:wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sandy25 Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Thanks Jean, appreciate the reply. Wish we were there now to explore. Hopefully be there next year. Wendy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PaddyO Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Hi Wendy - would go for Manly or Kiama, purely because they are bigger than Avoca. Jean:wubclub: Hi, just to add a bit more about Manly. We love it, its away from the city and has a great beach and feel about it, loads of restaurants and is very family centric...during the day/evening. At night, like a lot of seaside towns, it can be a bit rowdy and has had some attention in the local press but I find it rather humourous that something that is 10 times far worse in Blackpool is reported on so fervently here! We never see any trouble but then again we are not around the pubs/bars after midnight! Unlike Bondi there are a few backpackers but not loads and it is not a 'body beautiful' beach (lucky for me!!). Travel to Sydney is ok, car is 30 mins unless you get stuck in the peak hour traffic then could be as much as an hour, on the rare occasions I drive to work I leave at 0700 and am in my offic, Woolloomooloo, for 0735. The Express bus runs from Manly so you will always get a seat, using bus lanes it can take about 45 mins at peak into centre of Sydney. The best option is the ferry or jetcat, ferry takes 30 mins, have a coffee or snack and read the paper/book. Jetcat takes 15 mins. Both really do remind you of the great harbour and views that Sydney has and is almost a delight getting to work! Bearing in mind that I have to work in Sydney and sometimes work late then in my opinion Manly ticks all my boxes. My wife fell in love with Kiama last weekend and if it was 1 hour closer it would be a serious consideration, but there was quite a few places down there which are nice and even Wollongong seemed ok to me. The sun is out now so more places are opening for the season as well.:jimlad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sandy25 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 thanks Paddy0, interesting read. That's how I remember Manly. It had that vibe and a bit of everything, including that short distance to sydney. We'll visit all three again and stay a little while in each, looking at property, schools etc. Thanks again Paddy0, can't wait. :smile:Wendy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 Just a question for skippy. Have you been to Avoca Beach or Terrigal? I've narrowed my search down to Avoca Beach or Kiama. What are your thoughts. cheers skippy, Wendy. Sorry for the delay Wendy, but our computer has been at the doctors for a week, I can't decide for you Wendy, we are very happy in our little part of Oz, we have everything that a family needs here in the Illawarra, shops, beaches, rainforest's & waterfalls over the mountain, plus cheaper house prices than the Sydney suburbs. Property prices in Kiama are pretty expensive, as are the far northern suburbs of the Gong, but I wouldn't live anywhere else these days. I haven't been to Avoca or Terrigal for many years, so it would be unfair of me to say anything about those areas, as I don't know what they have to offer a family or what they are like these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 We just spent the weekend driving around the Gong and Kiama and down to Jervis bay, absolutley wonderful. Gday Paddy, we were down at J/Bay on Wednesday 24th, J'Bay is noted for having the whitest sand in the world on it's southern shoreline, the fish & chips are second to none at the Huskison fish shop, mind you, the RSL bistro has a good feed also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pedrowe Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 Hi, this is my first time posting :unsure: I have so much going around my head, loads of questions, concerns..... I'm a bit of a mental mess actually lol..... Hoping for some help from those in the know.This will probably be long, so sorry! My husband and I have been talking about the prospect of moving to Australia for the past 6 years or so, but have never looked into it due to the normal things.... moving from family etc. Recently I have made a new friend who is from Corrimal, Wollongong. She is here (UK) for the next few years with her husbands work. She speaks so well of the Wollongong area.... great for families, schools, active lifestyle etc.... The kind of things that every mum wants for her kids upbringing and future. I have two boys aged 4 and 8 yrs. So it prompted me to start looking into things, trying to decide if it would be better for the boys, check out our options and see if a move to Australia was even a realistic possibility for our family. My husband and I think that it is worth looking into some more, so we are booked to attend Australian Expo '08 in London next month, which I think is mainly geared around recruitment and migration. I want to check with you guys who live in that area what you think.... your expat perception of the area might be very different to someone who was born there - if you know what I mean. So far I have been told that the schools are brilliant. Wollongong has the best Uni in Aus. Weather is great.... No destructive weather like cyclones.... do get some crazy loud storms and very heavy rain at times tho. Life style is great. Kids are encouraged to be active in sports. Beaches are safe, life guarded and clean. Lovely parks. Close to good shopping. Bugs (ie spiders) aren't an issue... except flies and mozzies are a pain. Not likely to bump into a croc on the beach.... My husband is a Gas Fitter, which is on the list so it would be him that applies.... We are just worried that there will be no gas work for him in NSW. Lol Now I am hoping that someone here will say 'I live in wollongong and my husband is a gas fitter too... there is lots of work' Lol I am a Beautician, Nail Technician and Educator in Nail Services. None of these skills are on 'the list' so although I am pretty sure I could pick up work easily if we moved over, I can't be the applicant. I would be so grateful for your advice. :wubclub: Myself, my OH and our 5-year-old son have just moved from Dapto near Wollongong, to Coffs Harbour, after living there for 4 years. It was our first home after emigrating from the UK in 2003. We lived in a brand new 2-storey 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom house which we could never have afforded in the UK. We really enjoyed our time there, especially as my husband's cousin and her family live in gorgeous Jamberoo near Wollongong. They are the only family we have in Australia so it was a wrench moving so far north as we are now a 8-hour drive away instead of 20 minutes. Jamberoo has fantastic rolling hills which remind me very much of the Yorkshire Dales. Wollongong, or The Gong, as it is known, has great beaches, good shops including Australia's 2 main department stores Myer and David Jones, lots of restaurants, cafes and all sorts of businesses. There are plenty of public schools in the area and if you want to send your kids to private school then Illawarra Grammar School has a very good reputation but has high school fees. Wollongong has a strong industrial heritage and the steelworks, Bluescope Steel (formerly BHP Billiton) is the biggest employer. But there are new residential and commercial developments going up all the time so maybe your OH can get a job with a gas fitting contractor. The Aussies love being pampered, it seems, because there are lots of hairdressers, beauty salons, including a nail salon in Crown Street Mall in Wollongong city centre, so I reckon you could also get a job easily. There are plenty of great places to visit that are close to The Gong - Kiama, Berry, Gerringong, Stanwell Park, Thirroul, Austinmer, Bulli and The Royal National Park. Also a big plus is that Wollongong is only 90 minutes drive to Sydney - only an hour to the airport) or 2 hours by train. The natural beauty of the area, with the mountains, the ocean, undulating hills and a rainforest, are breathtaking. Your can see all of these from the lookout at Saddleback Mountain near Jamberoo. Our favourite place is Hyams Beach at Jervis Bay which has the whitest, softest sand you have ever seen and is less than an hour's drive from Wollongong. I reckon you can't go wrong if you move to The Gong. I had a full-time job in a call centre with a private health fund based in Wollongong and my husband was a sports journalist on the Daily Telegraph in Sydney. He got fed up of commuting 5 days a week for four years so snapped up the chance to be deputy editor of the local paper in Coffs Harbour. My son went to a great private pre-school (nursery) twice a week in Wollongong. Child care, probably like the UK, is very expensive here and some centres have long waiting lists. Kids here don't start school until they turn 5 or you can keep them back a year if you think they aren't ready to make the big leap. if you have any other questions please feel free to ask. Hope the above info helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldiesRUs Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 Well if Pedrowe's post doesn't sell Illawarra, nothing will. Jean:wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalky4388 Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 Have to confess that I am finding this so hard.We have a wonderful life here.... live in a brilliant area, good schools, lovely house, lovely friends. We are a happy little family. We don't own a property and where we live we will never be able to.... flats here are about £300k! But we are content with our life - owning a property isn't the be all and end all. I honestly think that unless we suddenly became rich, our life is as good as it could be in the UK.... more dosh would just improve lifestyle - more time together, kids could join sport clubs and be more active etc (all things life in the gong would offer!). But leaving here would be a 'no going back' situation for us. Something we have done many times before, but only within England .... only difference this time is our life is the best it's been and is likely to get over here. The reason we are seriously considering this is that my husband and I are worried about the future - When our sons are grown (in 8+ yrs) .... We can't see a decent future for them here in the UK. I'm not used to worrying. If I think something isn't right, I change it. I always go with my gut, my gut has so far always been right - and I've had to make some pretty hard choices so far.... Choices that have been very unpopular with the extended family. My gut tells me this is the right thing for 'my' family..... but everything else says it's really wrong! We already live 2 1/2 hrs from any family... not quite 24hrs lol, but we are used to not seeing them very often. Our families aren't well off, so we know that the prospect of yearly visits is not likely..... so we would effectively be saying bye bye to the family. If anyone became sick, had a baby etc, I can't imagine we would be able to pop back here. My family think that it is important that my sons live near their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, to ensure a good life........ I don't. I never had extended family when I was a kid, my mum dad and siblings were all had and all I needed. I think that they should be in a location that offers them the best and so long as that is backed up by a secure home life, they will be happy. I was. So were my brother and sister. I would miss my family.... we are close.... but my gut says to do what I think is best for the boys. Me and Stuart would be happy wherever we were, as long as we have each other, the boys and a job we are cool! I know I sound like I am panicing.... I probably am. There is a reason though. Next month we are going to the aus expo in London. There will be prospective employers there... what if my husband was offered work?....... Not likely I know, but what if? My husband is 100% in wanting to go.... I am too... and then I panic lol. My family would be devastated. It would break my mum's heart. I am finding it tough. Lol - I must sound like a maniac hi we just moved to terrigal (hour north of sydney) and just been through all your thoughts and worries. you def not manic it normal and def a girl thing!!!! we been here 5 weeks today and so far enjoying it. know what you mean about no way you can return we were the same, and yes our life in uk was good , kids settled family around etc but we decided we had to do what best for our 2 kids and family luckily supported us. when you nhere you will ahve some times that you think god i wish i was back in uk (like when trying to figure out the estate agents) but it has always gone away for me when i pick my son up from school and go to the beach for a while after school and our entire weekend taken up with surf club , cricket, beach etc. It def a decision you have to make but hope this reassures you that it normal to panic and worry. good luck and anything else we can help you with let us know. tracey x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea breeze Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 hi there LHD , i think u are going through simular emotions that we all do . i feel the same some days i think got to get out of this country really want to move etc etc then i think of my mom crying , saying goodbye to everyone and how much its going to upset my mom me going as we are close. and i got to leave my horse behind (my baby) although i do feel slightly better about that as my mom is now having him. we are getting our visa (hope!) then travelling oz to find a place to live etc but above all we are treating it as an adventure , an experience if its not for us we come home but at least we have tried and have experienced living in another country. i know that not everyone is lucky enough to do, i just hop u are. and as for maniac listen to me i ramble on and on and on.........xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tenquidder Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 Hi Dawn Stumbled across this website, saw there was somebody from Hucknall on it. I was born in Hucknall in Hazel Grove, then later went to Harrow Road on Ruffs Estate. I went to Annie Holgate infants and junior school, then to Eastwood for secondary school. I migrated to Sydney with my mum and dad in 1960, and have been here ever since. My older sister lives in Beauvale near the Misk Hills. Fair to say the Wollongong area is more humid than Adelaide, but then it's on the coast so you're never far from the beach. In terms of sheer natural beauty there's no comparison, Illawarra wins. In my humble opinion Adelaide is clean, neat and boring. It can also get very hot there - but it's a dry heat. All the best Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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