Twinfamily Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Hi all, I'm new to the forum so hope I'm posting this in the right place. We're a family with 11month old twins considering a move from Birmingham to Melbourne. Looking for some advice from those with a bit of experience. 1) Quality of life - what is it really like when compared with the UK? We have a good standard of life here and would hope to improve on that. 2) Finances - with the exchange rate against us, are house prices out of our reach? We would like a 4+ bedroom family home in a good suburb with good free school. Any ideas on guide prices? 3) Suburbs - we've been to Melbourne once but are not sure on what are the decent, family friendly suburbs. My husband will likely be working in Dandenong but we don't want to live there - so something commutable from there would be good. 4) Schools - are the free schools any good? I know some friends who all recommend fee paying schools but I presume this is quite expensive. 5) Childcare - can anyone give me an idea on childcare costs - ie nursery/childminders/nannies etc? My husband and I will both be working and finding someone trustworthy in a country where we know no one would be paramount! 6) Renting a house - I presume we will initially rent a house - any ideas on prices for this? Also, how much should we budget for groceries/utilities/phones/broadband etc? 7) Visas - Are there any benefits on arriving with a PR as opposed to a 457 visa? Any ideas on timescales for both? 8) Healthcare - do you have to pay to see a doctor there? Is the standard comparable to the UK? 9) Family oriented - generally how do you spend the weekends/free time with your family? I am quite limited here in the UK and it would be great to have more things to do with my children. 10) Any tips/advice etc for moving over? How long did it take before Melbourne felt like 'home'? Thanks very much in advance for anyone who's taken the time to reply to my myriad of questions! Jessica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Hi Jessica Welcome to the forum, we also have a sister forum for Victoria which is http://www.lifeinvictoria.com. I will try and answer your questions: 1) Quality of life - what is it really like when compared with the UK? We have a good standard of life here and would hope to improve on that. Personally for us it was a lot better quality of life, BUT, we moved when the exchange rate was good so I don't know if I would feel the same moving now. 2) Finances - with the exchange rate against us, are house prices out of our reach? We would like a 4+ bedroom family home in a good suburb with good free school. Any ideas on guide prices? Is this to rent or buy? for renting you would be looking an average of $400pw, if you open this up to a max of $450pw you can get some stunning houses. To buy, you can pick up a 4 bed home from around $350, although I would say the average now is around $550 - $650k 3) Suburbs - we've been to Melbourne once but are not sure on what are the decent, family friendly suburbs. My husband will likely be working in Dandenong but we don't want to live there - so something commutable from there would be good. Working in Dandenong is great because it opens up some stunning areas for you, firstly DO NOT live in Dandenong, I also wouldn't recommend Doveton. The suburbs you can look at are: Berwick Lyndhurst Lynbrook Cranbourne (East and North are the better areas) Lysterfield Mt Eliza Mt Martha Mornington Mordialloc Mentone Aspendale Gardens Waterways Sandhurst Narre Warren North You could even head up to the ranges places like Monbulk are beautiful 4) Schools - are the free schools any good? I know some friends who all recommend fee paying schools but I presume this is quite expensive. It depends which area you are living in, Berwick, Lynbrook, Mt Eliza has some great primary schools. Monbulk has a good school. Private isn't that bad if you choose Catholic, it would be around $2500 per year and you get discounts if you have more than one child. 5) Childcare - can anyone give me an idea on childcare costs - ie nursery/childminders/nannies etc? My husband and I will both be working and finding someone trustworthy in a country where we know no one would be paramount! How old are your children? 6) Renting a house - I presume we will initially rent a house - any ideas on prices for this? Also, how much should we budget for groceries/utilities/phones/broadband etc? See above for renting guidelines but you would be looking around $400 for a decent house in a decent area. It's hard for budgeting as everyone is different. We pay $900 - $1000 per quarter electric, gas in Melbourne use to be $450 per quarter, up here it's $75. I would say around $100 for broadband and phone. Groceries again everyone is different we pay around $400 per week. 7) Visas - Are there any benefits on arriving with a PR as opposed to a 457 visa? Any ideas on timescales for both? If you can get PR go for it for one it gives you more security and you can change employers if it doesn't work out. If you have a family you would be entitled to family tax credits etc. 8) Healthcare - do you have to pay to see a doctor there? Is the standard comparable to the UK? There is a thread about this at the moment, if you have your medicare card a lot of Dr's will bulk bill which means you don't pay a thing. You can go to any Dr in any area so you don't have to go to the nearest one. If you cant find a bulk billing Dr you may have to pay say $60 for the consult, but you will get most of this back from medicare. I think the standard is a lot higher than the UK, but you do have to pay a lot more for prescriptions etc unless you have reached the safety net then it's $5.80 per prescription. 9) Family oriented - generally how do you spend the weekends/free time with your family? I am quite limited here in the UK and it would be great to have more things to do with my children. There are lots of things to do for families, most head off to the beach or they will go and watch the sport etc. 10) Any tips/advice etc for moving over? How long did it take before Melbourne felt like 'home'? Melbourne is very much like the UK so it is easy to settle, it takes around 6 months before you finally settle. If you can move over come in the summer as the winter can put you off totally lol x No seriously it's not as cold as the UK winters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judyuk Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Hi Jessica Looks like all your questions have been answered. I came over here with 13 month old twins in April and a five year old if I can do it anyone can. I have found it easy to settle with children because u meet so many people. I have also just joined unto a twin group that meet a couple of times a month and have various outings. We live in sandhurst and love it here , and I agree it is like being back at home sometimes living in Melbourne. My son goes to a non paying school in Lyndhurst it is new and very good. But you do have to make sure you look around. I would say the high schools are the ones u need to look into more . Let us know how u are going with your thoughts x Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandJon Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Melbourne is great, and Kate's reccomended some great places to live. My brother lives in Narre Warren and they like it, but my Mum & Dad live in the Dandenong Ranges and it's gorgeous - just stunning! (please note this is NOT Dandenong, it's MOUNT Dandenong and the difference is huge!) For house prices have a look at http://www.realestate.com.au or http://www.domain.com.au and see what you think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinfamily Posted September 17, 2011 Author Share Posted September 17, 2011 Hi all Thanks very much for all your helpful replies. My twins are currently 11months and will be just over the age of 2 when we hope to move. Any ideas on Childcare costs and nursery fees? Generally what area with respect to the CBD is considered good? I seem to recall it was the southern suburbs. High school seems so far away but yes it is important. Can anyone recommend any suburbs that have good primary and secondary schools (both free and private?). I guess ultimately we will probably settle on somewhere based on schools and the community of the suburb. Does anyone know if you can apply for a PR based in the Uk? Also, how did you cope with missing family and friends back home? This is a big concern for us, esp as they are a huge help with the babies! Generally the feeling on this forum appears positive but I just want to have a realistic approach to all aspects( good and bad) to avoid disappointment. Thanks once again! Jessica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandJon Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Hi there, There's quite a range in costs from what my friends have told me - if you are eligible for the various tax relief stuff it makes a big difference. Maybe check out http://www.mychild.gov.au it's a government website that should be a good place to start to begin with. There are other sites around, but I've got no idea how good they are, or what agendas they have (Or is it just the cynic in me!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 http://www.ga.gov.au/earth-observation/basics/gallery/australian-urban-expansion.html This site will give you a sky view of Melbourne which is a vast area the same size as Greater London so you can live a long long way away from places, for example I live 100 km from the Tullamarine airport. Also have a look at the metlink site and follow the train lines out. You have to select how long you wish to commute and then work from there. A lot of the areas with new housing are at least an hour from the CBD further in the housing is older as these suburbs are more established and they are more expensive. Expensive to buy and good property is expensive to rent. Fortunately for us we did not work in the CBD so we were able to select a more country feel to the place where we live. Also had a reasonable commute by car to work me 30 mins oh 25 mins. The south and east are nice areas but do not write off the west as well a lot of Brits have chosen to settle in Point Cook, Sanctuary Lakes and people even commute from Geelong to the CBD these days. I have a friend who lives in Riddels Creek, a nice small place on the fringe but accessible to Tullarmarine, has a train handy and the prices are more reasonable and the property is nice. Realestate.com.au. Domain.com.au City Hobo, Gumtree are sites you can look at to see where you fancy living. Eltham and areas around it are lovely suburbs too. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibella Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 We just recently moved to Melbourne with 2 older girls aged 9 and 5 and I'm pregnant with my third girl. We live in Wonga Park which is in the outer eastern areas of Melbourne - nearly in the bush!! 1) Quality of life - what is it really like when compared with the UK? We have a good standard of life here and would hope to improve on that. Where do you live in the UK? We lived in the Southeast where property is very expensive both to rent and own. Our rent and eventually mortgage in the UK for a tiny little house was slightly less than what we pay here for a huge 4 bedroomed, 2 bathroomed house. For us this is a huge change in lifestyle. We arrived in winter (personally I prefer arriving at the worst time cause then things can only get better). Although it rained for days on end, it wasn't too cold although the houses aren't insulated so you feel it more when you are inside. But now we are having beautiful weather - today we worked in the garden and the kids played in the little park next to our house. Yesterday we went to the beach and then went for lunch at a cute little cafe right on the beach. So I would say we have a better quality of life but you need to work hard to find the right area, job, house, school etc. to make it better. 2) Finances - with the exchange rate against us, are house prices out of our reach? We would like a 4+ bedroom family home in a good suburb with good free school. Any ideas on guide prices? We are only renting at the moment as we couldn't sell our house in the UK. We pay $600 per week but the house we rent is great and there are loads of great schools in the surrounding areas so I feel it's worth it. It will be difficult to buy due to the exchange rate but we are happy renting for now. 3) Suburbs - we've been to Melbourne once but are not sure on what are the decent, family friendly suburbs. My husband will likely be working in Dandenong but we don't want to live there - so something commutable from there would be good. You've had some great suggestions already with regarding to suburbs, you just need to drive around and see what suits you when you get here. Although I do think the West would be too far from Dandenong so I would stick to the East and South East. 4) Schools - are the free schools any good? I know some friends who all recommend fee paying schools but I presume this is quite expensive. This depends on the area you are living in. The free schools around here all seem good - Ringwood North, Croydon Hills, Warranwood, Wonga Park is where we are. I looked at four schools and they all seemed good. The school I chose in the end has great facilities - netbooks and ipads in classes, dedicated teachers for Japanese, Art, Performing Art and Sport and my daughter is happy so far. The schools seem to have more money to spend than the UK schools. 5) Childcare - can anyone give me an idea on childcare costs - ie nursery/childminders/nannies etc? My husband and I will both be working and finding someone trustworthy in a country where we know no one would be paramount! Childcare is expensive but if you earn less than a certain amount you can claim up to half of it back from Centrelink if you have Permanent Residency. As I have older kids I only know about school and kinder (preschool) which are very affordable. Nursery fees as far as I can see are between $60 and $85 per day but like I said you can claim some of this back. 6) Renting a house - I presume we will initially rent a house - any ideas on prices for this? Also, how much should we budget for groceries/utilities/phones/broadband etc? As above. Groceries - we spend about $200 a week but don't eat a lot of red meat, also don't drink (well not at the moment cause I'm pregnant!!) and hubbie has a glass of red wine each night. Broadband and phone about $100 per month. Haven't received my first utility bill yet. 7) Visas - Are there any benefits on arriving with a PR as opposed to a 457 visa? Any ideas on timescales for both? With a family I would only do PR (as pointed out previously). This means you can claim from Medicare, school is free and you can claim certain family benefits. On a 457 you might have to pay even for free schooling and you would have to have expensive private health insurance. Time scales depend on which PR visa you apply for, what DIAC is up to at that moment, and that's a whole different and very long conversation... 8) Healthcare - do you have to pay to see a doctor there? Is the standard comparable to the UK? Well answered previously. Only thing even with Medicare is that you still end up paying for a lot of things depending on the service provider etc. I'm pregnant and was referred to an obstetrician who saw me as a public patient but I still had to pay $230 for the first visit, $230 pregnancy management fee and $75 for each subsequent visit. I also had to pay for blood tests which I wasn't expecting otherwise I wouldn't have had them done. He ordered a scan at 32 weeks but this was free. For the things I did have to pay for I mostly got half back from Medicare. I then moved and decided to change hospitals, now I see a midwife and a obstetrician for free? Still a bit confusing. The standard seems good - I only have experience of pregnancy care and I seem to be having loads more midwife / ob visits here compared to the UK. They also test for things like Vitamin D (mine is low) which is interesting. 9) Family oriented - generally how do you spend the weekends/free time with your family? I am quite limited here in the UK and it would be great to have more things to do with my children. Also depends on where you lived in the UK - we always had lots to do there and places aren't far apart so daytrips were easy but somehow disappointing in bad weather. And winter was dreadful so sometimes you wouldn't get me out the house even if you paid me. We only arrived recently so obviously there are lots of things for us to explore, so far we've been to the beach (twice), the park (lots), Melbourne Museum (great for kids!), the drive in cinema (which reminded us of our childhood in South Africa), Healesville Animal Sanctuary (great for kids of all ages) and Victoria market (didn't really enjoy this much). We also spend a lot of time at cafes - I realize what they mean by Melbourne's cafe culture - there is one on each corner and most of them do excellent food and yummy coffees and babychinos! And they are really child/babyfriendly. We also bought an Entertainment Book for Melbourne which is a really thick book filled with discount vouchers for restaurants/shops/ days out. I'ts great especially for newcomers as it gives you ideas for new places to visit. 10) Any tips/advice etc for moving over? How long did it take before Melbourne felt like 'home'? I would say come in winter so it gets better and every beautiful day is a lovely surprise. Also to me it is nothing at all like the UK? It's more like South Africa with wide open spaces, larger properties and blue skies! I'm probably still in the honeymoon period but it feels like home already after 2,5 months - although I hated the first few weeks before our stuff arrived and we could move into a permanent rental. Although I still haven't really met that many people and I think it's easier to make friends in the UK. The shopping is not great compared to the UK - so stock up on all your favourites especially clothes. Sorry for the loooongg post - I suffer from pregnancy induced insomnia (well that's what I think anyway) and I don't have anything better to do...:cute: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyCoyles Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 1) Quality of life - what is it really like when compared with the UK? We have a good standard of life here and would hope to improve on that. We find it better for us and the kids. We had a good standard of living in NI and lived in one of if not the nicest coastal town in the country. So it was going to be hard to improve upon. The biggest change would be the amount of family activities there are and the number of people that turn out to these events. 2) Finances - with the exchange rate against us, are house prices out of our reach? We would like a 4+ bedroom family home in a good suburb with good free school. Any ideas on guide prices? Same as Kate (movingtomelbourne) said, we got $2 to the £1 but didn’t have a lot to exchange, enough for a second hand car and a few months’ rent. Depends on how much you have to exchange but once you start earning here it becomes less important. We started from 0 when it came to buying a house and had our loan approved within 6 months for a $500k house. That got us a 4 bedroom, 2, bathroom, study (5th bedroom), 2 living areas, 2.5 garage in Lyndhurst. Prices have gone up a bit since then depending on the style or features you are looking for but still very achievable for the same money. 3) Suburbs - we've been to Melbourne once but are not sure on what are the decent, family friendly suburbs. My husband will likely be working in Dandenong but we don't want to live there - so something commutable from there would be good. Kate covered it very well. 4) Schools - are the free schools any good? I know some friends who all recommend fee paying schools but I presume this is quite expensive. There are good and bad schools everywhere, best to narrow down your suburb list first and start from there. 5) Childcare - can anyone give me an idea on childcare costs - ie nursery/childminders/nannies etc? My husband and I will both be working and finding someone trustworthy in a country where we know no one would be paramount! Childcare for the areas that Kate recommended would be $300-$350 per week per child. Depending on your visa you can get 50% back from the government towards the costs. 6) Renting a house - I presume we will initially rent a house - any ideas on prices for this? Also, how much should we budget for groceries/utilities/phones/broadband etc? Covered by Kate. 7) Visas - Are there any benefits on arriving with a PR as opposed to a 457 visa? Any ideas on timescales for both? With children it can be very useful to have the PR. Medical costs and the 50% rebate on childcare costs is not means tested so that can make a big difference. 8) Healthcare - do you have to pay to see a doctor there? Is the standard comparable to the UK? Already covered 9) Family oriented - generally how do you spend the weekends/free time with your family? I am quite limited here in the UK and it would be great to have more things to do with my children. There is the beach, endless parks with BBQ areas or drive in any direction you will find something for free. We generally stick to the free or low cost activities (drive in cinema, $29 for a car load). But an example of something we are doing this is going to the v8 supercar racing in a place called Sandown, it’s about 20 minutes train or car from us with a Disney cars 2 road show for the kids. $55 per adult for general admission (more if you want a seat) with children in free. So for $110 we get to see a proper v8 championship race day and something for the kids as well. 10) Any tips/advice etc for moving over? How long did it take before Melbourne felt like 'home'? Everyone is different, there are stages of settling in, first you love it (hopefully) and everything is new and exciting, then you realise that you have to pay the same bills and go to work and do homework with the kids and really miss your family and friends. Then you start to explore beyond the tourist areas and find out from people where the really good places are and settle in with the way of life. Then you drive to work on days like today, nice and sunny with a max of 29 and realise that you are one of the lucky ones. Some people never call it home, I do but my wife although very settled and would never leave will never call Melbourne home. Hope all the info helps, no matter where you are, life is what you make it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkk8 Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 With children it can be very useful to have the PR. Medical costs and the 50% rebate on childcare costs is not means tested so that can make a big difference. Is this true? I was reading a magazine article recently that said this was only for those earning less than a certain amount (I think it said $150,000) - would be interested to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibella Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 The childcare rebate is not means tested but both parents need to qualify for it by the work / study test - which means you have to work a minimum amount of hours a week to qualify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 With children it can be very useful to have the PR. Medical costs and the 50% rebate on childcare costs is not means tested so that can make a big difference. Is this true? I was reading a magazine article recently that said this was only for those earning less than a certain amount (I think it said $150,000) - would be interested to know. http://www.familyassist.gov.au/payments/family-assistance-payments/child-care-rebate.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyCoyles Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 With children it can be very useful to have the PR. Medical costs and the 50% rebate on childcare costs is not means tested so that can make a big difference. Is this true? I was reading a magazine article recently that said this was only for those earning less than a certain amount (I think it said $150,000) - would be interested to know. Yes for the child care rebate there is no income test: http://www.familyassist.gov.au/payments/family-assistance-payments/child-care-rebate.php#a1 It states that you have to receive a child care benefit rating of 0 or more to be eligible, so if you register like we do and get a raiting of 0 like we do you get the rebate. The requirements to receive child care benefit (even a 0 rating) are that the children have to have their immunisations up to date (you even get money for doing that as well, strange) Residency requirements: an Australian citizen; the holder of a permanent visa; a New Zealand citizen who arrived in Australia on a New Zealand passport; or the holder of a temporary visa subclass: 070, 309, 310, 447, 451, 695, 785, 786, 787, 820 or 826 or the holder of a Criminal Justice Stay Visa issued specifically for the purpose of assisting in the administration of criminal justice in relation to the offence of people trafficking, sexual servitude or deceptive recruiting. Attend a registered child care centre, so you cant just pay their granny to look after them and get 50% back, lol. Unless she registers with the council as a registered child care facility and has her house instected etc. All centres are registered so you dont need to consider this. It might has been for paid maternity leave where the total family income for the 6 months after the birth of a child (the duration of paid maternity leave) can not excede $75,000. So if one parent was earning $150,000 per year the other would not be able to receive paid maternity leave. But either parent can take paid maternity leave, even take 3 months each if required. We have been through all this recently as our son was born on the 29th December last year. we missed paid maternity leave by 2 days! Still got the baby bonus of $5500 and because of the income thresholds we fell below the limit for family benefit and got a lot of rebates at the end of the tax year that we wouldnt have got if we received the maternity pay as its regarded as taxible income so we actually ended up better off! Some of the methods can be a little strange but once you get your head round it its not that complicated, they also have an online service so you can manage and track all this yourself. But if you have any more questions on that topic just ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyCoyles Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 http://www.familyassist.gov.au/payments/family-assistance-payments/child-care-rebate.php must have been typing at the same time as you and linked the same page! Great minds....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandJon Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Lol, you guys are so helpful it makes me feel all fuzzy (Or it could be that I don't have my contacts in yet) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinfamily Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thanks guys for all your help. So if I'm reading this right, the PR is the way to go. I can get a 457 visa quite easily so will look into applying for a PR from the UK - not sure how long this takes. We're still considering the move - it just seems daunting with the way the AUD is at the moment - also the babies were unwell over the last few months (much better now thankfully!) and we did wonder how we'd manage without family support in Oz! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Luvhaggis Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Depending on the certification of the childcare centre, it isn't means tested and u can get a 50% rebate. This would depend on the visa as mention above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 PR is definitely the way to go, if you can get it, it can take a long time. The 457 visa is a ood choice if you want to be over herre quicker with a guaranteed job, then try and apply for PR once here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolineuk Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Hi Jessica, I've just been reading your post and wondered if you are still planning to, or have moved to Melbourne and if so how did it go? We are in a similar situation and are currently considering a move and was interested in how it all went :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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