spenner Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Hi guys, I'm in the process of applying for a RSMS 119 Visa, I've got an employer sponsoring me. Hopefully, if everything goes well with the app, I will be moving to Cairns with my wife and 6 year old son within the next few months. I've been to Cairns 3 times in the past on holidays, the last time in 2011, we did a lot of driving around housing areas on our last visit to give them the once over. The problem is there seems to be so many nice areas. The info I'm trying to get, from people who live in Cairns at the moment or have lived there recently, is what do you reckon are the best areas for both living and schooling? I'm not sure if we'll be sending the boy to a state school or one of the private ones, the private school fees seem very reasonable though, compared to here in the UK. Also, do the state schools work on catchment areas as in the UK? Any info will be much appreciated. :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogian Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I've lived in Gordonvale previously and currently live in Forrest Gardens (both south of town). Gordonvale is a nice place if you like it quiet. Downside is it's a 25 min drive into town....or a taxi fare of around $75 each way.... Forrest Gardens is also nice and is closer town - 10 min drive / $25ish each way in a taxi. I suppose where you decide to live will be dependant on what you're hoping for, coupled with school options (which I'm afraid I cant comment on as we dont have kids...just yet). If you are hoping to be close to the beach, there are some nice areas north of town, such as Caravonica, Freshwater and the beaches areas. As you say, there are lots of nice areas around town, but there are also a few that are not so nice. I've heard pepole make reference previously on this site to steer clear of areas that begin with an "M" and I rekon there is some truth in it! Am sure others will be along soon to provide their input. All the best with everything! :animal-frog:ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Ok here is quick run down NORTHERN BEACHES: Palm Cove – A beautiful suburb, with a very tropical feel, white sandy beaches lined with Palm trees. It is very well set up for tourists with seafront hotels, apartments and restaurants along the Esplanade. Beachside is a very busy area, however, if you cross the Captain Cook Highway they have built a gorgeous estate surrounded by the rainforest, if you live high on the estate you will have stunning sea views. Clifton Beach – No Esplanade as such. New small shopping centre out at the main Roadside. No real holiday industry here. Expensive at the water front. Kewarra Beach – More affordable areas. Large development taking place. Not much in the way of facilities but not far to travel to them. Trinity Beach – A mini Palm Cove. Very nice. Trinity Park – No beach. Water inlet. Big money going in here. Want to park your yacht at the bottom of the garden ? Yorkeys Knob – Marina and small beach. In flight path, an older suburb. Holloways Beach - Flight path. There are nicer suburbs Machans Beach - Flight path. Poor reputation. NORTH: Smithfield – This is where the large shopping centre is, you have quite a few industrial units, Bunnings, Fast Food, etc, A very busy suburb, there is a touch of graffiti in the North Point Estate as this backs on to the industrial area, nothing major and nothing compared to suburbs in Melbourne. The nicest estate is Canopys Edge which also has the cable skiing. Gateway to the Tablelands and Kuranda. Caravonica – Some very nice new housing. Can be subject to flooding in wet season Kamerunga – Mainly rainforest type living. Pole homes. Freshwater – Older suburb but very nice and upmarket Stratford – Tipped to become the next Edge Hill. Redlynch – Offers a lot. New suburb spread over several km. Great schools Redlynch Valley - Life in the rainforests, stunning area, swimming in the creek, a few minutes to Crystal Cascades, a very family friendly area. Brinsmead – Old and new. Better stuff tends to be up the hill. Good. Park Ridge – Was part of Whitfield, a new estate which has become it's own suburb. East is virtually millionaire territory. The views are sensational – breathtaking million-dollar panoramas of the city and harbour on one side, and tranquil rural vistas over the valleys and mountains on the other. Whitfield – Older leafy burb. Some good, some bad. Edge Hill – Older leafy burb in excellent location and has a good reputation. Surrounded by the Botanical Gardens and has a lovely shopping complex. Mooroobool – Prime example of where good meets bad. Some very good and some very bad. City Views within Mooroobool is where a lot of big money people live. CITY SUBURBS: Unfortunately, unlike other cities, it is not desirable to live in the inner Cairns suburbs, the properties are old and run down Aeroglen – CLose to Freshwater, floods in wet season and next to the airport Bungalow – Old housing meets industrial. Manoora – Probably the worst burb in Cairns. Manunda – Again a suburb to avoid, they always say avoid the 3 M's if moving to Cairns and I have to agree they are definitely right Parramatta Park – Just made the news due to increasing crime rate. Portsmith – Not much housing. Industrial leading to the port. Westcourt – Bordering the main Mulgrave Road. Woree – Same as Westcourt. SOUTHSIDE: Earlville – Older. Better stuff is at the back toward the hills. One of the largest shopping centres with cinemas. Bayview Heights – Where the original money people of Cairns live – or lived ? Better at the back toward the hills. Some lovely areas and some not so nice, choose your area well. White Rock – Not somewhere I would choose to live Forest Gardens - Brand new estate, some gorgeous properties Mount Sheridan – Older leafy burb. Bentley Park – Nicknamed Nappy Valley. Cheaper housing. Lot of development out the back where it is now adjoining Edmonton. Edmonton – High velocity expansion. A lovely suburb, some lovely housing built around the water park. Plans to join it with Gordonvale which is a 10 minute drive to the South Gordonvale – Semi rural. Farming and cane field country. Some run down areas, but an area where you can get acreage for a reasonable price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogian Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Ok here is quick run down........ Excellent info there! Do you mind me asking - do you work in the property industry? (Apologies Spenner for going a little off track on your post by asking that question) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Excellent info there! Do you mind me asking - do you work in the property industry? (Apologies Spenner for going a little off track on your post by asking that question) No sorry, PIO takes all my time lol x If you need to chat to someone in Cairns though I can give you a couple of numbers. How long have you been here Ian? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Sorry Spenner I was rushing out so never got around to answering your full question. Ok school wise I have to agree that the private or church schools are a lot better than most of the government ones, however, there are some good government ones out there it's knowing where to look. Take a look at some of the church schools, St Andrews, Freshwater, Peace Lutheran, Trinity Anglican. If we lived in the Northern Beaches then we would have opted for TAS (Trinity Anglican). Government primary schools then look at Caravonica, Trinity Beach and Redlynch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogian Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 No sorry, PIO takes all my time lol xIf you need to chat to someone in Cairns though I can give you a couple of numbers. How long have you been here Ian? Hope they are paying you well :wink: as you certainly do a great job - you are always on here helping people out with stuff! No need for me to speak to anyone as am sorted, but thanks very much for the offer! Was just wondering if you were in the property game (you have knowledge of the area!) as if so you may know my wife or one of our friends. Have been living here just coming up 6 months and am having a great time. Only downside is I'm struggling a bit to land a job (on a 309 temp visa awaiting for decision on PR grant so many jobs I cant apply for. Plus my work history is in a little...unusual. To sum it up, I'm a professional pyromaniac :wacko:). How long you been here yourself (from your user name, I guess you started off in Melbourne?)? Note to Spenner - again, apologies for hijacking your thread mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hope they are paying you well :wink: as you certainly do a great job - you are always on here helping people out with stuff! No need for me to speak to anyone as am sorted, but thanks very much for the offer! Was just wondering if you were in the property game (you have knowledge of the area!) as if so you may know my wife or one of our friends. Have been living here just coming up 6 months and am having a great time. Only downside is I'm struggling a bit to land a job (on a 309 temp visa awaiting for decision on PR grant so many jobs I cant apply for. Plus my work history is in a little...unusual. To sum it up, I'm a professional pyromaniac :wacko:). How long you been here yourself (from your user name, I guess you started off in Melbourne?)? Note to Spenner - again, apologies for hijacking your thread mate! Umm professional pyromaniac, no I can't imagine there would be much work up here. I'm sure you would find something in tourism though. Fingers crossed your PR isn't too long. Where does your OH work? 6 months, you will have missed Yasi then thankfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest haunted1234 Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hello! I've been here for 3 months having never been to Cairns before ) i have a 10 and 11 year old. we live in Caravonica (beautiful!) and my kids go to Redlynch State College.....very good school up to now, currently holding nearly 2000 students...be aware though they are brining in the catchment map, so you will have to live in the catchment to attend! They do from prep to year 12 which is why i initially chose it as i wanted the kids on the same grounds..... lovely places i would live other than caravonica are: Redlynch Redlynch valley (although it does seem to have it's own micro climate....rains there when we are dry here) Brinsmead Some lovely new places on the outskirts of Smithfield. we used Tropical Cairns rentals for our current rental...they were more than helpful and made the process of renting very very easy! we currently pay $490 a week for a four bedroom detached with pool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenner Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 Thanks for all the info Melbourne, Haunted & Frogian, amazing work! Frogian, hijacking was ok, lol. I was thinking more north of the city to be honest, though you do seem to get more for your money in the south, looking at the real estate prices anyway. Amongst others we did have a look at a couple of new properties on Canopys Edge when we were there last August and they were very nice. Some of the prices were on our upper limit, all depends on which way the exchange rate goes. Re schools, I looked at the TAS website last night and it seems very good at first glance. The school is probably the most important thing, but I guess if you get a good state school you do get a decent area, that's if it's anything like the UK. So much to think about! Guess we'll be like you Haunted and get a rental for a while and do a lot more research on the home front when we get there. Though the school will need sorting ASAP. Haunted, how long did you wait before enrolling your kids, my boy is 6 by the way. Spenner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest haunted1234 Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 We moved here when it was school.holidays do couldn't enrol them til the week before school started. I did email them from the UK though just to give them a heads up. there seems to be.kids from all over Australia and from UK. my two have settled brilliantly! Google redlynch state college and have a nosey .... I love it x good luck!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenner Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 Thanks for that Haunted, I'll defo have a look at Redlynch school. Where in the UK did you come from, I'm coming over from West Yorkshire. I love Carins, met some really good people when we've been over in the past. I've got everything crossed for a positive visa outcome. The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest haunted1234 Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 we moved from Anglesey north wales. it happened so quick for us, hubby just randomly sent his cv to a few companies and then he had 2 skype interviews, then an offer and we moved out 2 weeks after the visa was approved! i love it here and cant imagine wanting to live anywhere else! we have also looked at Canopys edge as we do want to buy eventually, but at the moment glad we're renting as we can look and research the best places to live before taking the plunge! we'll have to meet up for a beer when you get here so keep in touch ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenner Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Beers in Cairns, now there sounds a good idea! Fingers crossed I'll be sampling one in the not too distant future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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