imo2oz Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Hi to everyone. This is my first post, but I've been reading posts for ages and have found Poms in Oz to be an absolutely brilliant source of information. Anyway, we are hoping to go to Oz next spring, possibly...and have already got our PR. Thing is we would really like a big change for our family, a different lifestyle, so have been seriously considering going to Cairns. But I wanted to ask about a few of my, or really my hubby's, concerns..he thinks it may be disappointing to move somewhere where we can't really swim in the sea. Is that generally true? Does it matter?? Also, I wondered if mossies are a problem. We have 4 kids: boys aged 11 and 13, and girls aged 5 and 3, and so health/safety issues are important. We are on a very tight budget to do this, and I get the impression that property is fairly reasonable compared with say, Melbourne which we have also been thinking about. Is it expensive in Cairns, would you say? Thanks in advance for any help/info on any of this. Imogen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Hi Imogen, we love it here, people still swim in the sea but only out of stinger season (Nov-May) during Stinger season they have the nets out so it's still possible. Cairns is a place where when it rains everyone says isn't the weather lovely today, no they aren't being sarcastic and we really look forward to the rain. We have had nothing this Wet so far but hopefully this is going to change this weekend with 459mm dropped. The main thing with Cairns is work, depending on what jobs you do a move up here may be impossible. I was speaking to my kids today as we have lived in Melbourne for 7years and asked what they thought and they said they never want to leave Cairns as there is so much to do. A lot of the houses have pools but if you get one without you can swim up at Crystal Cascades or the Rocks or even go up to the lakes on the ranges. Mozzies yes we have them but it's nothing like when we lived in Melbourne. Price of property, some of it is reasonable, personally I prefer the houses in Melbourne but then they aren't built for the climate here and the cyclones. So to round it up I love Cairns and could happily live the rest of my life here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imo2oz Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 It sounds fantastic. Thanks for such a quick informative reply M2M. I think my boys would love it there, they are very sporty but are getting drawn into the xbox based sedentary lifestyle that all the boys here seem to be so obsessed with, I would so love to radically change their environment. On the crucial work front, my husband is a design engineer, he designs caravans using CAD progrqammes, so I think he would need to think about transfering his skills to work in Cairns, possibly into caravan/motorhomes sales or repair maybe, or use his computer skills in another industry. I am an out of work chiropractor, working as a childminder at the moment, hoping to train a a nurse sometime in the future...!...I have lab experience and so wondered if I would be able to get something at the university. Lots more research needed I think! I am very excited though.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imo2oz Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 If you don't mind, M2M, I would like to pick your brains a little more..I wondered what kind of activities your kids get up to in Cairns and the area, it would be useful info to show my kids who are quite interested in the whole relocation idea, but are understandably apprehensive too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 It sounds fantastic. Thanks for such a quick informative reply M2M. I think my boys would love it there, they are very sporty but are getting drawn into the xbox based sedentary lifestyle that all the boys here seem to be so obsessed with, I would so love to radically change their environment. On the crucial work front, my husband is a design engineer, he designs caravans using CAD progrqammes, so I think he would need to think about transfering his skills to work in Cairns, possibly into caravan/motorhomes sales or repair maybe, or use his computer skills in another industry. I am an out of work chiropractor, working as a childminder at the moment, hoping to train a a nurse sometime in the future...!...I have lab experience and so wondered if I would be able to get something at the university. Lots more research needed I think! I am very excited though.. Britz are always looking for staff, so he could get in there, IT probably a no. You should be fine in any of those roles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 If you don't mind, M2M, I would like to pick your brains a little more..I wondered what kind of activities your kids get up to in Cairns and the area, it would be useful info to show my kids who are quite interested in the whole relocation idea, but are understandably apprehensive too. Weekly activities are running club (on the esplanade), scouts, karate, tennis, air cadets, swimming. Weekends can be anything from movies, lagoon, quad biking, horse riding, bungee jumping, sky diving, Scuba diving and lots more, I think that's why the kids love it as there is always something for them to do, oh I'm being told not to forget, go karting, cable skiing, laser tag. If your boys want to chat with mine let me know, my youngest is 11 and has an account on here so they could chat to each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxboz Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Used to spend every Christmas/New Year in Port Douglas (an hour up the road from Cairns) which I loved. Only thing is I know I would not have been able to live in Cairns as I couldn't handle the humidity. It appears there is also nowhere near the amount of work there compared to other cities and wages are generally lower also. Moving2Melbourne - obviously the humidity doesn't bother you? and what do you think about jobs/wages compared to Melbourne - I am basing this on friends who have lived there for years not just my observation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Used to spend every Christmas/New Year in Port Douglas (an hour up the road from Cairns) which I loved. Only thing is I know I would not have been able to live in Cairns as I couldn't handle the humidity. It appears there is also nowhere near the amount of work there compared to other cities and wages are generally lower also. Moving2Melbourne - obviously the humidity doesn't bother you? and what do you think about jobs/wages compared to Melbourne - I am basing this on friends who have lived there for years not just my observation You came at the most humid time of the year lol. We were really worried about making the move as we struggle in the heat but it's not as bad as everyone makes out, although we do have aircon, I'd probably die without it :yes: The months of Jan/Feb are usually the worse, the humidity is dropping now and by April it should be perfect again, 25 every day, no humidity and blue skies. Employment you are correct most of the work is hospitality, tourism, medical, mines, rigs etc there are no IT jobs. I wouldn't say the wages are lower than Melbourne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxboz Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Yes I know it was worst time to go although I was very lucky - kept just missing the rain! Interesting you think wages are similar to Mellbourne- used to be quite a bit lower. Port Douglas is one of my fave places - lucky you living just down the road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Yes I know it was worst time to go although I was very lucky - kept just missing the rain! Interesting you think wages are similar to Mellbourne- used to be quite a bit lower. Port Douglas is one of my fave places - lucky you living just down the road! PD is gorgeous I also like Palm Cove Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxboz Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Wasn't so keen on Palm Cove although last time I saw it - it was really just being developed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Wasn't so keen on Palm Cove although last time I saw it - it was really just being developed Wow it is years since you were last here as I think that was back in the 80's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxboz Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 hahah no wasn't that long ago - it was prob about nine years ago I saw it - parts of it was developed but there was still loads to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 My wifes cousin and her three kids live in Cairns and they love it there, she lived in Perth before, but she prefers Cairns, i thought it would be too hot and humid, but she says she has now got used to it. My cousin also lived in Cairns and he also thought it was great, he has since gone to live in Townsville with his partner, due to work, but he hasn't a bad word to say about either place. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest haunted1234 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 love it love it love it love it! been here 3 months with my 2 sons...11 and 10. we live in caravonica, they go to Redlynch School. lots of parklands for them to play footy/cricket, Lagoon is a must of a sunday afternoon. i dont do beaches, purely because i hate sand...but they look stunning! Port Douglas is fab for a visit. our weekends consist of chilling around the pool with friends or packing up the Esky with drinks and food and disappearing down to the lagoon for a few hours. Kuranda is lovely for a wander round the markets etc. there are ALWAYS signs at the side of the road for teams for kids to sign up to, rugby league, cricket, futsal (like five a side i think), handball, allsorts, my kids haven't got bored here yet! we come from North Wales (Anglesey) so it's not like theyve come from a big city to suburbia. i don't want to go anywhere else! we rent a four bed with pool for $490 a week basically $5500 a month covers everything including our food bill and fuel (and beer!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenner Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Cairns is a wonderful place, been there 3 times before on holiday and hopefully moving there later this year. Lots of things to do and has always seemed kid friendly on our visits. Hi again Haunted, how's your first "wet" going? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Scotland Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Hi there, I spent 6 weeks there in 2009 when I was doing an elective placement at the hospital - which must have one of the most stunning settings of any hospital anywhere! We are moving to Adelaide in August this year, but we did discuss Cairns as an option. My impressions of it are this: it is in stunning surroundings. I love the rainforest-surroundings, and the northern beaches are beautiful. The city itself is big enough to have everything you need, and the esplanade and marina area have lots of great cafes, restaurants and bars. The lagoon is a great place to hang out. There are volleyball courts on the esplanade where it's easy to join in with local players. We were there in July/August, and the weather was excellent. There were a few rainy days, and a few more overcast days, but on the whole it was incredible considering it was winter. The botanical gardens are beautiful too, and you can head from there up into the hills surrounding the city. People were very friendly too. Reasons that we decided not to move there are: it's an extra flight to get there for visitors, on the whole. The city is very much geared towards tourists - probably like enclaves of Sydney or Brisbane. However, there are suburbs where you can escape this. Having non-deadly animals in the sea was a big one for us too; as well as the irukandji and box jellyfish, there are the salties (crocodiles). For some reason I find them a bit more threatening than sharks as they end up in fresh water areas too. But everyone there manages to live with these, so I'm sure you will too :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest haunted1234 Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Cairns is a wonderful place, been there 3 times before on holiday and hopefully moving there later this year. Lots of things to do and has always seemed kid friendly on our visits. Hi again Haunted, how's your first "wet" going? Hi!! loving the wet season although ive been told it's not actually that wet! not looking forward to any cyclones that decide to hit though :eek: 3 months today we landed in Cairns and the time has flown by!!! God i LOVE IT HERE!!!!:laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Hi!! loving the wet season although ive been told it's not actually that wet! not looking forward to any cyclones that decide to hit though :eek: 3 months today we landed in Cairns and the time has flown by!!! God i LOVE IT HERE!!!!:laugh: Lol we haven't had a wet season, we have had nothing :cry: You will know it's wet season when the Barron floods and Caravonica are on flood alert :yes: This is one from last year at the Freshwater Bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Lol we haven't had a wet season, we have had nothing :cry: You will know it's wet season when the Barron floods and Caravonica are on flood alert :yes:This is one from last year at the Freshwater Bridge. [ATTACH=CONFIG]13040[/ATTACH] Or this the year before outside Cairns Colonial Club Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus1 Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Now last year was a wet season, Barron River around 3 times it's width. Sports fields at St Andrews completely under water, nearly up to the height of the crossbar on the goalposts down the far end. Unbelievable sight, scores of school kids went down there at weekend swimming ! Park at Freshwater completely underwater with the climbing frames fully submerged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest haunted1234 Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 (edited) hmmm i was told where we live doesn't flood??????? we're in Red Peak Estate rather than Lake Placid.....im from Wales...the rain we've had here (in this non wet season) is nothing in comparison to what i'm used to :jiggy: Hopefully will have to wait until next wet season to experience flooding :fish2: Edited March 16, 2012 by haunted1234 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenner Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Yes last year was bad, so I was told by my cousin over there. Think that's one of, if not the most, important factor for house selection, the flood scare. Can't face moving all my gear over there and it to be washed away in a big wet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Yes last year was bad, so I was told by my cousin over there. Think that's one of, if not the most, important factor for house selection, the flood scare. Can't face moving all my gear over there and it to be washed away in a big wet! It's just a case of choosing your area carefully, there are plenty of areas that don't flood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenner Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 It's just a case of choosing your area carefully, there are plenty of areas that don't flood. I know you said Caravonica was at risk, which others are best to give a wide berth? I guess that most areas have some sort of risk of flooding if the weather conditions are right. Given that Cairns is next to the sea and the rainforest hills isn't the ideal situation. Not that the risk is putting me off at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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