JDAD84

So....

I've been having conversations with a company in Sydney now for a little while and the past few weeks have been very positive.... i found out last night that they are now looking to progress with me and start the admin for setting up my 457 visa so I can accept the role.

Feels like a dream come true and still cant believe that it's actually happening.... once we get through the hurdle of setting up the 457 it should be plain sailing. They've done 457's before so fingers crossed they don't have any problems setting it up and sponsoring me.

Hopefully this should see me and my husband landing in Sydney around January time.

We've done lots of research so far and have travelled in Australia a few years back so i think we're pretty much clued up on most things.

We're looking to move potentially to North Ryde, so if anyone is living near or in that area it would be good to get some pointers on what the areas like and any local shops etc.

In the UK we're fortunate to have Wilkinsons, Matalan etc for all of our 'home' items at really great prices... i know of Target but wondered if there are any other good stores to buy home items... we're heading out with literally whatever we can carry so planning to get most things when we're there so i'm trying to do some research online now... any suggestions would be welcomed!!

Hope to join the expats social when we get out there!

carolinephillips

If you go down the Lane Cove road a bit from North Ryde, then you come across a large IKEA store. Closer to Ryde, cheap shops for small household goods are K-Mart and Big W, found in most shopping centres. Macquarie Centre is expanding, though it is a bit crazy to find your way about, since it is designed like a snail, and the floor levels don't match the car park levels. Top Ryde is a new Shopping Centre, again just off Lane Cove Road. There is also a Costco a little way off but accessible.

Hope that helps.

Jon77

Have lived around this around of Sydney on and off since 2002. North Ryde for living is pretty bland and so is Marsfield. Agree about Macquarie shopping centre, very strange set up, so confusing to work out what is where! We try and avoid shopping centres but if we do we tend to go to either Burwood or Hornsby Westfields. Don't like Top Ryde very much, it seems aimed at the top end Asian consumer.

No Argos type shops here so you will need to shop around. As mentioned we have a few IKEA's around which are exactly the same as in the UK of course. We went to IKEA (at Meadowbank) the first week we arrived back and bought loads of things there. I have a feeling you will be disappointed with the supermarkets here. Coles and Woolworths are the two supermarkets and the choice on offer is nothing like in the UK, they are pretty rubbish. One thing I miss is a Tescos, Sainsburys or a Waitrose. Aldi are here and expanding, a new one opened at Eastwood near Ryde not long ago.

Epping is a very popular (but expensive) suburb. It has old style art deco houses that can go for a fortune. If you can afford it some very nice houses and schools around the Epping area. There is also an express train to the city from Epping which can get you in to the city in just under 30 mins.

We rented in Epping first but couldn't afford to buy there. We now live on the Carlingford side of the border next to Epping which is a good compromise.

The Chinese go CRAZY for property opportunities around this area of Sydney, expect fierce competition.

We moved from Middlesbrough by the way, big change from NE England but you will love it ;-)

JDAD84

Thanks Guys really useful info.

I've been looking at rentals in the 2113 postcode area and for a 2 bed townhouse i've seen anything from $420 to 650$ a week but I think we'll maybe go on our first weekend to any and all open houses when we arrive as that seems to be the done thing in Oz.

If there are any other areas surrounding that you think are nice that would be great info to share.

I think we're going to rent initially until we find an area we'd like to settle and put down some roots.

I heard about the Aldi growth think its great as better value than coles/woolworths. We traveled for a while a few years back and found food markets to be good for meat/veg. Are there any in these areas that you guys find any good?

At the moment it still doesn't feel quite real. The company i'm going to work far are going the the visa process for me now, but i cant wait until we get a fixed date in January for heading out.

On another note my Husband is a Pharmacist so if you know of any good hospitals in the local area or pharmacy names that would be great as he needs to arrange supervised practise for when we arrive

Thanks Guys!!

Jon77

Hey,

The main hospital to this area would ne Royal North Shore at St Leonards and also Westmead near Parramatta wouldn't be far away. Smaller hospital at Concord I believe. There are pharmaceutical organisations based on the North Ryde business park area, lots of international businesses are located around there.

By the way if you are looking for a village type community feels to a place take a look at Lane Cove. Expensive but very nice.

gabby_cat

My husband works in North Ryde. We live in St Ives and he drives or cycles into work, although there are also buses but he hasn't the patience for them. Traffic to North Ryde through St Ives is a pain between 7.15 and 9.30 so he leaves early or goes in late if he driving. My immediate food shopping I do in St Ives village or I drive out to Macquarie shopping centre, Hornsby or Warringah, depending on what mood I'm in and whether I want KMart or BigW. To be honest there is loads of choice and all in easy distance. For homewares there are Supacentre malls with a variety of shops selling household stuff like sheets bedding, our nearest is 10 minutes away at Belrose. With regard to setting up, and if you aren't proud then try Gumtree. We didn't bring everything out either and have been happy to start out with sofas, old style TVs tables etc from the Freebies section on Gumtree. Eventually we will replace them with new but as a stop gap they have been great - and free!!

JDAD84

Great info thanks I think when we first setup we'd be happy to get things from gumtree as we've done the same in the UK when needed and then just replace things as and when.

Its fab to know there are so many options though and i now have a great range of places to visit to get us everything we need so thanks its really useful.

I was considering getting some bedding etc from in the UK before we come over (small things that don't take up much space but could be more expensive in Oz) so not sure whether there are any things you would recommend better to try and bring with us?

carolinephillips

Are you me???? The only difference is that my OH works in the city, so goes in early to Gordon so he can get a parking spot. I had to take DD down to Macquarie Uni pool for swimming training regularly, so I know how bad the road can be. Now she will be at Uni as a first year from March, but there is a bus straight there from Mona Vale road, so I won't have to drive her myself.

JDAD84

Thanks Jon.... great info again... we're going to start emailing all of the local hospitals etc including the above to get a head start.

Fantastic advice around locations etc too... i guess until you've lived in a place its really hard to know what you're getting so can see us driving around endlessly when we first get out there sussing out the areas.

gabby_cat

I don't envy him now then with the station car park closing for a few months!

gabby_cat

That's a really tricky question, because I think everything is more expensive in Aus. That might be because it is, or because I never got the hang of doing a mental currency conversion and the numbers just look bigger!! I know a number of people who still buy from the UK. Marks and Spencer do regular 'free delivery to Australia' promotions, and we find a number of UK stores are still cheaper if you get it delivered over. Look at the websites for IKEA, KMart, BigW, Target and Spotlight(who have regular sales) for household and Bunnings for DIY. Next have a presence here via au.nextdirect.com too. There's more expensive stuff of course but these are the everyday basics stores.