robjem2012

Australian suburbs and job opportunities

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Hi all, me and my gf have just had our visa granted which is a 176 skilled sponsored visa and we now have the daunting task of choosing a suburb and finding jobs.

We have been advised that point cook would be a good start and we would be grateful on any feedback from others that have made the move.

Also i am a plumber and gas fitter here in the UK and have been told that i need to apply for a licence on arrival and that i may have to do some gap training?? Also are you able to drive on a UK driving licence?

any help and advice on these matters would be appreciated thanks all

moneypenny20

So you're looking at Victoria in general or Melbourne in particular? Let me know and I'll edit your title for you. You can drive on a UK licence for up to three months but because you're on a PR visa, you'll have to get an Australian licence by that time. It's only a matter of a form, perhaps a basic eye test and some money. No driving test involved.

robjem2012

Hi Moneypenny20,
Just realised our mistake, we should of added melbourne, victoria to our heading. We are looking to move to victoria. If you could change this that would be great, thanks.

Buzzy--Bee

Hi, I think you might find searching for old posts by "Fraser" helpful as he was a plumber and he moved to Point Cook some years ago.

Plumbers do have to complete some job experience and exams here no matter how experienced or qualified you are - be ready to be shown how to do things by someone who knows less than you!

Point Cook is a massive new housing estate. I personally wouldn't live anywhere near it as it's not my thing but you guys might love it - I recommend you have a good look round lots of areas before you decide.

You can drive on a UK licence for 3 months after which you must swap it for a Victorian one, no test required.

BB

roaringmouse

The limit with a UK licence is 6 months (not 3) when on a PR visa - VicRoads link.

moneypenny20

Link doesn't seem to be working. I've honestly never heard that before, I thought everywhere was three months so thanks.

roaringmouse

The VicRoads website is up again now - it doesn't seem to be the most reliable site (or at least parts of it), in terms of uptime from my experience.

lynetteh

We live in Point Cook. When we originally moved here it was supposed to be a temporary stay before moving to a "better" suburb. Almost 2 years down the line and we are staying cos we love it

On first impressions it is not as attractive as the more established eastern suburbs - it is flat and the trees are still small but here are the advantages in my opinion

1) It is by far the cheapest real estate within 30 minutes of the city (non peak). We love the city and it is great being able to pop in quickly for a dinner or a weekend outing
2) It is cheap enough that I can afford to be a stay at home mom and we still have money left over for holidays, entertainment etc. People around here have lots of "toys" - boats, caravans etc
3) The town center is brand new and very convenient, all new library, health facilities, community centre etc. Most of the estates are well laid out with loads of playgrounds and green space
4) The people are super friendly. It is immigrant central here, tons of Brits, Saffers, Indians and Chinese. Because everyone is "new" they are very eager to make friends and help new arrivals. The population is also strongly skewed to young families so we all have a lot in common. Having made the massive decision to immigrate, most people here have a strong desire to make the best community they can, so there is a strong sense of community and involvement and pride in the town

To balance the discussion here are some of the often cited negatives:
1) Wyndam (our council district) is the fastest growing council in the ENTIRE Australia, and while infrastructure improvement is happening everywhere, there is a real fear that the infrastructure will not keep pace with the booming population, particularly with regards to traffic and public transport. My hubby goes to work at 6 and gets home before 5 to skip the traffic and/or get a cheap seat on the train so this has not been an issue for us yet
2) Schooling is still hit and miss, with some state schools having a poor record, and others being too new to judge. There are some excellent state primary schools but you need to be in the right zone. We have done the math and with two kids it is still cheaper for us to put them in one of the very good private high schools here, than it would be for us to live in one of the Eastern Suburbs with comparable state schools.
3) Back yards are small due to the size of the plots, but honestly we are loving not having to spend all weekend gardening, and with 5 parks in walking distance from my house the kids have plenty of place to run around and I enjoy hanging out with other families
Anyway that is all I can think of for now. Please feel free to PM me if you want any more info or if I can help when you arrive.

lynetteh

I have just reread your original post and it sounds like you and your GF are child free? So I feel compelled to let you know that Point Cook has no real night life to speak of, just a few family oriented chain restaurants. Were hubby and I child free we would probably choose to rent an apartment in the city to be able to enjoy all it offers 24/7. Unless you are planning a family soon Point Cook might be a bit dull for a young couple?

Sass73

We've just moved to Wyndham Vale from the city. Close enough to Werribee for all the good shops and restaurants. However, we are now old farts and don't go out much We were in the city for nearly 5 years renting and loved the closeness of everything and being able to walk out to pubs and shops. It is very impersonal though and you don't really meet your neighbours so don't have many chances to make friends in the big high rises. It's also getting very expensive to rent now but if you can afford it, I would recommend it for short term while looking around else.

robjem2012

Hi lynetteh, thank you for your message, it was good to hear more about Point Cook.Im fairly sure that were going to head that way.Where are you guys from originally? How did you go about renting a place before you arrived?

robjem2012

Hi Buzzy--Bee,
Thanks for your help, will look up fraser very soon.

Thanks again

Seacaptain

We are relocating to Melbourne from Adelaide in a couple of months. We were in VIC last year (crikey where has the time gone?). We raced around trying to suss out the areas. We looked at Point Cook and Sanctuary Lakes. Also Williamstown, which we really liked. There is just me and OH, and we are thinking that PK maybe a good starting point. Rent is affordable in that we can save more towards buying, hopefully.

We've looked closer, thought about apartments, but we have so much camping, skiing gear and such that we would struggle to find somewhere to house it all. Big garage, perfect.

My only concern is the Westgate Bridge. Everyone keeps telling us its a nightmare. But also that the traffic is busy everywhere.

Did love the shops at Point Cook, great if your not to fussed about heading into the CBD.

Excited about the move though!

lynetteh

We are from South Africa/Zimbabwe originally, but lived in the UK for 3 years before moving to Melbourne. (and prior to that lived in the Netherlands and the States)
We rented a furnished apartment in the city for the first 3 weeks which we found on the net before we arrived.
It is very difficult to organise a long term rental before you arrive as the agents want to see you in person, validate ID's, do reference checks etc. The good thing about Point Cook is that there are a lot of rentals available so it will not take you long to find one once you arrive.
SeaCaptain the Westgate can be a nightmare, but only sometimes at peak times. I'm sure the traffic will come as a shock after Adelaide, but honestly, even the bad days are so much better than the average day in London or anywhere near/inside the M5. People also moan about the public transport here, but the trains at their worst are as busy as the Guildford line into London, far more reliable, and tickets are much cheaper. The only thing that I would agree is worse than the London commute is the lack of buses to the train station so everyone has to drive there. But station parking is free and construction on the new Williams Landing station has begun, meaning that Point Cook residents will soon have 3 local stations to choose from.

Seacaptain you are going to fit right in in Point Cook. Everyone parks in their driveway because their garage is full of big boy toys. Our garage is currently being cleaned out to make space for a new camper trailer, which I am going to "winterise" to the max so that we can winter camp and thus afford nice long skiing holidays

Seacaptain

Thanks Lynetteh, I hadn't heard about the train station at Williams Landing. We were even thinking about there, but it seems there is lots of construction still going on.

Liking the idea of the camper trailer, that's on our agenda. Really excited about camping and exploring VIC, even in the winter!