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Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
Hi,
I have wanted to live in Australia since I did a round the world trip and visited Australia for three months in 2003 after graduating uni and working for 6 months to save up funds for the trip. I loved it over here and couldn't wait to save up and come out again. It took a while and I eventually came back out with a WHV in 2006-2007, but I ended up cutting my trip short and going back to the UK (boyfriend troubles?!) After getting married (to the trouble making boyfriend!) in 2008 I pushed for us to honeymoon in Australia to test out if he would be keen for us to move out. Thankfully we decided we were both as keen as each other to give it a go and saved up like mad for ten months and eventually got out here in March 2009. Telling our parents wasn't easy and they didn't really take it well. They were used to us living a mile down the road and I'm sure they were happily picturing grandchildren soon and being able to see us most days. What can you do though when you know in your heart that you need to at least give it a go and up sticks and move to the other side of the world because otherwise you'll regret not doing it? We managed to rent out our house and that was great because it is practically paying for itself now and is always our fallback option. Before we set off my husband got his WHV and I just got an electronic tourist visa (90 day holiday visa). We wanted to just get out to Manly (because I have friends who live here) and see how it suited us and work things out as we went along. We lived in a fairly nice hostel for four weeks and spent two weeks looking for an apartment. Over here they like you to have proof of wages, previous tenancies, ID etc. We managed to get a place with ID, bank statements, mortgage details (from UK) and personal references from my friends. We felt very lucky at the time to get a place as we were sure that first place would then help us to get somewhere nicer in 6 months time as we'd actually have jobs, and the tenancy for further applications (for flats/units/apartments). The rent is quite high but that is to be expected as Manly is a sought after location to live. Our tiny one bed flat was costing more than our mortgage did in the UK for a two bedroom house with two gardens and parking! We got an Aussie bank account before we moved over and transferred something like 5 thousand pounds over, we didn't get a great deal on the conversion but we knew we'd want the money in Australia for us to survive. If we'd had much more money than that I'm not sure what we would have done to ensure we didn't lose out on the weak pound. After 90 days I flew off to New Zealand for few days and then returned and got another 90 visa. My husband got a job after 6 weeks, after 2 or 3 weeks of looking. Anyway 90 days later we both flew to New Zealand for the weekend and when we returned I got pulled over and they wanted to talk about my visa and my intentions. They told me that because it was a holiday visa and I was residing with my husband that I should make an effort to get a different visa. I had hoped to go back and forth under the radar because years ago you could with no sweat, but never mind they are a lot stricter now!! So my husband applied for sponsored jobs and was lucky to get one and we are both now on his sponsored visa so we're fine to live here for the next four years if he stays in his job, but of course now we know we really love it over here and that we plan to live here for the next few years (at least) we will apply for PR visa because my husband's job is on the MODL list. We are currently saving up to put that application in. If we get it, it will mean that my husband will become free to pursue a different job because he won't have to rely on their sponsorship anymore. I do not work but I could now we're sponsored, so far we're doing ok with money so I'm not rushing to find a job. My husband needed to have references from the last 5 years of his working career for the sponsored job, he is in IT. We love it over here and the last ten months have flown by, we cannot imagine going back for the time being so that feels really good because we feel we took a chance coming out here and it has paid off for us. We came from Cornwall in the UK and were used to the quiet life so Manly is a novelty for us with so much to do within walking distance! I felt lucky leaving the recession behind in Cornwall and my husband now earns good money in Sydney so we feel very lucky with life at the moment. You can definitely get by over here on a small amount of money to begin with if needs be. Please feel free to ask any questions, I'm sure I had more stuff to suggest to people who are planning on coming out. There was some stuff that was a pain in the bum and we had wished we'd done before getting out here so it would be great to suggest things to anyone out there who has anything to ask that I can answer?! Mrs Even Stevens |
Re: Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
Brilliant post with brilliant timing for me :)
I was going down the family sponsorship (or SS before that) route but gave up on that after the September changes. I'm currently in London but moving out to Sydney (probably Manly!) on WHV in March so it's been really encouraging to read your update - Thanks v much :) |
Re: Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
Originally Posted by AStyle
(Post 8256357)
Brilliant post with brilliant timing for me :)
I was going down the family sponsorship (or SS before that) route but gave up on that after the September changes. I'm currently in London but moving out to Sydney (probably Manly!) on WHV in March so it's been really encouraging to read your update - Thanks v much :) Hope everything goes well for you :thumbsup: |
Re: Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
Great to read your story
I moved over at the end of last year and am staying with a friend at the moment who is about an hour out of the city which obviously is not ideal. I too want to move to Manly as I have friends there. My furniture has just arrived and will be cleared hopefully by customs this week so I keen to rent somewhere asap. Can I ask how much you had in your account in $ when you were applying for rentals? Was it competitive when looking for rentals, ie lots of people at viewings and if so did not working go against you as I am not working yet. Finally, was this the first apartment you went for or did you lose out on many? Any advice would be great:thumbup: e
Originally Posted by evenstevens
(Post 8250275)
Hi,
I have wanted to live in Australia since I did a round the world trip and visited Australia for three months in 2003 after graduating uni and working for 6 months to save up funds for the trip. I loved it over here and couldn't wait to save up and come out again. It took a while and I eventually came back out with a WHV in 2006-2007, but I ended up cutting my trip short and going back to the UK (boyfriend troubles?!) After getting married (to the trouble making boyfriend!) in 2008 I pushed for us to honeymoon in Australia to test out if he would be keen for us to move out. Thankfully we decided we were both as keen as each other to give it a go and saved up like mad for ten months and eventually got out here in March 2009. Telling our parents wasn't easy and they didn't really take it well. They were used to us living a mile down the road and I'm sure they were happily picturing grandchildren soon and being able to see us most days. What can you do though when you know in your heart that you need to at least give it a go and up sticks and move to the other side of the world because otherwise you'll regret not doing it? We managed to rent out our house and that was great because it is practically paying for itself now and is always our fallback option. Before we set off my husband got his WHV and I just got an electronic tourist visa (90 day holiday visa). We wanted to just get out to Manly (because I have friends who live here) and see how it suited us and work things out as we went along. We lived in a fairly nice hostel for four weeks and spent two weeks looking for an apartment. Over here they like you to have proof of wages, previous tenancies, ID etc. We managed to get a place with ID, bank statements, mortgage details (from UK) and personal references from my friends. We felt very lucky at the time to get a place as we were sure that first place would then help us to get somewhere nicer in 6 months time as we'd actually have jobs, and the tenancy for further applications (for flats/units/apartments). The rent is quite high but that is to be expected as Manly is a sought after location to live. Our tiny one bed flat was costing more than our mortgage did in the UK for a two bedroom house with two gardens and parking! We got an Aussie bank account before we moved over and transferred something like 5 thousand pounds over, we didn't get a great deal on the conversion but we knew we'd want the money in Australia for us to survive. If we'd had much more money than that I'm not sure what we would have done to ensure we didn't lose out on the weak pound. After 90 days I flew off to New Zealand for few days and then returned and got another 90 visa. My husband got a job after 6 weeks, after 2 or 3 weeks of looking. Anyway 90 days later we both flew to New Zealand for the weekend and when we returned I got pulled over and they wanted to talk about my visa and my intentions. They told me that because it was a holiday visa and I was residing with my husband that I should make an effort to get a different visa. I had hoped to go back and forth under the radar because years ago you could with no sweat, but never mind they are a lot stricter now!! So my husband applied for sponsored jobs and was lucky to get one and we are both now on his sponsored visa so we're fine to live here for the next four years if he stays in his job, but of course now we know we really love it over here and that we plan to live here for the next few years (at least) we will apply for PR visa because my husband's job is on the MODL list. We are currently saving up to put that application in. If we get it, it will mean that my husband will become free to pursue a different job because he won't have to rely on their sponsorship anymore. I do not work but I could now we're sponsored, so far we're doing ok with money so I'm not rushing to find a job. My husband needed to have references from the last 5 years of his working career for the sponsored job, he is in IT. We love it over here and the last ten months have flown by, we cannot imagine going back for the time being so that feels really good because we feel we took a chance coming out here and it has paid off for us. We came from Cornwall in the UK and were used to the quiet life so Manly is a novelty for us with so much to do within walking distance! I felt lucky leaving the recession behind in Cornwall and my husband now earns good money in Sydney so we feel very lucky with life at the moment. You can definitely get by over here on a small amount of money to begin with if needs be. Please feel free to ask any questions, I'm sure I had more stuff to suggest to people who are planning on coming out. There was some stuff that was a pain in the bum and we had wished we'd done before getting out here so it would be great to suggest things to anyone out there who has anything to ask that I can answer?! Mrs Even Stevens |
Re: Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
Hi,
We used two web pages to find potential rentals in Manly 1. www.realestate.com.au 2. www.homehound.com.au The place we first rented was tiny! I'm afraid that Manly can be very competitive, and pretty pricey. The further you are from the main amenities and great views does mean the rent will be slightly less. Queenscliff, Fairlight and other areas might be worth considering as they can still be within walking distance to the ferry etc. Also there is the option for house shares. When we were applying for a place we had about $10,000, because we had just arrived and that was all of our savings. Our personal references seemed to help as well. It seems that just before summer is the most competitive time for Manly. Places are advertised online and have a viewing time advertised; these are on Saturdays and Wednesdays. We tried to view as many as possible and then the quicker you apply to closer to the top of the pile you are! So it is a good idea to have lots of paperwork ready to go when you arrive to each viewing. We had a stack of stuff photocopied and ready to go, also we used to fill in the application form before we got there if the place looked really nice (you can get them online from the real estate agents). Although you can get the application form from the agent on the day and fill it in there (so take a pen!) Sometimes we had to rush off to find the office and hand it in there. The fact that we didn't have a job did seem to go against us, but then we got lucky and got accepted for one flat. We spent two weeks looking and looked at a ton of places and were rushing around Manly because the appointments are normally ten minutes long and all over the place so you end up trying to see as many places as possible then rushing off to the next appointment. Some were dire and then some nice so it's worth seeing as many as possible. I think we applied for about 5 or 6 places before getting the first place, we seemed lucky as it was a Wednesday viewing and we were the only ones who turned up! More people are at work for the Wednesday viewings :) Ask any other questions, I have a fairly good memory and will try and be helpful! ES |
Re: Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
Originally Posted by evenstevens
(Post 8320986)
Hi,
We used two web pages to find potential rentals in Manly 1. www.realestate.com.au 2. www.homehound.com.au The place we first rented was tiny! I'm afraid that Manly can be very competitive, and pretty pricey. The further you are from the main amenities and great views does mean the rent will be slightly less. Queenscliff, Fairlight and other areas might be worth considering as they can still be within walking distance to the ferry etc. Also there is the option for house shares. When we were applying for a place we had about $10,000, because we had just arrived and that was all of our savings. Our personal references seemed to help as well. It seems that just before summer is the most competitive time for Manly. Places are advertised online and have a viewing time advertised; these are on Saturdays and Wednesdays. We tried to view as many as possible and then the quicker you apply to closer to the top of the pile you are! So it is a good idea to have lots of paperwork ready to go when you arrive to each viewing. We had a stack of stuff photocopied and ready to go, also we used to fill in the application form before we got there if the place looked really nice (you can get them online from the real estate agents). Although you can get the application form from the agent on the day and fill it in there (so take a pen!) Sometimes we had to rush off to find the office and hand it in there. The fact that we didn't have a job did seem to go against us, but then we got lucky and got accepted for one flat. We spent two weeks looking and looked at a ton of places and were rushing around Manly because the appointments are normally ten minutes long and all over the place so you end up trying to see as many places as possible then rushing off to the next appointment. Some were dire and then some nice so it's worth seeing as many as possible. I think we applied for about 5 or 6 places before getting the first place, we seemed lucky as it was a Wednesday viewing and we were the only ones who turned up! More people are at work for the Wednesday viewings :) Ask any other questions, I have a fairly good memory and will try and be helpful! ES Like a lot of people we had looked at all the rental sites, posted for advice on the forums etc. I was dead set on the Northern Beaches, for some reason Collaroy was my preference. Two places I was NEVER going to live, because of the reputations and demographics, was Bondi and Manly. When I got here and having spoken to some locals and other ex-pats and having a friend driving us around some of the suburbs we tried a look at the Eastern Beaches (one rule my wife had - I don't care where we live but I want to know that we are in Sydney and are near water!!!). My budget was about $600 pw for a min 2 bed place. I soon realised that lots of sh!tholes in those areas asked for that price and quite frankly there was no way I would pay for it. It was also pretty competitive at that time for rentals. Soooo, had been here 3 weeks, not seen anything that she liked and then one Saturday we (wife, I and our demon 4 year old son) went on the Manly ferry for a day trip to 'that backpacker town full of beach posers and drunken tw@ts' as I liked to call it!! Honestly, as soon as we got off the ferry and before we had even crossed the bloody road onto the Corso, my wife was cooing and loving the place!!!!! Incredible!!! As we walked up the Corso and to the beach and had some food along the South Steyne restauarant alley even I had grudgingly become to kinda tolerate the place. Yep, you guessed it, relocation agent told to stop her current searches and look (to her horror, she called the northern beaches 'the dark side') in the Manly areas. She took my wife around 5 properties (good thing about relocation agents is that get to look at properties outside of the published viewing times) and my wife shortlisted 3 for me to approve and decide on. So, left work early, I work in Potts Point area, and got ferry over to check them out, one nice size but a bit of a strange layout (opposite the Manly Wharf Hotel, above the cinema) and then I got to see the 2nd. It was stunning!!! Compared to the others we had looked at anyway!! Fully refurbished modern 2 bed unit right on the Esplanade opposite the Ocean World and had spectacular views over the cove out towards the heads and over to Rose Bay. It was above our original budget, $700 pw, but I knew it would be perfect, more so for my wife who would initially be sat there on her own whilst I earned the crust. So, whats the pro's and con's you may ask. Pro's: Beaches...just like Zulu's, bloody everywhere, hundreds of them!! Cafe's and restaurants, see beaches!!! Transport, plenty of buses and ferry and now Fast Ferry. Family life, fantastic, we do more things together and even my 4 year old is snorkelling in the sea!!! Very family centric during the day. Entertainment, superb with lots of free events on Saturday evenings and now Friday evenings as well. Cons: Soooo many nice places to live if you could afford it makes you rather wistful at times. Violence, its only a con as its nice during the day but after 11pm the idiots come out to play, we don't see it but hear the after stories. Living in a unit, can seem a bit lonely with no strong neighbour friendships (all very polite etc but nowt concrete), but our friends rent a house further up the Pittwater Rd and say its a better there. So, that about it. In UK I lived all over the place (London, Kent, Hampshire, Cornwall, Wales, Hampshire - in that order) and like the OP we still have our home, just in case but also because unless we get an extension or go PR we will go back. I do like other suburbs, Balmain is nice, the Hills district as well but bit far for me to commute, Watsons Bay would be my ideal if my numbers came up, and you can get very good value (3/4 beds and pool) further up the north shore in the Turramurra/Wahroonga areas (which, if I get an extension is where we will go). |
Re: Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
Nice posts! Thanks!
Cheers B1K3R |
Re: Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
Originally Posted by evenstevens
(Post 8250275)
After 90 days I flew off to New Zealand for few days and then returned and got another 90 visa.
lovely update. JOHN |
Re: Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
Nice update Mrs Even Stevens! :thumbup:
What are you planning to do now that MODL no longer exists? |
Re: Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
good question! we applied (lodged our application) on the 7th of feb, so maybe we got in there before the deadline - we'll wait and see. I have had a quick look online at the new Critical skills list and think we should be ok as hubby's 'skill' (computing) is listed.
ES |
Re: Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
Hi!
Great stories and thanks for sharing. :thumbsup: I am currently looking for a 1 bed in Manly. I know what you mean about those viewing times - I was in Manly on Saturday and running around like a mad woman trying to make all their specified viewing times! Everything does seem quite expensive though, but I guess living by the beach ( and what a nice beach at that) is a premium. But should you offer what they are asking in terms of rent straight away, or can you go in with an offer? Is it normal to do that - I mean do landlords accept offers? and if so, how much lower than they are asking should you be offering? What is a fair price for a 1 bed with balcony in manly close to ferry and shops? Thanks in advance for help! |
Re: Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
Hi,
I have never heard anything about people offering under the asking price, places seem to go so quickly I'd be surprised if you can offer below the asking price. I don't really know what a good price to pay is, i know we had a price in mind and viewed places in that price range and most of them were pretty horrid! We started to look at places slightly more expensive and just felt lucky to get any flat at all really :) ES |
Re: Living it up in Manly, NSW for 10 months!
Originally Posted by gecko12
(Post 8437900)
Hi!
Great stories and thanks for sharing. :thumbsup: I am currently looking for a 1 bed in Manly. I know what you mean about those viewing times - I was in Manly on Saturday and running around like a mad woman trying to make all their specified viewing times! Everything does seem quite expensive though, but I guess living by the beach ( and what a nice beach at that) is a premium. But should you offer what they are asking in terms of rent straight away, or can you go in with an offer? Is it normal to do that - I mean do landlords accept offers? and if so, how much lower than they are asking should you be offering? What is a fair price for a 1 bed with balcony in manly close to ferry and shops? Thanks in advance for help! |
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