Kim_Scotland

So, as the title says, I know nothing!

Nothing about moving to Australia that is! Hopping you will all be so kind as to offer some advise.

We are a family of 4. Husband, wife, daughter age 8 and son age 3. We currently live in North East Scotland. We have a good way of life but stuck in a rut. Who's to say Moving 1000's of miles away will get us out of said rut but there is NOTHING keeping us here - and you only live once!

My husband works in the oil industry and is a trained and time served engineer. It would be him that would hopefully get us out there. I have no said trade to get us there.

What's the age limit to getting a working visa? He's 38. (I'm 26)

Where to go?! Melbourne sticks in my head but don't know why!
Cost of living?
Lifestyle? Is it all outdoor living?!
Was it a real wrench leaving family/ friends or does the way of life make up for it?
Schools?

I'm so open minded about everything and I know we all look for different things but any advise given would be great fully recieved.

I know these things all get asked daily so apologies!

Thanx xx

old.sparkles

Hi Kim and welcome to BE

To start you need to think about how you plan to gain rights to live and work in Australia - on a temporary basis with a 457 employer sponsored visa, which is valid whilst working in sponsored employment but if that employment ends you have to find another employer or return to the UK

Or on a more permanent basis which will mean a job on the SOL / CSOL, being able to score enough points, skills assessments, possibly IELTS test, etc.

Have a look at the skill select site - http://www.immi.gov.au/skills/skillselect/ - which is the official site for Australian visas, and google will give you links to the SOL and CSOL. If your OH's occupation is only on the CSOL there will be an extra hoop, but check and let us know.

Buzzy--Bee

Well Melbourne has just been voted the most liveable city in the world! - but most of the other Australian cities were up there too. We have been in Melbourne 6 years and really love living here, great city, great beaches on your doorstep and great countryside around. Best of everything. It's not for everyone though, all I would say is don't assume somewhere that looks great for a holiday also means it will be great to live in.

I'd say higher than the UK, although so many things cost nothing at all here.

No. But we do live a lot of our lives outdoors (we did in the UK too). The only times we cannot go outdoors are in the height of summer on days when it is above 38 degrees. We eat outdoors a lot of the time spring through to autumn. Melbourne is cooler in winter but where we live by the bay we never get frost.


Can't compare as our 2 never attended school in the UK but we are very happy with their schooling here which is more about developing the whole child than learning times tables by rote.

Good. You will need to be. Australia is an exotic foreign country, even though we both speak much the same language.

BB

KJCherokee

The description "oil industry engineer" covers a multitude of possibilities - I know, I'm one myself! What sort of oil industry engineer is your husband?

There is very little 'oil' work over here - most of the work is in natural gas and the cities where most of the work is based are Perth and Brisbane, with some in Adelaide and very little in Sydney and Melbourne. Perth is the base for the North-West Shelf gas fields offshore from Karratha and Port Hedland (look them up on Google Earth), Brisbane is the base for the coal seam gas developments in Queensland around Dalby, Roma and Moranbah (Google Earth again), Adelaide for the Cooper Basin in NE South Australia and SW Queensland.

Contact me if I can help further.

NJJ

Watching "Neighbours"?

KJCherokee

Have a look at http://hays.clikpages.co.uk/Oil_and_...ry_Guide_2013/ to get an idea of comparative salaries in the UK and Australia

OzTennis

Hi, Wanted Down Under is currently being shown in the UK (I'd guess available on BBC iPlayer). 3 or 4 episodes have been in Melbourne (inc yesterday, Wednesday) so you might get some information from them. Some think people base their decisions solely on these programs but I'd guess there's a little more to it with everyone. There was an episode on a family moving to Brisbane but they came from Burghhead (The Broch, near Elgin) so you might find that interesting.

Just on yesterday's episode, they showed a family trying out 'Melbourne'. They based them in Point Lonsdale (65 miles or so from Melbourne) and the 3 properties they looked at were in Ocean Grove and Portarlington which seemed odd. The above mentioned Scots couple were going to Brisbane but were based in Ipswich and they wondered why they couldn't get a 4 B/R house with a bit of ground on their budget of - £125,000!

Good luck with getting information.

quoll

Foreign country on the other side of the world where they speak English and drive on the left. People spend a lot of time at work and a lot of time doing household chores, outdoor living? - all depends if you like flies, mozzies and sizzled skin (some people do of course but a lot of people exist in air conditioned/centrally heated comfort)

Go where you can get a job and remember that WDU is just one step better than Home and Away and Neighbours (well, maybe half a step). Wouldnt think Melbourne would be a great choice for the oil industry.

Enjoy the adventure! Going in blind is half the fun!

Buzzy--Bee

Shell and BP both have their Australian headquarters in Melbourne.

BB

OzTennis

Haven't heard of Bass Strait oil and gas and as mentioned company HQ's in Melbourne; it's only been going on for 40 years or so the exploration and extraction? As you say, go in blind.

Pick the bits out of WDU you want, better than no information at all.

quoll

Indeed mea culpa and Exxon of course! Try Neighbours if Melbourne is your fancy LOL

Kim_Scotland

Wow so much advise already.

My husbands looking into visas and that side of things as would be him that would be our ticket in (so to speak). I'm more the lifestyle / homemaker side of things!

My husband was an engineer in the RAF forces so whatever that may cover (I'm a wife who shockingly takes very little notice of job descriptions!!) He now works on the oil wells for oil companies here. (Again, as much as I can gauge!!)

As someone has asked - no didnt choose Melbourne after watching Australian soaps! Haven't watched that for the past 20years so wasn't aware it was based there! The choice for Melbourne was based as a total novice, every one is aware of Sydney and Perth but to me that would be too commercialised... Very cynical view of me so don't hate the judgement but after researching, Melbourne stuck. But totally open to anywhere really, hence the reason for being on here asking advise I think.

Have applied for Wanted Down Under Fingers crossed! Doing it regardless of the show though - ain't no free holiday!!!

Thanx for all the info, links and advise thus far. Greatly appreciated!

Bermudashorts

I don't think tere is anything wrong with a gut feel for a place, so long as there is work to be had. Availability of work should be the primary driver for most migrants in picking a city. But I must say I am baffled with the comment about Sydney and Perth being too commercialised, Melbourne is a city too and a far bigger one than Perth.

KJCherokee

Yes, there are offshore gas platforms in the Bass Strait, but that is an old field with minimal ongoing development - most of the offshore opportunities are in the North-West Shelf and the Timor Sea. Onshore is predominately coal seam gas at present, with some developments around the Cooper Basin. Most of the major engineering companies base their oil and gas expertise in Perth or Brisbane.

OzTennis

Yes, granny is sucking on eggs; I was pointing out that Melbourne is not a million miles away from oil and gas industry - HQ's, production etc and isn't a 'strange choice'.