quercus

Hoping to head out when GCSE's are over for my daughter, in July. Not sent off the forms yet but Ive got all the stuff together.

Does anyone have experience of Kempsey? I was looking at Gold Coast hinterland, but prices for land is quite high there. It's my ambition to rent somewhere in the short term while building a nice little eco friendly home, hopefully in an area good for wild life, but also good for teens, so not isolated.

ew502

Hi, myself and OH live just outside Taree, which is about 90km south of Kempsey. Personally I would give Kempsey a miss, its pretty rural and not much happening. Not many jobs about either..but depends on trades etc.

We love the area here, the countryside is great and pretty inexpensive. We are looking to buy ourselves a little rural retreat. The great thing here is that you don't have to be too far away from the beach and still have some peace and quiet.

If you have teens, I would suggest Port Macquarie, it is quite a bustling town/city. There is some life there and loads of clubs/activities for the kids. I hope this helps, any questions just shout.

quercus

Thanks very much for that suggestion. Am I correct in thinking Port Macquarrie is about half an hour from Kempsey? I know my kids like it there as we spent a couple of nights there en route further north from Central Coast.

Taree area sounds nice too. Have you been there long?

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to getting over there. It seems weeks since I've seen any sun. I'm not kidding!

ew502

Hi

I wouldn't say Taree is nice, I wouldn't live in Taree but am very happy to be in this area!! Its functional!! It has everything you need shops wise, although we do go to Port for clothes shopping etc. The surrounding areas are lovely, we live at Crowdy Head which is beautiful.

I'm not sure how far Port is from Kempsey, but I would just be aware, as like here some of the surrounding villages can be a little ferral!! There are some very strange people around. If the kids like the beach, then Kempsey is a little far away from the beach, although you are close to South west Rocks and Crescent head, which are nice.

PM me if you want any more info
Esher

new girl

Hi there
We're living just south of port macquarie in the holiday resort of Laurieton which is beautiful but far too quiet for my 18year old! We moved out here in Oct and now thinking about buying nearer to Port. Kempsey is not too pretty but Port Macquarie is a lovely tidy town with lots of wonderful beaches with the countryside very close by. If you decide to move here, we would love to meet up with you. Good luck

ew502

Hi New Girl, I didn't think there were many of us mid north coasters around!! We do our meat shopping at Bilo, we live at Crowdy Head and drive through the back road to the shops. I love it, we never know what we are going to see..kangaroo's, lizards, snakes!!! The market at Laurieton is also brill, we really enjoy having a wander round.

I wasn't quite as polite as you about Kempsey!!

new girl

Hello there! How do you find Crowdy Head? Have you managed to make many friends over there? We're finding it difficult due to the lack of places to go without travelling to Port. We could always meet up in Laurieton when you're next over?

quercus

Hi New Girl, thanks for your advice, Esther already put me off Kempsey, but Port is a good possibility. What does your 18yo do, work, study etc...?

We did visit there a few years back when we drove up coast from Sydney. I liked all the coast that I saw, except for Newcastle. I can't remember that much though, and might be confusing Port with Coffs in my mind.

I was looking up further education and got excited when I saw Macquarrie Uni, until I realised it was in Sydney! I think the courses my daughter has in mind are more TAFE type ones, as she is interested in being a beautician. I will have to do more research, and please let me know if you think of anything else. It would be great to have contacts already before we come, as it's not always easy meeting people, I know.

new girl

Hi Quercus
The Tafe at Port does a lot and it also doubles up as a campus for Newcastle Uni. It's close to the centre and from what i'm picking up has a good reputation. My son is in the process of making a decision whether to go to the main campus in newcastle or stay with us in Port (he does like the luxury of having his food cooked and laundry done!!!). There are absolutely loads of hairdressers/beauty salons in the area and they also push apprenticeship/traineeship here as well. Depending on the visa you have, your daughter could be excempt from TAFE fees and eligible for apprenticeship - go to http://apprenticeship.det.nsw.edu.au/index1.htm for more info.
Keep in touch and if you do decide to come to the area, it would be good to meet up. Are you hoping to work at all?
Jane

quercus

Hi Jane, That all sounds ike good news to me. Thanks for sending the apprenticeship link, which I've looked at and saved.

The visa we are going for is the partner one, well, defacto. I'm told the wait is 8-10 weeks so we haven't applied yet, though that will be a priority when we move. I've sold the house, almost. We should have exchanged contracts today but it will be Monday now.

I would probably be unemployable now, so I might do a TAFE course myself. Nothing too taxing, hopefully! Maybe something to do with computing...I shall have to find out what employers want first.

Are you hoping your son will study in Port? It's a wrench when they leave, but good for them to learn self reliance I suppose. You can rest assured he will save his laundry and bring it home for you! Thats my experience anyway!

Thanks again for your help, I'm going to have a look at realestate and domain.com now!

Penny

new girl

Hi Penny
I came on a spouse visa as well and it came through in 5 weeks! My partner is an Aussie citizen having emigrated here in 1972. He was back in the Uk for 3 years and couldn't wait to get back which is why I ended up here! Looks like my son will be studying at Newcastle where there is more action for him. It'll be better for him really to get the experience he needs. It's not too far away so we can see each other regularly - but hopefully he'll soon have his own group of friends. Let me know how the visa appliation goes and good luck with the house sale
Jane

BadgeIsBack

Arkon lives in the area and would agree. I'd also say Kempsey was a tad feral. Stay on the coast - Port, Coffs etc.

renth

Port Macquarie is really nice, Coffs Harbour is a dump, Kempsey didn't strike me as the sort of place I would like to live either.

quercus

Great news...we've exchanged contracts at last! I had to go into Manchester, 2 hours each way on the train, to sign.

We have a week to pack up now, and try and sort out the house we're going to. I feel it's a big step on our way over!

Thanks everyone for all the input. It sounds like Port Mcq is a good choice.