Allymac29

Hot and dry we are pretty sick of the wet damp weather near the Sea but not in a busy city centre.
I suppose it will depend where our employment will be.

Tr1boy

I wish you luck in your dream but you need to get your head around these balls you have in the air.

When you say 'sea' do you mean surf, flat, sheltered, beaches? For instance Botany in Sydney is 'by the sea' in the same way that Southampton in the UK is 'by the sea'. St Kilda and Brighton areas in Melb are 'by the sea' but flat as a tack. I surfed competitively for years in Sydney, so for me, unless there are waves, the sea doesn't exist but everyone is not the same as me.

Further to this, you have to realise that the UK (and some Euro countries) are just set up differently and until you get to Oz for a look, you won't realise the difference.

Being by the sea and securing work outside of a major city is easier to achieve in the UK than Oz. It seems crazy to say it but it's true (maybe less so for Nurses etc as hospitals are everywhere but I'm not the expert there).

In a nutshell:

Work in Oz = big city.
Sea in Oz = virtually anywhere.
Work and sea in Oz = the most expensive parts of the biggest cities.

The magical combination that you seek, does not really exist and if it did, everyone would live there. It used to exist but times have changed a lot.

I will give you an example. My wife, daughter and me are all dual Oz/UK citizens. I've lived in Oz for 25yrs plus and my wife for 18. We are both professionals with a LOT of blue chip copy experience and contacts. Currently we live in the UK and I am considering an offer that would mean we could move from Winchester to Dorchester area (still flat but surf is reachable). Good schools, quiet area (only downside is having to use Bournemouth airport for work trips which is a bit hit and miss, or trek to Gatwick).

We could move back to Oz tomorrow, we have friends, assets and connections there, no hassles.

Why are we hesitating? Because it would be hard for us to replicate the lifestyle we could have in Dorset compared to Oz. This is because the cost of that lifestyle in Sydney has passed us by since we've been in the UK and to be mortgage free (which is a goal at our age) and have a house, rather than a unit, would mean buying in Asquith or Berowra and driving 45 mins on a good day to the surf. This is a far cry from the 11 yrs we spent on the beach at North Narrabeen and Cronulla.

Also, very few people on this site spend as much time in active outdoor pursuits as I do, it's my whole life, trust me and if this combination were easy to achieve in Oz, we'd be back there now but I still manage o do everything in the UK, just in a different way..

Having said all that, if you're not fussed about surf, I was very surprised how at the relative affordability of the Glenelg region of Adelaide. Work is always an issue in SA so I will let others chime in there.

We have a saying in cycle racing when it comes to equipment,
'cheap, light, strong- pick two'

Your situation reminds me of this saying.

rasen78

Not sure which part of Glenelg you were looking at, but I wouldn't be looking there for affordability. (Nor, necessarily the lifestyle it seems they may be looking for)

I'm not too sure on the jobs situation for health professionals. A new Royal Adelaide Hospital is currently being built but there is a lot of controversy around the nursing jobs and what will be available when it opens. Suffice it to say, SA is not immune to the cutbacks in public health care.

But Flinders Uni is attached to Flinders Medical Centre so perhaps there could be some kind of work opportunity there? Flinders is really well located for the southern suburbs where property is definitely more affordable and there are plenty of coastal 'burbs to choose from, within an easy 20 min drive.

Dorothy

Hot and dry is Perth. It was 41 here today with 17% humidity. I honestly cannot remember the last time we had any rain, so this ticks your boxes.

However, just 100 km south of Perth 3 towns (approximately 100km²) are on fire. The main highway between Perth and the Southwest region is closed and probably will be for several months because the fire is so hot it has burned and destroyed a bridge.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/flood...rnings-867936/

Bermudashorts

Hurrah something which distinguishes between one place and another!

Hot and dry probably describes South Australia better than a number of other states. Northern parts of Australia can see some very wet weather including hurricanes and tropical storms. Sydney is twice as wet as most places in the UK. So thinking about climate is a good start to narrowing places down - as I mentioned in my first post on the thread.

Regarding busy city centres, it needs to be noted that Australia just isn't structured like the UK. There are the relatively small central business districts but then huge urban sprawl around round them. Most people do live in the urban sprawl around the cities. If you wanted to avoid the sprawl completely then you are living in a remote region which would be a huge culture shock for anyone from the UK and probably not at all what you have envisioned.

Tr1boy

I was not aware there were so many areas of Glenelg. I used to spend most of my time at meetings and conferences around the Hyatt hotel in the City as our offices were close. But every time i was in Adelaide (it seemed) that the local team always wanted to go to Glenelg for dinner and drinks.

I'm pretty Adelaide ignorant outside of these two area but we looked recently online (dangerous I know!) and there seemed to be quite a few nice looking houses in Glenelg for less than $750k. The area seemed ok to me every time I've been there but that was pre-kids, so maybe I had different goggles on back then.

Moses2013

A very good point and you've certainly done your research. Be it Australia, New Zealand & even Canada, all of these countries are set up differently than the UK and it would have been a lot easier for you to move back, but the timing would have been wrong. Some locations work out at some point, but it can change (cost of living etc.) and other things become more important when you get older.


The sun seems to be an attraction for most people, but family/friends, a nicer house, garden, location, a job you like, or being mortgage free can be important too, so moving to a more expensive place might not make sense. It's different for all of us and as you say:Paradise does not exist, but with a little imagination, anyone can create their own.

Allymac29

We have been researching and we are going to focus on Perth with a view to make the move July 2017 we have started the Visa application.
So let the adventure begin 😊😊

Dorothy

Have you started with a skills assessment?

Allymac29

Yes sorted we have 85 points

msmyrtle

You already have a skills assessment sorted??? By ANMAC? Because that process can take months.

Skills assessment + English test (if you need the points or if required by assessing authority) first, then EOI and then application. 85 points seems excessively high

Allymac29

ANMAC is for the Right to be a mental health nurse not the points we need as a family to emigrate to Oz

Dorothy

ANMAC is the skills assessment you need in order to apply for a visa.

I'm going to suggest you take a good long read of Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection for what you have to do. A score of 85 points is an extremely high one, so I'm not sure how you got that. Could you maybe break it down so we can help ensure you're on the right track?

msmyrtle

Without a successful skills assessment any dreams of emigrating are a non-starter.

Pollyana

Registration as a nurse is done by AHPRA nowadays. You don't need this to get the visa.

You will need a skills assessment from ANMAC before you can lodge your EOI. Having the skills assessment proves part of the points you will claim when you submit the EOI, so you need to get the skills assessment first. Then once you have lodged the EOI you wait for an invite to actually apply