walaj

In 6 days time we leave the UK for Oz , unfortunately we return by start of March . We are staying in Sydney for a week (most likely place we will emigrate to) and then drive up to Bisbane, stopping at various places on the way.

For those who have done 'fact finding holidays' or simply had wished they had found out/done before emigrating, have any tips for our trip?

denhim

i dont know if you have been to Sydney before, but my advise is to spend as much time in the city or surounding suburbs as possible. 1 week might not be enough to see and do everything.
i was checking out industrial estates and house prices in the suburbs near them(sounds boring i know but had to be done). when your driving you will need eyes everywhere as not only do they overtake but undertake aswel. oh and if you can, try and get aisle(is that spelt right) seats. its a long journey so keep walking up and down the plane, and if your on the aisle you wont be desturbing anyone. remember to pack an iron, i couldnt believe i had forgoten to pack mine and went 2 days with creased clothes until i found a shop that sold travel irons.
hope this helps, but most of all enjoy yourself!!!

mashiraz

In Sydney get a bus ticket that lets you hop on and off the buses, which run every 15 minutes on a all day circular tour. We did this and it was great.

On Bondi beach don't leave anything unattended. We were robbed, included all money and cards, camera, watches and passports....we later found the bag with passport still in everything else I couldn't care less about. So I know what Bondi police station looks like. Fortunately we had friends who rescued us...

Go to Manly on the boat trip, go to the Rocks on market day, go to Paddington on Market Day and walk back through Kings cross, that's an eye opener.

Go on the skyrail thingy, that's excellent for getting around...

5 years since we were there and it feels like yesterday, but they were madly building then ready for the olympics. Traffic was awful around the centre.

Mash..

walaj

I have been before (to Sydney but not Bris), but not the hubby. Went on a RTW trip last year so have had plenty of experience of cattle class. Also, life is too short for ironing, either clothing are packed well or items that don't crease, or the creased look is in

Getting a job and cost of housing will be the big financial issues for emigrating, so plan to go to some estate agents (don't know which ones yet) and maybe an open day for house up for sale just to get an idea of what our money could buy. We have already approached a few possible employers but are not interested in any meetings or CVs until we have PR visa, so not sure if going to job agents is going to be a waste of time.

walaj

Forgot to mention we have a car for most of the time so the suburbs can be explored.

Friends who spent most of last year in Sydney have warned me of the infuriating one one systems in central Sydney.

Bondi beach for some reason does not appeal to me, though I did enjoy watching the ozzie guys surfing at Manly last year. Would like to make it to Palm beach, but need to be a little more restrained given husband will be with me this time!!

Which days are the markets around Sydney? or a link with the info.

mashiraz

I put in market and sydney into google and got htis:

http://www.sydneyontheweb.com/shopping/

Bondi was nothing special, I just had to say I'd swum there......Unfortunately I ended up being able to say I was robbed there, and it wasn't just the price of an icecream!!

Have a great time
Mash...

Grub

Make sure you spend a little time in Byron Bay (Brokenheads nice campsite) and also Noosa (swish resort). Also Airlie Beach for a base to see the Whitsundies (or am i too far north now!!)Avoid most of the Goldcoast (especially Surfers) unless your fav. hol resort is Morecombe!!
If camping then you cant beat the BIG 4 cap sites. Get a members card early on and you save 'bucks'. Dont be afraid to go off the beaten track. There are some awesome national parks which are all but deserted (make sure you have faith in your vehicle). That is when you will really see what Australia is really like. We spent 4 mths travelling the Sydney to Cape Trib stretch in 98 and I can honestly say it was breathtaking and so diverse.
Just get a good map and enjoy!!!!!

kevmitch

We went to Cairnes,Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne for Xmas. Part sight seeing, part investigation for a planned move.

You'll need at least a week in and around Sydney - particularly if you're going out as far as the Western Suberbs and Blue Mountains. Driving in the CBD is not highly recommended. The buses are by far the best (although walking isn't difficult - it's relatively compact when compared to most UK Cities). Take a ferry trip from Circular Quay over to Manley. Forget Bondi - it's a glorified Tourist Trap. Kings Cross after dark can get a bit lively!

Outside of the centre, you'll need a car, - hiring a small to medium sized family car works out at about £25 per day. However, you may have problems parking in the centre, so you might want to stay just outside - motels in particular are plentiful and relatively cheap. You can book these from around £25 - £30 per night for a double room

It's worth checking out what's about with regard to property and locations (both buying and renting) before you go - I suggest you take a look at www.realestate.com.au.. It allows you to search on a range of criteria and by suberb/place.

If you need any specific advice let me know, and I'll see what I can do

yafm

try www.propertypage.com.au good selection various agents

Try Calloundra for a superb off the track beach in Qslnd

remmie1

You may/may not already have these website addresses but we have found them useful:
for last minute accommodation www.needitnow.com.au and for directions, time spent travelling, maps etc. www.travelmate.com.au (I think that's the correct address) this one is a link through need it now.

Hope this is useful.

Have a lovely trip and let us know how you get on we're flying to Sydney in June and plan to visit Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth and so need all the advice we can get!

Mandy Bale

Hi,
we live near Sydney, been here for 10 months now. Just came back from a day in Sydney to see the Chinese New Year parade with the kids, hubby was at work today too so met him for lunch also. I love the city, we had a great time and all it cost was $6.80 train fare for me and the kids (my 5 year old travels for free). It was a bit busy there today due to the celebrations but we still found some quiet spots. The Rocks is nice and we sat under the harbour bridge for about half an hour just watching the boats and looking in awe at the huge iron structure (even though I've seen it a thousand times now it still amazes me). If you don't mind walking then the city is great to walk around, I actually find it relatively small but I still find new places every time I go. Me and the kids do it with the occasional jump on the monorail. Anyway if you plan to live in the suburbs then check out the Hills District. Its about 45 mins out from the city North/West but its very nice. Well worth a look if you are looking for a family orientated area to live. I find driving in Sydney a doddle but then I used to drive round London for fun! We've found some great parking too, there is a great car park in China Town down Thomas street next to the Carlton Crest Hotel (good hotel), they charge $10 for the whole day so I often park there and its not far from a monorail station. Also if you are interested in looking at some houses, go to Homeworld in Windsor Road, Kellyville. They have about 100 show homes on display all by different builders. We went there when we came on a fact finding holiday back in 2001 and we found the reps very helpful, not your typical salesmen type, just honest. Also we stayed in a motel in the suburb we liked and did the 'rush hour' run a few times to experience it, also experience the local shops and talk to local people, they are always helpful. Bondi is highly overrated and I have no idea why people go there. The other day on the news they had some pictures of Bondi and it was absolutely packed, this was the same day when I had driven up to the Central coast near Palm beach, with the kids and been the only person on the beach! Anyway, I won't go on, if you like you can send me a personal email and you can ask me some questions

mandy

Carrianne

We did the fact finding holiday and went to

Perth
Adelaide
Sydney
Noosa
Byron Bay - Driving down the Queenlsnad coast.

My advice to you is stop at all the real estate agents we picked things up in Noosa, mooloolaba, Perth etc,

If you are staying in a B&B ask the people what it's like to live there I have a great place place to stay in Noosa for $145 dollars for the room for the night with great food.

In Sydney we did a personal tour with Sydney Greeters Guides, they take you where you want to go it cost mind you but wrth every penny it was $595 dollars but in 8 hours we saw loads and went to places of fame for tourism but other that where not and got 8 hours worht of local knowledge and sights. Well worth it call 02 9858 2118 or email [email protected]

We picked up all the literature for banks, schools, private healthcare, financial advice. Bring them home

Go into employment agencies buy the Herald in Sydney and buy the jobs papers.

speak to locals they are always willing to help.

if you see an area that you like liek we did stop get as much information about there while you are there as it is quite difficult once you have left.

Have a great trip

Carrianne

Goose

Good luck with your trip!

If you are going to be in Sydney for a week then you have to visit Bondi Beach for no other reason other than it often being voted best beach in the world! Give up a few hours of a morning or afternoon and do it - it is an experience, no matter what others say (and trust me, I'm no beach-lover but can still appreciate Bondi). If you are going to Bondi, do the walk around Bronte - it is breathtaking!

I am concerned that the time-frame of your trip has not been taken into account by many of the postings. Australia is a beautiful country, but it is also an enormous country! The coastline from Sydney up to Brisbane and beyond (to Noosa) is far, far more than you can ever hope to travel on a fact-finding holiday. We are talking 1000+ kms here!

If you have 3 weeks and have decided that Sydney is going to be the place for you, spend those 3 weeks exploring Sydney and its many suburbs and beyond. Don't waste your time venturing further north (or south) - you simply do not have the time to consider places (from a settlement point of view) by merely spending a day or two here and there.

If you have done your homework and have decided that Sydney is for you then you are unlikely to find the laid-back (and kind of backward) mentality of Queensland to appeal to you anyway.

I stress: concentrate those 3 weeks in one area. Otherwise you may as well be a holiday-maker instead of a fact-finder. You will sacrifice quality of experience for quantity! Trust me! Been there, done it! 3 weeks is too short to fact-find between Sydney and Brisbane.

Again, good luck!

walaj

kevmitch - car hire & accom sorted, and place to park. not doing too much of the tourist bits in Sydney, we want somethings to do/go to upon our return.

yafm/remmie thanks for the links, yet more to add to the favs

Mandy/Carrianne - some good info there, and bits to look into

Goose - the trip between Sydney & Bris is the holiday part, stopping over enjoying & relaxing. It will also gives us more of an idea what is out side Sydney. I loved Sydney, but as husband has not been to Oz, not staying in one place he can make up his mind if he hates/likes one bit of Oz, or Oz in general.

thanks again for your comments - there are v useful

r.bartlett

pity don't they have 'greeters' in sydney like adelaide and melbourne

cheers

richard