Melbourne Bound Nov03
Aug 1st 2003, 9:13 pm
#1
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Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Scotland
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Melbourne Bound Nov03
Kate, Rory, Saoirse(4yrs), Erin(2yrs) heading to Melbourne early November. Anybody out there with similar aged children, going around the same time or already out there with concerns or worries and wants to get in touch, please do.
We read that the cut-off date for starting school in January is April 30th (ie children have to be five before that date) Saoirse will actually be five on that day, any advise on whether this is still the case and whether we would be better holding her back until the following year would be appreciated. Also what about nursery for Erin, at what age do they normally start this. We are spoilt living in Scotland as they both qualify for 2 full years pre-school (Government paid).
Hope to hear from you soon.
We read that the cut-off date for starting school in January is April 30th (ie children have to be five before that date) Saoirse will actually be five on that day, any advise on whether this is still the case and whether we would be better holding her back until the following year would be appreciated. Also what about nursery for Erin, at what age do they normally start this. We are spoilt living in Scotland as they both qualify for 2 full years pre-school (Government paid).
Hope to hear from you soon.
Aug 2nd 2003, 12:03 pm
#2
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Joined: Feb 2003
Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire
Posts: 33
Hi there!!
Whereabouts in Melbourne are you heading?? Myself and my partner Steven will arrive in Melbourne early November as well!!
We haven't got kids so we needn't worry about anyone else but ourselves! As soon as we land we will look for a place to rent...........we can't wait for the adventure to begin!!!
Good luck to you and your family!!
Emma
xx
Whereabouts in Melbourne are you heading?? Myself and my partner Steven will arrive in Melbourne early November as well!!
We haven't got kids so we needn't worry about anyone else but ourselves! As soon as we land we will look for a place to rent...........we can't wait for the adventure to begin!!!
Good luck to you and your family!!
Emma
xx
Aug 2nd 2003, 12:04 pm
#3
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Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire
Posts: 33
P.s Sorry i can't give any advise regarding your children!!
Aug 2nd 2003, 8:02 pm
#4
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Emma, thanks for the reply, I see you are in Halifax, I am a Yorkshire lass myself, from Hessle, near Hull. We are really looking forward to heading out, hoping to do a little bit of travelling with the girls for a month or so at first and then we are not quite sure what part of Melbourne we will settle in, ideally by the beach but prices and schools will dictate. What about yourselves any ideas ?. Have you or your partner got work lined up or like us are you hoping to get something when you arrive.
Aug 2nd 2003, 8:52 pm
#5
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Joined: Apr 2003
Location: West Melbourne
Posts: 462
Hi there
We've got our visas and are readying ourselves [me, my wife and 2 yr old daughter] to go to Melbourne next summer.
I just wondered, if like us you have no family or support network Down Under, and are a working couple, then what do you expect to be doing by way of child care during the school holidays. I don't know what the norm is over there? Do you?
Neil
We've got our visas and are readying ourselves [me, my wife and 2 yr old daughter] to go to Melbourne next summer.
I just wondered, if like us you have no family or support network Down Under, and are a working couple, then what do you expect to be doing by way of child care during the school holidays. I don't know what the norm is over there? Do you?
Neil
Aug 3rd 2003, 11:08 am
#6
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Joined: Feb 2003
Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire
Posts: 33
We have been looking at property over the net in suburbs such as Seaford....but to tell the truth we haven't a clue..........the idea is to land and take it from there! We thought it would be better just getting there and finding out about the areas in person. Like yourself...we would love an area close to the beach! We haven't been actively seeking work as yet.....we are hoping that once in Melbourne we could start work after Christmas so the first few months would be spent applying ect!
I am so excited but nervous as well........looking forward to the adventure!!!:PARTY: :PARTY:
I am so excited but nervous as well........looking forward to the adventure!!!:PARTY: :PARTY:
Aug 3rd 2003, 7:56 pm
#7
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 198
Hi there!
We're headed out to Melbourne in October, though if the house sale ( had a good offer yesterday
!) goes through quicker, we will go as soon as we can.
Our two children are 8 & 6, so a bit older than yours. If you look back about a month on this site, Booboo started a thread for all future Melbournians for a picnic at Hanging Rock - no make it melbourne. This is to be a get together for people, especially those who have no contacts.
We have no set ideas of where we are headed, but at the mo Warrandyte area seems to look good and there are good schools there too.
Hope all your plans are going well,
Helen
We're headed out to Melbourne in October, though if the house sale ( had a good offer yesterday
!) goes through quicker, we will go as soon as we can.Our two children are 8 & 6, so a bit older than yours. If you look back about a month on this site, Booboo started a thread for all future Melbournians for a picnic at Hanging Rock - no make it melbourne. This is to be a get together for people, especially those who have no contacts.
We have no set ideas of where we are headed, but at the mo Warrandyte area seems to look good and there are good schools there too.
Hope all your plans are going well,
Helen
Aug 3rd 2003, 9:16 pm
#8
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Hi there,
Its good to hear people are going through the same thing, we also had a good offer on our house yesterday, unfortunatley its a bank holiday up here tomorrow, so it will be Tuesday before we can get the ball rolling, every day seems to count.
Thanks for the info on the picnic, we would be really interested as we do not know anyone down under.
We were also thinking of going the last week of October but the flights with Singapore Airlines were £100.00 more per seat in October than the first week in November. Have you booked your flights yet. if so who with.
Good luck with the house sale and all your plans
Its good to hear people are going through the same thing, we also had a good offer on our house yesterday, unfortunatley its a bank holiday up here tomorrow, so it will be Tuesday before we can get the ball rolling, every day seems to count.
Thanks for the info on the picnic, we would be really interested as we do not know anyone down under.
We were also thinking of going the last week of October but the flights with Singapore Airlines were £100.00 more per seat in October than the first week in November. Have you booked your flights yet. if so who with.
Good luck with the house sale and all your plans
Aug 4th 2003, 1:17 am
#9
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Joined: May 2003
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 334
Hi,
We're heading to Melbourne in September with our 3 year old son - I'm Australian with a British husband. We'll be looking for a house in the Eastern suburbs - just a little bit further in than Suffolk Diva.
I recall they're very strict on starting ages - you can start later but you can't start sooner unless your kids have already been in school in another state.
So depending on how they translate "by 30th April" you may not be able to start your daughter next year anyway.
If you do have the choice - if it was me I'd wait. Part-time nursery would give you the opportunity to go places together and get used to the new life. Starting full time school at 5.5 years seems more like the right age than 4.5.
Also it's better to be one of the oldest in your school year than the youngest - so I've read in various studies. Apparently the older kids find it easier to do well so are more confident in life generally. The ones who are very young for their year can feel like school is always a struggle.
It really depends on your daughter though - if she's keen to start school, seems ready and is advanced compared to others the same age then it might be the right thing for her.
An aside: Australian schooling is generally aimed at being more relaxed at primary level than in the UK with a lot more physical activity and not so much swotting up for SATs. Real academic pressure doesn't start until high school but then gears up to produce an A level equivalent standard by the end. So it's not really possible to get 'behind' at primary school as long as you start by the required age of 6.
Best wishes,
Jo, Mike, Alec (3) and Rota the cat (10)
We're heading to Melbourne in September with our 3 year old son - I'm Australian with a British husband. We'll be looking for a house in the Eastern suburbs - just a little bit further in than Suffolk Diva.
I recall they're very strict on starting ages - you can start later but you can't start sooner unless your kids have already been in school in another state.
So depending on how they translate "by 30th April" you may not be able to start your daughter next year anyway.
If you do have the choice - if it was me I'd wait. Part-time nursery would give you the opportunity to go places together and get used to the new life. Starting full time school at 5.5 years seems more like the right age than 4.5.
Also it's better to be one of the oldest in your school year than the youngest - so I've read in various studies. Apparently the older kids find it easier to do well so are more confident in life generally. The ones who are very young for their year can feel like school is always a struggle.
It really depends on your daughter though - if she's keen to start school, seems ready and is advanced compared to others the same age then it might be the right thing for her.
An aside: Australian schooling is generally aimed at being more relaxed at primary level than in the UK with a lot more physical activity and not so much swotting up for SATs. Real academic pressure doesn't start until high school but then gears up to produce an A level equivalent standard by the end. So it's not really possible to get 'behind' at primary school as long as you start by the required age of 6.
Best wishes,
Jo, Mike, Alec (3) and Rota the cat (10)
Aug 4th 2003, 8:25 am
#10
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 198
Hi again,
We haven't booked flights yet as we really want a few more things tidied up, ie exchange date etc before we do so. I can see us doing a last minute booking. We too are going to fly with Singapore airlines, have a stop over and then fly to Brisbane to stay with my cousin. Chris will probably go down to Melbourne to sort a few things out and I will join him later.
Terry G got to Melbourne last week. Had an email from him and he seems to be doing well. He will be an invaluable source of info
for everyone, so I'm looking forward to postings from him.
Apart from other people we have met ' on here ' we do not know anyone in Melbourne either. Don't worry too much....there's a fair few of us headed over there and Im sure we will meet up.
By the way, my daughter is the youngest in her class by 3 weeks and hasn't had any problems but then again she has an older brother which I'm sure helps!
We haven't booked flights yet as we really want a few more things tidied up, ie exchange date etc before we do so. I can see us doing a last minute booking. We too are going to fly with Singapore airlines, have a stop over and then fly to Brisbane to stay with my cousin. Chris will probably go down to Melbourne to sort a few things out and I will join him later.
Terry G got to Melbourne last week. Had an email from him and he seems to be doing well. He will be an invaluable source of info
for everyone, so I'm looking forward to postings from him.
Apart from other people we have met ' on here ' we do not know anyone in Melbourne either. Don't worry too much....there's a fair few of us headed over there and Im sure we will meet up.
By the way, my daughter is the youngest in her class by 3 weeks and hasn't had any problems but then again she has an older brother which I'm sure helps!
Aug 4th 2003, 4:14 pm
#11
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Joined: Feb 2003
Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire
Posts: 33
Hi folks!!
We don't know anyone in Melbourne so yes, booboo's thread regarding meeting up out there could prove very helpful..........does anyone know when this may happen????
Got told by my agent that once medicals have been received it takes approx 2 months for the visas to come through!! YIPPEE
We don't know anyone in Melbourne so yes, booboo's thread regarding meeting up out there could prove very helpful..........does anyone know when this may happen????
Got told by my agent that once medicals have been received it takes approx 2 months for the visas to come through!! YIPPEE
Aug 4th 2003, 9:12 pm
#12
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Joined: Jan 2002
Location: Melbourne's eastern suburbs
Posts: 219
Originally posted by spencerwilde
Hi folks!!
We don't know anyone in Melbourne so yes, booboo's thread regarding meeting up out there could prove very helpful..........does anyone know when this may happen????
Got told by my agent that once medicals have been received it takes approx 2 months for the visas to come through!! YIPPEE
Hi folks!!
We don't know anyone in Melbourne so yes, booboo's thread regarding meeting up out there could prove very helpful..........does anyone know when this may happen????
Got told by my agent that once medicals have been received it takes approx 2 months for the visas to come through!! YIPPEE
Originally posted by gb004965
Emma, thanks for the reply, I see you are in Halifax, I am a Yorkshire lass myself, from Hessle, near Hull. We are really looking forward to heading out, hoping to do a little bit of travelling with the girls for a month or so at first and then we are not quite sure what part of Melbourne we will settle in, ideally by the beach but prices and schools will dictate. What about yourselves any ideas ?. Have you or your partner got work lined up or like us are you hoping to get something when you arrive.
Emma, thanks for the reply, I see you are in Halifax, I am a Yorkshire lass myself, from Hessle, near Hull. We are really looking forward to heading out, hoping to do a little bit of travelling with the girls for a month or so at first and then we are not quite sure what part of Melbourne we will settle in, ideally by the beach but prices and schools will dictate. What about yourselves any ideas ?. Have you or your partner got work lined up or like us are you hoping to get something when you arrive.
We have sold our house and have our flights booked. We can't wait to go, but we have no idea of whereabouts in Melbourne we are going to end up yet. If anyone has any suggestions of decent suburbs, please let us know.
We would also love to hear from anyone who is heading out soon or is already there. We could maybe pass on useful info when we come across it. Please feel free to send us a Private Message, or just post a reply on this thread.
Look forward to hearing from you, and seeing you in Melbourne in early 2004!
Cheers,
S & S
Aug 6th 2003, 1:36 am
#13
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Joined: Aug 2003
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 2
Melbourne
Hi
Am new to this site, but am Pommie who has been resident in Melbourne for 18 months, with Kiwi husband and 2 children - 3 and 6 years. We have gone through the school/suburb/renting/house prices drama so if anyone needs any advice on these topics I would be glad to help. From what I have read of your questions can advise that beachside suburbs (we live in one) are really nice but way too expensive to buy in, in fact at the mo they are seriously overpriced as is a lot of Melbourne real estate, consider renting for a while, we have a 4 bed home 3 mins from the beach for $450 a week, also think of the cultural mix before you choose a suburb, and the travel times to the city for work. My son has just started school, I would be inclined to start a 5 year old at school on her birthday as that will be a good focus for her and give her her own life and friends straight away, living you to sort out yours! There are many school holiday programmes here, in fact there are tons of childcare options with nearly all schools having before and after school care. If I can help, just ask!
Am new to this site, but am Pommie who has been resident in Melbourne for 18 months, with Kiwi husband and 2 children - 3 and 6 years. We have gone through the school/suburb/renting/house prices drama so if anyone needs any advice on these topics I would be glad to help. From what I have read of your questions can advise that beachside suburbs (we live in one) are really nice but way too expensive to buy in, in fact at the mo they are seriously overpriced as is a lot of Melbourne real estate, consider renting for a while, we have a 4 bed home 3 mins from the beach for $450 a week, also think of the cultural mix before you choose a suburb, and the travel times to the city for work. My son has just started school, I would be inclined to start a 5 year old at school on her birthday as that will be a good focus for her and give her her own life and friends straight away, living you to sort out yours! There are many school holiday programmes here, in fact there are tons of childcare options with nearly all schools having before and after school care. If I can help, just ask!
Aug 6th 2003, 9:05 am
#14
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2002
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 73
Hi
We're heading out to Oz end of September and travelling for two months before settling in Melbourne end of November. We have no kids to worry about either and have no idea of where we may rent yet. Don't know any people out there but can't wait to start our adventure. Three weeks left of work and want to be in the sunshine. If we get to Melbourne in time will be going to the picnic Booboo is organising, so maybe see you there!
Best of luck with everything
Parrot
We're heading out to Oz end of September and travelling for two months before settling in Melbourne end of November. We have no kids to worry about either and have no idea of where we may rent yet. Don't know any people out there but can't wait to start our adventure. Three weeks left of work and want to be in the sunshine. If we get to Melbourne in time will be going to the picnic Booboo is organising, so maybe see you there!
Best of luck with everything
Parrot
Aug 6th 2003, 9:16 am
#15
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Joined: Mar 2003
Location: melbourne,australia
Posts: 1,028
Hi Spencer wilde
I will be arranging a picnic meet up for anyone and everyone who would like to participate in Melbourne as soon as I am over there.
I was hoping to be in aus by September but we havent sold our house yet and I think if Im there by Christmas then that would be good going as things stand. (what a bummer!!!)
But I also think if other peeps get there sooner, then why dont they use this forum to arrange a picnic meet up and get things started. It would be a great way to make some new friends......
Anyone fancy doing that?????
Good luck and best wishes to all who go before me...
Booboo
I will be arranging a picnic meet up for anyone and everyone who would like to participate in Melbourne as soon as I am over there.
I was hoping to be in aus by September but we havent sold our house yet and I think if Im there by Christmas then that would be good going as things stand. (what a bummer!!!)
But I also think if other peeps get there sooner, then why dont they use this forum to arrange a picnic meet up and get things started. It would be a great way to make some new friends......
Anyone fancy doing that?????
Good luck and best wishes to all who go before me...
Booboo