Sharon and Bill

Hi everyone,

I have been logging on and reading loads of postings for a couple of years now - absolutely fab website Hubby is in the process of doing his degree and we thought that once he finished May 2010 that we would then seriously think about the move over to oz.

But then his week he was approached by one of his managers at work and asked how he would feel about moving over to oz as they have been looking into opening a new branch.

To say that my mind is going into overload is the under statement of the year - we are not sure which state it would be possible Melbourne or Sydney - more likely to be Melbourne. We have two children to think about James 6 and Neve 4, which has implications on the areas that we would move to - for schools etc.

At this stage we are not even sure if it will definitely happen as his company are doing a rekkie's around a few countries in Asia to decide which would be the most commercially viable - so I could be panicking for no good reason yet.

So my questions is for anyone who can help me:
1. Melbourne/Sydney - what are good areas in terms of school, housing etc within an easy commute of the CBD by train
2. What is the "normal" procedure in this circumstance will his company pay for all the immigrations costs and possible extra for rent etc?

Sorry for going on a bit - but if anyone can help I would be grateful - just having a bit of a panic because although we have spoke about a possible move - I always put it to one side in my mind and never really thought about the implications that this would have on our family - my mum died 5 years ago and so I am very close to my dad who is also very close to my children and how a move for us to oz will really effect him.

Thank you all in advance for any help

Best wishes

Sharon and Bill

augigi

Melbourne - most suburbs have pretty good public transport, as long as you're not too far out. You can check the website for the train lines.

Sydney - I lived on the lower north shore and loved it, super close to the city and nice area. Didn't have kids though, so no idea about schools.

In summary, this may have been no help at all, sorry! Don't panic until you know more.

Sharon and Bill

Hi

Thank you for your reply I know it is still very early days and nothing at all may come of it - but I think that I need to start getting my head around the idea that a move to oz MIGHT happen sooner than we anticipated

I will have a look at the lower north shore on real estate.com.au and try and get a rough idea on the rental market - it is really helpful to have a starting point.

Cheers

Sharon

augigi

It's quite expensive, suburbs are Neutral Bay, Wollstonecraft, Chatswood, Artarmon, Willoughby, Roseville.

Cheaper to head out more like Eastwood, Beecroft, Marsfield etc.

Sharon and Bill

Hi

Thanks alot this is really helpful:

I will be able to start do some investigation work and get a better feel for the rental market and then just wait and see!

Regards

Sharon

gillysm

We lived on the north shore - a bit further out than OP in a suburb called Killarney Heights. Excellent area for bringing up the kids. Easy access to bush and many beaches, has many schools and loads of facilities (sports etc.,) also plenty of shops. Forestville is next suburb then Frenchs Forest. I know there are quite a few expats in Frenchs Forest.

Almost moved to Melbourne, and went there for a reccie. Chose suburbs of Beaumaris and Mentone for reasonable access for commuting and looked nice with good facilites including schools.

Hope that's some help. Don't panic, you'll have lots of time if OH company are still only looking for suitable places. As far as costs go, that's
entirely up to OH and the company to strike a deal that is acceptable to all. We paid for all our gear to come over and company paid for our flights (5 of us), but that was for a new job and we wanted to come anyway. I know others where company has paid for everything.

Gilly

Sharon and Bill

Hi Gilly,

Thanks alot for responding - I have stopped panicking a bit now I think that it was just the initial shock of the proposal that sent me into panic mode!!

It is really helpful to have a few good suburbs to look at especially in Melbourne as we kind of feel that it might be more likely that if hubbies company does go to oz it might be there

We are just going to wait and see what happens with work - and I am going to do some more investigation work - I would like to try and be a little bit prepared if the proposal becomes a reality!

How did you compare Melbourne/Sydney are there any pros/cons to either of them for your children (schools, activities etc.) or was it because of your OH work?

Regards

Sharon

gillysm

As we didn't actually move to Melbourne I'm probably not the best person to get advice from. However, as far as I could see there were differences, but they were of little consequence. My OH lost his job in Sydney and was offered one in Melbourne which he didn't take in the end. He took one in Brisbane which is where we still are.

I love Melbourne, in my opinion the city is nicer than Sydney and it does appear to get more of the shows (theatre/art) than other cities but I prefer the warmer weather and found on our trips it was too cold for me (had enough of that in UK). We love the beaches and parks and spend a lot of our time outdoors so that was really important for us. But as far as opportunites for kids go I don't think there's much in it.

Good luck! Let me know if I can help any more.

Gilly

Sharon and Bill

Hi Gilly,

It is really interesting and very useful to get people's opinions on the places that they have visited/lived in in oz as neither my husband or I have never been to oz .


Personally I am not too worried about having really hot weather - it is not the most motivating factor for us when considering a possible move, the main reasons would be to give our children a better lifestyle/future

It seems crazy when you think about it - moving to the other side of the world based on info from the net etc. - but I do think life is a bit of an adventure and you have to grab hold of any chances thrown your way and run as fast as you can with them! Apart from the initial panic when the idea was first raised I do feel like I am beginning to get my head around all the possibilities

So we shall see what happens and go from there but all and any help is gratefully received

Thank you again

Sharon