Just got citizenship acceptance notification yesterday, on my birthday of all days which made a nice present

Still back in the UK considering moving next month. Will sell everything and probably not ship.

How realistic is it to rent a house with a large garden and pool, in say Canberra/Sydney? Canberra looks more quiet than Sydney which would suit me although I may have to start out in Sydney for work.

I'm an Software developer contractor here in the UK so I am expecting a pay cut to do permanent work there so I'm not sure how realistic a pool/large garden is.

Congrats and belated Happy Birthday.

go on realestate.com.au rent section. Have a look for rentals. Its hard to assist, with such a broad question, ie. how much you want to pay. Plus Canberra v Sydney is like Chalk n Cheese.

From my knowledge, most of the software dev companies, are Syd / Melb based albeit you can work remotely I am sure.

There will be houses with pools and large gardens to rent in both cities, so very realistic in that sense. But without any idea of suburbs or your income, it really is hard to comment any further.

Some people can find it difficult to find work in Canberra, it is a lot of government jobs there and citizenship is required for those.

Not as many backyard pools as you would think in Canberra. Job prospects likely to be better in Sydney but apply for everything and go where you can land a job. Sydney is less chilly in winter.

Sydney for the job prospects.

Sorry just read it properly and you note you are a citizen. So that will make things a bit easier in Canberra, but still it won't have the opportunities of Sydney.

I'm eyeing up a job at $65k, on the outskirts of Sydney. Having looked at realestate.com.au I now know a pool and garden are most definitely out of reach! (I am a single no dependents, possibly bring a partner later).

I can find nice-ish places around 5-600 rent per week but even then I wonder if that's a stretch given the wage is @ $1000 per week after tax.

That ratio is possible in the UK although its certainly far from ideal. I lived like that 10 years ago when starting out, even managed a little bit of partying but was broke the last few days of the month.

I was expecting to take a pay cut and this seems representative of wages outside Sydney. Little disappointed that the cut is even less than I hoped for but it always seems to work that way in life.

Holy smokes man. You are earning $65k and you want a swimming pool in Sydney. You need to re-adjust your expectations or better still, negotiate a liveable salary.

yeah I readjusted my expectations pretty quickly as my jaw hit the floor when I saw the rent costs in Sydney lol. I suppose its like asking for a house in London with a large garden - not gonna happen.

Looking at areas like Newcastle, seems far cheaper and nicer, if only there was some IT work around there.

Newcastle continues to grow and probably has more prospects than you think. It has some nice beaches, great pubs and restaurants and only 2 hrs north of Sydney. I know quite a few people who have moved over to Newcastle from England have done very well for themselves.

I.T. jobs in Sydney are usually a lot better than 65k, ( usually double that figure ) you could earn more than that just servicing the home PC market from the back of a van.

He whos dares wins ( Rodney )

How about Brisbane? I see lots of lovely properties on the beach for 3-400 per week plus the wage is almost like Sydney.

Is there some downside to Brisbane? I spent a few holidays in humid climates and it doesn't bother me physically speaking. I quite like it actually. Weird huh?

There are no beaches in Brisbane. There are a few small beaches in some of the Eastern suburbs but these are on the bay and do not have surf etc.

The nearest Ocean beaches are on the Gold Coast or Bribie and these are about an hour away if the traffic is reasonable.

The figure you quote is very low for a property near the water anywhere near Brisbane city.

What about something like this: http://www.realestate.com.au/propert...+bay-406782551

Could I get access to the waterfront for fishing?

How old are you and what kind of lifestyle are you looking for?

While others will disagree about whether it is or isn't part of Brisbane in whatever sense, Redland Bay is like the end of the earth as far as I'm concerned! If you are drawn to the Redlands, then look at Cleveland where at least there is a bit going on and the train to the city.

Could be OK.....but that is pretty cheap for Redland bay. Website photos can be very misleading.

Yes you can get access for fishing easily enough but it is very tidal and you need to pick your times. There are no beaches in Redland bay.....there is a shark netted swimming enclosure but it is a bit rough and no one ever seems to use it.

There are a couple of boat ramps if you have a boat.

Bear in mind that it is at least 45 minutes to Brisbane CBD at reasonable times and can take much longer at peak times.....the nearest train is from Cleveland and that takes about an hour.....much longer by bus.

It is a nice enough area but very quiet....no nightlife as such except for a local pub which is not the best in the world.......not sure it would suit a single bloke