bryoak

Anyone out there from Geelong, we are moving out there in a couple of weeks and just wanted to know a few things regarding housing etc. We want to rent for the first 6 months, is there many rental properties that are furnished, theones I have seen all seem to be unfurnished

Also what are the job prospects there? My wife is a primary school teacher and i am from a manufacturing background, (although my degree is in textiles.)

Which are the best areas, we have 2 young boys (4 & 2) to consider?

Help is much appreciated.

Darren & Rhian

Bix

Hi Darren.
Have been on here a few months and Geelong gets a good press.
I did a search and came up with this...
http://britishexpats.com/forum/searc...by=&sortorder=

Plenty for you to get your teeth into there

bryoak

Thanks a lot for that, you wont believe this but we are initially locating there simply because of the good press from this site Geelong has had. It is very hard moving somewhere you have never been before, and a site like this is a god-send.

I know that you have to make your own minds up where you want to live, but it so much easier when there are people out there who have allready done it, and come out the other side.

Darren

bryoak

Thanks a lot for that, you wont believe this but we are initially locating there simply because of the good press from this site Geelong has had. It is very hard moving somewhere you have never been before, and a site like this is a god-send.

I know that you have to make your own minds up where you want to live, but it so much easier when there are people out there who have allready done it, and come out the other side.

Darren

banjo

hi there,

We live 'just down the road' from Geelong in a town called Colac. We love it as we are only 45mins from the city or from the beach. Geelong is well placed and is a 'lovely' place as cities go. Having been to Melbourne (only once I admit) I don't know why anyone would want to live there.

We moved here 5 mths ago and have a 2.25 yr old and a 3mth old. Originally our plan was to be in Geelong as my husband is a maintenance fitter and was hoping to work for Ford. Many people from Colac commute to Geelong for work. We found house prices to be more reasonable here than in the big cities.....we still have pretty much everything here that we can get in Geelong. As it happened he got a great job in town so we stayed.

I will try and find out some info on best areas for you and will get back in touch. I'll speak to some of the locals.

bryoak

Thanks banjo
We need all the info you can give, we will be going in a couple of weeks. Are there plenty of car garages near by, we will want to buy a nearly new Ford / Holden as soon as we get there. We come from Manchester, and never want to live in a big city again. Much rather live an hour or so outside.

Also we were looking at motels near by any suggestions?

Does anyone know how quick you can get into a rented property?

little miss c

Hi
I did a search on google for Geelong and found the website for their local paper, might be of help to you if you don't aleady have it.
Good luck
http://www.glgadvertiser.com.au/

bryoak

Thanks little miss c

that will kill the next few hours

banjo

Hi.....sorry, hectic couple of days as we prepare to move house so I WILL definitely find out about best residential areas for you and post asap as well as car dealerships. One thing I would say is buy local.....we bought a Pajero from Melbourne and it was terrible having to go to and fro getting warranty work done. Second hand cars are expensive compared to new.....so consider buying new if you can. We got a Proton Persona from a dealer in Geelong and we're very happy with it and with their service. Will find out about Holden dealers for you.

It took us nearly four weeks to get into rented accomodation. I think the lack of references and job definitely played a part. We told them we could pay 'x' number of months up front but that msg never got through to our current landlord so I guess it never got through to the ones who turned us down either.

There are stacks of motels in Geelong though so don't worry too much. I will check out some prices for you as well. What day /time are you arriving in Melbourne? How / when are you getting to Geelong? Do you know anyone here?


will post soon

banjo

in the meantime here are some links for you to have a look at.....

http://www.hayden.com.au/geelong.htm

http://www.mcdonaldco.com.au/

http://www.firstnational.com.au/propertyframe2.htm

banjo

and some links to motels......

http://www.rosegardenmotel.com.au/

KARDINIA PARK FAMILY MOTEL (03) 5221 5188 or (03) 5221 5280

http://www.budgetmotelchain.com.au/l....asp?state=VIC

banjo

okay.....have spoken to a few people and they all say stay away from Norlane (maybe spelt Norland) at all costs and also Corio. Lara is ok, but anywhere closer to Melbourne than that (ie north Geelong) should be avoided. Basically anywhere else should be ok....Belmont is nice and so is Highton. Highton is quite exclusive but you may be able to find an older property there at a reasonable price. Bell Park was recommended as was Hamlyn Heights and Geelong west. Further affield....Portarlington (been there....very nice) and Grove Dale, Ocean Grove.

As for motels....Budget. Apparently they are clean etc. but no frills. Should be ok until you find your feet. Might well do a special rate if you stay a week or more. There is one here in Colac so if you want I may be able to find out more for you. One of those links was for budget so might be worth checking out.

There is a bus service to Geelong from the airport that leaves hourly...or thereabouts. It's called 'The Gull.' That should take you into the centre of Geelong from where you could easily get a taxi to the motel. Apparently Geelong also has a bus service so that should help. People here are generally VERY helpful so once here, don't be scared to ask for directions or help of any kind.

GULL AIRPORT SERVICES (03) 5222 4966

One thing I would recommend is to get a copy of the 'Melways.' It is a big thick map book that covers Geelong and Melbourne areas. Initially it is a bit hard to work out but once you know how to work it there is so much information in there. It lists all sorts of things like schools, places of worship, recreation centres etc. etc. and will help you get an idea of where things are in relation to where you are staying etc.

If you want our contact details for once you get here....or even before then send a PM and we can go from there.

So....are you all ready to come....house sold? furniture shipped etc?

bryoak

Thanks for all that info, people on this site are so helpfull i think we would be lost without them.

We sold our house last october. we thought that the housing market in our region was at its peak then. I dont think if i sold it now i would get much more. We are living in rented property at the moment, in a little town called Hyde, near Manchester. (if you remember Harold Shipman he was from hyde).

We have the shipping agent coming over on wednesday, we are only taking a few personnel items approx. 100 sq feet (£535 door to door). We are flying on 30th July with Singapore air and stopping there for 3 days, so we will arrive in Melbourne on 3rd August at 19:30 p.m.

I think we will be buying a new car when we get there, i might hire one from the airport until we get one sorted.

Alan Collett

As you might know from other threads, I (and family) live in Geelong. You might try contacting a lady I know called Sue Heath as she helps people relocating to Geelong with property, schooling, etc: email her via sue - at - positivemove - dot - com - dot - au

In the meantime if you think you might want to commute to Melbourne by train I'd recommend a look at Geelong West (close to Pakington Street) or South Geelong - Geelong West is the nicer of the two.

I'd definitely endorse the comment about staying clear of Norlane and Corio. Other areas worth a look (depending on budget) are Manifold Heights, Belmont, Highton, Newtown, and Wandana Heights. These are all within 5 to 10 minutes of the city centre/waterfront. There are also properties for rent in Drumcondra and waterfront Geelong, but expect to pay a fair amount more for a view of the Bay.

Schooling will probably be a factor for you too as you have children. The schools in Newtown are good, but I believe a few others in Highton, Belmont, Manifold Heights are as well. If you are considering fee paying schools, you will be looking at Geelong College, Kardinia College, Geelong Grammar, and Sacred Heart. I think St. Josepths might also be fee paying - you can search for these on www.google.com.au

Rental agents in Geelong include Maxwell Collins, Hayden Real Estate, CJ Keane & Co, and there are quite a few more. Try to get hold of a copy of the Saturday Geelong Advertiser, as the main property supplement of the week appears there.

Good luck!

Alan Collett

Also, when we arrived in Geelong, and before the property we were renting became available, for 10 days we stayed in a chalet lodge on the Barrabool Road close to the Barwon River:
http://www.geelongriverview.com.au/

Might be worth a look ...

Best regards.