Moving to the south coast nsw
 

Hi All,

In July of this year my wife and I,and nine year old daughter are moving to the south coast region of nsw, after nearly a two year process and a lot of money, I thought I would see if I could get any feedback on the region of the south coast, and the best places to live, and bring up our daughter.

It would be great to chat to people living in the area.

Cheers Dean

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

It might help to get responses in the area you are thinking of if you could be a touch more specific, are there any towns you have spotted that might be where you are thinking of. NSW is very big, you can drive for eleven hours and not leave it, hence the coastline is pretty long too

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

We are looking at Nowra, Batemans Bay areas.

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

I do a lot of work in the Nowra area and know it pretty well. The town itself is nothing to write home about, but, it is close to Jervis Bay and the better twons of Huskisson and Vincentia. Due to its proximity to HMAS Albatross where a lot of ex UK Navy guys have moved to, there are quite a few UK expats living there.
Avoid Sanctuary Point (glammed up council estate with big drugs problem), Sussex Inlet (Gods waiting room) and Nowra itself. Nowra has all the shops so is the centrum for the area but I am not a fan of it although the Anglican School is well regarded (fee paying).
Nearby Berry is nice, currently in the process of having a new Bypass, and is also going through lots of new home building projects (good or bad is up to you).
I have visited Batemans Bay a few times, I actually quite like it but you are pretty much out on a limb as far as access to the major hubs are concerned. Nowra has train links to Sydney, via Bomaderry. Batemans Bay has a bus link (4+ hours).

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

Agree on Jervis Bay. Awesome spot for a weekend away. Not sure what its like to live. Seems a bit like God's waiting room out of holiday season.

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

Thanks for the feedback, it was interesting to hear your views on the area, especially nowra. We will have a good look round when we are over in July and check out Huskisson and Vincentia, but to be honest it will all lie on where we find work in the region.

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

Well, consider Kiama, Shellharbour and Wollongong as well then. All have a good road to Nowra and have better links to Sydney but also good beachside towns.

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

Unfortunately the visa I hold is a 489 regional sponsored visa for the far south coast,which means I have to live in the region for two years,and work in it for 1 year,and the areas which you mentioned do not come into that region.Berry is the furthest I can go,and then down to bega on the victoria border

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

But isn't that for the place you work, not the place you live???

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

No its for both.Its a 4 year 489 sponsored regional visa,which means we have to prove we have lived in the region for 2 years,and 12 months working in it,then we can apply for permanent residency.

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

I live in Berry and own a house in Shoalhaven Heads - have been here for 10 years now. Nowra wouldn't be my first choice of location, but it's a pretty big place. East Nowra is like the Bronx, but North Nowra is very pleasant and posh and has one of the highest rated primary schools in the state located there. The further south you go, the sketchier the employment prospects get and you'll find that most people with a trade work for themselves or in a small business set-up.

If you manage to find good employment then it's a hard place to beat location-wise. Property prices are far less than what they are further up the coast although the gentrification of the towns and villages here continues to spread south. When we moved here it had reached Shellharbour and Kiama, but now Gerringong, Gerroa, Berry, Cambewarra, Bomaderry, Shoalhaven Heads, Kangaroo Valley are experiencing rapidly escalating house prices and many of the green spaces are being built on. Our house in Shoalhaven Heads sat on $450k for about eight years, but is now valued at $620k - the demographic has changed rapidly there from coffin-dodgers to families in the short time we've been here.

Location counts for a lot. Down here you're an hour and 40 minutes from Sydney airport, two hours from the CBD. You're a couple of hours from Canberra and four from the snow. You've got one of the most under-rated beauty-spots in Australia on your doorstep in the shape of Jervis Bay and are half an hour from the Southern Highlands.

The only major issue here is that the train service is seven shades of shit. My commute into Sydney, which takes 1h:45m in the car would take about 3h:30m on the train - it's about as quick as the Nene Valley steamer. I'd love to use public transport to commute but it's a non-starter round here.

So to sum up - you need to let your work dictate where you live - if I could live in Huskisson I would, but Berry's as far south as I can reasonably go while still having a relatively manageable drive.

Good luck.

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

cheers hutch, thanks so much for the information on the south coast, its a great help on deciding where to settle in the area, but like you said it all depends on where I find work.

Maybe catch up for a cold one when I arrive at the beginning of July.

Cheers Dean

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

Ridiculous

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

Hi Priced

Just wondered how your move went and where you ended up?

We are currently researching the far south coast as a possible place to move to. It would be the same as you, on a 489 state sponsored visa so would have the same regional restrictions.
Would be really interested to see how you're getting on and how you're finding it....

Re: Moving to the south coast nsw
 

Hi Priced

I have applied for 489 regional sponsored visa for the far south coast, can you please share your experience in far south coast as in your experience in getting the job there and living there as you are holding the same visa .
Exact which place would you refer in far south coast?

Cheers Rachna