Chalkfarm

Please could anyone recommend a good area to live in Sydney for renting and being able to buy, will be working in the CBD but don't mind travelling by road or rail have 3 kids 4,11,12 school info would also be handy

rubbeldiekatz

most of my my friends live in newtown :-) If you like gays and weird people - thats the place to go !

JAJ

Nowhere in Sydney is cheap. The Sutherland Shire and Hills District are good for families but it's a long trip to the CBD (helpful if you can get flexi time from employer so as to avoid the worst of rush hour).

Are you going on temporary or permanent visas?

Jeremy

hedgehog-girl

Hello,

Its a bit of a commute to the CBD (about 30-40 mins) but you could try Manly. Myself and my partner are going there are the end of this month and he will be working in the CBD and I will work in Manly hospital. We chose this area because although it is expensive, it also has a good reputation for being a little bit further away from the big city but small enough to be a friendly little town. Recently my b/f parents went there and thought it was great....the crime rate is very low and in fact they brought back the Manly Daily newspaper which had a new articule relating to the cautioning of a man who used offensive language!!!!!

If only where I live now had to worry only about offensive language!!!!

We also bought a map with all the street names from Waterstones for £4.99 and basically located all the areas with good transport and facilities.

Good luck

JAJ

Tha main Manly commute is by ferry. It's a nice journey but can be a lot longer if you need to travel to the ferry terminal and travel further into the CBD on arrival.

Occasionally the Manly ferries don't run (eg when a big ocean swell comes through the Sydney Heads) and then you're looking at buses and a much longer journey time.

Jeremy

bondipom

Budget will be a big factor. Check out www.realestate.com.au and www.domain.com.au .

Do you want to privately or publicly educate your children and what fees are you willing to pay?

ABCDiamond

Hi

I used to live in St Clair, (western suburbs of Sydney), until we moved to QLD.

Property seems much cheaper round their, but travel times by train are about 1 hour. Travel to the CBD by car in rush hour is longer, although it can be about 45 minutes in the quiet periods. It isn't the best places for beaches , but its closer to the Blue Mountains for example.
An pricing example of property is: 3 bedroom house renting for $250w. Or a 3 bed house with 2 bed granny flat (seperately rented for $160pw) selling for $435,000. More shown St Clair with 3 bed houses starting at $370,000


Here are some prices in Sutherland, which is closer to the City.

Chalkfarm

Will be on a Business visa at first have a job with a company who's also paying for my permanent visa once I've settled, I do 2hrs driving to and from work every day so 45mins to 1hr is cool with me my hours will be 0730 till 1630

thanks for help and I'll look at the places you've recommend

Chalkfarm

Probably public schools not sure of the cost of private ones

Thanks will look at sites

ABCDiamond

Private schools can cost from as little as about $2,000 per year, but there are others around the $20,000 per year

7.30 may be a good time to start, you should miss a lot of the normal rush hour traffic, unless its changed since I did it. But you will get caught in the Friday afternoon rush exit leaving at about 4.30pm. Come to think of it, that may have been why I spent friday evenings in the pub near work

bondipom

You may have to pay school fees for public schools if you are a temp resident. Someone else will have to give more details.

SydneyStace

I live in St Clair!!! We moved here mainly cos we couldn't afford to buy nearer in Sydney, plus hubbie's family live out this way. I know it means being a "Westie", but the people I've met here have one head and are really friendly, it's nice and clean and I love it! We are easy access to the M4 and getting to CBD is pretty easy, just depends on how long you want to travel as traffic can get quite hectic in the morning (but it's nothing compared to the M25!!)
Good luck!
Stacey

JAJ

Make sure their promise to sponsor you for a permanent visa is iron-clad. You'd be amazed how many people get told after arriving it's not 'company policy' to sponsor for a permanent visa until x number of years have passed.

Also - requirements for employer nomination are likely to change in April. This will make it easier for some people, a lot harder for others (including some Sydney specific restrictions), so don't waste time - start working on your application now to get it in before any change. Your employer should be using a professional agent familiar with this area.

School fees - you are going to be stung big time to send the children to government schools in NSW until you have PR (AUD4.5k per child per year approx). Your employer should ideally pick up the tab, but you need it in your contract.

Make yourself familiar with all the disadvantages of the 457 visa:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=266447

Jeremy

Chalkfarm

Thanks for the advice,the company i will be working for
will be using an agent,and we have spoken to a couple of people who have gone from the uk to work for them.They are happy, and have said the company have helped sort out their visas.
We asked about the schools and their kids were just enrolled from the start and they did not pay.They were all on the same initial visa.We know we have limitations on this visa, but will apply for PR when settled and the company is paying for it.
I am going to make sure this info is right though ,as sending them to school could cost me big time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks again

JAJ

Don't rely on what you've heard - visit http://www.nsw.gov.au and find the Education Dept website. Information on the school fees issue can be found there.

Jeremy