thermojetics

Hello everybody!

I will be moving in November in Oz and I am not sure yet were to settle. I am a mechanical design engineer and my wife is a web programmer. So far I was considering Melbourne and/or Sydney (like any other new immigrant).

I have been watching the job market for the last 3-4 months and I've seen a lot of suitable positions for my experience and skills in Newcastle. I have searched on this forum for info about Newcastle but I couldn't find too many.
I am interested to learn about it, how big is the city, how is the weather, how is the house market, job market etc. I am not sure how big is the IT market in Newcastle (for my wife).

Any comment will be highly appreciated.

knockoff nige

I drove to Newcastle once. Turned around and went straight back to Sydney. No comparison in my opinion.

shonalouise

I spent the last 3 years living about an hour away from Newcastle. I liked it, houses still pretty cheap, gorgeous beaches, decent nightlife, restaurants etc. Close to Port Stephens which is a gorgeous place to holiday. Can't really comment on the jobs market as didn't work there but there always seem to be development going on, they have recently renovated the quayside with cafes, bars and restaurants. All depends on what you are looking for, there is not as much to do as in Sydney and it is not as bustling but i'm sure cost of living would be much higher in Sydney.

thermojetics

I lived in a big city (Toronto) for the last 10 years so I know what are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city. We have 2 small kids (4 & 1) so for the moment a family oriented area will be suitable for us.

I am not sure how big is Newcastle (population). Also I would like to avoid a small town were nothing is happening.

Does anybody have any idea about the house market?

Thanks

4500 Times

Funny that, i drove from Brisbane to Sydney and thought the same.

The most over hyped city on the planet (of course only my opinion)

Ruskee

We've been in Newcastle for 2 1/2 years and can certainly recommend it as a family friendly place with a lot going for it. Its certainly not as bustling and vibrant as parts of Sydney and the other big cities and I think 10-15 years ago I probably would have found it a little pedestrian. What it does lack is a central focus of interest within the city centre but I gather there are ambitious plans to redevelop this.

It has fab beaches, good places to eat and reasonable shops. There are a plethora of amazing places in easy reach including Port Stephens, Hunter Valley, Barrington Tops and a variety of national parks. Before we moved here we thought we would be regularly visiting Sydney but in reality we find little need to as most of what we need is here.

Property is much more affordable in Newcastle compared to Sydney with good sized family homes available less than 10-20 min from beaches/CBD at a fraction of the cost. Choice of suburb obviously depends on budget with Merewether, Merewether Heights, The Hill, Bar Beach, Cooks Hill, The Junction, New Lambton Heights and parts of Lake Macquarie being very popular.

www.realestate.com

There are some excellent schools both public and private. Our 7 year old attends an absolutely delightful school in New Lambton Heights.


I can't comment on employment prospects.

If you're looking for a town or city without all the disadvantages of a big city (long commute, bad traffic, expensive property etc) then Newcastle may be worth a look for you. I'd recommend paying it a visit at least. Before we came I was offered jobs in Western Sydney and Newcastle and I'm convinced we made the right choice for us.

http://www.visitnewcastle.com.au/visitnewcastle.asp

http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/disc...tle_statistics

Cheers

Emmy Lou

Hi, me and hubby have just moved to the Newcastle area from Sydney, where we were for 18 months. Although not living in Newcastle suburbs as such, we are living in Port Stephens which is beautiful and has gorgeous beaches. If you don’t mind a commute to Newcastle (about 45 minutes) I would definitely recommend. My opinion of Newcastle is that the houses are generally older, where as the Port Stephens area is newer i.e brick houses. (which we prefer)
We looked at a few areas around Newcastle before moving here and if you were keen to stay closer to the city, we found the lake Macquarie area to be pretty good.

If you are looking for city life, I would not recommend Newcastle area, its more like a big town really, with the main street almost deserted on a daily basis. Although they are supposedly revamping this area???

From Port Stephens, you can get to Sydney CBD in 2 and a half hours by car, which is great for weekend trips, if your not keen to live in the city.

The weather is good in the area, I have been on the beach all day today and its been 32 degrees, generally the winters are a lot cooler up this area, they can get pretty cold in Sydney and no central heating in houses…..

The house market in the area is pretty stable with the population supposedly increasing over the coming years, so housing markets should increase???? Rental market in Sydney is crazy at the moment and if you are planning to rent, you are viewing properties with around 20 other couples.

Can’t really comment on the IT market, sorry.

I suppose it depends on what you are looking for…..

Let me know if you need any info, I am more than happy to help )

thermojetics

Thanks to everybody for the information.