mavine1

Hi there, I am married with 3 children and for the last year or so my husband and I have been interested in moving to Oz. Some days I am absolutely sure it's the right move and other days I wonder what I will get there that I don't already have here....What have we come to dislike about home? Sitting in 20 minutes of traffic to do a 5 minute journey, touble making teens (small minority where we are but some areas have a real problem), owning a lovely big house but having an astronomical mortgage to go with it. But then, ftting in to a new place where we don't know anyone concerns me. I love being in a community so would have to move somewhere with a good community spirit. My worst nightmare would be to end up in an area where everyone keeps themselves to themselves and you don't see anyone for days on end. Other than that we love to eat out at nice restaurants. Not 'posh and expensive' but good fresh local produce. My son is a serious tennis player so a good academy is a must and my husband loves to fish. We only have my parents to miss in the UK and that will kill me. I hope not enough to make me want to come home but I know they will never travel that distance to see us which makes it even harder. Lastly and probably most important thing if we do move is schooling. I worked hard to get my kids into really good schools and know nothing about the schools in Oz. Has anyone got any tips on schools? Maybe some recommendations or 'avoid at all costs?' We haven't decided on an area yet. My husband is an IT Manager and there seems to be a good selection of roles in most cities...we like a warm climate but wonder if we could take year round stifling heat....Sx

MichPayne

Hi

Im moving to Brisbane 7th Jan to work as a nurse in A&E, my husband has 20yrs IT experience but doesnt have a job yet but it does look like there are loads of IT jobs. We decied to move because all the things you mentioned are true, and although I would never condem our country as compared to some its pretty amazing I am sick of working for nothing and being cold and paying ridiculous prices for everything. I also want to try a new culture and embrace the difference of living somewhere else. I have travelled a lot, although never to Oz and I know that wherever I am I can always come back. Adventure keeps you alive and I believe that children can only benefit from new experiences which can be as good as we, as parents, make them. I think you should go for it!

Brisbane is sub tropical and supposed to have good weather most of the time, I have checked out several schools and both state and prvate seem very good, will know more when we get there, but thats all part of getting to know a new place. Goodluck whatever you decide to do :-)

Mich

mavine1

I love this country too and I will always be very patriotic but it has got to the point where for us the bad stuff is outweighing the good. My husband works in London and is out for 13 hours a day and the thought of moving nearer London to cut his commute is not appealing....one option we have considered is an IT contract in Oz for 3 - 6 months. Spend some time there and really get to know the country before we fully commit. The children would have their schooling disrupted for a time but hopefully they wouldn't suffer. The younger ones would be fine but my eldest is 14 and about to hit 2 years of coursework and GCSE prep. Do you know what age they finish school in Oz? Is it 16 or 18? My friend lives in Brisbane and loves it. She's English and tells me the quality of life is so much better. There is never a 2 hour traffic jam to get to the beach and everyone is very friendly. I'd love to hear how you settle in!

Petals

Tasmania is a cool climate and a lovely place. Can get hot in the summer.
West Australia has the most sunshine and its a dry heat but its a long way from the rest of Australia if you want to travel around.
South Australia has a nice climate, Adelaide is not as big as other cities and being smaller easier to get around.
Victoria is the smallest State and Melbourne is a very large city. Our climate has four seasons of the year and its a dry climate basically, temperate.
Sydney is warmer but more humid, lovely place if you have good income
Brisbane is lovely in winter but hot in summer and very humid.

You say you like to see people around, to do this you would need to live in the inner suburbs of any of the cities as the outer suburbs are very very quiet during the day as most families both people work. A lot of posters have complained about this on arrival and moving into the dream home in the dream suburb only to find its isolation which they are not used to.

Inner suburbs have more access to the best private schools and some of the good state schools. Private school is pricey depending on which one you select.

Once you decide on a place you may be interested in have a look at realestate.com.au for an idea as to housing and rentals etc.

Good luck

mavine1

This is really helpful thank you. I will definately look at the inner subs! The school sin Oz have a good reputation from what I understand? My daughter is in a private school which is very british, the patron is princess anne, and it is very small, I do wonder how she will transition but she is young so most people tell me climatise quite quick!

Geelong Gent

We came from Horsham West Sussex and found Melbourne an easy transition. Both my girls are in private schooling over here for (individual reasons rather than status) but there are also plenty of good public schools to choose from.

Melbourne has an incredible number of really good restaurants serving fresh produce and serving it well.

You may have heard of the Melbourne tennis? A poster OzzieTennis will have more info on academys.

mavine1

Thanks so much I know Horsham well. We have thought about Melbourne as it has a reputation for culture, food and sport....

Grayling

Why do you think Australia will be any different?

House prices are just as bad here.

I sat for an hour in the car yesterday covering a couple of miles getting into Southport on the Gold coast.

Australia has teenagers and traffic as well you know.

G

Grayling

Wrong....Took me over 2 hours to get from the Pacific highway to the beach at Southport yesterday.

It happens here too.

G

Geelong Gent

Agree and sorry OP should of pointed out that house prices will astound you as in many situations they exceed South East prices. £750k does not go very far in inner city. But there are options by travelling an extra 5 mins. Melbourne has many suburbs too choose from and within the wide range you will find something that fits lifestyle and budget.

Not having family support is a big issue and don't discount having someone to call when your kids are sick and you have an important day at work. As soon as our previous nanny in the UK finishes her University degree we want her out here

Australia does have traffic but I have found it nothing like being stuck on the A281, A3/M3 or dreaded M25. From my experience the only time I have been really delayed in traffic was due to something castrophic like a major accident in the citylink tunnels.

The most stressful think in relation to travel was slowing my driving down. From years of motorway driving at 90 miles down to 80km - that cruise control has really saved me alot of points and cash.

The school system here concentrates on social skills and it does show (again Grayling this is from experience and may differ from others). My pregant wife joined a tram full of school boys (private and public) and they stood up immediately to give her a seat. You ask a question ie for directions and they stop too chat rather than a grunt.

Australia is different but different in that somethings will frustrate you as much as somethings will be a pleasure. You need an open mind and decide what on the balance is right for you.

mavine1

Thank you for your responses. I don't doubt Oz has it's faults as does any other country...and you are right it is finding the right balance. Property prices do bother me and I wonder what we could get for our money in Oz now..In the UK, in the South at least, you need at least £400 for a decent 3 - 4 bed and andmore near £500 for a decent 4 bed with 3 rec....I was under the impression property was cheaper in Oz but maybe I am mistaken?

datamile

It is unless you've got a mortgage to pay. Once you're earning $ then things get expensive, and most think the cost of living is higher here.

Property search is fun as Brisbane has over 100 suburbs

http://www.realestate.com.au/

Grayling

My youngest son recently bought a new 5 bedroom house in Ely Cambs. for under £300k

My eldest son just bought a 5 bed house near Brisbane cbd for $2.5 million.

Property is not cheaper in Australia.

G

mavine1

Wow that's a huge difference. I think programme like 'wanted down under' give you an impression that you can sell up and live mortgage free in Oz....praps not the case then...

Grayling

I think those figures are a bit exaggerated.

It is not difficult to buy a house in the South East for a lot less than that.

G