Poppy-21

I am getting more and more confused. We move to Oz at the end of the year, but still are not sure where we want to go. Are going on a reccie in Sept to NSW & Vic, but now don't want to discount SA & WA Both been before and liked most of Oz, but we were travelling then. BE is confusing me more than ever!! HOW do you make your minds up??

tum

I don't know how others decide where to go. But we had a really good feeling about Cairns, talked about Brisbane and the Mornington Peninsula (south of Melbourne) though. But Cairns it will be. We said to each other, what would be the worst thing if we didn't like it....well that's move south. It doesn't matter if you put things into perspective. I mean you are moving to the other side of the world so we'll see how things go. Good luck with making your choice.

Miranda

Poppy-21

I admire your decision making. We were set on Sydney, until we really started researching, now we haven't a clue! I sometimes wish we'd just gone with our first impressions and gut instinct and not bothered looking on the net

penky

Easier for me coz we've got family in Oz,
but surely once your there you can investigate other places and move if you like somewhere else better?

Poppy-21

Absolutely, but,I'd like to get the kids settled into schools/preschool without moving them around. I don't mind a period of travelling, but when I settle (ideally) I'd like to settle for good. Perfectionsist?? Idealist?? I hope REALIST

kiwi_child

1.Find out as much info about each state capital city as you can from a cross section of sources.
2. For every anti post, there will be a pro one, so you have to remember that these are individuals experiences and that some of the content may not be relevant in the sense that it is largely subjective.
3. Make a list of your top priorities and concerns. Decide what is important to you, what you want and what you want to avoid.
4. Make a list (as best you can) of the pros and cons of each city.
5. Keep in mind the practical,eg; work ops, property prices and rental availability, commuting distance to major employment sources, cbd, access to facilities, eg; hospitals, shopping, schools, etc (this means getting more info on suburbs in a city, something you might not be able to accurately do until you have arrived)
6. Decide from the above info first, second, third

If I were moving to OZ today, I'd be looking at Adelaide or the east coast personally. I don't particularly like Perth and for newbies, it does have the greatest housing crisis in the country. Rental vacancies are 0.8% and reached the official 'critical' level when they hit 2%, some time back. A basic home in an average area is approaching the $500,000 mark, and no, there's no pool or double garage included in that figure

tum

Realistic indeed I agree. We have a son who turns 6 in October. So probably he'll be in grade 1 next year (I think ?) in Australia where he has to learn the language as well as make new friends and adapt to the schooling system. But...if Cairns proves not to be right for us (which I don't think/hope ) we'll be moving south regardless as we have to make it there as a family. Mind you our son IS number 1, but adult decisions have to be made by adult persons. PFEW I really don't hope moving will be something we'll be doing pretty soon though after the BIG MOVE. Only suburbs will do nicely

Take care,

Miranda x

Centurion

Depends what you want I guess.

For me the climate was everything. Moving too far to be really cold in the winter.

Dorothy

For us it was based on $$. We thought we would give SA a try seeing how it was much less expensive than the other states. However, once there we discovered why. Lower wages and lack of work for my husband (electronics engineer). He found a fantastic job in Perth, so that's where we relocated to. It wasn't the end of the world, having to move interstate. We actually like it better here in Perth than we did in Adelaide, although I did leave behind a wonderful job and some really good friends.
Ultimately you have to decide what's best for your family. Do you like humidity? Then Darwin is the place for you. Do you like lots of tourists? Then Gold Coast is for you. Are you into big cities with lots of attractions? Then maybe you should go to Sydney. Shopping? Melbourne sounds right. Is a quieter, more relaxed, country town lifestyle more your thing? Then maybe you would like Adelaide. Gorgeous sunsets in a clean, spread out city? Perth sounds like it. Maybe you like quiet and slow paced? If so, take a look at Tasmania.
I think everyone has different reasons for where they choose to live. You have to find your reason for moving to Australia and then explore that a little more to find what area suits you.