island.girl

hello, we finally lodged our application (independant skilled) about a month ago after a couple of years of preparing it! i cant wait to hear something although were still unsure of where to go.(assuming we get accepted that is!)definatly heading to NSW.we love byron bay but its to expensive and busy. new idea is south of sydney maybe wollongong area?or avoca north of sydney?good surf breaks is a must have and we have a 1year old and a dog who we want to take with us. any suggestions anyone?? cheers!

tonyk38

Hello island.girl!

Welcome to the forum, and I hope you find the answers to any questions you ask.

I really like NSW. In fact I'm hoping to end up somewhere in the north East of the State myself, possibly Armidale or Coff's Harbour. If you want to live on the coast, then Armidale's out of the question. I've heard some of the most beautiful coastline is South of Woollongong neighbouring the Southern Highlands. Maybe one of the wee towns down there might suit if you don't want 'busy'?

Woollongong is much bigger then Byron with over 100,000 souls, so maybe it's even busier I guess. I've heard the area in the vicinity of the steel works is fairly ugly, maybe someone could put me right on that if it's not the case. I've heard that it's very hilly too!

Sorry, not much help, but maybe gives you a few pointers.

What sort of job will you be applying under if you don't mind me asking?

Sandra

What employment opportunities are you looking for...or don't you need a job? can you afford the house without mortgage?...easier to give advice about areas when other needs are taken into consideration.

Avoca is a dream of a place..........as is St Huberts with a boat!!!! but I think we might have to wait for the lottery numbers to come in!

island.girl

im a dental nurse but at the mo a full time mum!! my husband is a bricklayer thats how weve applied were hopeing there is loads of building work going on but bricklaying is not the type of job advertised its a case of turn up on site with your boots! so weve no idea.help! how can we find out about work?

island.girl

hi! i wish we could afford house with no mortgage!were looking to rent first and my husband is a bricklayer do you know of any brickies in NSW?it really isnt the kind of work that gets advertised.

paulb

We are heading to the Grafton area, just up from Coffs. My sister has been a few times and loved the beaches which are about 25 mins away, housing is cheaper too. The wife will just look for something part time once our 2 little uns (4 and 2) start school. Work for me is plentiful, Im a mental health nurse.

Good luck with your search.

Paul

tonyk38

Excellent news Paul! I will be heading out to Aus as a mental health nurse myself. Glad to hear that work is plentiful in this part of Aus. Can you recommend any hospitals/units in the area that are good places to work? I'm still not sure where the good job prospects in the area are yet so any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

tonyk38

I know nothing about the brickie/building trade, but I would guess that the best building prospects are in areas of rapid growth such as the Sydney Central Coast area. Some of NSW's Northern coastal towns are growing rapidly too, such as Coff's Harbour. Would you consider another reccie to Aus to research areas of best employment prospects? Just an idea.

blossom

Hi

I lived in Wollong 11 years ago, and absolutely loved the place. The population then was around 160,000 but that was for the whole Illawarra region which stretches from Stanwell Park (just south of Sydney) to Bege near the Victorian Border. SO Wollongong is not that crowded.

All of the beaches are fabulous, the only exception being the beach at Port Kembla, which is where the steelworks are. Please don't be put off by comments about the steelworks, it is not as dirty and grimy as one would imagine.

There are lots and lots of activities, in the area, and great roads to Sydney and the south. In fact, it's a nice place to live, with all the other good stuff that Sydney can offer virtually on your doorstep. My husband used to commute to Sydney daily and it never bothered him (around 1 hour each way), and I understand that new roads have now been built making the journey even shorter.

The people are really friendly, and it is very cosmopolitan. Alongside this, there is continual development so I should imagine there would be plenty of work for bricklayers.

Anyway, your choice, but don't rule Wollongong out.

Blossom

island.girl

[QUOTE=blossom
Thanks for that we are considering the gong!! recent thought is cronulla.any info? i have new ideas everyday!!!

paulb

This is a good start. http://www.ncahs.nsw.gov.au/

Where are you thinking of going? Grafton area is ok for work but the closer to Coffs and Byron Bay, more applicants for the jobs because of the area.
Im sure the area will be fine, its just deciding which part of the area!!

Good luck

Paul

blossom

[QUOTE=island.girl][QUOTE=blossom
Thanks for that we are considering the gong!! recent thought is cronulla.any info? i have new ideas everyday!!![/QUOTE]


Cronulla is an outer suburb of Sydney (you probably already know that). Friends of ours lived there and had a beautiful wedding with the reception at a lovely venue on the water front. The couple met us at the reception, and travelled there by boat. Although spent odd times at Cronulla I wouldn't like to get too involved in discussing this suburb as it would only be my opinion. However, the little I saw of it I did like, but it was not a place I would like to live.

I loved Wollongong and the different suburbs, from flat to hilly waterside to bush, absolutely beautiful. Good education, etc - Cronulla just seemed a bit flat with houses all a bit too same same for my liking. Not at all vibrant by any stretch of the imagination.

But as I said, this is only my opinion.

Blossom

island.girl

well thankyou for your opinion! wollongong is definatly the favorite at the moment! good to hear there good education as this is something we have to consider for our little girl.i like the sound of fairy meadow what a lovely name!

blossom

Okay Island girl, if you want to PM me I can give you more info that may be useful to you.

Blossom

tonyk38

Ta much for the info!

I was in Grafton briefly back in the 90s, plus I'd like to check out Armidale on my return. It figures I guess that more folks would be looking for work nearer the coast, so I'll bear that in mind when job seeking.