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Various Questions - Grateful for any advice! :)

Various Questions - Grateful for any advice! :)

Old Oct 10th 2004, 2:38 pm
  #1  
FayenPaul
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Default Various Questions - Grateful for any advice! :)


Hi,

We havent been on for a wee while as been so busy all summer which is great as the months have just rolled by quicker than a flash. However we are now getting very excited and anxious all in one! Speak about a rollercoaster how true, so glad we are "normal".

We have a few questions and would be grateful for any advise at all. We are with an agent and should hopefully receive word of our visa's in January we will then be selling up and heading out to Newcastle (NSW) to stay with Paul's Aunt until we get settled.

Questions :

Is anyone in or moving to Newcastle, NSW? If so could you contact us (private mail) and give us some infor on the city, we think it may be a little too quiet for us? Also any advise on the housing market would be good? Whats the nightlife there like? Any good gym's? When we were there two years ago we noticed ALOT of gambling! Is this the norm?

Anyone recommended any areas which are good for settling and good commuting for Sydney/Newcastle?

Paul is a joiner and he has passed the TRA Assesment, however will he need to do an exam for a licence ???

Anyone who has already emmigrated! What were the essential/immediate things you did when you got there? (we have accommodation sorted). Cars?, Licences, registered with doctors/medicare, dentists, tax issues ?? We read recently that we will need an accountant straight away is this the norm?

I think we will be regular visitors from here on in. Speak soon
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Old Oct 11th 2004, 10:07 pm
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Default Re: Various Questions - Grateful for any advice! :)

Originally Posted by faye_gillan
Is anyone in or moving to Newcastle, NSW? If so could you contact us (private mail) and give us some infor on the city, we think it may be a little too quiet for us? Also any advise on the housing market would be good? Whats the nightlife there like? Any good gym's? When we were there two years ago we noticed ALOT of gambling! Is this the norm?

Anyone recommended any areas which are good for settling and good commuting for Sydney/Newcastle?

Although there's a good freeway at least to the northern fringes of Sydney, Newcastle is really too far to commute there on a daily basis. It's well over 2 hours drive.

Newcastle itself is an industrial city that's still in the process of getting back on its feet after the steel closures of the early 90s. If you want to live in the area itself it would probably be better to live a little south or north of the city (eg in the Lake Macquarie or Nelson Bay area).

If you want to work in Sydney you need to look a lot further south along the Central Coast and even then (eg if you can get close to a train line) be prepared for a journey of over an hour into the Sydney CBD. Traffic getting off the freeway into Sydney is pretty bad at rush hour.

Paul is a joiner and he has passed the TRA Assesment, however will he need to do an exam for a licence ???
Possibly. Visit http://www.nsw.gov.au and work from there.

Anyone who has already emmigrated! What were the essential/immediate things you did when you got there? (we have accommodation sorted). Cars?, Licences, registered with doctors/medicare, dentists, tax issues ?? We read recently that we will need an accountant straight away is this the norm?
There's plenty of information in the other threads you'll read. For banking, try http://www.migrantbanking.co.uk

Driving Licence - you'll need NSW licences within 3 months of arrival. http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au - just a theory test will be enough.

Medicare - you're entitled to Medicare straight away but it may take a few days after your arrival for them to get your details from DIMIA.

Tax file number - you can get this when you arrive, http://www.ato.gov.au

Jeremy
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Old Oct 11th 2004, 10:21 pm
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Default Re: Various Questions - Grateful for any advice! :)

Originally Posted by faye_gillan
Paul is a joiner and he has passed the TRA Assesment, however will he need to do an exam for a licence ???
I may be wrong, but we've a friend who does carpentry. I seem to remember him saying that although he got TRA to come to Oz, he then had to resit exams to be able to work in NSW. He's since moved to QLD and has had to do the same again. I belive it is governed at a state level, so the TRA assessment for immigration was valid for Victoria only! Mad I know.
The guy was still able to get work on arriving, possibly not on the full rate until he got his papers.
Maybe someone can confirm this. I will ask him when I see him in a couple of weeks time. He doesn't post, though he is registered on this site.
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Old Oct 11th 2004, 10:42 pm
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Default Re: Various Questions - Grateful for any advice! :)

Originally Posted by JulesandChris
I may be wrong, but we've a friend who does carpentry. I seem to remember him saying that although he got TRA to come to Oz, he then had to resit exams to be able to work in NSW. He's since moved to QLD and has had to do the same again. I belive it is governed at a state level, so the TRA assessment for <a href="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=immigration&v=55">immigration</a> was valid for <a href="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=Victoria&v=55">Victoria</a> only! Mad I know.
The guy was still able to get work on arriving, possibly not on the full rate until he got his papers.
Maybe someone can confirm this. I will ask him when I see him in a couple of weeks <a href="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=time&v=55">time</a>. He doesn't post, though he is registered on this site.
hi there,

i,ve been to newcastle on a couple of occasions visiting family and just love it. as jeremy says, its definately too far to commute to sydney, 2 hours on the train and by road.

it is an industrial town, hard working, very friendly people, fantastic beaches,shopping not that good in my opinion. don't quote me, but don't think there's too much night life although theres a fab place on the sea front near nobbys beach called the 'brewery'need i say more!! nelson bay is brilliant, very vibrant, lively, lots young people.

good luck

debbie
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