Hi there,

Anybody got any advice on where to live and work here?

My husband and I are doing a years blitz before we settle and trying to save.

He is a scaffolder but would consider working in the mines or something like it. I am a teacher but my registration won't come through for another 2 months possibly. So, I would consider retail, administration, HR..anything like that. While we are following the big money, we would consider settling where we work.

I want to live in or close to a town. We've heard that WA is good but living expenses high. We want to minimise expense but at the same time have enough to do. Do you know of anywhere that would suit us or give us advice?

Thanks

Have you thought about Newcastle? Close-ish to Sydney but less competition for jobs (esp teaching jobs) mining to be found if you head inland on the highway, plenty of admin-type jobs to be found (I walked in to one) possibly cheaper living than Perth (I don't know, I've never lived in WA)... might be worth considering.
To be honest if you're flexible about work then there are a lot of places to choose from! Have you thought about what climate you would prefer too?

Hi Esperanza,

My hubby quite likes the idea of Queensland. I spent some time there and liked it too. He loves the hot weather. I, on the other hand being a cold blooded Irish lass (my bones aren't really thawing), might struggle but I'm sure I'd adjust. We thought of Cairns or Townsville. But, we want to be pretty sure we'll get employment before we decide where exactly to go.

I never thought about Newcastle. I'll have to look up some stuff about it. Thanks!

Hiya,

We have lived in a suburb called Stanhope Gardens, Sydney for 2 years. We are about 30 mins drive from the city, 40 mins from the beaches and an hour from the Blue Mountains. Location for us is excellent, plenty of jobs around they are constantly building out this way including schools!!! We are renting still, but live in an area which comes with a communial pool, tennis court and club house. Wages are generally higher in Sydney, but so is cost of living, so living a little way out of the city gives you the best of both worlds. I would recommend this area particulary for families?

Check out the area on realestate.com.au !

If your OH is wanting to work in the mines for big bucks then I'd think WA is the place to be.
Cost of living isn't much different to any other place in Australia - housing costs have caught up (marginally passed a couple of areas) but no worse than most of the UK.