Moving to OZ next year

[shelom777]

greetings , My wife and I and our 7 kids are moving to Australia next year. I wanted some advise on which state or town we should look in to settle . Our kids are 17, 14, 11,11,7,6 and 1 year old.I will be looking for a job in the building industry and the main aim of our move is to provide our kids with a safe wholesome enviroment.We do appreciate any advise as we are taking a big step and any advise counts greatly.

[scottishcelts]

Hi shelom777, wow big move with a big family!!! I thought i was brave with 3 kids, but you guys are hereos!!!

As far as building work is concerned, Australia is crying out for them and i think you are on the wanted list alongside doctors and nurses etc. Australia is always building new houses and looking to expand all the time, god you'll make a fortune out there!

I would strongly advise (as we have done plenty ourselves) to do your own research via the internet for locations. Oz is a big country and each state is very different.

We are off to Brisbane, Queensland in September, it's subtropical and as we are from Scotland have a lot of weather adjusting to do, but we have had plenty of time to gather info from other expats and how they coped with the heat etc. also you have to look into what schools would better suit your wee ones.

Very best of luck to you

[shelom777]

Hi Scottishcelts, Thanks for that, you are right and I will be doing a lot of internet research . I am looking for a new settlement type of place rather than an established City . A place that not only needs building!! but a small tranquil place, if any one knows such a place I sure appreciate a reply.

[Better-life]

Hi, can you tell me did you use an agency to help you move, or if so what sites you used to help process your application? Im jsu at the VERY start of it all, and finding it a bit confusing. I have 3 children and a hubby in construction (Estimator). Would love some advice - Thanks Debbie

[shelom777]

Hi, I used a registered agent from the uk. The process is made quite manageable with their help. They all do a free test to see if you are elligeagle. I would advise an agent seriously . The process isnot difficult but you could save a lot of time and effort using an agent. It is best to find an agent near you trather on the other side of UK.You can find them on the internet, just make sure they are registered ,otherwise you might aswell do it yourself!! Good luck and God bless.

[Akatrin]

As I'm sure you know the whole of Australia is very urbanised. There are however lots of new development suburbs, but you really have to be there /before/ the start to make the money from them. Probably on a fringe of any growing city, maybe Brisbane or Perth.

[kaz101]

Shelom77 it really depends on how small you want. In South Australia there are several small, fairly new towns but they tend to rely on one industry such as timber or mining. If that industry fails, or moves on then the town dies. So it really does depend on what you call small - Mount Gambier is small to me with about 25,000 people but it's the second largest city in South Australia

As Scottishcelts mentioned you need to think about climate. We settled for South of South Australia since it has a Mediterranean climate and doesn't get that cold in the winter (in comparison to the UK anyway).

We've been told that the building industry is slowing down around here (Mount Gambier) since interest rates are on the move upwards and developers aren't getting the reservations they need to continue with some the developments.

Regards,
Karen

[shelom777]

Hi , I hope you donot mind but I wanted to ask a few questions about adelaide and mount gambier, What is the weather like in autumn and winter and is it true that it is cheaper to buy and live there than the east coast ie brisbane`? thanks

[kaz101]

Originally Posted by shelom777

Hi , I hope you donot mind but I wanted to ask a few questions about adelaide and mount gambier, What is the weather like in autumn and winter and is it true that it is cheaper to buy and live there than the east coast ie brisbane`? thanks

Hi Shelom777,

I haven't spent a winter in Adelaide so I'm not sure what the temperatures are like there, but they are usually a few degrees warmer than Mount Gambier. We arrived in Mount Gambier in July and we had one morning when there was frost and it was gone by 8am. A little different to Hertfordshire in the UK where it could hand around all day.

We haven't yet been here in the Autumn, but there were some Spring days that felt like Summer to us!

There is a weather site at Australia & World Weather Forecast, BoM Radar, Rainfall Map & Report
which gives you historical info if you sign up for their free registration.

You can check house prices on sites like
Real Estate, Property, Land and Homes for Sale, lease and rent - realestate.com.au
http://www.domain.com.au/

We choose Mount Gambier since it has 2 theatres (local productions only and people on tour), a cinema, we are about 20kms from the sea, it has a Mediterranean climate (rarely gets frost and no snow), we didn't have to worry about being close to work (my husband was going to change profession and I work anywhere I have internet access), and we didn't have to spend a fortune on property. We bought a 4 bedroom house, lounge/ diner, kitchen, bathroom, shower room, family room, large garage for A$280,000 (about 125,000 pounds).

It really depends on the lifestyle that you want when you come here.

Where do you need to be for work?
What schools / colleges are good for your children
What temperature suits you?
How much money will you be bringing over?
how much do you want to pay for property?
Are there clubs in the area where you can go out and meet people?
What keeps the town going? (There are some towns that only exist for one industry such as timber or mining and if that dies then the town dies).

We didn't have to think about schools (we don't have children) but we did think about all the rest.

Hope that helps,
Karen