Moving to Australia
I am moving with my young family and we are thinking around the Wollongong area as we already know people there.
Have been looking at Port Kembla, Lake Illawarra and places generally close to the beach and parks.
Has anyone got any info on these areas or any around Wollongong which are family friendly, close to amenities and so on.
Any info, websites and places that are not recommended for families would be much appreciated as i am not familiar with any of the areas.
I'm sure that you all have some excellent views and thanks for taking the time to read my post.
Poppy2
25 Comments
Wollongong is a great place to live, you might find finding a job a little hard. A lot of people commute to Sydney for work, I did it for a year before we moved up to Sydney it gets very tiresome.
A rule of thumb with wollongong if you possibly can, try to stay north of Wollongong - for example Keiraville, Gwynneville, Balgownie & Fairy Meadow are all very nice area. Funnily enough the nicer suburbs are the ones up the mountains instead of near the beach.
You should probably check out the My Schools website for the areas you are looking, because when my fiancee was at school down there, those areas werent the best.
Thanks very much for replying i am so grateful to you. I did start looking at fairy meadow as one of my partners relatives live there and it did look like a real nice place.Will check out the other areas too !!! are these places recommended for families?
It is really hard to determine if an area is right for you when you have never been, never-mind being on the other side of the world.
Is it much of a way to the beach from the areas you mentioned above i would like to be as close as possible.
Traveling to work can be tiresome i have to travel for about 1/2 hour from where i live now and that is bad enough, my partner also travels but a lot further than me, so we are use to it but would rather not.
How is Sydney any good for families, i never thought of trying there?
Sorry about all the questions xx
Thanks taking the time to reply, it is a big help.
xxx
I would recommend most places in wollongong for families. Wollongong is a long strip, between mountains and the beach, so the longest it would take you to drive to the beach from any suburb I would say 10-20mins...
Travelling from Wollongong to Sydney for work, you are looking at a 2hour door-to-door train trip each way (maybe a little faster if you drive). So if you live in Wollongong, I would advise to try very very hard for a job down there.
Sydney is a huge city, with lots and lots of people living there, and depending on how much you want to spend, you might find yourself out of the city centre by 1 and half hours (and not in a great suburb), so my thoughts would be you'd be better off in Wollongong then and commute. There are some really good spots in Sydney, we are trying to decide the best options for us, inrelation to purchasing a house - its really not that easy to find something that suits.
Were we live is a good distance from the city centre, and kinda mid way through all the suburbs, but i'm leaning towards not wanting to bring up kids in the area, however things might change by the time i get to those kind of decisions.
If you can get a good job in Wollongong I would advise living there. I absolutely loved living down there, unfortunately we both are in careers that the earning potential is so much less in Wollongong. If you are looking for good jobs - check out the University, TAFE, BlueScope and/or supporting companies (Wollongong was created for BlueScope - so the majority of companies support them)
Wollongong is a good place. Lovely beaches, good shopping, TAFE, University is good, hospitals,and all you need except an airport. It really depends on if you need to work. There is not a lot of work in the Illawarra area. Lots of people commute to Sydney but I don't know how they cope with that. I couldn't do it. I visited Wollongong last year and the people are down to earth. I have heard West Wollongong is a bit rough. It does get very windy there and in winter driving can be dangerous because of fog. If you can get a job there I still would recommend living there.
I am so grateful to the help i have got on here so far, thank you both very much.
Knowing a good area to move to is very important to me. My partner is looking at applying in Blue scope (the steel works right) so hopefully something will come from that. He doesn't want to have to commute to work, thanks for the ideas of where to look, could i ask what TAFE is i haven't come across that, (thinking of it i could check the internet seeing as im on it)
i will take my time finding work so i can settle the kids at school and be there for them.
I checked out North Wollongong and it looks great, houses i found seem more expensive that side.
Its nice to know that where ever we go the beach is reasonably close, we are use to living near the coast so i wouldn't want to be to far from it ( the difference being that you have the weather for beaches over there and we don't here)
Thanks again for all your help, you are assisting in a dream becoming reality xx
Yes BlueScope is the Steel Works, but let him know there are so many companies that support them he could work for too - for example one would be transfield (however that is a country based company - so would have to make sure he's based in wollongong).
TAFE is a technical college, an alternative to university. The majority of stuff taught there is anything with a apprenticeship, but there are a number of other stuff taught - like business administration, marketing, hospitality, etc. the website is www.tafensw.edu.au
North Wollongong is nice, we have quite a number of good friends in that area - it does tend to be the place people move to when they first move out of home - but always to the apartments. Its also near everything, the shops are close, walks to the beach, stuart park is nearby (great big park for bbq's or just playing around), and there are a few schools nearby too..
With weather you have a huge advantage down there, because it is stuck between the ocean and mountains, it means it doesnt get crazy hot (it still is australia, but definitely cooler than sydney in summer), nor does it get way to cold. Yes when driving from wollongong to sydney, you can come across the fog quite often, not a lot of fun to drive in but doable, the wind you can feel on that road as well.
I hope you can find work there, because it great to live. We have some friends, both about to have their first kids (twins), who moved back down to wollongong and he has managed to work out a way of working for the same company, but remotely from home. With twins they wanted to be back near family.
Good to here that the weather doesn't get crazy hot in Wollongong, looking forward to it being nice weather its not that good here at the moment, a bit sunny but bloody freezing.
Thanks for the info and websites will check them out. I too hope that we can find work in Wollongong it would be a bit of a pain traveling, although if that is what we had to do to live over there then so be it.
It is good to be close to family when you start a family the help is much needed, saying that i am about to move away from mine and not just down the road !!! thankfully there will be some family there, i don't really know them but i have been told they are all wonderful.
Do you know anything about the area Lake heights, i know you have said to try and stay north and were wondering what the reasons are, is it a high crime area or just because it is not a desired location? is that the reason why houses seem cheaper down that way?
Thanks again for all your help i really do appreciate it xxx
Good to here that the weather doesn't get crazy hot in Wollongong, looking forward to it being nice weather its not that good here at the moment, a bit sunny but bloody freezing.
Thanks for the info and websites will check them out. I too hope that we can find work in Wollongong it would be a bit of a pain traveling, although if that is what we had to do to live over there then so be it.
It is good to be close to family when you start a family the help is much needed, saying that i am about to move away from mine and not just down the road !!! thankfully there will be some family there, i don't really know them but i have been told they are all wonderful.
Do you know anything about the area Lake heights, i know you have said to try and stay north and were wondering what the reasons are, is it a high crime area or just because it is not a desired location? is that the reason why houses seem cheaper down that way?
Thanks again for all your help i really do appreciate it xxx
I'm sorry but I don't know about the Lake Heights area. I think all suburbs have a desirable side. In the case of Wollongong I have heard that North Wollongong is better than West. Usually cheaper areas indicate that the crime could be worse or that it is more remote and not as close to facilities. I am no expert on Wollongong. I live in Sydney. It is very expensive to buy a home in Sydney. Suburbs such as Engadine and Heathcote might be cheaper and not too far to comute to either Sydney or Wollongong. These are well established suburbs and quite a few couples move there for a more affordable home. I'm not sure if you want a quiet suburb or something more trendy. Maybe you should rent until you decide for sure. I wish you all the best with your relocation.
Yes i think your idea of renting first might be a good idea. Saying that we have family to stay with for a short period so we may not have to, (depends on how long they can handle us being there, don't want to outstay our welcome).
Moving to the right area first off is quite important because the kids need to start school. Could i ask when the schools have their longer holidays?, that is the time i need to move they can settle in to Australian life and it will give us a chance to find a suitable home.
Shall look up the areas you have suggested, thanks for the suggestions xx
Sorry about the late reply, but the people from Lake Heights tend to be a bit, I hate to say it "Bogan", however I do have friends who are from there, and they are great pepole.
I believe the lake itself has a bit of a weird/bad smell, thats why its not that desirable area to live in.
I definitely prefer the northern suburbs, due to the ease of getting anywhere - plus if you do need to travel to sydney, it removes 20minutes from your trip (and trains I believe is worse).
How has the search been?
Hi Poppy2,
Wish you all the best in your relocation, may I ask where you are moving from? I have made a couple of international moves with children, from the UK and USA and it is not easy, however I'm so glad I did.
Knowing all the challenges one can face, I started property consultancy business to assist families like yourself to find the right place to settle. Not all areas are right for everyone. As for renting, sure that is what many people do, however it is dead money, with the current property market trends, I advise you do not rule out buying. However there are many reasons why you may choose to wait. If I can assist feel free to contact me www.myrpc.com.au
Our school summer holidays are late December through end January, however many traditional real estate agency are closed from anywhere from 20th December through mid January.
Wishing you all the best. Australia is a wonderful place to raise a family!!!
Poppy2,
Not knowing the age of your children, may I suggest you give consideration to making the move towards the end of your summer. So you will not have a sudden climate change. Leaving Wales in December coming to Sydney/Wollongong the start of our Summer could be a shock...
Personally and Professionally I'd recommend September/October, the climate change is not so sudden and your children can start school in the last term, this will enable them to be settled and have new friends prior to starting a fresh school year.
Just food for thought...
Poppy2,
Glad you found the suggestion helpful, your 12 year old will get the greatest benefit from this, being the "New Kid" is not always easy at that age. Take one step at a time and enjoy the adventure your family is about to embark on, all shall work out fine.
Thanks YourRPC,
I wonder if you or anyone could help me with a problem i am having.
it has been a while since i was on here and was wondering if i could get some advice on which visa i may need. There will be myself moving and my 2 children, and my partner who is already of austrailian nationality. It is a bit confusing looking at all the visas if anyone could help this would be great xx
Poppy2,
A call to your local Australian embassy would be able to help you there.
Check out this site - http://www.immi.gov.au/, They have a wizard that might be able to assist in letting you know which visas.
I dont know much if anything at all about visa's - but i would assume if your partner is australian, you might use a spouse visa?
Try the Wollongong City Council website, and look at history, photos, demographics.
Pt Kembla is an Industrial town with a port and a deserted main St, but there are areas with magnificent ocean views.
Fairy Meadow is flat, near the sea, some areas subject to flooding
Northern suburbs of Wollongong are more expensive to buy and rent than some of the southern ones.
Berkeley has some cheap houses, and is on the shores of Lake Illawarra, own shopping centre with Bi Lo supermarket, with big shopping centres short drives away. Much sport facilities.
Check out this site - http://www.csu.edu.au/australia/, I agree with Makat "It is very expensive to buy a home in Sydney. Suburbs such as Engadine and Heathcote might be cheaper and not too far to comute to either Sydney or Wollongong. "
You can find more info about Australia here:http://www.gatewaysmoving.com/about_moving_to_australia.htm
All the best
roy
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