chaletoffpiste

Berridale is a great place for families. For a tiny rural town it has great facilities for kids including a small but good primary school, a mobile preschool, a childcare centre and after school care and a playgroup. Berridale is also equiped with a doctors surgery (conveniently located next to the skate park - coincidence? maybe?).

School bus services go to both Jindabyne and Cooma so not only do you have a local primary school but also access to a Grammar School, a Christian School, a Catholic School and Public High Schools in both Jindabyne or Cooma. There is also a TAFE located in Cooma.

As for facilities, the local swimming pool is the place to be in summer with solar heated water (it can be chilly even in summer) or the skate park for the rest of the year. There are also parks and designated dog walking areas to enjoy. The highlight as far as facilities, has to be the snowfields. It doesn't matter where you ski or board, just as long as you do... All the schools in the region offer ski/board as a part of the school ciriculum - Jindabyne Central School makes a day of it every Friday in Winter - the kids get on the bus with skis and ski gear and go straight to the snow for the day. No school on Fridays!!!

Now I won't lie, the nightlife is a killer - there is not much of that at all. There is a Country Club and a Pub and that's about it. Luckily, family get togethers are frequent and fun, so finding like minded people is really important so that you are not sat at home.

I love living here. Life is like it was when I was a kid (I'm 35 now). My kids ride their bikes to friends houses, walk to and from school, they enjoy the freedom that country life offers them without the complications of city life - kids can be kids.

Now for the hard bit... It hasn't all been smooth sailing. Finding permanent employment here is almost impossible. Most of the work is seasonal - snow industry, hospitality etc. In saying that, cost of living is less. Rent is cheap and buying a house is still affordable - if you can get a job that is...