gail.crease

Apr 17 2007, 04:01 PM

Wow do we love Australia or what :D We had the best time and didn’t want to come home. We only had a week in both places but that was enough to decide we want to live there. Now comes the hard bit…..packing up our life and actually doing the move ;)

We didn’t manage to hook up with anyone from Britvics but we did speak to Tim and Chelle. They’re doing ok and have rented a place in Doncaster East. They haven’t got internet connection yet which explains why they haven’t posted for a while.

Boy did we do a lot in 2 weeks. The kids were amazing and good as gold on all the flights. We’re not impressed with Emirates though. The hostesses were fantastic but they didn’t sit us together on any of the flights. Because we had requested a bassinette for the baby we could only have 2 seats allocated with it. Not easy to go that far with a 3 year old and 6 month baby sitting on your own. On the flights out they moved a few people so hubby could at least sit on the same side of the plane!!! On the way back we had to beg people to move. One nasty man refused to give up his seat but just as we began to give up a couple offered to split up so we could sit together. I gave my 3 year old phenegan to knock her out but it made her hyper so she didn’t sleep on the night flights but did on the day flights as she was so tired.

We stayed in St Kilda which was perfect for traveling to CBD. We had a great time on the trams and eating out there but it’s not a place for kids. We got some funny looks walking through the streets at midnight when we arrived looking for a place to eat with 2 kids in tow. Hubby and I would have loved to live there when we were younger before the kids.

Back to the reccie then. In short:

Loved :D :
• The CBD. It’s best city we’ve ever visited in the world and we’ve been to a lot of places
• The food. It is to die for if you’re foodies like us!!! Even the food halls in the CBD were good. We had amazing Chinese food and it was so cheap.
• Mornington. We fell in love with Sorrento. If it wasn’t so far out we’d live there.
• Williamstown. The views of the CBD at sunset are to die for. We kept going back for dinner to watch the sun going down.
• Brighton. We loved the shopping area and cafes
• St Kilda. We loved the trams and beaches
• Lack of spiders. We expected to be pounced on when we got out of the airport :o
• The friendly Ozzies. We couldn’t find the apartment in St Kilda at first. We stopped to ask someone in the street. The next thing someone else was hanging out of their windows shouting directions. They bent over backwards to help us. Also they were so friendly in the shops and restaurants. No sullen faces like in the UK.

Not so keen on ;) :
• The older style houses. We want to be 20mins from CBD which means new houses are in short supply.

Didn’t like :( :
• The shops in the suburbs close to the city. A lot were dated and run down.

Shocked about :o :
• Lack of gardens in most of the houses. In the land of BBQs we expected decent sized plots. To get a decent one we’d need to move further out than we wanted.
• Syringe drops in the toilets everywhere. I knew there was a big drug problem but it really brings it home to you when you see that. But it’s good that they have places to leave them rather than littering the streets. We’d heard from a post that you might see people shooting up in the street. The most we saw were a few teenagers rolling joints.

Gobsmacked about :wacko: :
• Monarsh Freeway in rush hour. It would give the M25 a run for its money!! We were on our way to Glen Waverley as we were told it was very nice with a good train connection but turned back when we saw the traffic. Hubby drives to London every day and when he saw the traffic he said f..k that we’re not living out there.

I had hoped to visit some nurseries but didn’t have time. We went on some interviews with agencies and it seems like the job market for both of us will be better than the UK which is a bonus.

We went to Perth for our second week and we fell in love with the place. Unfortunately the house prices are out of control and the job prospects are not as good so for the moment we’ve had to discount it as a place to live but we’ll definitely go back there on holiday as it’s stunning.

Well we love Australia so much that we’re coming earlier than planned now. We’re going to arrive in the first week of September and we’ve decided to settle in Williamstown. We looked at lots of areas. We liked Sanctuary Lakes and Waterways but feel they are a little far out for us. I need to get back from the CBD quickly to pick the kids up from nursery so we really need to live close to it. Williamstown ticked all the boxes. It’s got a real village feel about it, very historic, it’s got lots of shops, it’s river frontage with amazing views and restaurants, there are some newer style properties that we like, it’s got a nice beach and it’s 20 mins from the CBD by car or train. Perfect really…………

Gail
:flower:

gail.crease

Apr 17 2007, 07:01 AM

Wow do we love Australia or what :D We had the best time and didn’t want to come home. We only had a week in both places but that was enough to decide we want to live there. Now comes the hard bit…..packing up our life and actually doing the move ;)

We didn’t manage to hook up with anyone from Britvics but we did speak to Tim and Chelle. They’re doing ok and have rented a place in Doncaster East. They haven’t got internet connection yet which explains why they haven’t posted for a while.

Boy did we do a lot in 2 weeks. The kids were amazing and good as gold on all the flights. We’re not impressed with Emirates though. The hostesses were fantastic but they didn’t sit us together on any of the flights. Because we had requested a bassinette for the baby we could only have 2 seats allocated with it. Not easy to go that far with a 3 year old and 6 month baby sitting on your own. On the flights out they moved a few people so hubby could at least sit on the same side of the plane!!! On the way back we had to beg people to move. One nasty man refused to give up his seat but just as we began to give up a couple offered to split up so we could sit together. I gave my 3 year old phenegan to knock her out but it made her hyper so she didn’t sleep on the night flights but did on the day flights as she was so tired.

We stayed in St Kilda which was perfect for traveling to CBD. We had a great time on the trams and eating out there but it’s not a place for kids. We got some funny looks walking through the streets at midnight when we arrived looking for a place to eat with 2 kids in tow. Hubby and I would have loved to live there when we were younger before the kids.

Back to the reccie then. In short:

Loved :D :
• The CBD. It’s best city we’ve ever visited in the world and we’ve been to a lot of places
• The food. It is to die for if you’re foodies like us!!! Even the food halls in the CBD were good. We had amazing Chinese food and it was so cheap.
• Mornington. We fell in love with Sorrento. If it wasn’t so far out we’d live there.
• Williamstown. The views of the CBD at sunset are to die for. We kept going back for dinner to watch the sun going down.
• Brighton. We loved the shopping area and cafes
• St Kilda. We loved the trams and beaches
• Lack of spiders. We expected to be pounced on when we got out of the airport :o
• The friendly Ozzies. We couldn’t find the apartment in St Kilda at first. We stopped to ask someone in the street. The next thing someone else was hanging out of their windows shouting directions. They bent over backwards to help us. Also they were so friendly in the shops and restaurants. No sullen faces like in the UK.

Not so keen on ;) :
• The older style houses. We want to be 20mins from CBD which means new houses are in short supply.

Didn’t like :( :
• The shops in the suburbs close to the city. A lot were dated and run down.

Shocked about :o :
• Lack of gardens in most of the houses. In the land of BBQs we expected decent sized plots. To get a decent one we’d need to move further out than we wanted.
• Syringe drops in the toilets everywhere. I knew there was a big drug problem but it really brings it home to you when you see that. But it’s good that they have places to leave them rather than littering the streets. We’d heard from a post that you might see people shooting up in the street. The most we saw were a few teenagers rolling joints.

Gobsmacked about :wacko: :
• Monarsh Freeway in rush hour. It would give the M25 a run for its money!! We were on our way to Glen Waverley as we were told it was very nice with a good train connection but turned back when we saw the traffic. Hubby drives to London every day and when he saw the traffic he said f..k that we’re not living out there.

I had hoped to visit some nurseries but didn’t have time. We went on some interviews with agencies and it seems like the job market for both of us will be better than the UK which is a bonus.

We went to Perth for our second week and we fell in love with the place. Unfortunately the house prices are out of control and the job prospects are not as good so for the moment we’ve had to discount it as a place to live but we’ll definitely go back there on holiday as it’s stunning.

Well we love Australia so much that we’re coming earlier than planned now. We’re going to arrive in the first week of September and we’ve decided to settle in Williamstown. We looked at lots of areas. We liked Sanctuary Lakes and Waterways but feel they are a little far out for us. I need to get back from the CBD quickly to pick the kids up from nursery so we really need to live close to it. Williamstown ticked all the boxes. It’s got a real village feel about it, very historic, it’s got lots of shops, it’s river frontage with amazing views and restaurants, there are some newer style properties that we like, it’s got a nice beach and it’s 20 mins from the CBD by car or train. Perfect really…………

Gail
:flower:

Nagiboy

Apr 17 2007, 04:43 PM

buzzy--bee

Apr 17 2007, 08:48 AM

Hi Gail - you came to the same conclusions as we did from our reccie a lot of the time!

Looking forward to seeing you on the 29th!  Bring a laptop with your photos - we will.

Simon, Fiona and the Buzzettes

Quote:

 

Didn't like the West side as much as it was very industrial but Williamstown is a little gem and cheaper cost of housing than Bayside.

Quote:

 

We liked Sanctuary Lakes and Waterways but feel they are a little far out for us.

Nagiboy

Apr 17 2007, 08:28 PM

Quote:

 

Didn't like the West side as much as it was very industrial but Williamstown is a little gem and cheaper cost of housing than Bayside.

Quote:

 

We liked Sanctuary Lakes and Waterways but feel they are a little far out for us.

Do you class Sanctuary Lakes as the West? Or were you talking about West Melbourne being industrial?

fraser

Apr 17 2007, 01:09 PM

Geelong doesn't have fabulous beaches at all. It's close to some but none actually there.

Nagiboy

Apr 17 2007, 10:13 PM

fraser

Apr 17 2007, 01:09 PM

Geelong doesn't have fabulous beaches at all. It's close to some but none actually there.

Can you tell us where they are then?

dom&toni

Apr 17 2007, 09:47 PM

Hi,

Glad you enjoyed your reccie. The only point I'd dispute is about taking kids out, we've found it no problem at all (admittedly we haven't tried it at midnight though)

We'e been here for 3 and a bit months and living in Toorak at the moment but we're planning on buying in Williamstown as we really like it there. Our move has gone really well so far and we definitely don't regret it at all.

We have an 11 month old and will probably be in Willy by September so let us know if you fancy meeting up when you get here.

Good luck with the move,

Toni

Nagiboy

Apr 17 2007, 10:13 PM

fraser

Apr 17 2007, 01:09 PM

Geelong doesn't have fabulous beaches at all. It's close to some but none actually there.

Can you tell us where they are then?

gail.crease

Apr 17 2007, 04:56 PM

Nagiboy,Apr 17 2007

04:43 PM

Glad you had a great time and fell in love with the place. If our plans stay on track (which thay may not do now :realmad: ) we were going to be arriving early September too.

Just from a personal point of view how did you find the West side compared to the East side?

:Beer:

fraser

Apr 17 2007, 10:09 PM

Geelong doesn't have fabulous beaches at all. It's close to some but none actually there.

gail.crease

Apr 17 2007, 09:29 PM

Nagiboy

Apr 17 2007, 08:28 PM

Quote:

 

Didn't like the West side as much as it was very industrial but Williamstown is a little gem and cheaper cost of housing than Bayside.

Quote:

 

We liked Sanctuary Lakes and Waterways but feel they are a little far out for us.

Do you class Sanctuary Lakes as the West? Or were you talking about West Melbourne being industrial?

Matt

Sanctuary Lakes is a new development further West than Williamstown. It's next to Point Cook. Do a search on the internet for it. It's a lovely new development with a lake in the middle, golf course, restaurant etc. It's a lot like the development we live on in Hampshire. It's worth checking out when you go. You'll either love it or hate it. We like new houses and developments so we'd go for it if it was a bit nearer. We still might go for it you never know. You can buy a plot of land in a gated area that's built out onto the lake and choose which builder you'd like (quite pricey) or just get a small plot and build on it for a reasonable price. On the drive in from Sanctuary lakes to the CBD you pass lots of industrial areas so the west side is definitely not as nice as the east side. You have to drive through an industrial area to get from Williamstown to the CBD too but we'll overlook that bit. On the plus side you're nearer Geelong (45 mins drive on a good day I'm told) which has fabulous beaches we were told (unfortunately we didn't have time to visit).

Another nice development on the East side is Waterways. It's very similar to Sanctuary lakes nearest town is Mentone (I think) which is about 30-40 mins on the train to the CBD and not far from the coast.

We went to another new development in the north east of Melbourne. Can't remember the name right now. It was lovely with views for miles of the dandendong but there was nothing else there such as shops and we really want to be near water. We'll sacrifice the dream house to be in the suburb we want and near water. Hubby was checking out boats at a boat show in Perth and now has set his heart on one. Williamstown has a great harbour to keep it on and there's lots of places to sail to plus great fishing.

I guess it depends on whether you like new or old houses. There's plenty of old houses to choose from in the suburbs near the CBD and the further you go out the younger the houses get. If we got an old house we'd have to gut it and make it ultra modern inside but that's what we like.

I'll send you a pm with a picture taken from a restaurant over looking the harbour to the CBD as the sun was going down (when I get around to downloading them). That view alone was enough for us to fall in love with Williamstown.

I just can't wait to get back....it's gonna be a long summer B)

Gail
:flower:

Nagiboy

Apr 18 2007, 12:10 AM

Ok so here's my three step plan for moving to Williamstown:

1. Get visa for moving to Australia

2. Win the lottery

3. Find dream house


ok well step 3 seems easy enough, now I'll just work on the other two. :D


Seriously though it does look lovely - and who wouldn't want to live in a million dollar home??

I hope you find your dream home there Gail, and OzTennis why did you ever move away?

OzTennis

Apr 17 2007, 11:33 PM

fraser

Apr 17 2007, 10:09 PM

Geelong doesn't have fabulous beaches at all. It's close to some but none actually there.

Yep, Geelong doesn't have the surf beaches granted but it's a really nice area at Eastern Beach.