Pick a suburb...any suburb. You might just get lucky...

[Reinhardt & Christa]

This is something that I have been wondering about on and off, and closer to the time of us arriving will probably think about more and do more research. The big question is how do you choose the suburb to live in? Of course there is a few things to consider, such as:

• Affordability
  
• Schools
  
• Proximity to work / access to public transport
  
• the number of fellow-saffers in the area
  

Now where does one start? Do you first identify a school and then look around for a place not too far? Or do you identify the best suburb and then start looking for schools? Of course you could argue that one would probably rent initially so you have some time to get to know the place and can then move later on when buying a house. The problem is just that you may then have to move schools as well, not to mention the cost involved. Sometimes I think the best approach will be to simply open a map on any page, close your eyes and point.

I would love to hear what your approaches were in this regard.

[Guest Bronwyn]

Hi Reinhard - we really stressed about this a lot, and our approach was to pick 4 or 5 schools (with a lot of help from the map book I bought in South Africa) and then go and see them as soon as we landed (after doing a bit of online research into each one). From there we looked a lot at www.realestate.com.au and in the local newspaper, and tried to get a good combination of school and house. When we visited the areas in question we found things like shopping centres and parks/public swimming pools/buses were also important. You also soon get a feel for the place if you visit the local shops.

If you are doing it all from a distance it's more difficult. In that case I would say find out everything you can online, and try to speak to as many people who have visited the area as possible.

We are renting for the first year because one, it's too expensive to buy (with Rands) just yet, and two, we want to be sure about staying in the right spot, where we will be happy.

Mara (I think it was) made a good point on another thread - that it's a hassle if you rent in an expensive area, get your kids into school, and then can't afford to buy there. It's true that the house you can buy for say $350 per week and the house you can rent for $350 per week, look very different. It seems you get a much bigger and nicer house for your money by renting, but you have to consider the day you actually want to buy in that suburb....

For me, being near other Saffers wasn't a consideration. If we meet some it's a bonus, but it's not on my priority list to live nearby on purpose.

[australian]

[Hi there

I completely agree with you. I selected a whole bunch of suburbs....basically by looking at a map and picking ones that sounded nice!! and then did a search for schools in the area. Once I had identified schools, my husband and I went over for a month and basically spent two whole days visiting schools and driving around the suburbs!! We eventually found somewhere called West Pymble (North Shore, Sydney) (and that was basede on the principal at the local school, but hey he could leave before we get there) where we think is a good place to settle.....still not in Australia yet, so who know!! we could change our mind.

We chose the North Shore, Sydney cause that is where my family is, so at least our search was narrowed down.

But it is still one of the biggest decisions, it will effect us and the kids......so if anyone has any advice on West Pymble/Pymble/Gordon.....please let me know.

Where about are you looking at in Aus, and when are you going?? What age are your kids??

[Mara]

Thanks Bronwyn, yes, it was my suggestion that you live in an area that you can afford to buy in, otherwise you spend a while putting down roots, just to have to rip them up again. My opinion is that with children, the move may have been unsettling enough for them, you do not want to "move them on again" after only six months or a year.

I would say that the two most important factors in deciding on the area you are going to live in, should be, schools and proximity to work. Of course this is solely based on Melbourne. Traffic can be horrendous, so you do not want to live on the opposite side of the city to where you work.

Schooling in Aus, from what I understand, is totally different to South Africa. You do want to shop around for a good school, referrals from others that have gone before is the best. A lot here depends on the school itself, the teachers, the facilities. The schools do not have a laid down curriculim like they do in SA or as they did when I had children in school there. They also do not fail children here, so you must ensure that the teaching is of an excellent standard, to ensure that your children are being well educated. As I have never had children in school here, perhaps somebody who has, would be a better person to give an opinion.

[berndt]

Hallo

As julle Brisbane toe kom kan ek julle baie inligting gee.

'n mens word gelei en jy moet vertoru - hierdie is soos om in 'n rievier in te spring en te hoop jy spoel op 'n goeie plek uit. Weet dit is nie wat jy wil hoor nie, maar dit is 'a leap of faith'.

Ons het begin by die skool - die res val vanself in plek in. Eerder naby die skool en ry dan verder werk toe.

Ek sou eesr huur sodat jy die plek beter kan leer ken.

Ons was by drie plekke om te kyk vir huur, en het die eerste plek wat ons gesien het gevat - ons is nou seker so amper 6 maande hier in Brisbane en dit gaan goed - ons keuse was reg.

Sterkte !

cheers

Berndt

[Annette]

Absolutely spot on Bronwyn and Mara.

We tried to find out where the good state schools were (we knew we wouldn't be able to afford private), by visiting forums, reading the school websites, surfing the web for as much info as possible. Then, we looked at which areas we would be able to afford to buy in eventually (this almost immediately eliminated most of them ) and then my hubbie made appointments at the different schools on our short list when he came over on an LSD and our decision was based on a combination of the school interviews / visits and whether he thought we would like the area it's located in. He was spot-on . Couldn't have worked out better - we are very happy with where we live and with the schools.

We are renting until we have PM and will definitely stay in the area, unless we win the lottery, in which case I'm moving to Waterfall Gully ASAP!

[Sheila2oz]

Hallo

As julle Brisbane toe kom kan ek julle baie inligting gee.

Hi Berndt

My seuntjie is 10 en ons beplan om Brisbane toe te kom. Ek het al na baie voorstede gekyk op die web, maar raad sal help.

Groete

Sheila2oz

[DesV]

You need to decide what are your priorities

My son had particular needs regarding schooling and therefore i identified a school, but as it was a private school my son had to be enrolled and accepted and once this was sorted out the search for a ouse / suburb started but this was also a domestic move from Kalgoorlie to Perth (650 km) so it was easier.

things to consider are wants and needs, hobies etc do you want to walk to the beach, do you need to be near a bus route, train station etc, airport

you need to annalyse your needs, give thought to your wants and then find the suburbs that meet your criteria and go from there.

The main thing is you have done the initial selection and found a country and by now hopefully a city so you are getting there

[Dax]

I am a teacher (ex outh African) in Adelaide.

If you are coming to Adelaide i can give you much info.

Cheers,

Dax

[sa2auz]

Hi there

We are on the North Shore in Sydney. We did alot of research on forums etc and spoke to tons of people. The North Shore was recommended to us as was the Hills district. We checked out all the public schools we could and then checked out the houses. My son was accepted at all the schools and the house we found happens by chance to be walking distance to 3 really good schools. I think that generally if you are in a good area you will have good public schools. In NSW even in you are out of the school zone and you put down your name early enough you won't have a problem getting in. The High schools are very different and I would definatley choose the high school and the find a house near by. The 2 most popular high schools on the North Shore have waiting lists and you don't stand a chance if you are not in the area I think you might even have to be in the area for a few years first also.

On the North Shore alot of the boys leave primary school early to attend private high schools like Barker and Knox which sometimes will only guarantee you a place if you join in years 3 or 5 so some of the primary schools will have very few boys from year 3 onwards. I hope this makes sense.

We also like the North Shore because the train was 7 mins away and 15 minutes to the beaches.

Good Luck