MaraJade Posted May 18, 2017 Report Share Posted May 18, 2017 Hi Guys, I'm new here! My husband and I and our 1.5 year old son decided to take the plunge in January and start the migration process. I am a software engineer and my husband is in finance. So far I have a successful skills assessment from ACS and I got the required band score for the IELTS. We are now at the point of submitting our EOI. Our agent has recommended that we apply for the SC189 visa as well as the SC190 for NSW. Do any of you have any inputs as to whether it would be a bad idea to head for Sydney? I have heard the cost of living is insane but there is obviously more opportunity for jobs there. Any inputs would be most welcome Looking forward to being on this journey! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted May 18, 2017 Report Share Posted May 18, 2017 Hi @MaraJade, welcome to the forum community. Our circumstances are similar to yours, and we are planning to try Melbourne first. We compared Sydney and Melbourne with some care. The cost of living in Sydney is a good deal higher. Salaries are also higher, but not sufficiently higher to really enable the purchase of property. The weather in Sydney is arguably better, although we don't mind cooler weather. Melbourne looks to be the sweet spot, as it has a good supply of opportunities in both Software / IT and Finance (the latter evident from other posts), and property is available at a wider range of purchase prices. It is a good idea to submit an EOI for both the 189 and 190, but even if you receive the 190 invite, you should consider waiting a little longer for a 189 invite. If you meet the requirements, you are almost certain to get one. The 189 frees you to live and work in any state right from your first arrival. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geite Posted May 18, 2017 Report Share Posted May 18, 2017 Hi @MaraJade, Welcome Yes Sydney is expensive, but many work opportunities in Sydney. We live about 19KM South of Sydney in a beautiful place called the Sutherland Shire 'God's Country' some people call it....more specifically in the Cronulla/Caringbah area. We also applied for the 189 and then eventually after no response we decided to go for the 190 NSW Visa. Everybody has their own view, mine is to go where the work is.......I am also a fellow Cape Town boytjie and very happy in Syndey. Good luck with the process, G 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggle Posted May 19, 2017 Report Share Posted May 19, 2017 I'll start by saying that we are very happy in Sydney ... but suggest that you do keep your options open and consider other cities. Sydney is a hectically busy city (the one thing that we do still struggle with) But there are seriously beautiful suburban retreats where you can find solace ... though obviously with the hugely expensive house prices, you may have to commute a bit if you work in the city. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsta Posted May 19, 2017 Report Share Posted May 19, 2017 Many people on this forum often advise people to check out where the jobs are for their professions. You want to live in the biggest city or town where there are still jobs for you. Like @greggle said, the commute is a big issue. I have a colleague who bought a house over 1.5 hours from her job in the CBD because that's all she could afford. Nearly all the migrants in the office who have migrated in the last 5 years are renting an apartment... some even do apartment sharing. That's how they keep their commute to less than an hour (each way). Then factor in kids... the day care is probably going to close at 6pm. Its super expensive to put your kids in care in the CBD... so you will probably put them in day care near home. So you leave work at 5pm and barely make it to fetch your kids by 6pm. That's assuming there are no issues and you can leave work at 5pm. I worked in Belrose (up on the northern beaches area of Sydney). People who usually spent 2 years in each job, worked at the company in Belrose for 15 years. The reason they gave is its 20 minutes for them to get home. That means you can make it on time to fetch kids from day care or after school care. They also avoided an extra hour of commuting each day. But as people like @AFreshStart point out... if you are willing to live in a more densely packed suburb like Pyrmont, Surrey Hills, etc..... you can be 20 minutes from the CBD. Rents are much higher and apartments are far smaller. But if you are happy with using the shared facilities then its all good. For example, you would go down to the local park and use the shared braai instead of inviting your friends over for a braai. You also end up adopting a more minimalist lifestyle. You just won't have space for all those kitchen gadgets, that big exercise machine you hardly ever use, etc.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaraJade Posted May 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2017 Thanks everyone for your input, it is greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimpleSimon Posted July 1, 2017 Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 I will tell my story as we have moved around cities and I will give our motivations for this and which we preferred. We started off in Melbourne in an inner east area called Prahan about 5 km from CBD. I used to ride my bicycle to an industrial area called Port Melbourne through the CBD. It was a depressing furnished 2 bedroom flat, no garden, no view with our 1 year old daughter in one room. My wife made bright covers for the furniture and the neighbours were warm and friendly even buying some dolls for our daughter. The job (Product development leader, Boral) was out of my field and a level below what I left in South Africa (R&D principal chemist at Sentrachem). My wife tried to start a business which failed. We had come to Melbourne because my brother was teaching at Monash Uni. He lived in East Bentleigh. After 6 months I got a job (R&D and technical manager, Faulding/Hospira) at a level above what I had in South Africa in Mulgrave (near Monash Uni Clayton campus). We bought a house in Mount Waverly and shipped our furniture. My wife started doing temp jobs at councils including Box Hill and Melbourne City. She had senior executive positions at Edgars, Argus and Young and Rubicam in South Africa. I used to cycle to work and on the weekends which was great. Melbourne is fantastically equipped for cycling. My wife used my company car. We got 2 Labradors. The weather, cliche environment and lack of rugby union got to me after a while. Also, flexing my South African personality had managed to piss off a whole lot of people in my company including my boss. I think they also realised that the job was above my competence at that stage. Just as I saw the writing on the wall and things were about to come crashing down, I was head hunted for a similar role at AstraZeneca in Sydney. They wanted me to help build their state of art sterile pharmaceuticals manufacturering plant. I jumped at the chance and after 3 years in Melbourne, we moved to Sydney. The company was based in North Ryde (now Macquarie Park) and they put us up in a very pretty area called Marsfield. We looked out onto Lane Cove Forest which is magnificent. We moved into a rented 3 bedroom Townhouse nearby. After a couple of years we bought a house in Eastwood about 2 km from the townhouse and also next to forest and creek. This is about 20 km from Sydney CBD. My wife got much better jobs, marketing manager, business analyst and our son was born. After a couple of years, I took a job as General Manager of an animal health/crop protection manufacturing and R&D company. After a few years my wife and I started a pharmaceutical/medical devices technical consultancy which has been going for 13 years. Apart from a fight with cancer for a few years (me), we have been blessed with good fortune. Moving to Australia has been a magnificent experience and our kids are doing well and forging their own careers. My brother in Melbourne got pissed off with the weather and lack of decent fishing. He had been living in Durban before moving. He expected Melbourne to be like Durban and had a big shock. After a few years he moved to Perth where he taught at UWA. The weather was much better in Perth and he bought a boat again which he took out to sea. My other brother moved to Brisbane and my folks have moved to Marsfield. At the beginning of this year we went to Joburg, Kruger Park and Cape Town. Cape Town is magnificent with the mountains and would be the place I would live in South Africa. We grew up in Emmarentia in Joburg. Compared to Cape Town and Joburg, Sydney is really terrific and probably the only place I would live in Australia. However, we got in early into the housing market and having technical degree (PhD) and business degree (MBA) means we have always earned enough to afford the lifestyle. Someone coming in new I think I would recommend Brisbane - good weather, affordable housing and reasonable opportunities. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted July 3, 2017 Report Share Posted July 3, 2017 We have spent 4 years in Melbourne, but the weather go to us, then a year in Brisbane, man that place is fantastic as a weather & lifestyle, but is has a small economy so hard to find work and then they pay less, now we are moving to Sydney and plan to settle on the central coast side (North - around Gosford) - Sydney is where the work is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batigol Posted July 3, 2017 Report Share Posted July 3, 2017 On 5/19/2017 at 0:44 AM, monsta said: Many people on this forum often advise people to check out where the jobs are for their professions. You want to live in the biggest city or town where there are still jobs for you. Like @greggle said, the commute is a big issue. I have a colleague who bought a house over 1.5 hours from her job in the CBD because that's all she could afford. Nearly all the migrants in the office who have migrated in the last 5 years are renting an apartment... some even do apartment sharing. That's how they keep their commute to less than an hour (each way). Then factor in kids... the day care is probably going to close at 6pm. Its super expensive to put your kids in care in the CBD... so you will probably put them in day care near home. So you leave work at 5pm and barely make it to fetch your kids by 6pm. That's assuming there are no issues and you can leave work at 5pm. first-world problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batigol Posted July 3, 2017 Report Share Posted July 3, 2017 On 7/1/2017 at 3:55 PM, SimpleSimon said: I will tell my story as we have moved around cities and I will give our motivations for this and which we preferred. We started off in Melbourne in an inner east area called Prahan about 5 km from CBD. I used to ride my bicycle to an industrial area called Port Melbourne through the CBD. It was a depressing furnished 2 bedroom flat, no garden, no view with our 1 year old daughter in one room. My wife made bright covers for the furniture and the neighbours were warm and friendly even buying some dolls for our daughter. The job (Product development leader, Boral) was out of my field and a level below what I left in South Africa (R&D principal chemist at Sentrachem). My wife tried to start a business which failed. We had come to Melbourne because my brother was teaching at Monash Uni. He lived in East Bentleigh. After 6 months I got a job (R&D and technical manager, Faulding/Hospira) at a level above what I had in South Africa in Mulgrave (near Monash Uni Clayton campus). We bought a house in Mount Waverly and shipped our furniture. My wife started doing temp jobs at councils including Box Hill and Melbourne City. She had senior executive positions at Edgars, Argus and Young and Rubicam in South Africa. I used to cycle to work and on the weekends which was great. Melbourne is fantastically equipped for cycling. My wife used my company car. We got 2 Labradors. The weather, cliche environment and lack of rugby union got to me after a while. Also, flexing my South African personality had managed to piss off a whole lot of people in my company including my boss. I think they also realised that the job was above my competence at that stage. Just as I saw the writing on the wall and things were about to come crashing down, I was head hunted for a similar role at AstraZeneca in Sydney. They wanted me to help build their state of art sterile pharmaceuticals manufacturering plant. I jumped at the chance and after 3 years in Melbourne, we moved to Sydney. The company was based in North Ryde (now Macquarie Park) and they put us up in a very pretty area called Marsfield. We looked out onto Lane Cove Forest which is magnificent. We moved into a rented 3 bedroom Townhouse nearby. After a couple of years we bought a house in Eastwood about 2 km from the townhouse and also next to forest and creek. This is about 20 km from Sydney CBD. My wife got much better jobs, marketing manager, business analyst and our son was born. After a couple of years, I took a job as General Manager of an animal health/crop protection manufacturing and R&D company. After a few years my wife and I started a pharmaceutical/medical devices technical consultancy which has been going for 13 years. Apart from a fight with cancer for a few years (me), we have been blessed with good fortune. Moving to Australia has been a magnificent experience and our kids are doing well and forging their own careers. My brother in Melbourne got pissed off with the weather and lack of decent fishing. He had been living in Durban before moving. He expected Melbourne to be like Durban and had a big shock. After a few years he moved to Perth where he taught at UWA. The weather was much better in Perth and he bought a boat again which he took out to sea. My other brother moved to Brisbane and my folks have moved to Marsfield. At the beginning of this year we went to Joburg, Kruger Park and Cape Town. Cape Town is magnificent with the mountains and would be the place I would live in South Africa. We grew up in Emmarentia in Joburg. Compared to Cape Town and Joburg, Sydney is really terrific and probably the only place I would live in Australia. However, we got in early into the housing market and having technical degree (PhD) and business degree (MBA) means we have always earned enough to afford the lifestyle. Someone coming in new I think I would recommend Brisbane - good weather, affordable housing and reasonable opportunities. @SimpleSimon, i love reading stories like these. Good luck mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsta Posted July 3, 2017 Report Share Posted July 3, 2017 @Batigol I know you say its just '1st world problems'... but being poor sucks whether you live in Kayalisha Township or in Australia. There are plenty of stories of people turning to abuse of alcohol, abuse of others, etc... because of money problems. The government has agencies to help people with debt management, there are charities which help people with money problems. My church gives out food parcels (yes, I know in a 1st world country!). There is a lady at church in her 90s. She had a rough life... e.g. her house burnt down in a fire and she lost everything. She now lives in government housing... but the building is so old that it has a damp problem that can't be fixed. When its 8 degrees outside and you have damp everywhere in an apartment that is not built for the cold... that's not good. There is such a waiting list for government housing, she is just happy she has a home. Like anything in life... there are '1st world problems' and then there are 'real' 1st world problems 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaraJade Posted July 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2017 @SimpleSimon Thanks so much for taking the time to tell your story, really appreciate it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimpleSimon Posted July 5, 2017 Report Share Posted July 5, 2017 At Faulding we had a managing director who was incredibly successful. He was a medical doctor, chairman of Pacific Dunlop and director of NAB. He played rugby for Queensland under 20's. One day he took his shotgun to his favourite hill on his wine farm and committed suicide. 3rd world or 1st world, the problems are in our own head. 1.5 hour commutes and restrictive daycare hours are real issues as are the weather and thinking you can never afford a house. They shouldn't be dismissed. 3.5 years ago what I thought was a slipped disc in my spine turned out to be a tumour that had destroyed my vertebra. Things seemed very dire at one stage and it looked like it was tickets for me. However, the Australian doctors and health system are brilliant and I'm now in pretty good shape. I am now mostly in a good mood and very positive. I only have to think of where I might have been and things look very bright to me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPanda Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 I'd just like to say, the weather is totally a personal taste kinda thing. We've just been through our second Melbourne winter, and it hasn't put us off the place. We went for a walk yesterday afternoon, it was about 9°C but clear and the wind was still. We really enjoyed the walk, seeing countless kangaroos, especially joeys and even a juvenile swamp wallaby, and as we were walking we realised that a year ago we did the same walk wrapped up in scarves and beanies, while this time I even took off my jacket. It depends what you like doing and whether cloudy skies make you sad. We do MTB cycling off road, and we walk hiking trails. And we're happy But I have yet to be convinced of the utility of an outside entertainment area for a Melbournian property! To each their own. But research well before deciding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimpleSimon Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 In Melbourne I cycled most days rain or shine (or both) and did triathlons in the ocean wearing only a speedo. When we moved to Sydney I was happy swimming in August (with the British backpackers). The next year it was September and the next October. Now I'll only get in the water from December. Our mornings are around 5 deg C with clear blue sky heating up to >20 deg C. We are freezing and have heaters on most of the time. The reality is that you acclimatise very quickly. The really nice thing about Melbourne is everyone seems to dress so well which the weather encourages. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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