[slackline]

Did you not hire a container?

No as I wasn't shipping furniture (I left in the house to rent it out as furnished accommodation with a view to selling later if we decided to stay out there), clothes, pots, pans, key books, DVDs and even some CDs as I didn't have an mp3 player back then (bought my first one out there).

[Carnage]

Hey –
Manly isn’t a bad spot but I wouldn’t go further round as public transport gets worse the further you go. Control Freak who posts on here lives near there and can fill you in best I reckon. As a newbie, I’m sure you’ll love catching the ferry but I’m assured by my North side based colleagues that the novelty wears off pretty quickly after a few rough sea trips (+hangover = bleurgh), cancellations for a multitude of ocean based reasons and the early stopping times meaning a night out in the City often results in a slow bus ride or expensive cab ride. Saying that tho, arriving via Circular Quay is great and the view of the Bridge/Opera house never gets old (for me anyway). I used to work in the Rocks and that was my station although I’m now 5 mins up the road on George St. It’s good that your some of your work mates live in Manly as making friends quickly is one of the main things that can make the change successful. Keep an eye on your missus, make time for her and check she’s happy as it can be tough if you’re the one without a job and your left alone to entertain yourself all day while the other person is busy at work and making work mates. Esp if finding a job takes longer than expected.
Manly beach is very much the ocean and can be super rough – Many poms won’t have experienced strength/current pull like it and it can be quite intimidating.
The bouldering isn’t far at all from there and there’s loads of spots- Sissy, Lindfield, all the Ku-Ring Gai stuff, The Fear Factory, Crumbly, Forty Baskets /Reef beach, Sunnyside and Fox Cave to name a few spots. The nearest good wall is probably Climbfit at St Leonards- http://www.climbfit.com.au/. I’m no regular but it’s a got a friendly crew and good setting.  It’s worth making the drive to St Peters once in a while tho as it is much better plastic pulling.
There’s a great MTB track at Manly Dam which seems very popular - details can be found here - http://nobmob.com/. There’s also a lot of road bike action going on in the Ku-Ring Gai National Park that I see when we’re heading out bouldering on the w/e’s, so that’s worth checking into if you’re into the whole sausage- suit pedal pushing thing.
The main thing is get a car! You seriously need one to get anywhere on that side. Then you can also enjoy the average Sydney drivers habits such as-
1/ Never indicating
2/ Driving really fast up to an intersection and sticking your nose out miles, forcing defensive breaking by anyone approaching as they think you’re about to pull out.
3/ Never letting anyone in or out. Ever.
Check out http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/ for car stuff.
The main banks are National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank, WestPac and ANZ (along with minor players such as SunCorp Bank and BankWest etc).
They are all much of a muchness. I’m with CBA and have been since I arrived. I had a bunch of money that I wanted available when I arrived and CBA had an office in London which meant I could set it all up before I got here.
With shipping, we used Anglo Pacific – www.anglopacific.co.uk. Other people on the various expat forums have mentioned issues with them, but we found the service great with everything finding its way to us unbroken/unstolen. It’s probably worth checking on the http://britishexpats.com/ forum to find out who the current favourite is. Just bear in mind that it takes at least 6 weeks (and often a lot more) to get here and clear customs, so make sure you bring anything you’re going to want straightaway with you (or ship it via air separately). Make sure everything is super clean (particularly bike tyres, bouldering mats, shoes etc) and stick to the restricted lists or pack that stuff altogether in a different box.
Here’s the place for your medical stuff - www.medicareaustralia.gov.au. You can go into any Medical Centre whenever you’re sick. There is no such thing as ‘your’ doctors surgery here.
What to do in England before you go? Enjoy being cold – seriously! You’ll never be ‘really’ cold ever again (unless you go looking for it) – Its going to be 36 degrees today and over 30 for the next 5 days. The beach after work is calling......
Cheers!

[DaveC]

Then you can also enjoy the average Sydney drivers habits such as-
1/ Never indicating
2/ Driving really fast up to an intersection and sticking your nose out miles, forcing defensive breaking by anyone approaching as they think you’re about to pull out.
3/ Never letting anyone in or out. Ever.

Applies to all Australian cities this one.

The main banks are National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank, WestPac and ANZ (along with minor players such as SunCorp Bank and BankWest etc).
They are all much of a muchness. I’m with CBA and have been since I arrived. I had a bunch of money that I wanted available when I arrived and CBA had an office in London which meant I could set it all up before I got here.

We did the same although we now use a regional bank (the Bendigo & Adelaide Bank) for most of our cash flow as they do not charge fees just for having an account with them!

With shipping, we used Anglo Pacific – www.anglopacific.co.uk. Other people on the various expat forums have mentioned issues with them, but we found the service great with everything finding its way to us unbroken/unstolen. It’s probably worth checking on the http://britishexpats.com/ forum to find out who the current favourite is. Just bear in mind that it takes at least 6 weeks (and often a lot more) to get here and clear customs, so make sure you bring anything you’re going to want straightaway with you (or ship it via air separately). Make sure everything is super clean (particularly bike tyres, bouldering mats, shoes etc) and stick to the restricted lists or pack that stuff altogether in a different box.

We used Anglo-Pacific as well (in fact I think it was at Stu's recommendation) and also found them very good but It was over 5 years ago so it would be prudent to look for more recent experiences.


Stu's comment about keeping an eye on the missus is really important. My partner has found it very hard over here despite landing a job within a few weeks of arriving. The culture change is much, much greater than you might expect and a lot of Australians can seem rather parochial in their perspectives compared to their Brit counterparts. Being part of a community such as the climbing/bouldering fraternity should be a big help as you at least start with known common interests.
Good luck!

[BB]

Thanks very much.

It looks like our current bank (HSBC) will set up accounts over there for us, so we'll use that as a start and open accounts with a local bank once we arrive.

It's defintely 240v over there right? I wont destroy my electricals by just changing the plugs will I?

I've heard that the rental market is a bit cut throat and having a good application pack really helps. Having not rented for about 4 years, I'm in the dark a bit. What sort of things do I need to put in the pack?

I'm guessing the following:

1) copy of Visa
2) emplyement contract
3) bank statement

What sets a good application apart from a mediocre one?

One other thing we were talking about the other day...Where's the nearest skiiing/snowboarding?

[Carnage]

Its definitely 240 - i brought a bunch of appliances over and they are fine - with travel adaptors.
Renting can be very cut throat and is normally first in best dressed. Being able to make a fast decision rather than going away to think about it is best. Also, being able to pay say 3-6 months upfront can swing it for the new arrival. Its worth getting a mate (or your current landlord) to write you a good tenency reference- just fib if necessary but tell your mate to be ready as the may call/email to check.
Nearest skiing is in the Snowy Mountains (Thredbo, Perisher etc) which is prob 5-6 hours drive from Sydney.

[SA Chris]

Or just fly to NZ for the weekend!

Can you get a stopover somewhere nice - Bali, HK, Singapore on the flight over? Be nice to have a bit of a hol before you start!

[Bungle.]

Thanks very much.

It looks like our current bank (HSBC) will set up accounts over there for us, so we'll use that as a start and open accounts with a local bank once we arrive.

I bank with HSBC over here and the UK and there are advantages structually linking your accounts and they have been very good - message me is you want more info

otherwise as Stu says prepare to be warm and think about where you will live , im in Balmain which is a bit pricy but central and has all amenities .

As stu says you will need a car -  it isnt optional .

Also as you a relocating , does the company your with haver a relocation agent , as if they do sometimes they will sort out the perm rental as well , anything you can do to oflaod this will be a winner .

NZ = Snow , Castle Hill and Sheep - two of the three are worth travelling for !

[DaveC]

NZ = Snow , Castle Hill and Sheep - two of the three are worth travelling for !

Oh I don't know, Castle Hill isn't THAT bad is it?

[BB]

I've now received my contract and have handed in my notice for my current role. My start date is the 7th March although the actual date of my departure to Aus is dependent on how long the visas take to be approved. The applications have been submitted and I'll be working in the UK office till the visas are in. Fingers crossed for a quick turnaround!

[DaveC]

Hope you can bring a little more settled weather with you! We've had heat waves and bushfires in Perth, major floods in northern WA, a severe heatwave in Sydney, two cyclones (including one absolute monster), massive floods in central and southern Queensland, severe thunderstorms and major flooding in Victoria....and that's just in the last three weeks!!

My mrs is wondering what on earth you'd want to come here for? 

[BB]

My mrs is wondering what on earth you'd want to come here for? 

I live in Swindon, remember?! 

[DaveC]

Nuff said.

[Carnage]

a severe heatwave in Sydney

Am I glad thats over. I went out for session on Sunday hoping the change would come early, but sadly it never arrived til much later. I don't think I've ever sweated as much in my life......When the wind came later, the temperature dropped over 20 degrees from the day before!

[Control freak]

Not sure Ive got much to add to this as Stu has pretty much covered everything. I live in North Manly which is a couple of KM down the road from Manly. If you want to know anything about living in the area then reply here or PM me

[BB]

I'm keen to explore all the areas on our hit list, Manly being one of them! The decision  of where to live is bewildering with every area having pros and cons. We'd like to be walking distance from a beach, but are realising that the trade-off is the commute time to the CBD.

I've had some cracking advice from the UKB Aus chapter and feel like we've got a good idea of the available options, but there's no substitute for having a good wander round the neighbourhood.

Flavour of the week is the Edgecliff/Double bay area, but no doubt that'll change a number of time in the coming weeks/months!

[SA Chris]

My mrs is wondering what on earth you'd want to come here for? 

I live in Swindon, remember?! 

I guess extreme weather is better than extreme boredom.

[Carnage]

Flavour of the week is the Edgecliff/Double bay area,

Not bad round there. Downsides- Expensive/Dire traffic/Hipster douchebags. Upsides - Lots of bars, restaurants/not far from Queens Park for urban bouldering/close to City. Just make sure you're not hanging around the 'Cross late at nite if you don't want to get bashed!

[BB]

Do any of you guys have any ideas what percentage of my net income I should be looking to spend on rent in Sydney? I've found a lot of general guidelines (around 33%) but very little in the way of specifics for Sydney. Personal experience/insight would be most helpful.

[Carnage]

You'd be looking a getting very little change from $500 per week for anything half decent these days. So say $2,000 bond,  you're looking at $28,000 for the first year. How that compares to your salary, I don't know.
Heres a coupl of examples of nice places in a good spots round my way:

http://www.domain.com.au/Property/For-Rent/Apartment/NSW/Newtown/?adid=4685670

http://www.domain.com.au/Property/For-Rent/Semi-Detached/NSW/Newtown/?adid=4987567

As a general rule apartments are cheaper - Houses more expensive (unless they're really shit.)

[Control freak]

Up our way things are pretty much the same. If you want anything half decent expect to pay $350 for a one bed and $600+ for a two bed apartment. Obviously there is cheaper but this is for something nice.

If you've got an ocean view expect to pay substantially more. Ive not idea what you're earning but to make the numbers easy $100k a year equates to $3k a fortnight give or take. The rental system also works slightly differently here - properties are generally open for inspection for 15 mins on a Saturday so you have to plan your day effectively to see as much as you can. For a popular spot its not unusual to find 20+ people waiting outside. If you find somewhere you like fill in the application form there and then and give it to the agent. Its then at the landlords discretion as to who gets the property.

Manly 2 bed
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-unit-nsw-manly-405049573

Freshwater 1 bed
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-nsw-freshwater-404973976 ( I used to live in this building - very nice)

Dee Why 2 bed
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-unit-nsw-dee+why-405045578

Make no mistake - living in Sydney is not a cheap exercise so be prepared to swallow some big numbers. Food / housing / travel are all expensive. Sydney has the highest parking prices in the world and is the third least affordable city to buy in.

The worst mistake you can make is to convert back to sterling and get upset about costs. Try and stick to dollars and it should all work out Its one of the greatest cities in the world

Other expenses to think about...

Private health insurance - if you dont have it then the government takes another 1% when you do your tax return (which everyone is required to do. Do yourself a favour and get an accountant to help. There are a huge number of things you can claim for and they only charge about $100 which you can claim back as an expense next year).
Bottom line - get some health insurance

Cars require a rego (MOT), CTP (this is a compulsory third party insurance which lives with the car ie any driver will have third party) and optionally comprehensive insurance. Asian + australian cars are far cheaper to buy and maintain than European

Fuel is currently around $1.35 a litre

[Carnage]

The rental system also works slightly differently here - properties are generally open for inspection for 15 mins on a Saturday so you have to plan your day effectively to see as much as you can. For a popular spot its not unusual to find 20+ people waiting outside. If you find somewhere you like fill in the application form there and then and give it to the agent.

This is very true. Finding a place is a  cut-throat business these days as competition for properties has gone through the roof in recent years. To give you an example, there were prob 10 people along with us viewing the first place we rented back in 2004 and when we were leaving in 2006, there was easily over 50 through the door. Often people looking in your area will be viewing the same properties as you and will likely be going from property to property in a similar order. Be prepared to make a decision quickly if you like a place and ditch going to the others if necessary just to get your application in first. If you can, offer 3 months rent up front, as this can swing things in your favour sometimes. As I mentioned previously, make sure you a real or fictious letter from a previous landlord/mate saying you are a great tenant.

[Bungle.]

My Advice if you can afford it is hire someone to find the property for you , it costs but they often get preferencial aacess and will screen the properties .

In my Experience there is nothing more depressing than looking at rental properties on the weekend .

Also if you are doing the legwork get a GPS or an Iphone with a GPS as it will save a lot of arguing sydney is not the easiest place to navigate ......

[BB]

We'll probably go with Bungle's suggestion of getting a pro to do the donkey work for us.

Some good suggestions here. Out of interest, where's the boudary between inner west and the true west? We wouldn't want to stray too far west!!

Also interested in knowing what the travel times are to the CBD from Newtown. The office is located a short walk from Wynyard station.

[Carnage]

Theres no real boundary and theres also plenty of boring suburbia in the 'mid west'. These are all decent to live:

Top 3 - Newtown, Enmore, Erskineville.
Then Stanmore, St Peters, Darlington, Petersham, Marrickville (although some bits are still shit), Lewisham, Annandale, Leichardt (has no train station).
These are also considered inner west but are expensive and have light rail/buses- Balmain, Lillyfield, Rozelle, Drummoyne.

It takes 10 mins/15mins to get from Newtown to Wynard (I do it everyday). I can do door to door in 25mins.

[BB]

Thanks for all the excellent advice, the missus and I really do appreciate it.

Following the recent suggestions, the inner west is now flavour of the week! Good balance of location and cost, plus a nice quick commute to the CBD.

God, I can't wait for a departure date! I'm now 2 weeks into the 4-6 week visa processing time and it seems like the passge time has slowed to a crawl.