Hi, Can anyone give me some advise on good areas to live in Australia with 2 young children and cheaper houses

Question

We are currently going through the whole visa process and really looking forward to it, but me being a typical women and mother really want to make sure we go to the right area.

My husband is in the trade- a carpenter- so obviously this is quite important and we also have two children age 2 and 5.

Ideally we want to be somewhere where house prices are not to high and we can afford a family home with garden.

We haven't long brought our first home here in the uk so we don't want to motgage ourselves up to the roof if you know what i me!

Areas we have been looking at so far are Adelaide, Brisbane and Victoria but am open to suggestions!

If you can help with any of my questions it would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

Answer 1

Brisbane - too hot for you - you will melt (no offense) but definately visit the Sunshine State (QLD) where I have just moved to and am finding it absolutely gorgeous. If you have your heart set on a beautiful beach city you can't go past the Gold Coast  and the Queensland Government have many benefits over the other state governments.

Adelaide - cool climate, but the beaches are generally quite treacherous.  It is called the 'city of churches' but it is a cheaper place to live.

Sydney - houses VERY expensive, and if your worried about housing prices it will hit you hardest here.  Despite that it is a beautiful city and you really get a feel for it.  Just north of Sydney is an area called the Central Coast which is a little more surbuban but being an hour and half away still has city benefits without the cons of a large city. The only problem - for good jobs you have to travel to either Newcastle or Sydney which is a pain, especially with a family.  The best area close to Sydney is the South Coast of NSW which stretches all the way down to Victoria.  There are areas there that are still cheaper housing wise, where you are close to the beach, and unlike Sydney can actually get a spot on the beach.  Being further south it is also a little cooler - google places like Wollongong, Illawarra and Ulladulla but my pick is Merimbula.  From the South Coast you are close to Sydney, the Australian Snowfields, Canberra and Melbourne.

Canberra - the Nation's Capital.  The Bush City.  Compared to any where else in Australia - housing is cheap as chips.  The only thing - the government is ran from there so there alot of public servants about the place.  It isn't on the coast but is surronded by mountains.  The temperature is cool most of the year and sometimes the city experiences snowfalls.  Canberra is definately the most organised city in Australia and definately has the potential for the most educational experiences for your kids (Every schoolkid from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne visit Canberra as part of the curriculm to see all the museums, Science Centres, Nature Reserves, Parliament Houses, Natural and Cultural Centres, the list goes on....)  

Melbourne - similiar to Sydney in pricing.  Gets freezing in winter and boiling in Summer (this year they had record heatwaves along with Adelaide.  I have never lived there so I can't give you much info except they still operate trams as public transport and have great fashion areas.

Perth - Full of British expats, great weather, great beaches and LOADS of jobs because of the resources boom.  Alot of people I know that have moved here from the UK have adored Perth for various reasons - but have actually moved from Eastern states to settle there and have families.  Perth is more like a big town than a city and is great for kids because they lack the crime/drug problems that do exsist (although minimally) in some of the other cities.  Definately have a look there.  The only problem is the isolation.  Three days drive through the desert seperates you from the rest of the cities so it's an expedition to view the other parts of Australia.  The housing prices are quite good. Also there is only one University there so if you settle there they may have to leave thier home town to go to school (Uni starts at 18-19).  BUT because your hubby has a trade, he will make ALOT of money in Western Australia.  We are in the middle of a resources boom and the mining areas there are screaming for people with trade qualifications (any)  Minimum wage at the mines start at $2100 a week. And grow greatly the longer you have been with the mine.  There are stories of painters and chippies (carpenters) making upwards of $290,000 a year.  

Places not to go: Darwin (doesn't get below 30 degrees all year - so hot) you can't go swimming because of crocodiles and life threatning jelly fish.

Newcastle: ladette central

Forster, Bega, Lake Macquarie, some areas of the Central Coast, Some surburbs in Melbourne, Most towns in Northern Territory, Bankstown, Blacktown, Penrith, Parramatta, Cabramatta, Redfern: Unemployment runs rife leading to crime and drug and alcohol problems

Kings Cross: stripper/hooker area of Sydney

Noosa, Inner City, Beachfront, Torquay: Far too expensive

Hope this helps and I welcome you to Australia in advance, just for the record: I have never had an encounter with any deadly creature and I have lived here my whole life on beaches, high in snow capped mountains and in desolate outback areas.  No matter what people say it doesn't happen.  I sincerley hope you enjoy your new country.

Feel free to email me if you have any particular questions - I have lived in every state in Australia and am happy to help.

Answer 2

as you are in the UK  i suggest VIC first SA second QLD last(i live in QLD great place to live)QLD is very hot & humid a lot of the year(will be very hard for you to ajust) SA/VIC are a lot cooler more to your temp tolerence most of the year(but still get very hot in summer chippies (carpenter's) if good will have no problem finding a job if they are any good

my sugestion is VIC country area someplace like latrobe vally(east of melb)

Answer 3

Why haven't you looked into New South Wales?

I'm sure there are loads of excellent places to live all around Australia. But you know your own home best and I suggest you look into the Illawarra region in NSW 1.5hrs south of Sydney. On the south coast of NSW running between the escarpement and the coastline.

Firstly, your husband being a carpenter (chippy in Aussie slang) wouldn't have any problem getting work here, down in Shellharbour there is heaps of new residential areas developing so heaps of work to go with it. Wollongong and Shellharbour - the two main cities- are booming towns that will continue to grow for many many years yet.

For house pricing for a young family places like Dapto and Albion Park would suit you well. You can get something nice for between $200,000 and $300,000, relatively new also. The coastal suburbs are much more expensive, looking toward the $600,000+ mark. The southern suburbs around Shellharbour are also cheaper then the northern. Nothern suburbs you would pay $600,000 for a normal house and around $1mill for a beachfront.

It is a perfect area to raise your kids and so many people are doing so. You have the beach in summer, lots of sports and sports club, recreation galore, plenty of places for a sunday drive, shops galore, its safe and friendly. Being away from Sydney parking and traffic is very rarely a problem.

The weather in NSW is probably the most stable in Australia. Queensland have warm weather all year round with it being near unbearable in Summer, add to that the tropical weather and cyclonic activity along the coastline bringing rain and winds and floods.

Adelaide tend to experience the extremes, they had a 40day heatwave last summer with one night not falling below 35C and the days in the 40Cs, YUK, it is also somewhat cooler in winter.

Melbourne experience all four seasons in one day, they get heatwaves and bushfires in summer and freezing cold in winter.

NSW is much more warm in summer (humidity can be a killer though) and mild to cool in winter, with the only real coldness being when you're in bed.

The sun is alot more harsh in Australia then the rest of the world, so be prepared with lots of sunscreen for the kiddies.

If you think this area could be of interest to you, feel free to email me with any more questions.

Answer 4

I think you have to think about what you want out of your life in Australia,  for instance, do you want to live in isolation, in a built up city, by the beach, on the mountains, do you want your kinds to grow up in a country like environment or do you like the more cosmopolitan type of lifestyle.  What kind of schools do you want for the kiddies?? answers to all them questions will help you decide what's best for you.  

I'm from Melbourne and i love it here.. there's heaps of work, the weather is never boring and there's a little of everything..

Answer 5

look up australia property(it's a magazine) or something like that for house market prices in each city/suburbs.

Right now, Perth is becoming one of the most expensive states to live in.

Melbourne's housing prices have declined over the last couple of months. There are some nice affordable suburbs for young families in Victoria like craigburn,  hastings, narren warren.. etc.

if you want a lot of land go to the countryside like Ballarat, bendigo.. still only 1 and 1/2 hours train ride(v/line) to the city.

there are also incentives for trades people funded by the local government to move to places like bendigo and ballarat(check their sites out)

best to check each state government to look at their  infastructure plans for each suburb/area in their state to help to make your decision. plans for freeways, school, housing, shops...

enjoy your stay

Answer 6

Look at some of the more regional areas in North or central QLD.  It's hot and humid but some of the mining areas are booming and carpenters have work for years. My brother is a carpenter in NQ and is making a good living.

Answer 7

Cheaper houses = America. With the sub-prime crisis in America looming and getting worst every thing's cheap.

Young Children = America. We have more kids being born a day then Australia and therefore you would ought to think that America would be more suitable to cater more to the needs of our youngsters.