Where is the best place to live? The good & bad as we are relocating from Australia

Torndao01

Hi everyone likes different things about an area so heres a list of what I like about where I live:

1. House prices VERY reasonable compared to rest of country.
2. Very safe town, we regularly forget to lock car and policeman friend comfirmed we live in one of the safest towns in the country.
3. 1hr away from 1 large city - Nottingham, 30 mins from medium city - Lincoln (car) and 1.10 hrs by train from London.
4. Schools excellent (ofsted) no problems getting kids into any school you want. We also have grammer schools and a high school. Both very good schools.
5. The town itself is in the country (which I love).
6. The town has a large influx of people (50%) from all areas so everyones out to make friends. (very important).

Just to balance it out, things I dont like:

1. You need a car.
2. Wages in the immediate area arnt as high as say a city (but reflected in the cost of living).
3. If you like mounting biking forget it there are not hills here:).

I live in Lincolnshire and love it, I was originally from the lake district; lovely area but not many jobs and far away from everywhere.

Any questions just drop me a line and hope your adventure works out:)

Jo

devils_advocate

Jonbvn wrote: »

UK Pros:
In Europe - you can be in a completely foreign country within 2 hours.
No insects/animals will kill you.
Weather - we get 4 seaons (this is a pro and a con).
Pubs - no where else has pubs like us. I think nearly every London pub is staffed by an Aussie/Kiwi.
Long summer nights - not dark until after 10pm.
Never been a better time to trade your Aussie $ into sterling.

Generally in a morning !!!

maninthestreet

You say you are considering moving to the UK at the end 2014, your 17 year old son will then be 22 - surely he can train to be a chef whilst you are still living in Australia??

sunshinetours

maninthestreet wrote: »

You say you are considering moving to the UK at the end 2014, your 17 year old son will then be 22 - surely he can train to be a chef whilst you are still living in Australia??

No the OP states the ages when they move so they will be 17 etc then.


As far as areas i guess you will get many opinions

Most have mentioned work but as your husband has a varied skill base he probably could work most areas of the country

Personally I would base yourself around the Reading area firstly where you have friends and rent for a period. You can then take a year or so to establish permanent work and check out areas to live

As you are from Australia I personally think the weather north of Watford might be too much of a shock (even though arguably some of the nicer areas to live may be up north). Higher rainfall and lower sunshine hours = many grey days which I personally think any Aussie family would find pretty hard over time. Don't underestimate the positive power of sunshine on your life

Being within commuting distance of London may not be a bad thing for your mixed family needs. Uni shouldn't really be an issue as many go away to uni rather than staying close to where their family live

The south coast around areas such as Brighton may have a good mix of what you need with great transport links to airports for travel to Europe and beyond (Gatwick) and trains into London. You are also on the coast and on the coast that probably gets close to the most sunshine hours

Somewhere like north Devon/Cornwall would also be a very nice place to live if you can get the work but you are a long way from any major cities. Don't move to that are because of the weather either. Its a common misnomer that they have the best weather in the English Riviera!! Also can be very very busy in holiday season but lovely out of it. If I didn't have to work and had plenty of cash I would probably consider Cornwall to retire to

A lot of all of this will depend on budget aswell as most of the lovely villages and towns near to major centres are pretty expensive places to live. If you currently live somewhere like the Gold Coast or Sydney you will be used to sky high prices but if not it may be a bit of a shock how little you get for your money. As someone said check out the Rightmove website

Cost of living probably fairly similar these days as Oz is no longer the cheap sunny option it once was (well its sunny but not cheap)

Good luck and as others have said check out britsh Expats site which has a "returning to the UK" forum which might be worth a look for ideas of where to live

Don't rule out Wales and Scotland if you feel you can cope with the rain and cooler temps. Some lovely areas round Glasgow Edinburgh and Cardiff regions, all of which are major centres

kmmr

I am an Australian, living in London. And I love it. I go home to Sydney from time to time, and while I enjoy it, I am always relieved to get back to London. i love the energy, and the english sense of humour, and the architecture etc etc...

And for me, I love the job prospects! Pity about the sterling collapse though.

I recently spent a weekend in the Cotswolds. If you can find jobs and education that works, that is a lovely area! Near south wales, so not unlike parts of New South Wales.

beverleyhills

Jonbvn wrote: »

Wow, some of the posters are so negative. Having lived and worked in some 3rd world hell holes as well as some absolutely wonderful places, I can assure you that the UK is no where near as bad as some people will have you believe. Of course there are numerous pros and cons for the UK and Oz.

Some that spring to mind:

UK Pros:
In Europe - you can be in a completely foreign country within 2 hours.
No insects/animals will kill you.
Weather - we get 4 seaons (this is a pro and a con).
Pubs - no where else has pubs like us. I think nearly every London pub is staffed by an Aussie/Kiwi.
Long summer nights - not dark until after 10pm.
Never been a better time to trade your Aussie $ into sterling.

UK Cons:
High cost of property.
Properties and land much smaller than Aus.
Cost of living - I hear Aus could be catching up with the UK?

Some people only see the negative, and others the positive. Be sure you understand that you haven't been wearing you holiday rose tinted glasses. Some places are great for holidays - but living there permanently is completely different.

Don't burn your bridges!

It is difficult to predict what life will be like in 2014 given the current economic situation.
Life is what you make of it.
Regarding work and education, consider how your knowledge and skills are transferable to different situations.
Be lateral thinkers.
You will do well.
Welcome and good luck

keith969

Just a few things:

- if you like sunshine, it is statistically sunnier in the south east than other parts of the country. Kent or East Sussex is easy access to London but also the Channel Tunnel if you want to head off into Europe.

- if you prefer rain, head north or west...

- There is little work in the south west (Devon/Cornwall) and its not well paid. But it is lovely countryside although fills with tourists in the summer.

- Reading is a busy town, I lived just outside it for 18 years. Expensive, convenient for London, lots of traffic, although some nice countryside within 10 or 20 miles.

Good luck and hope it works out for you.

CLAPTON

how much can you afford for a property?
that may well limit your options of where to live.

silverchair

I'd really look into the cost of going to university in this country especially for studying medicine. It might be a lot cheaper in Australia. You probably wont get any help towards uni fees.

I would also avoid living in London as you dont get very much for your money & it can be very cramped, noisy, busy & dirty.

I agree with the other posters about concentrating on areas where your husband can find work. I'd also look into renting first so that it gives you more time to have a proper look at areas & properties you might like.

Immigration can be stressful, time-consuming & a can be a bit of a money pit. Make sure you start saving all paper work (bank statements, bills etc) as soon as you start living here.

coffeemonster*123

We live in Ringwood on the hampshire/dorset border & love it!

Have lived in several different places (near manchester/northamptonshire/devon/dorset). Have settled here & have no desire to move again. Good schools,low crime rate, beautiful New Forest on our doorstep,old fashioned community spirit & events if you're interested in joining in!!! And not too far to Reading.