The secret of finding a place to stay in Sydney, Australia

So, your moving to Australia (Sydney maybe?)

You want to find your new Home right? I dont mean house, I mean HOME - the place you settle, the place you grow up in, the place you become familiar with.

You want good schools, good transport routes, good shops, night life, etc.

Well you CANT do it from oversea's. I guess you can if your lucky, or have friends and family in an area, or even money.

But thats still no guarantee. Even a holiday trip is not going to do it.

Here's how you do it. Do your internet homework, (forums, blogs, contacts, websites),

THEN,  DO - NOT - COMMIT long term when you come. Get a rental - get it central and then give yourself 6 months to a year to explore the region. Dont rush it.

You can spend three hours everynight researching on the net from some far off land and never get it right... You have to be here.

Get a rental, open your mind that you will have to move (and your kids), and... relax.

I have been here 7 months and still know very little. It takes trip after day trip to see suburbs, towns, coastal regions and finally to "feel" the region.

Part of the secret of finding a place to stay in Australia is to see it as a long term adventure!

Once here in Australia plan your sight-seeing to include suburbs (on the way). Theres nothing better than discovering a hidden gem of a suburb on a random day trip.

Anyhoo, ciao for now


How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney 6D47KRNKX8CT <-technorati code

How to help your child make friends at their Australian school

Is your child fitting in at their new Australian school? Are you worried about him or her coping at a new school? Do you want to help your child to integrate to his new Ozzie school?

This is one of the most important things to do when immigrating. Your childs happiness may make or break your stay in your new country. Everyone can struggle after a major move, and watching your child struggle at school can be a very large straw on the camel's back.

Help them catch opportunities.

Make sure they never miss an opportunity to link up with their new school friends. If theres an invite, help them to be there, take off work early, pull a sickie, beg, borow or steal the money! Make it happen! If they are asked to go to the mall, let them go (give them money! Its as important as your grocery budget if not more so!). Offer to lift them. (Even if your tired).

Is it a new dress your kid needs? A skateboard? Watch for the signs that they are doing stuff to get into the crowd. Help them sagely and silently.

I cannot stress how important this is. New invites or opportunities only come once. If your child misses the initial invite or outing, he will soon be passed by, and left to be a loner. MAKE IT HAPPEN. This should be your priority for the fist six months at least.

If you kid spirals into being a loner or retreats to his computer and this becomes the norm, you will have lost the opportunity and it will take forever to get them out of it, if ever.

Integrating your teenager is the most important as kids that are eleven and under are more resiliant/innocent and less prone to the huge teenage anxieties. (Even though your attention on them should still be the same)

Get those horrible new kids over, let them mess up your rumpus room, dont panic! All teens are idiots! ;)

Prompt him or her to ask someone over, or to phone someone up and visit.

Intoduce them to an activity, club, youth group. Activity is key. Gym or karate.

I hope this helps you and your children survive the move.

Later everyone - remember to please leave a Post :)

My most commented post on the blog is here - Why do immigrants leave Australia?


How I got my visa, Life, Lumps and spirit, Hate your new country? Your not alone! A good Furniture Rental company in Sydney,Why do immigrants leave Australia?, Sydney - Scotland island - hidden gem, Malls in Sydney, Living in St Ives, Arriving in Sydney, Driving through Sydney - first day, How expensive is Sydney