Comprehensive packing list for Oz ?

[Mosman]

Hi there,

I am just in the process of ebaying anything not nailed down and am wondering if anyone else has made the move with children and what they wish they'd taken over and what they should have left ?
I have a nearly 2 year old so am thing of getting rid of cots, prams, etc.
The older ones are 8, 10 and 12 so not so many toys these days but I'd planned to get them ipads for the journey and thought maybe their bikes, scooters etc should come.
I would be so grateful for any assistance, I'm doing this on my own really so it's quite stressful.
Thank you

BTW - they will still need warm clothes into October. You'll have one day in the mid-20s and then the next day will be suddenly arctic, so don't leave them behind. Sydney is warm, but it's not tropical and certainly v changeable (even within a day).

School fees here are crazy and the actual fee is just the start. Uniforms for private schools run into the hundreds of dollars and then there are the compulsory extras. My friends recently got a bill for $700 per child per term for compulsory music lessons. I mean WTF!?? Surely if it's part of the curriculum it should be covered in the fees!?

Anyhoo, there are some fantastic public primaries around and even some of the public high schools are excellent (mainly the single sex ones it would seem - Cheltenham Girls for example). Lots of kids swap to private school for the last 3 years of school too, but it will all come down to where you end up settling. You may not need to put them in Mosman primary and move out of area, as most of the schools on the North shore are excellent, so there won't be any great benefit in getting them into one in an area where you won't live long term. Might be better to have them in the local school to make local friends?

Not sure if your bonus reference indicates a banking role, but certainly banking bonuses in Aus tend to be a much smaller component of total comp than they are in the UK (or used to be anyway).

Re public transport, the best way to commute to the city from Mosman is by ferry. It's also the nicest way to commute. Trains and buses are cheap, but traffic through Mosman is maddening.

More good advice from the locals but wanted to reiterate the point about catchment and being chucked out if you move out of area - this does happen in oversubscribed schools so be aware!

Perth is looking more and more appealling lol

well, there are very nice people here :)

do both you and your partner have jobs in Syd?

We both have jobs in Sydney but I turned down a few in Perth first. I'd prefer Sydney but the cost of living is really getting me down. I thought we had great offers and a chance to enjoy life a bit more it seems not. What I don't want to Di is go to Australia and recreate London only with less money, no house and different schools

Well, if it makes you feel any better (and it probably won't) the cost of living is officially less in Perth than in Sydney but in practice not sure how much less. I think the big differences are that people on 457 visas can go to state schools without additional fees and property prices/rentals in areas with good schools are a tad less eyewatering. But only a tad, as the Perth rental market is appallingly competitive and people offer over the listed rental to secure property!

My SIL lives abroad and is considering returning home to Perth but had a similar wobble to yours about cost of living. To be completely honest if it were about money in many ways we would have stayed in the UK, where things are generally cheaper.

BUT, for us:

• the local school is excellent and free (not true where we were in the UK)
• our house, while not necessarily cheaper than SE England is much bigger and nicer to live in
• our kids play outside every single day
• there is amazing fresh produce all the time (not dirt cheap but amazing quality, like living in Italy because of the climate)
• not everyone agrees but for me I feel like childhood remains childhood here for far longer, and this is visible in the kids I encounter

-the expected working hours are definitely more sane and so we have more family time

I know others have said it but the sensible plan may be to reconsider your choice of suburb - there are lots of nice places that will be cheaper but still nice, and give you more disposable income.

(feel free to PM me if you need more reassurance)

My reasons for choosing mosman is we have a ready made social life and that's really important to us, I don't want to be the poor relations dropping by to visit.
Schools are going to be a tough one though

Call and speak to the school - they tend to be very helpful and at least you'll know where you stand. You might also want to consider Cremorne, Cammeray, Northbridge etc. All close enough to socialise with friends in Mosman and all lovely areas, but might be a little easier school-wise?

Don't worry too much about the friends issue. Our friends are spread far and wide around Sydney and we still see them regularly. Also, having children at school is a great way to meet new people in whatever area you settle on.

If you really find that Mosman and surrounds is to exy then I would suggest looking at either the inner-west or Beecroft which has one of the top primary schools in NSW, as well as one of the best public girl's schools down the road and is still a very nice area to live in but being half and hour from the city, it is much less expensive.

I will do thank you, do you know anything about wenona school ? I think we have one place there if we want it. I'm so worried about getting that right I think everything else will fall into place if I can just tick that box first.

Do mean carlingford ? Thank you

Ignore that's co ed, is it the Anglican school ?

Wenona is supposed to be very good. It had some problems with staffing a few years ago but the old Head of Roseville College took over recently and she has an excellent reputation. It is a "top tier" in terms of fees and extra expenses though (which may or may not be a problem). Marist in North Sydney would be an option if you also needed a boys school and wanted to keep them close. Monte is another cheaper girls school in North Sydney which is supposed to be good (I have friends with kids at all these schools who are happy with them).

A friend recently took three kids out of Arden, the Anglican school in Beecroft. The school behaved disgracefully towards her and her children to the extent that she's considering legal action. Obviously just one person's experience though.

If you want high academic standards and reasonable fees have a look at Oxford Falls Grammar. Fairly easy to get to from Seaforth/Balgowlah etc. which is where a lot of people move on to once they realize they can't afford the Mosman lifestyle.

Carlingford is not v nice IMHO.
In Beecroft there is Arden which is Anglican and really quite religious but I've only ever heard v good things about it and there is Beecroft Primary. Both schools do v well academically. Beecroft Primary is one of the top primaries in the state.
Wenona is good from what I've heard.

What happened to your friend at Arden Sunny?

We aren't very religious hence my reluctance to go down the Catholic route, I'd rather pay tbh.
So Oxford Falls seems practically free v's wenona, do you get what you pay for ?

Pretty much all private schools in Aus are religious, so there's no getting away from it unless you go public or to Reddam House in the Eastern Subs or Steiner types. Some are't quite so zealous as others, but there will be hymns, prayers etc. I found that this was generally a good time for a nap. I'm atheist thanks to the religious schools I attended!
Apparently the Catholic schools can be v tricky to get into too if you're not a)catholic and b) a member of the specific parish (though I've never tried).

Mosman high is looking more and more appealing !

I have a friend with a child at Oxford Falls and she is very happy with things, but it is quite religious (although you don't have to be religious to get in). I have no idea how it compares to the more exclusive private schools though. St Lukes in Dee Why also seems to be spoken highly of, but think that's a bit more expensive.

The lower end of the Northern Beaches (Manly, Seaforth, Freshwater, Curl Curl) is a short drive from Mosman (out of rush hour!), and you might find your money goes a bit further here. It's still not cheap though. Lovely ocean beaches though, and a great commute into the City on the ferry. Good public schools at primary level too. Don't know if you've considered the area at all.

I have had a look at those areas and they don't seem any cheaper in all honesty, who affords theses places ?

I'd been told to be careful around the northern beeches as some areas are better than others apparently ? It's do hard isn't it moving to a new area to know what to do for the best.

Re: schools, I was rather surprised to discover that all our private options were religious!

Where I lived (Sunshine Coast) we had, realistically:
Anglican (usually the most expensive and a bit 'up themselves') option
Catholic (of course, bearing in mind you had to be Catholic to go)
Two Lutheran (big in a lot of Australia, German farming immigrants!)
and... two Christian Fundamentalist colleges. Don't be caught out by these unless you are fundy, of course, where having your DCs 'denounce the Devil' every day and being taught that fossils are the work of the Devil, that creationism is a myth dreamed up by those who cannot fact the truth of our Lord etc etc... is how they teach!

You are maybe less likely to encounter the more 'extreme' end of such religious affiliated ed in a big city, but awareness is all!

Blardy hell not what you need eh ? I used to date a catholic from Melbourne possibly the most fucked up individual I've ever come across I didn't blame the $30k a year xavier college but perhaps its all becoming clear now

The prices are crazy, that's for sure. The rental market is particularly competitive as there is a shortage of properties to go around, which drives up rents.

I'm not sure there are any bad areas on the Northern Beaches - Dee Why is about as dodgy as it gets up here. I've lived in the area for 6 years, and it's very family friendly. The centre of Manly around the Corso isn't so good on Fri / Sat eve as people leave the pubs, and you'd need to take care in some parts of Dee Why late at night, but it's pretty safe overall. Certainly, during the day and early evening you wouldn't have a problem anywhere. Guess it depends on where you're coming from - it's all relative.

I agree that it's difficult moving somewhere you have no knowledge of, and school age kids complicate things further. I think we were lucky we ended up here really - the big downer is that it will be difficult for us to buy a house in the area we are currently living in. Will you have any time when you get here to have a look around areas before deciding where to rent?

I'd blame Xavier

Well we have option of staying with rellies in Liverpool and then a week with mates in mosman but that'll be DH on his own and I think I need a very clear idea in my mind as to what he's looking at before he goes otherwise we could end up anywhere

How about school stuff, like stationery? Most schools seem to have mandatory lists of kit - pencils, rulers etc, but would it be "fun" to have different stuff from here (whether it's Smiths or Paperchase) or (a) wd it get nicked and (b) wd the poor child stand out even more as an incomer?