Visa Validation Trip - Advice please??

[Guest snowy10]

We are planning a trip to validate our visas in December/January.

 

We also want to make this a holiday of a lifetime - just in case we decide not to emigrate.

 

What would be on your top 10 must see/do list for both Adelaide and Australia as a whole.

 

On the practical side we have already on our list:

 

1. Line up job interviews/meetings to gauge job prospects.

2. Property investigations (north, south, east and western Adelaide).

3. Investigate Schools/child care (even though our daughter will only be 2 years old at time of visit).

4. Try to get to the 1st Sunday meet up - develop friendships.

 

On the Holiday side:

 

1. Visit Syndey for 2/3 days.

2. Visit a friend of ours who has already made the move.

 

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

 

Michael, Sharon, Isabella

[Guest cornish Busdriver]

Visa Side:

Check out the public transport system

Go to a few open houses

Meet up down the pub and chat to others that have moved here

 

Holiday Side:

Just sit down on the beach or go to windy point with a nice bottle of wine and watch the sun set.

Do all the wildlife parks

[Riponian]

It depends on how long your here for but if you can go to the wineries at McLaren Vale and definitely go to the Flinders, might be a bit hot but at least drive up that way and explore. There is so much to do just on the holiday side of things it could keep you busy for weeks!

 

Yes go to the wildlife parks and generally take in walks with your little one.

 

Schools might be difficult at that time of year as they are closed for the summer holidays and many don't let you visit unless you are already living in their catchment (not all schools so don't quote me).

 

As above, just enjoy it! sit on the beach dig holes and relax!

[Guest guest3462]

Hi congratulations on your visa! We are STILL waiting!!! There are loads of beautiful Places for you to visit. In SA you should defo try to get to the flinders ranges as riponian says for days out in Adelaide there is glenelg for the touristy holiday feeling, hahndorf is really lovely, victor harbour and the penguin walk on granite island (we did it with a 2 year old too but it's a long day) kangaroo island, the city has loads of Parklands and you can walk along the river.

Australia wide- have you thought of driving in. Camper van to Sydney from Adelaide along the great ocean rd via Melbourne? You can take in the shopping and aquarium there It can take you up to 2 weeks if u stop at all the hotspots! Then there is Uluru and Alice springs, the great barrier reef and rainforest in qld, daydream island in the Whitsundays is a fab place for young families to explore the reef. It really does all depends how long you are coming for and what your budget is. If u plan on making it a hol of a lifetime you can expect it costing upwards of $20k!!!! I reckon you'll need at least 6 weeks to fit it all in too.

[Guest snowy10]

Hi congratulations on your visa! We are STILL waiting!!! There are loads of beautiful Places for you to visit. In SA you should defo try to get to the flinders ranges as riponian says for days out in Adelaide there is glenelg for the touristy holiday feeling, hahndorf is really lovely, victor harbour and the penguin walk on granite island (we did it with a 2 year old too but it's a long day) kangaroo island, the city has loads of Parklands and you can walk along the river.

Australia wide- have you thought of driving in. Camper van to Sydney from Adelaide along the great ocean rd via Melbourne? You can take in the shopping and aquarium there It can take you up to 2 weeks if u stop at all the hotspots! Then there is Uluru and Alice springs, the great barrier reef and rainforest in qld, daydream island in the Whitsundays is a fab place for young families to explore the reef. It really does all depends how long you are coming for and what your budget is. If u plan on making it a hol of a lifetime you can expect it costing upwards of $20k!!!! I reckon you'll need at least 6 weeks to fit it all in too.

 

Many thanks for all the replies so far. Sorry to hear you are still waiting for your visa, I take it you have managed to have a chest X-ray done and your medicals/visa approval are just around the corner??

I've just left the RAF and managed to find a new job here in the UK, luckily my new boss is fantastic and he has agreed to me taking 4 weeks holiday. I thought the best way was to take 2 weeks before and after new year which has been approved.

Feels like there is so much to do/investigate before we make the decision to stay in the UK or move to Adelaide.

We have given the money tree a good shake and have enough to have a real good holiday (in effect sensible - no 5* hotels but sufficient to do anything we want to if that makes sense).

Have lots more research to do based on the replies so far so will get busy, not that life is quiet with an 18 month old!!!

Thanks again.

[Diane]

Which other cities (apart from Sydney) are you planning on visiting? Australia is a very big place, so if you try to do all the "must dos" in the whole country, you could well end up needing a holiday to recover at the end of it!

 

Try to be in Sydney for the New Years fireworks, but Christmas is a tough one. Perhaps if you can make contact through this site with a few other families already here in Adelaide, you could arrange to meet up on the beach on Christmas Day (not always beach weather though, but usually ok) as otherwise it's a bit of a strange time to be on your own.

 

Obviously the Great Barrier Reef is a wonderful sight if you're heading up that way, and I'd second the Great Ocean Road recommendation.

 

When you're in Adelaide, firstly spend a day by going up to Mount Lofty - great view of the whole city and surrounds, and really helps get your bearings - then call in to Cleland Wildlife Park, lovely place to just wonder around, learn about some of the native animals, have a picnic etc...

 

Also try and get booked on a winery tour (your little one should be young enough to come along without getting too bored!) - you could do the Barossa and visit some of the iconic wineries such as Jacobs Creek, Peter Lehman, Penfolds etc, or McLaren Vale, or some of the lesser known but equally lovely places in the Adelaide Hills. If you fancy heading out of town, the Clare Valley is nice too, but more of an overnight trip to be comfortable.

 

Take a drive up the lovely scenic Gorge Road, and drop in at Cudlee Creek Wildlife Park - cuddle a koala and be pestered by the 'roos! On the way back, stop off and go for a stroll through the Torrens Linear Park.

 

Definitely head for some beaches - Glenelg is nice and probably the most developed, but also there are nice beaches from Semaphore all the way down, so you could easily do a different one every day! We like West Beach on Christmas Day (might see you there!) There are also nice beaches with kids play parks alongside, such as the Fort at (I think!) Noarlunga (or might be elsewhere!!)

 

Visit the Adelaide Central Market, and take a stroll around the City, then maybe hop on the tram to Glenelg. Head up to Port Adelaide on a Sunday for the flea market and a dolphin cruise. If you are that way inclined, hire a kayak and canoe round the area so you can get up close and personal with the dolphins. Head for Norwood and sit at a pavement cafe enjoying the sunshine and people watching.

 

I think with looking at houses, jobs, suburbs, schools and supermarkets (to get a feel for cost of living here) you'll be pretty busy, but probably the best way to break things up is just to take lots of picnics out and about with you, stop wherever you see a nice park, and remember that if you DO move here, there'll be plenty of time to go visit all the local places, and even all the other cities/states!

[Guest snowy10]

Diane,

Many thanks for taking the time to give so much information.

Lots more research for me to do!!!!

Would love to get up as far as the great barrier reef but I think with the priority being on "can we find work and live in Adelaide" and having a 2 year old it may be just a little too far. I think a Sydney trip is on the cards and will probably fly up there for a couple of days. Would be great to try and do it over the New Year for the firework display.

Like you say the priority has to be on the decision to make the move or not. If we do move there'll be plenty of time to experience everything Australia has to offer.

I've already managed to make contact with a prospective employer who is happy to meet me, just need to tie up the final details. They were actually advertising for the exact same position I am in at the moment. I work for TAG Engineering as a technical services engineer on business jets. I missed the deadline for the vacancy but they are happy to see me when we come to validate.

Trying to sort accommodation out at the moment, have enquired about one of Tykes' properties and just waiting for confirmation as other people may have requested the same dates.

Thanks again and we may see you on the beach for Xmas day......very strange celebrating Xmas on the beach!!!!

[True Blue Aussie]

Diane, as usual, has said it well.

 

Four weeks is really not an awfully long time to travel around Australia, so I would concentrate on the Adelaide area and the things you must do here to decide, then leave most of the other places until you either live here, or come back for another holiday if you decide not to emigrate. If you tried to do too many other states, it would be very exhausting, especially with a two year old.

 

Your original plan looks about right, with just a couple of visits elsewhere. If you then decide to emigrate, then you have a huge country that you can explore in a more leisurely way, a little at a time. If you try to travel too far on your first visit, then I don't think that you'll really get a feel for Adelaide.

[snifter]

Second a visit up to Mount Lofty, great view down over Adelaide and then on the way back stop off at Cleland wildlife park. A lovely wander around there, we did it with a 22 month old and it took an hour plus but plenty of spots to rest. Our son loved the wander.

 

And yeah, Glenelg, Central market, the Botanic Gardens for a wander when in the city, plus the museums nearby (for a bit of local history).

 

I also liked the Victor Harbor day out (or an overnight at a little caravan park down the road) and then do the walk round Granite Island (it is pushchair friendly if you don't mind a few slopes and uneven pathways, we took round an Obaby stroller just fine).

 

Hahndorf was a good day out also (we caught it during a festival week).

[snifter]

Some nice little play parks along the beach in Victor also. Just a case of wandering along till you find them Pic attached (last one iirc) so you can see the view our son had from the swing. The other side of the bushes is the beach btw.

 

And the other pics are from Tusmore Park in Adelaide. Its my favourite park. Has a lovely paddling pool (30 cm deep and covered) and is great for little people and parents to paddle away in. Play park also. Loos there also. Our son loved it. We spent Easter day there having a picnic with all the family.

 

O and I think I was thinking of Warrawong (spelling ?) wildlife park on the way back from Mt Lofty.

[Guest snowy10]

Some nice little play parks along the beach in Victor also. Just a case of wandering along till you find them Pic attached (last one iirc) so you can see the view our son had from the swing. The other side of the bushes is the beach btw.

 

And the other pics are from Tusmore Park in Adelaide. Its my favourite park. Has a lovely paddling pool (30 cm deep and covered) and is great for little people and parents to paddle away in. Play park also. Loos there also. Our son loved it. We spent Easter day there having a picnic with all the family.

 

O and I think I was thinking of Warrawong (spelling ?) wildlife park on the way back from Mt Lofty.

 

Our list of things to do is growing by the day!!!!1 Will need a holiday to recover from our visit!!!

I get the feeling from what I have read here and on other sites Adelaide is such a child/family orientated city. We are both aged 40 (ish!!!!) so the days of nightclubs and excitement have been replaced with our little girl. Not that we were out every night before the arrival of our daughter but you had the freedom to come and go as you please.

The main reason for thinking about the big move is for a better place for our daughter to grow up. Has anyone got any views on this? I get fed up of hearing in the papers here in the UK about sex education for 5 year olds etc etc, why can't they just let kids be kids???? I hope Adelaide offers what we are looking for.

The second reason is for the climate, I suppose the weather rarely gets in the way of what you would like to do. Even if it rains it must be "warm rain"???

Thanks again so much for everyone's opinions and advice.

[Damms]

Hi Snowy

Yes this is defiantly a better place to bring kids up. We did the move nearly 4 years ago after we visited on a LSD trip, with our then 3 year old daughter (we are of a similar age to you guys as well) and have never regretted it.

We both were very career focused back in the UK and my husband hardly ever saw our little girl. This has now changed dramatically, he sees loads of her now and we have a much better work life balance. She loves it here and goes to a great school. I do believe kids are kids here for longer, there is much less commercial pressure on them to dress or act a certain way.

Healthier lifestyle, nicer weather for more of the year so you can do loads of outdoors activities. Mind you it does get cold here and it does rain….. but dont let that get in the way of anything

Good luck with your LSD trip

Regards

Kim

[Diane]

after we visited on a LSD trip,

 

Gotta say this made me smile - I thought "an LSD trip" was something quite different!!! Probably showing my age now though!

 

Will be singing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds for the rest of the day now!

[Damms]

Gotta say this made me smile - I thought "an LSD trip" was something quite different!!! Probably showing my age now though!

 

Will be singing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds for the rest of the day now!

 

Opps didnt think of that when I was typing!!! no wonder we loved it soooooo much!!!

 

X

[True Blue Aussie]

Gotta say this made me smile - I thought "an LSD trip" was something quite different!!! Probably showing my age now though!

 

Will be singing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds for the rest of the day now!

 

 

 

So funny Diane. Now you've got me singing that Lucy song in my head as well!

 

Regarding the weather. No, the rain is not 'warm rain', as it generally rains in the winter here, as opposed to in the north when most of the rain comes in the summer.

 

There will be a few months in the winter when it is very cold, and houses are not heated to the same extent they are in the UK. Also, sometimes in summer it will be too hot, depending on your tolerance for heat. I have days when I stay at home because it's too hot to be outside. However, there are a lot of pleasant weather days in between.

[jim and adel]

I agree with many of the suggestions so far, and for more ideas it's worth visiting the SA tourism website (link below). When we were in the UK I remember sending for all the brochures and finding them really useful in helping us plan our recce.

 

http://www.southaustralia.com/

 

Jim