is wollongong a nice place to live

toshsmith

Hi all,
I have been offered a position as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Wollongong for 1 year starting in September. I am going with my partner and the university is sponsoring us on a 457 visa. i am living in Ireland at the moment

I was wondering could i get some help with
Do i need to take out health/travel insurance? I am told i need it for the visa application.
I have also read that the Irish and Australian have some agreement which allows us basic insurance while we are in OZ!!
What tax bracket will i be on? The visa is a Temporary Business (Long Stay) Subclass 457 Visa
Nice places to live in Wollongong (not student accommodation)??
Places close to the university, i am told that north Wollongong is nice???
Typical prices of bond/ rent? I will be looking for a 2+ bed house/apartment
Is their many Irish living in Wollongong?
Would i need to buy a car or is the public transport good??
Is it expensive to live e.g food, drink electricity, air con, water?
Thank you for your help!!!!!!:):)

Spear

I'm guessing this isn't the Wollongong in Ireland, and so moved from N&F.

toshsmith

Wollongong Australia

mandrake04

Funny as I am heading there now for work funny enough.

Wollongong is 80Km south of Sydney, it's a fairly large costal town and has a great beach. I recommend buying a car.

Not sure how many Irish is about but there would be a few I imagine, I think there is a poster called cormac Lynch used to live there. The is an Irish pub that I do know.

There are plenty of good houses about, it's not as expensive as Sydney but still expensive and the cost of living is expensive but if you're making around $100K you should be fine.

Have a look at the other threads on Aus & NZ about insurance on a 457 etc

cormaclynch

OP,

Wollongong is a class place to live! I spent a year there in Uni in 2002 - 2003 but went back to see the place last weekend. Its a small city and its was pretty quiet night life wise at the weekend but its a really nice setting. The beaches are brilliant and if you are going as a family I'd say you'd really enjoy it.

The Uni itself is about 5km from the centre of town and its a really great campus. Set at the foot of Mt Kiera its got a pretty impressive campus with everything basically situated there.

North Wollongong is really nice area. Walking distance to North beach and walking distance to the city etc. Regarding rent I'm not sure but a friend I know has a 2 bed apartment rented for around $350/week.

Regarding transport I'd say you could survive without a car. Cycle to the uni is pretty easy and there is busses going there also. The train to Sydney is great as well. Roughly an hour and your in central station.

If you're thinking about it I'd say do it. Wollongong is a great place to live and you're close enough to Sydney as well.

There is also an Irish Australian Welfare Bureau in Wollongong too which could be handy.

Any questions PM me and i'll do my best.

toshsmith

Cheers Cormac you have been a great help. Are you from Ireland?

I gave been in discussion with a lady in relation to renting her apartment in north Wollongong at the harbour (750 a week) bit much i think?? Do you know any good estate agents that won’t rip me off?
Ideally i am looking for a 2+ bed furnished apartment/house in a nice location

Because i am going on a Business (Long Stay) Subclass 457 Visa do you know the tax band me and my girlfriend will be in?
I am told that there is a green bus which is free that travels around Wollongong, is this true??
It says on the visa requirements that i require private health insurance, but because i am from Ireland i am told that the Irish and Australian have some health agreement that allows Irish to get free public care? Do you know much about this?

hussey

toshsmith wrote: »

Cheers Cormac you have been a great help. Are you from Ireland?

I gave been in discussion with a lady in relation to renting her apartment in north Wollongong at the harbour (750 a week) bit much i think?? Do you know any good estate agents that won’t rip me off?
Ideally i am looking for a 2+ bed furnished apartment/house in a nice location

Because i am going on a Business (Long Stay) Subclass 457 Visa do you know the tax band me and my girlfriend will be in?
I am told that there is a green bus which is free that travels around Wollongong, is this true??
It says on the visa requirements that i require private health insurance, but because i am from Ireland i am told that the Irish and Australian have some health agreement that allows Irish to get free public care? Do you know much about this?

750 is VERY high (well assuming for 1-2 bed!!)

Yes you don't need health insurance, there has been lots of threads about it - do a search on the forum about it, essentially you don't need to pay
http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/public/migrants/visitors/ireland-nz.jsp

man1

hussey wrote: »

750 is VERY high (well assuming for 1-2 bed!!)

Yes you don't need health insurance, there has been lots of threads about it - do a search on the forum about it, essentially you don't need to pay
http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/public/migrants/visitors/ireland-nz.jsp

Yeah 750 is very high for Wollongong but for furnished in that location it sounds about right!

greenline

toshsmith wrote: »

It says on the visa requirements that i require private health insurance, but because i am from Ireland i am told that the Irish and Australian have some health agreement that allows Irish to get free public care? Do you know much about this?

that is free EMERGENCY public health care!

You are covered for accidents, sudden appendicitis, etc but only as an in patient. Once you are out of hospital you have to pay for your meds, your physio etc etc. It is great to have it but no way in a million years would I rely on it by itself. It also gives you nothing for GP visits or anything elective (never worked out what the definition of emergency is but, as I say, I would not be relying on it). Also, "emergency" does not cover the ambulance. Depending on where you are when you have your accident, the ambulance alone could set you back A LOT.

Mellor

toshsmith wrote: »

Because i am going on a Business (Long Stay) Subclass 457 Visa do you know the tax band me and my girlfriend will be in?

Your tax bracket is dependant on your income, not the visa you are on.
you're not taxed anydiffernent than an australian citizen/resident

greenline wrote: »

that is free EMERGENCY public health care!

You are covered for accidents, sudden appendicitis, etc but only as an in patient. Once you are out of hospital you have to pay for your meds, your physio etc etc. It is great to have it but no way in a million years would I rely on it by itself. It also gives you nothing for GP visits or anything elective (never worked out what the definition of emergency is but, as I say, I would not be relying on it). Also, "emergency" does not cover the ambulance. Depending on where you are when you have your accident, the ambulance alone could set you back A LOT.

Emergency is anything where you need to go ER

Very little insurance packages cover elective treatments I would of thought

toshsmith

Mellor wrote: »

Your tax bracket is dependant on your income, not the visa you are on.
you're not taxed anydiffernent than an australian citizen/resident

Emergency is anything where you need to go ER

Very little insurance packages cover elective treatments I would of thought

Thanks for that, I will be earning 75000 AUD a year do you know how much tax i will pay??

hussey

toshsmith wrote: »

Thanks for that, I will be earning 75000 AUD a year do you know how much tax i will pay??

http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/content.aspx?doc=/content/12333.htm&mnu=42904&mfp=001/002

A simple google search of "Australian tax rates"

mandrake04

or just look at the post from last week

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=72966761&postcount=24

EternalCowboy

I was born in Wollongong and have lived there my whole life, I've just moved to Ireland a few weeks ago. I also did my degree at UOW.

North Wollongong is definitely your best bet in terms of where to live. It's in between the uni and Wollongong central (the mall, restaurants, nightlife etc.). My last apartment was a small 1 bedroom in North Wollongong, it was $200 a week and a couple of minutes walk to the beach. $750 a week seems way too expensive. We have friends who have really nice 2 bedroom apartments (unfurnished) for $350 per week. Note that it is rare to find an apartment that comes furnished.

If you're anywhere in Wollongong central you should be fine. Avoid Coniston and the area near the hospital. If you're looking for a quite, family friendly neighbourhood try Gwynneville or Keiraville as they are very close to the uni and rent will be cheaper than North Gong. Bond should be 4 weeks rent but this can vary. Have a look at online property listings such as http://www.realestate.com.au/rent and http://www.domain.com.au/?mode=rent, I always use them to find apartments. This is easier than contacting individual real estate agents as they all list their properties here. If you are renting an apartment, water should be included in your rent.

There's a free bus called the Gong Shuttle Bus that goes right around Wollongong, including the uni. If you are living really central then you might not need to buy a car, I've noticed that many international students don't (plus parking at the uni is impossible 'cause it's so busy). Be aware however that trains in the Sydney/Wollongong area (run by CityRail) are notorious for not being on time. With the conversion rate from Euro to AUD you will find Wollongong quite a bit cheaper than Ireland.

UOW is a great uni; I really loved it there. I've never noticed many Irish people in the area but there is an Irish pub called Dicey Riley's near the train station. The local paper is called the Illawarra Mecury if you want to get a feel of things before you come. Let me know if you have any more questions, I'd be more than happy to help!

greenline

Mellor wrote: »

Very little insurance packages cover elective treatments I would of thought

Not so. Private Health insurance covers many elective procedures, including investigative tests etc. Obviously I am not talking about a facelift here.

I am just pointing out that lots of things can go wrong medically and not be covered by the free treatment. Also, with some conditions, it is nice to be able to get quicker treatment, which is possible with private medical insurance. And, if you want to go home to continue your treatment, insurance should cover your flight and, if required, a medical attendant to travel with you. These are worst case scenarios but the last thing you need when you are seriously ill and thousands of miles away from home is to be worried about money.

I am not a seller of medical insurance, by the way, but personal sad experience has made me determined to pass this message on to anyone who will listen.