Hi everybody,
Soon I will move to Sydney with my wife. Can someone give me some
advices about the good (not the best and clearly the most expensive)
areas in Sydney for renting a house? By the way, I have considered 300
AUD/Week as my limit.
Thanks in advance for any useful info

On Oct 27, 9:36 am, kangaroo16 <kangaro...@invalid.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 04:26:29 -0000, ShZekav...@gmail.com wrote in
> <1193459189.503603.265...@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups .com> :
>
> >Hi everybody,
> >Soon I will move to Sydney with my wife. Can someone give me some
> >advices about the good (not the best and clearly the most expensive)
> >areas in Sydney for renting a house? By the way, I have considered 300
> >AUD/Week as my limit.
> >Thanks in advance for any useful info
>
> "Sydney" can refer either to the small downtown area, or to
> "Greater Sydney" which is a much larger area. Distances in NSW
> are usually calculated from the GPO [General Post Office] in the
> downtown area.
>
> I don't know the current boundaries of "Greater Sydney" offhand,
> as don't have a current map on hand, but the boundaries then were
> roughly 30 km to the south, 50 km to the west, 30 km to the
> north.
>
> "Greater Sydney" has been described as a "city of villages",
> as it contains lots of separate council areas.
>
> In the USA, when a city expands it takes over smaller towns and
> the whole city is under one local Government. Here the towns
> retain their own local council areas. This can be confusing,
> as many duplications of street names.
>
> Broadly speaking, there are "inner" and "outer" council areas.
> The inner ones are shown in outline with names athttp://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/documents/Downloads/MAP_INNERSY...
>
> The outer ones at:http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghom...ds/MAP_OUTERSY...
>
> Naturally, the closer to the central business district the higher
> the rents.
>
> If you plan to work in the CBD, you might have to go to the outer
> suburb areas to find a house for $300 a week.
>
> Driving anywhere in the inner suburbs, and sometimes even
> in the outer suburbs can be a frustrating task.
>
> Fortunately, there are pretty good public transport services, by
> bus, light rail service, or even ferry, depending on where you
> locate.
>
> Many people even live in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba and
> commute to work by rail. Katoomba is about 90 Km east of the
> CBD. Some probably come in from as far as Lithgow.
>
> So, personally, would suggest locating near a rail line until
> know where are going to work.
>
> Most drivers, even taxi drivers, usually carry a street
> directory, as it is easy to get lost unless driving a familiar
> route.
>
> Earlier today posted some information on finding temporary
> housing in greater Sydney on "rec.travel.australia+nz" group
> Subject: Re: quiet small hostel in Sydney - mission impossible?
> Sender: kangaro...@invalid.com
> Message-ID: <gut4i39ggo7ch3j9jhjg0jf5dpk98e5...@4ax.com>
>
> With some readers, can just click on the Message-ID number
> to be transferred to this message location.
>
> If not, copy it, go to Google search, click on "Advanced Search"
> and a form will open giving you a blank to search by message
> number. Paste the number here and click "search".
>
> The message has some further info on Sydney and a couple
> of map links that might be useful to you, as well as other
> readers.
>
> I was tempted to crosspost it on both groups, but since both get
> so few posts, I would think that either tourists or migrants
> would read both groups.
>
> Anyway, hope this information will be helpful to you. Best
> wishes for a good trip and a good life in Australia!
>
> I'm a Yank migrant to Australia (decades ago), and my wife and I
> can't think of any better country to live in.:-)
>
> Cheers,
> Kangaroo16

Thank you very much for very complete and useful information.

On Oct 27, 9:36 am, kangaroo16 <kangaro...@invalid.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 04:26:29 -0000, ShZekav...@gmail.com wrote in
> <1193459189.503603.265...@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups .com> :
>
> >Hi everybody,
> >Soon I will move to Sydney with my wife. Can someone give me some
> >advices about the good (not the best and clearly the most expensive)
> >areas in Sydney for renting a house? By the way, I have considered 300
> >AUD/Week as my limit.
> >Thanks in advance for any useful info
>
> "Sydney" can refer either to the small downtown area, or to
> "Greater Sydney" which is a much larger area. Distances in NSW
> are usually calculated from the GPO [General Post Office] in the
> downtown area.
>
> I don't know the current boundaries of "Greater Sydney" offhand,
> as don't have a current map on hand, but the boundaries then were
> roughly 30 km to the south, 50 km to the west, 30 km to the
> north.
>
> "Greater Sydney" has been described as a "city of villages",
> as it contains lots of separate council areas.
>
> In the USA, when a city expands it takes over smaller towns and
> the whole city is under one local Government. Here the towns
> retain their own local council areas. This can be confusing,
> as many duplications of street names.
>
> Broadly speaking, there are "inner" and "outer" council areas.
> The inner ones are shown in outline with names athttp://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/documents/Downloads/MAP_INNERSY...
>
> The outer ones at:http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghom...ds/MAP_OUTERSY...
>
> Naturally, the closer to the central business district the higher
> the rents.
>
> If you plan to work in the CBD, you might have to go to the outer
> suburb areas to find a house for $300 a week.
>
> Driving anywhere in the inner suburbs, and sometimes even
> in the outer suburbs can be a frustrating task.
>
> Fortunately, there are pretty good public transport services, by
> bus, light rail service, or even ferry, depending on where you
> locate.
>
> Many people even live in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba and
> commute to work by rail. Katoomba is about 90 Km east of the
> CBD. Some probably come in from as far as Lithgow.
>
> So, personally, would suggest locating near a rail line until
> know where are going to work.
>
> Most drivers, even taxi drivers, usually carry a street
> directory, as it is easy to get lost unless driving a familiar
> route.
>
> Earlier today posted some information on finding temporary
> housing in greater Sydney on "rec.travel.australia+nz" group
> Subject: Re: quiet small hostel in Sydney - mission impossible?
> Sender: kangaro...@invalid.com
> Message-ID: <gut4i39ggo7ch3j9jhjg0jf5dpk98e5...@4ax.com>
>
> With some readers, can just click on the Message-ID number
> to be transferred to this message location.
>
> If not, copy it, go to Google search, click on "Advanced Search"
> and a form will open giving you a blank to search by message
> number. Paste the number here and click "search".
>
> The message has some further info on Sydney and a couple
> of map links that might be useful to you, as well as other
> readers.
>
> I was tempted to crosspost it on both groups, but since both get
> so few posts, I would think that either tourists or migrants
> would read both groups.
>
> Anyway, hope this information will be helpful to you. Best
> wishes for a good trip and a good life in Australia!
>
> I'm a Yank migrant to Australia (decades ago), and my wife and I
> can't think of any better country to live in.:-)
>
> Cheers,
> Kangaroo16

Thank you very much for very complete and useful information.

On Oct 27, 11:59 am, kangaroo16 <kangaroo16@invalid.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 08:07:51 -0000, ShZekavati@gmail.com wrote in
> <1193472471.721113.88720@z9g2000hsf.googlegroups.c om> :
>
>
>
>
>
> >On Oct 27, 9:36 am, kangaroo16 <kangaro...@invalid.com> wrote:
> >> On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 04:26:29 -0000, ShZekav...@gmail.com wrote in
> >> <1193459189.503603.265...@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups .com> :
>
> >> >Hi everybody,
> >> >Soon I will move to Sydney with my wife. Can someone give me some
> >> >advices about the good (not the best and clearly the most expensive)
> >> >areas in Sydney for renting a house? By the way, I have considered 300
> >> >AUD/Week as my limit.
> >> >Thanks in advance for any useful info
>
> >> "Sydney" can refer either to the small downtown area, or to
> >> "Greater Sydney" which is a much larger area. Distances in NSW
> >> are usually calculated from the GPO [General Post Office] in the
> >> downtown area.
>
> >> I don't know the current boundaries of "Greater Sydney" offhand,
> >> as don't have a current map on hand, but the boundaries then were
> >> roughly 30 km to the south, 50 km to the west, 30 km to the
> >> north.
>
> >> "Greater Sydney" has been described as a "city of villages",
> >> as it contains lots of separate council areas.
>
> >> In the USA, when a city expands it takes over smaller towns and
> >> the whole city is under one local Government. Here the towns
> >> retain their own local council areas. This can be confusing,
> >> as many duplications of street names.
>
> >> Broadly speaking, there are "inner" and "outer" council areas.
> >> The inner ones are shown in outline with names athttp://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/documents/Downloads/MAP_INNERSY...
>
> >> The outer ones at:http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghom...ds/MAP_OUTERSY...
>
> >> Naturally, the closer to the central business district the higher
> >> the rents.
>
> >> If you plan to work in the CBD, you might have to go to the outer
> >> suburb areas to find a house for $300 a week.
>
> >> Driving anywhere in the inner suburbs, and sometimes even
> >> in the outer suburbs can be a frustrating task.
>
> >> Fortunately, there are pretty good public transport services, by
> >> bus, light rail service, or even ferry, depending on where you
> >> locate.
>
> >> Many people even live in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba and
> >> commute to work by rail. Katoomba is about 90 Km east of the
> >> CBD. Some probably come in from as far as Lithgow.
>
> >> So, personally, would suggest locating near a rail line until
> >> know where are going to work.
>
> >> Most drivers, even taxi drivers, usually carry a street
> >> directory, as it is easy to get lost unless driving a familiar
> >> route.
>
> >> Earlier today posted some information on finding temporary
> >> housing in greater Sydney on "rec.travel.australia+nz" group
> >> Subject: Re: quiet small hostel in Sydney - mission impossible?
> >> Sender: kangaro...@invalid.com
> >> Message-ID: <gut4i39ggo7ch3j9jhjg0jf5dpk98e5...@4ax.com>
>
> >> With some readers, can just click on the Message-ID number
> >> to be transferred to this message location.
>
> >> If not, copy it, go to Google search, click on "Advanced Search"
> >> and a form will open giving you a blank to search by message
> >> number. Paste the number here and click "search".
>
> >> The message has some further info on Sydney and a couple
> >> of map links that might be useful to you, as well as other
> >> readers.
>
> >> I was tempted to crosspost it on both groups, but since both get
> >> so few posts, I would think that either tourists or migrants
> >> would read both groups.
>
> >> Anyway, hope this information will be helpful to you. Best
> >> wishes for a good trip and a good life in Australia!
>
> >> I'm a Yank migrant to Australia (decades ago), and my wife and I
> >> can't think of any better country to live in.:-)
>
> >> Cheers,
> >> Kangaroo16
>
> >Thank you very much for very complete and useful information.
>
> You are welcome! Always happy to encourage immigrants. You
> might get more replies from the USA in a few hours. When on
> standard time, Sydney is 10 hours ahead of GMT and the
> continental
> USA is 5 to 8 hours behind GMT.
>
> Am sure you will enjoy Australia, as it is much less crowded
> than the rest of the world, and most Australians like
> immigrants. At least 30% of the population are immigrants, or
> children of same.
>
> Cheers,
> Kangaroo16- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Dear Kangaroo16,
I read what you wrote about using http://www.street-directory.com.au
web site and I enjoyed so much. It seems that evidently I will be
confused for beginning days in Sydney. Now I need your consultancy for
getting a room in a hotel/hostel before renting a house/apartment.
Where do you recommend? I am a software engineer and clearly my work
place can not be so far from CBD and I will try to find a house after
settling down.
I know I am asking so much but any guidelines will be appreciated
deeply.

On Oct 27, 11:59 am, kangaroo16 <kangaroo16@invalid.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 08:07:51 -0000, ShZekavati@gmail.com wrote in
> <1193472471.721113.88720@z9g2000hsf.googlegroups.c om> :
>
>
>
>
>
> >On Oct 27, 9:36 am, kangaroo16 <kangaro...@invalid.com> wrote:
> >> On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 04:26:29 -0000, ShZekav...@gmail.com wrote in
> >> <1193459189.503603.265...@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups .com> :
>
> >> >Hi everybody,
> >> >Soon I will move to Sydney with my wife. Can someone give me some
> >> >advices about the good (not the best and clearly the most expensive)
> >> >areas in Sydney for renting a house? By the way, I have considered 300
> >> >AUD/Week as my limit.
> >> >Thanks in advance for any useful info
>
> >> "Sydney" can refer either to the small downtown area, or to
> >> "Greater Sydney" which is a much larger area. Distances in NSW
> >> are usually calculated from the GPO [General Post Office] in the
> >> downtown area.
>
> >> I don't know the current boundaries of "Greater Sydney" offhand,
> >> as don't have a current map on hand, but the boundaries then were
> >> roughly 30 km to the south, 50 km to the west, 30 km to the
> >> north.
>
> >> "Greater Sydney" has been described as a "city of villages",
> >> as it contains lots of separate council areas.
>
> >> In the USA, when a city expands it takes over smaller towns and
> >> the whole city is under one local Government. Here the towns
> >> retain their own local council areas. This can be confusing,
> >> as many duplications of street names.
>
> >> Broadly speaking, there are "inner" and "outer" council areas.
> >> The inner ones are shown in outline with names athttp://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/documents/Downloads/MAP_INNERSY...
>
> >> The outer ones at:http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghom...ds/MAP_OUTERSY...
>
> >> Naturally, the closer to the central business district the higher
> >> the rents.
>
> >> If you plan to work in the CBD, you might have to go to the outer
> >> suburb areas to find a house for $300 a week.
>
> >> Driving anywhere in the inner suburbs, and sometimes even
> >> in the outer suburbs can be a frustrating task.
>
> >> Fortunately, there are pretty good public transport services, by
> >> bus, light rail service, or even ferry, depending on where you
> >> locate.
>
> >> Many people even live in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba and
> >> commute to work by rail. Katoomba is about 90 Km east of the
> >> CBD. Some probably come in from as far as Lithgow.
>
> >> So, personally, would suggest locating near a rail line until
> >> know where are going to work.
>
> >> Most drivers, even taxi drivers, usually carry a street
> >> directory, as it is easy to get lost unless driving a familiar
> >> route.
>
> >> Earlier today posted some information on finding temporary
> >> housing in greater Sydney on "rec.travel.australia+nz" group
> >> Subject: Re: quiet small hostel in Sydney - mission impossible?
> >> Sender: kangaro...@invalid.com
> >> Message-ID: <gut4i39ggo7ch3j9jhjg0jf5dpk98e5...@4ax.com>
>
> >> With some readers, can just click on the Message-ID number
> >> to be transferred to this message location.
>
> >> If not, copy it, go to Google search, click on "Advanced Search"
> >> and a form will open giving you a blank to search by message
> >> number. Paste the number here and click "search".
>
> >> The message has some further info on Sydney and a couple
> >> of map links that might be useful to you, as well as other
> >> readers.
>
> >> I was tempted to crosspost it on both groups, but since both get
> >> so few posts, I would think that either tourists or migrants
> >> would read both groups.
>
> >> Anyway, hope this information will be helpful to you. Best
> >> wishes for a good trip and a good life in Australia!
>
> >> I'm a Yank migrant to Australia (decades ago), and my wife and I
> >> can't think of any better country to live in.:-)
>
> >> Cheers,
> >> Kangaroo16
>
> >Thank you very much for very complete and useful information.
>
> You are welcome! Always happy to encourage immigrants. You
> might get more replies from the USA in a few hours. When on
> standard time, Sydney is 10 hours ahead of GMT and the
> continental
> USA is 5 to 8 hours behind GMT.
>
> Am sure you will enjoy Australia, as it is much less crowded
> than the rest of the world, and most Australians like
> immigrants. At least 30% of the population are immigrants, or
> children of same.
>
> Cheers,
> Kangaroo16- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Dear Kangaroo16,
I read what you wrote about using http://www.street-directory.com.au
web site and I enjoyed so much. It seems that evidently I will be
confused for beginning days in Sydney. Now I need your consultancy for
getting a room in a hotel/hostel before renting a house/apartment.
Where do you recommend? I am a software engineer and clearly my work
place can not be so far from CBD and I will try to find a house after
settling down.
I know I am asking so much but any guidelines will be appreciated
deeply.

On Oct 28, 5:50 am, kangaroo16 <kangaro...@invalid.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:27:28 -0000, ShZekav...@gmail.com wrote in
> <1193509648.086002.296...@57g2000hsv.googlegroups. com> :
>
> >On Oct 27, 11:59 am, kangaroo16 <kangaro...@invalid.com> wrote:
> >> On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 08:07:51 -0000, ShZekav...@gmail.com wrote in
> >> <1193472471.721113.88...@z9g2000hsf.googlegroups.c om> :
>
> >> >On Oct 27, 9:36 am, kangaroo16 <kangaro...@invalid.com> wrote:
> >> >> On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 04:26:29 -0000, ShZekav...@gmail.com wrote in
> >> >> <1193459189.503603.265...@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups .com> :
>
> >> >> >Hi everybody,
> >> >> >Soon I will move to Sydney with my wife. Can someone give me some
> >> >> >advices about the good (not the best and clearly the most expensive)
> >> >> >areas in Sydney for renting a house? By the way, I have considered 300
> >> >> >AUD/Week as my limit.
> >> >> >Thanks in advance for any useful info
>
> >> >> "Sydney" can refer either to the small downtown area, or to
> >> >> "Greater Sydney" which is a much larger area. Distances in NSW
> >> >> are usually calculated from the GPO [General Post Office] in the
> >> >> downtown area.
>
> >> >> I don't know the current boundaries of "Greater Sydney" offhand,
> >> >> as don't have a current map on hand, but the boundaries then were
> >> >> roughly 30 km to the south, 50 km to the west, 30 km to the
> >> >> north.
>
> >> >> "Greater Sydney" has been described as a "city of villages",
> >> >> as it contains lots of separate council areas.
>
> >> >> In the USA, when a city expands it takes over smaller towns and
> >> >> the whole city is under one local Government. Here the towns
> >> >> retain their own local council areas. This can be confusing,
> >> >> as many duplications of street names.
>
> >> >> Broadly speaking, there are "inner" and "outer" council areas.
> >> >> The inner ones are shown in outline with names athttp://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/documents/Downloads/MAP_INNERSY...
>
> >> >> The outer ones at:http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghom...ds/MAP_OUTERSY...
>
> >> >> Naturally, the closer to the central business district the higher
> >> >> the rents.
>
> >> >> If you plan to work in the CBD, you might have to go to the outer
> >> >> suburb areas to find a house for $300 a week.
>
> >> >> Driving anywhere in the inner suburbs, and sometimes even
> >> >> in the outer suburbs can be a frustrating task.
>
> >> >> Fortunately, there are pretty good public transport services, by
> >> >> bus, light rail service, or even ferry, depending on where you
> >> >> locate.
>
> >> >> Many people even live in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba and
> >> >> commute to work by rail. Katoomba is about 90 Km east of the
> >> >> CBD. Some probably come in from as far as Lithgow.
>
> >> >> So, personally, would suggest locating near a rail line until
> >> >> know where are going to work.
>
> >> >> Most drivers, even taxi drivers, usually carry a street
> >> >> directory, as it is easy to get lost unless driving a familiar
> >> >> route.
>
> >> >> Earlier today posted some information on finding temporary
> >> >> housing in greater Sydney on "rec.travel.australia+nz" group
> >> >> Subject: Re: quiet small hostel in Sydney - mission impossible?
> >> >> Sender: kangaro...@invalid.com
> >> >> Message-ID: <gut4i39ggo7ch3j9jhjg0jf5dpk98e5...@4ax.com>
>
> >> >> With some readers, can just click on the Message-ID number
> >> >> to be transferred to this message location.
>
> >> >> If not, copy it, go to Google search, click on "Advanced Search"
> >> >> and a form will open giving you a blank to search by message
> >> >> number. Paste the number here and click "search".
>
> >> >> The message has some further info on Sydney and a couple
> >> >> of map links that might be useful to you, as well as other
> >> >> readers.
>
> >> >> I was tempted to crosspost it on both groups, but since both get
> >> >> so few posts, I would think that either tourists or migrants
> >> >> would read both groups.
>
> >> >> Anyway, hope this information will be helpful to you. Best
> >> >> wishes for a good trip and a good life in Australia!
>
> >> >> I'm a Yank migrant to Australia (decades ago), and my wife and I
> >> >> can't think of any better country to live in.:-)
>
> >> >> Cheers,
> >> >> Kangaroo16
>
> >> >Thank you very much for very complete and useful information.
>
> >> You are welcome! Always happy to encourage immigrants. You
> >> might get more replies from the USA in a few hours. When on
> >> standard time, Sydney is 10 hours ahead of GMT and the
> >> continental
> >> USA is 5 to 8 hours behind GMT.
>
> >> Am sure you will enjoy Australia, as it is much less crowded
> >> than the rest of the world, and most Australians like
> >> immigrants. At least 30% of the population are immigrants, or
> >> children of same.
>
> >> Cheers,
> >> Kangaroo16- Hide quoted text -
>
> >> - Show quoted text -
>
> >Dear Kangaroo16,
> >I read what you wrote about usinghttp://www.street-directory.com.au
> >web site and I enjoyed so much.
>
> Actually, so did I! Perhaps we, and others owe a debt to
> helen_ger...@hotmail.com who asked the question about
> Sydney accommodation on rec.travel.australia+nz. I didn't
> discover this highly useful site until I was searching for
> information for her. :-)
>
> Not that it involved much of a search, actually. There is
> so much information available that most of us will never
> see more than a tiny fraction of it. One problem is to separate
> the wheat from the chaff, as there is a lot of misinformation on
> the web. Some of it deliberate, some accidental.
>
> Another problem is that of different names for the same product.
> For example, if a Yank is searching for "gasoline" motor fuel, he
> may not know that it is more commonly called "petrol" or "benzin"
> (not "benzene"!) in other countries. As mentioned in an earlier
> post, if a tourist or migrant asks where he can get "gasoline"
> or "gas" for his car here, most people wouldn't know what he
> was after. Were he to ask if he can get "gas" for his car in a
> particular town, they would probably think he was referring to
> propane gas.
>
> A Google search for "gasoline" yields 29,400,000 returns,
> "petrol" gives 32,300,000 returns, "benzin" yields
> 14,900,000 returns [many having nothing to do with
> motor fuel], and "gas" gives 267,000,000 returns. :-)
>
> Admittedly, there are probably better examples. "windshield" =
> 12,100,000 returns, " "windscreen" = 4,320,000 returns. Now
> no one is going to search them all, and some readers will
> wonder why it matters which word is used. Especially on
> an immigration or travel group.
>
> Suppose an American migrant has the windshield in his
> vehicle shattered by a rock? How will he go if he asks
> people where he can get his "windshield" repaired? Probably not
> well, as the term would be meaningless to many people here.
>
> A visitor to the USA might have some water in his vehicle fuel
> tank. How far will he get if he asks directions to the nearest
> "chemists shop" rather than "pharmacy"? Not very far!
>
> Once there, he will probably ask for "methylated spirit" when
> he should call it "denatured alcohol".
>
> Or go from one country to another and ask for a familiar
> over the counter remedy, as different trade names
> are used in different countries for the same product. The
> same applies to many prescription drugs, incidentally.
>
> Getting back to Internet searches, though, words are
> often misspelled, which complicates searches.
>
> I mentioned that the average motorist here needs a street
> directory to find an unfamiliar location. Not only does
> the same street name often occur in widely separated
> suburbs, but the numbering system is quite different.
>
> In the USA, cities usually have division points for streets with
> names, usually alphabetical, and sequentially numbered
> avenues.
>
> So if I were traveling in a hypothetical U.S. city, I wouldn't
> usually require a street map. If a corner street sign read
> "Cat street" & "23rd Avenue" I would know I was three
> blocks on one side of a division point and 23 blocks from
> the other.
>
> When house numbers are assigned in the USA the house
> number is determined by measuring from the intersection and
> assigning a number from a reference table. If I am looking for
> 2351 Cat street and see that am passing 2352 Cat street, I know
> that the houses are going to be opposite each other.
>
> Not the case in Greater Sydney, though. Street names are
> not necessarily alphabetical, nor avenues, if called that,
> numerical. As the city grew, each council area did their
> own naming and numbering.
>
> If there was a "Cat street" the number across from "2352" might
> be "6421"!
>
> Parramatta road is the main road west out of the city, but
> passes through several suburbs on the way. Do corner
> intersection signs indicate the driver is on Parramatta Rd?
> ...Not usually, he is supposed to know that. Often only the
> names of the cross streets are shown.
>
> Looking for, say 561 Parramatta Rd? There may well be
> several of them, depending on which suburb the driver is
> passing through. Is there any indication when passing
> between suburbs? Often not.
>
> Anyway, you and other readers will hopefully now see
> the need of a street directory if venturing off main roads
> or streets. It would be interesting to know how often
> a Sydney driver has been lost, even if he had lived there
> for many years.:-)
>
> Getting around by public transport is often much easier,
> especially for a newcomer. Actually, getting around
> Sydney is less difficult than getting around Los Angeles,
> California. There a car is almost a necessity, or at
> least it was last time I was there decades ago. There was no
> light rail system, buses might run every hour or so at best.
>
> The older inner suburbs of Sydney were built before the
> harbour bridge was built, and there is now a tunnel under the
> harbour as well.
>
> I wasn't married when first flew into Sydney, knew nothing
> about local accommodation, got a tiny room in the Y.M.C.A. After
> a couple of days, discovered that all pubs in Sydney had to
> have a minimum of 10 rooms available as a requirement for
> their license. At the time, central Sydney probably had 3 or
> 4 pubs per city block.
>
> Actually, most didn't really care if the rooms were rented or
> not, so by the third day here had a big room in a pub at a cost
> of about 2 pounds 10 shillings a week. [ This was before
> the decimal changeover on 14 Feb 1966.]
>
> Due to my science background, was pretty familiar
> with the metric system, so had less trouble adapting
> than many Australians.
>
> At first stayed on the south side of the harbour as
> working in the city at the time. Later I discovered that
> living on the north side was more convenient. Shared
> a large house with some other blokes, took a ferry from the
> local dock to Circular Quay in Sydney each day, walked from
> there.
>
> Sydney University and University of New South Wales both
> have a large number of overseas students looking for
> accommodation.
>
> If one doesn't mind shared accommodation, it has a few
> advantages.
>
> I don't know how feasible it is these days, but one thing
> you might look into is renting a large older house and taking
> in university students as tenants. With your qualifications, I
> wouldn't think you would have any problem getting students
> studying computer engineering, etc.
>
> With a bit of luck and proper charges for rent, you might be able
> to charge your housemates enough to cover the rent for the
> entire place, allowing you and your wife to live rent free.
>
> Google search program allows me to specify a general web search
> or an Australian web search. I specified the latter and searched
> for the string
> student accommodation sydney
> with about 537,000 returns.
>
> Both the universities have services trying to find housing
> for students, so a quick look at this could be useful.
>
> For a start, perhaps:
>
> The University of Sydney. Accommodation Service ... Services for
> students, The University of Sydney Authorised by: Office of the
> Director Student Services. ...www.usyd.edu.au/stuserv/accommodation/- 16k
>
> Trying to eliminate some of the commercial agencies, I
> tried using the string
> .edu sydney universities services student accommodation
> but still got about 395,000 returns. :-)
>
> Obviously an advanced Google search would be better,
> but you would know which terms to use better than I would.
>
> Possibly not worth looking into this possibility until you get
> here, in which case it is probably easier just to phone the
> student housing offices at the various universities and
> technical colleges and discussing the possibilities with someone
> there. :-)
>
> > It seems that evidently I will be confused for beginning days in Sydney.
>
> All immigrants, including myself, have gone through such a
> period. Australia and the USA seemed superficially alike, but
> there was still a hell of a lot to learn about the subtle and not
> so subtle differences! I've been here for decades, but
> still have an accent which would identify me as an American or
> Canadian.:-)
>
> An old slide rule related joke came to mind earlier. Someone
> asks a group of students what 2 x 2 equaled. An engineering
> student whipped out his slip stick, then replied "approximately
> 4". A student of statistics replied "4, with a confidence
> factor of .99999999". A mathematics major replied
> "Precisely 2.000000" A student accountant replied "It
> depends: Do you want to show a profit or a loss?"
>
> Cheers,
> Kangaroo16
>
> > Now I need your consultancy for getting a room in a hotel/hostel before
> > renting a house/apartment.
> >Where do you recommend? I am a software engineer and clearly my work
> >place can not be so far from CBD and I will try to find a house after
> >settling down.
>
> Are you looking for somewhere just for yourself initially, or
> somewhere where you and your wife can stay together rather
> than separately? Although this probably won't matter all that
> much.
>
> When I left the U.S., landlords were very fussy about renting
> a flat to a man and woman unless they could produce a marriage
> certificate. Australia is considerably less fussy, and usually
> don't care if the couple are married or not. Probably the
> only exception would be the YMCA & YWCA.:-)
>
> I agree that it might be much easier to seek accommodation by
> the day, week, or month, at least at first, until you have
> a look at the current situation here. The main reason for
> recommending this is that if try to rent a house initially, some
> landlords, rental agencies, etc. might want you to sign a lease
> for six months or a year.
>
> This would be O.K. if you had a job lined up, but if you don't it
> could be inconvenient. There is no assurance that the job you
> get will be in the C.B.D., as some businesses and government
> dept's aren't necessarily in the C.B.D.
>
> Consider that if you are tied down for a year or even six months
> to someplace near the C.B.D. you may get an ideal job 20 or
> 30 km away (or more) in one of the inner or outer suburbs, or
> even in a place outside of the Greater Sydney area. Public
> transport may not be the best alternative.
>
> Do you have a valid drivers license where you are now? The
> situation used to be that a licensed overseas migrant could
> simply show his or her valid home country license and get
> N.S.W. license [private car] without any further
> testing. If have to get a license in Australia, would have to
> go through two years on a provisional license, which has more
> restrictions.
>
> For a start, explore:http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/newtonsw/index.html
>
> U.S. readers probably wonder why am even asking if you have a
> license. In the US, almost everyone gets a drivers license as
> soon as they are old enough to qualify for one. It suprised me
> when I came here to find out that many adult Australians had
> never had one. [Cars were more expensive then, and plenty of
> people preferred to use public transport anyway. ]
>
> As you know, Australia is desperately seeking skilled migrants
> in many areas. How much checking have you done on the net
> for possible positions here?
>
> Am looking at the "Career one" section of the Weekend Australian
> October 27-28, 2007. See:http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...8871-5010800,0...
>
> This site may be of interest:http://www.careerone.com.au/jobs/job...h/get-that-job
>
> For computer and IT jobs in Sydney:
>
> http://cracker.com.au/sydney/jobs/co...cations/search...
>
> Just to give you an idea of what might suit. I found it when
> specified Australian sites & Googled with the string
>
> computer engineer ads sydney
>
> about 619,900 returns to this.
>
> This article from a few weeks ago might be of interesthttp://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22514689-15306,00.html
>
> >I know I am asking so much but any guidelines will be appreciated
> >deeply.
>
> Hopefully, some of the above info may be useful. Elections due
> here soon, plenty of info on coming election at any Australian
> news source such as:
>
> http://www.abc.com.auhttp://www.thea.../election2007/
>
> Sorry I can't be of more specific help on recommending specific
> accommodation, and certainly know nothing about various
> job opportunities in computing, as not my field. Am but
> a humble user. My programming experience is limited to
> simple "Basic", and I often encounter computer languages
> that I've never even heard of.
>
> When I was an undergraduate in the dim dark past there
> weren't many about. The common ones were "Basic",
> "COBAL" & "FORTRAN".
>
> Computers and the net were a bit futuristic. Pocket calculators
> were just becoming available, and weren't cheap. Students still
> used slide rules. You could always tell engineering students by
> the "slip stick" they wore on a leather pouch on their belt.
>
> I don't remember the year when the first desktop electronic
> calculator was imported by one of the universities. It was
> considered almost magical at the time, according to what have
> read in an old electronics magazine. Mains operated, vacuum
> tube technology. From memory, had a neon display, cost the
> university around 1000 pounds, but could be wrong on this. If
> correct, say about US$2,400 then.
>
> Only 4 function, of course. Add, subtract, multiply, divide.
> .... cost of a cheap pocket calculator today, if can find one
> with such basic functions, probably around A$ 3 :-)
>
> Today, can buy a reasonably full function scientific calculator
> for less than A$35 or so.
>
> Does this mean the average citizen of any advanced country
> would benefit from all this wizardry? If a contestants on
> a T.V. quiz program were handed such a calculator, I wonder
> how many would even be able to correctly identify all the
> functions of the buttons on the keypad, let alone use it to
> solve a simple practical maths problem?
>
> Oh well, enough for now. Feel free to ask any questions
> on this group relating to immigration or even travel to
> Australia.

Thanks for your great answers.
Now let me focus on financial stuff. It is clear that I should have a
program for myself for the next months in Sydney before finding a job
there, so my question is how much I should consider as our expense per
month for a normal life (I can understand that your answer can not be
accurate but any estimation can help so much).

On Oct 28, 5:50 am, kangaroo16 <kangaro...@invalid.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:27:28 -0000, ShZekav...@gmail.com wrote in
> <1193509648.086002.296...@57g2000hsv.googlegroups. com> :
>
> >On Oct 27, 11:59 am, kangaroo16 <kangaro...@invalid.com> wrote:
> >> On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 08:07:51 -0000, ShZekav...@gmail.com wrote in
> >> <1193472471.721113.88...@z9g2000hsf.googlegroups.c om> :
>
> >> >On Oct 27, 9:36 am, kangaroo16 <kangaro...@invalid.com> wrote:
> >> >> On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 04:26:29 -0000, ShZekav...@gmail.com wrote in
> >> >> <1193459189.503603.265...@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups .com> :
>
> >> >> >Hi everybody,
> >> >> >Soon I will move to Sydney with my wife. Can someone give me some
> >> >> >advices about the good (not the best and clearly the most expensive)
> >> >> >areas in Sydney for renting a house? By the way, I have considered 300
> >> >> >AUD/Week as my limit.
> >> >> >Thanks in advance for any useful info
>
> >> >> "Sydney" can refer either to the small downtown area, or to
> >> >> "Greater Sydney" which is a much larger area. Distances in NSW
> >> >> are usually calculated from the GPO [General Post Office] in the
> >> >> downtown area.
>
> >> >> I don't know the current boundaries of "Greater Sydney" offhand,
> >> >> as don't have a current map on hand, but the boundaries then were
> >> >> roughly 30 km to the south, 50 km to the west, 30 km to the
> >> >> north.
>
> >> >> "Greater Sydney" has been described as a "city of villages",
> >> >> as it contains lots of separate council areas.
>
> >> >> In the USA, when a city expands it takes over smaller towns and
> >> >> the whole city is under one local Government. Here the towns
> >> >> retain their own local council areas. This can be confusing,
> >> >> as many duplications of street names.
>
> >> >> Broadly speaking, there are "inner" and "outer" council areas.
> >> >> The inner ones are shown in outline with names athttp://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/documents/Downloads/MAP_INNERSY...
>
> >> >> The outer ones at:http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghom...ds/MAP_OUTERSY...
>
> >> >> Naturally, the closer to the central business district the higher
> >> >> the rents.
>
> >> >> If you plan to work in the CBD, you might have to go to the outer
> >> >> suburb areas to find a house for $300 a week.
>
> >> >> Driving anywhere in the inner suburbs, and sometimes even
> >> >> in the outer suburbs can be a frustrating task.
>
> >> >> Fortunately, there are pretty good public transport services, by
> >> >> bus, light rail service, or even ferry, depending on where you
> >> >> locate.
>
> >> >> Many people even live in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba and
> >> >> commute to work by rail. Katoomba is about 90 Km east of the
> >> >> CBD. Some probably come in from as far as Lithgow.
>
> >> >> So, personally, would suggest locating near a rail line until
> >> >> know where are going to work.
>
> >> >> Most drivers, even taxi drivers, usually carry a street
> >> >> directory, as it is easy to get lost unless driving a familiar
> >> >> route.
>
> >> >> Earlier today posted some information on finding temporary
> >> >> housing in greater Sydney on "rec.travel.australia+nz" group
> >> >> Subject: Re: quiet small hostel in Sydney - mission impossible?
> >> >> Sender: kangaro...@invalid.com
> >> >> Message-ID: <gut4i39ggo7ch3j9jhjg0jf5dpk98e5...@4ax.com>
>
> >> >> With some readers, can just click on the Message-ID number
> >> >> to be transferred to this message location.
>
> >> >> If not, copy it, go to Google search, click on "Advanced Search"
> >> >> and a form will open giving you a blank to search by message
> >> >> number. Paste the number here and click "search".
>
> >> >> The message has some further info on Sydney and a couple
> >> >> of map links that might be useful to you, as well as other
> >> >> readers.
>
> >> >> I was tempted to crosspost it on both groups, but since both get
> >> >> so few posts, I would think that either tourists or migrants
> >> >> would read both groups.
>
> >> >> Anyway, hope this information will be helpful to you. Best
> >> >> wishes for a good trip and a good life in Australia!
>
> >> >> I'm a Yank migrant to Australia (decades ago), and my wife and I
> >> >> can't think of any better country to live in.:-)
>
> >> >> Cheers,
> >> >> Kangaroo16
>
> >> >Thank you very much for very complete and useful information.
>
> >> You are welcome! Always happy to encourage immigrants. You
> >> might get more replies from the USA in a few hours. When on
> >> standard time, Sydney is 10 hours ahead of GMT and the
> >> continental
> >> USA is 5 to 8 hours behind GMT.
>
> >> Am sure you will enjoy Australia, as it is much less crowded
> >> than the rest of the world, and most Australians like
> >> immigrants. At least 30% of the population are immigrants, or
> >> children of same.
>
> >> Cheers,
> >> Kangaroo16- Hide quoted text -
>
> >> - Show quoted text -
>
> >Dear Kangaroo16,
> >I read what you wrote about usinghttp://www.street-directory.com.au
> >web site and I enjoyed so much.
>
> Actually, so did I! Perhaps we, and others owe a debt to
> helen_ger...@hotmail.com who asked the question about
> Sydney accommodation on rec.travel.australia+nz. I didn't
> discover this highly useful site until I was searching for
> information for her. :-)
>
> Not that it involved much of a search, actually. There is
> so much information available that most of us will never
> see more than a tiny fraction of it. One problem is to separate
> the wheat from the chaff, as there is a lot of misinformation on
> the web. Some of it deliberate, some accidental.
>
> Another problem is that of different names for the same product.
> For example, if a Yank is searching for "gasoline" motor fuel, he
> may not know that it is more commonly called "petrol" or "benzin"
> (not "benzene"!) in other countries. As mentioned in an earlier
> post, if a tourist or migrant asks where he can get "gasoline"
> or "gas" for his car here, most people wouldn't know what he
> was after. Were he to ask if he can get "gas" for his car in a
> particular town, they would probably think he was referring to
> propane gas.
>
> A Google search for "gasoline" yields 29,400,000 returns,
> "petrol" gives 32,300,000 returns, "benzin" yields
> 14,900,000 returns [many having nothing to do with
> motor fuel], and "gas" gives 267,000,000 returns. :-)
>
> Admittedly, there are probably better examples. "windshield" =
> 12,100,000 returns, " "windscreen" = 4,320,000 returns. Now
> no one is going to search them all, and some readers will
> wonder why it matters which word is used. Especially on
> an immigration or travel group.
>
> Suppose an American migrant has the windshield in his
> vehicle shattered by a rock? How will he go if he asks
> people where he can get his "windshield" repaired? Probably not
> well, as the term would be meaningless to many people here.
>
> A visitor to the USA might have some water in his vehicle fuel
> tank. How far will he get if he asks directions to the nearest
> "chemists shop" rather than "pharmacy"? Not very far!
>
> Once there, he will probably ask for "methylated spirit" when
> he should call it "denatured alcohol".
>
> Or go from one country to another and ask for a familiar
> over the counter remedy, as different trade names
> are used in different countries for the same product. The
> same applies to many prescription drugs, incidentally.
>
> Getting back to Internet searches, though, words are
> often misspelled, which complicates searches.
>
> I mentioned that the average motorist here needs a street
> directory to find an unfamiliar location. Not only does
> the same street name often occur in widely separated
> suburbs, but the numbering system is quite different.
>
> In the USA, cities usually have division points for streets with
> names, usually alphabetical, and sequentially numbered
> avenues.
>
> So if I were traveling in a hypothetical U.S. city, I wouldn't
> usually require a street map. If a corner street sign read
> "Cat street" & "23rd Avenue" I would know I was three
> blocks on one side of a division point and 23 blocks from
> the other.
>
> When house numbers are assigned in the USA the house
> number is determined by measuring from the intersection and
> assigning a number from a reference table. If I am looking for
> 2351 Cat street and see that am passing 2352 Cat street, I know
> that the houses are going to be opposite each other.
>
> Not the case in Greater Sydney, though. Street names are
> not necessarily alphabetical, nor avenues, if called that,
> numerical. As the city grew, each council area did their
> own naming and numbering.
>
> If there was a "Cat street" the number across from "2352" might
> be "6421"!
>
> Parramatta road is the main road west out of the city, but
> passes through several suburbs on the way. Do corner
> intersection signs indicate the driver is on Parramatta Rd?
> ...Not usually, he is supposed to know that. Often only the
> names of the cross streets are shown.
>
> Looking for, say 561 Parramatta Rd? There may well be
> several of them, depending on which suburb the driver is
> passing through. Is there any indication when passing
> between suburbs? Often not.
>
> Anyway, you and other readers will hopefully now see
> the need of a street directory if venturing off main roads
> or streets. It would be interesting to know how often
> a Sydney driver has been lost, even if he had lived there
> for many years.:-)
>
> Getting around by public transport is often much easier,
> especially for a newcomer. Actually, getting around
> Sydney is less difficult than getting around Los Angeles,
> California. There a car is almost a necessity, or at
> least it was last time I was there decades ago. There was no
> light rail system, buses might run every hour or so at best.
>
> The older inner suburbs of Sydney were built before the
> harbour bridge was built, and there is now a tunnel under the
> harbour as well.
>
> I wasn't married when first flew into Sydney, knew nothing
> about local accommodation, got a tiny room in the Y.M.C.A. After
> a couple of days, discovered that all pubs in Sydney had to
> have a minimum of 10 rooms available as a requirement for
> their license. At the time, central Sydney probably had 3 or
> 4 pubs per city block.
>
> Actually, most didn't really care if the rooms were rented or
> not, so by the third day here had a big room in a pub at a cost
> of about 2 pounds 10 shillings a week. [ This was before
> the decimal changeover on 14 Feb 1966.]
>
> Due to my science background, was pretty familiar
> with the metric system, so had less trouble adapting
> than many Australians.
>
> At first stayed on the south side of the harbour as
> working in the city at the time. Later I discovered that
> living on the north side was more convenient. Shared
> a large house with some other blokes, took a ferry from the
> local dock to Circular Quay in Sydney each day, walked from
> there.
>
> Sydney University and University of New South Wales both
> have a large number of overseas students looking for
> accommodation.
>
> If one doesn't mind shared accommodation, it has a few
> advantages.
>
> I don't know how feasible it is these days, but one thing
> you might look into is renting a large older house and taking
> in university students as tenants. With your qualifications, I
> wouldn't think you would have any problem getting students
> studying computer engineering, etc.
>
> With a bit of luck and proper charges for rent, you might be able
> to charge your housemates enough to cover the rent for the
> entire place, allowing you and your wife to live rent free.
>
> Google search program allows me to specify a general web search
> or an Australian web search. I specified the latter and searched
> for the string
> student accommodation sydney
> with about 537,000 returns.
>
> Both the universities have services trying to find housing
> for students, so a quick look at this could be useful.
>
> For a start, perhaps:
>
> The University of Sydney. Accommodation Service ... Services for
> students, The University of Sydney Authorised by: Office of the
> Director Student Services. ...www.usyd.edu.au/stuserv/accommodation/- 16k
>
> Trying to eliminate some of the commercial agencies, I
> tried using the string
> .edu sydney universities services student accommodation
> but still got about 395,000 returns. :-)
>
> Obviously an advanced Google search would be better,
> but you would know which terms to use better than I would.
>
> Possibly not worth looking into this possibility until you get
> here, in which case it is probably easier just to phone the
> student housing offices at the various universities and
> technical colleges and discussing the possibilities with someone
> there. :-)
>
> > It seems that evidently I will be confused for beginning days in Sydney.
>
> All immigrants, including myself, have gone through such a
> period. Australia and the USA seemed superficially alike, but
> there was still a hell of a lot to learn about the subtle and not
> so subtle differences! I've been here for decades, but
> still have an accent which would identify me as an American or
> Canadian.:-)
>
> An old slide rule related joke came to mind earlier. Someone
> asks a group of students what 2 x 2 equaled. An engineering
> student whipped out his slip stick, then replied "approximately
> 4". A student of statistics replied "4, with a confidence
> factor of .99999999". A mathematics major replied
> "Precisely 2.000000" A student accountant replied "It
> depends: Do you want to show a profit or a loss?"
>
> Cheers,
> Kangaroo16
>
> > Now I need your consultancy for getting a room in a hotel/hostel before
> > renting a house/apartment.
> >Where do you recommend? I am a software engineer and clearly my work
> >place can not be so far from CBD and I will try to find a house after
> >settling down.
>
> Are you looking for somewhere just for yourself initially, or
> somewhere where you and your wife can stay together rather
> than separately? Although this probably won't matter all that
> much.
>
> When I left the U.S., landlords were very fussy about renting
> a flat to a man and woman unless they could produce a marriage
> certificate. Australia is considerably less fussy, and usually
> don't care if the couple are married or not. Probably the
> only exception would be the YMCA & YWCA.:-)
>
> I agree that it might be much easier to seek accommodation by
> the day, week, or month, at least at first, until you have
> a look at the current situation here. The main reason for
> recommending this is that if try to rent a house initially, some
> landlords, rental agencies, etc. might want you to sign a lease
> for six months or a year.
>
> This would be O.K. if you had a job lined up, but if you don't it
> could be inconvenient. There is no assurance that the job you
> get will be in the C.B.D., as some businesses and government
> dept's aren't necessarily in the C.B.D.
>
> Consider that if you are tied down for a year or even six months
> to someplace near the C.B.D. you may get an ideal job 20 or
> 30 km away (or more) in one of the inner or outer suburbs, or
> even in a place outside of the Greater Sydney area. Public
> transport may not be the best alternative.
>
> Do you have a valid drivers license where you are now? The
> situation used to be that a licensed overseas migrant could
> simply show his or her valid home country license and get
> N.S.W. license [private car] without any further
> testing. If have to get a license in Australia, would have to
> go through two years on a provisional license, which has more
> restrictions.
>
> For a start, explore:http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/newtonsw/index.html
>
> U.S. readers probably wonder why am even asking if you have a
> license. In the US, almost everyone gets a drivers license as
> soon as they are old enough to qualify for one. It suprised me
> when I came here to find out that many adult Australians had
> never had one. [Cars were more expensive then, and plenty of
> people preferred to use public transport anyway. ]
>
> As you know, Australia is desperately seeking skilled migrants
> in many areas. How much checking have you done on the net
> for possible positions here?
>
> Am looking at the "Career one" section of the Weekend Australian
> October 27-28, 2007. See:http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...8871-5010800,0...
>
> This site may be of interest:http://www.careerone.com.au/jobs/job...h/get-that-job
>
> For computer and IT jobs in Sydney:
>
> http://cracker.com.au/sydney/jobs/co...cations/search...
>
> Just to give you an idea of what might suit. I found it when
> specified Australian sites & Googled with the string
>
> computer engineer ads sydney
>
> about 619,900 returns to this.
>
> This article from a few weeks ago might be of interesthttp://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22514689-15306,00.html
>
> >I know I am asking so much but any guidelines will be appreciated
> >deeply.
>
> Hopefully, some of the above info may be useful. Elections due
> here soon, plenty of info on coming election at any Australian
> news source such as:
>
> http://www.abc.com.auhttp://www.thea.../election2007/
>
> Sorry I can't be of more specific help on recommending specific
> accommodation, and certainly know nothing about various
> job opportunities in computing, as not my field. Am but
> a humble user. My programming experience is limited to
> simple "Basic", and I often encounter computer languages
> that I've never even heard of.
>
> When I was an undergraduate in the dim dark past there
> weren't many about. The common ones were "Basic",
> "COBAL" & "FORTRAN".
>
> Computers and the net were a bit futuristic. Pocket calculators
> were just becoming available, and weren't cheap. Students still
> used slide rules. You could always tell engineering students by
> the "slip stick" they wore on a leather pouch on their belt.
>
> I don't remember the year when the first desktop electronic
> calculator was imported by one of the universities. It was
> considered almost magical at the time, according to what have
> read in an old electronics magazine. Mains operated, vacuum
> tube technology. From memory, had a neon display, cost the
> university around 1000 pounds, but could be wrong on this. If
> correct, say about US$2,400 then.
>
> Only 4 function, of course. Add, subtract, multiply, divide.
> .... cost of a cheap pocket calculator today, if can find one
> with such basic functions, probably around A$ 3 :-)
>
> Today, can buy a reasonably full function scientific calculator
> for less than A$35 or so.
>
> Does this mean the average citizen of any advanced country
> would benefit from all this wizardry? If a contestants on
> a T.V. quiz program were handed such a calculator, I wonder
> how many would even be able to correctly identify all the
> functions of the buttons on the keypad, let alone use it to
> solve a simple practical maths problem?
>
> Oh well, enough for now. Feel free to ask any questions
> on this group relating to immigration or even travel to
> Australia.

Thanks for your great answers.
Now let me focus on financial stuff. It is clear that I should have a
program for myself for the next months in Sydney before finding a job
there, so my question is how much I should consider as our expense per
month for a normal life (I can understand that your answer can not be
accurate but any estimation can help so much).