School considerations when moving from U.S. to Melbourne.

I moved from CA to Melbourne in September 2008 with 2 of my children aged 16 and 14. A lot depends on what school environment you are coming from. My daughter is doing the IB at a private school and is doing better here than she would have done in a top CA state school like Mission Viejo (where her elder sister went, and also did the IB) There are ways to do the SAT's etc in Melbourne, at a cost. VCE's are similar to AP exams. Good private schools are all around the $20k mark per year, and several offer the IB as well as VCE's.
Public transport is great in Melbourne, which is useful as your child will not be able to take their drivers test until the age of 18.

College is of course a different matter, but IB is well accepted everywhere, and you could combine college visits with trips home to visit the family.

Thank you for your reply. That helps us start to make a comparison. Our son is in an independent private school following a college-prep curriculum (not IB). The school is rigorous in the classroom with a similar attitude on the sports field. He loves the combination. Since our stay in Melbourne will be relatively short(2-3 yrs), we are worried about how such a move could negatively affect the college application process. Whether it be b/c of the change in curriculum, loss of continuity in course progression (perhaps math, no Spanish so must begin a new foreign language, etc.) The things that U.S. colleges expect to see on a transcript. Will your children attend college in the States? If so, can you share how that process will work for them? Are the college exams given locally? When you said the exams are given but at a cost, do you mean a $$ cost? Would a student be on his/her own to prepare or are there test prep classes? Are the VCEs accepted by American colleges?
Sorry for so many questions.

We think we know the answer to this question, but do any of the high schools play lacrosse? Our son plays a lot, is very into the game and hopes to play in college. We haven't seen any school with lacrosse in its sports listing yet.

Thanks again.