I went out to Brisbane at the end of March to do a reccy trip. Visa app was with DIMIA (wife's a nurse). Stayed in Oz for 2 weeks. Flew with Emirates - no problems there or back, though a bit hectic transferring at Dubai airport with only 1 hr between flights. It did catch me out when they announced the plane was landing at Singapore (no mention of this on the travel tickets from Thomas Cook). Stayed in the Bayside area (South Brissie) with friends and spent most of the time either viewing houses, schools, suburbs or beauty spots.
Brisbane
Liked the city a lot. Clean, modern, and apart from graffiti on fences as you approach the city no signs of vandalism. Didn't see many Scallies as I do in my part of England. Great trip on the River using the Cat Ferry. Saw no sharks. Come to that I didn't see any Kaolas or Roos either so beginning to think they are mythological creatures which the Aussie tourist board use to entice holiday makers to their country. Did see one snake, on a motorway slip road, but apart from that no sign of nasty creepy crawlies or reptiles.
The Australian people I met, I found to be extremely friendly and polite.
The weather was always hot 28 degrees during the day but friends that had been there for a while were obviously getting acclimatised as they felt sometimes it was chilly! It rained most days (if not all) in my second week - and boy the showers can be heavy. But they did not last too long and it soon dried up.
First Impressions
Well it took me longer to get used to it than I thought it would. Visually it reminded my of USA with its street signs and advertising hoardings. What struck me the most, was that there is not the same uniformity of housing as in the UK. Used to seeing houses on estates (whether private or council) that are broadly very similar, but over there, house styles can be quite unique and it is not uncommon to have a modern house right next to a 'shed'. Similarly the fencing surrounding houses are very different and overall the picture can look a bit scruffy. But after a while you get used to it and when I came back home and looked at suburbs there are plenty of scruffy ones here to..
My preference was to be near the coast - cooler. But the down side is that often plot sizes were smaller.
Visited Mooloolabah area quite a few times and all in all, I think if we were to move to Oz (read on below) that is where we would head for. The Redlands Bay area has the advantage of being nearer to the city, good transport links and I would say better shops/ facilities. Also some good schools. Sunshine coast - the picture of Oz that I had in mind before I set off. Nice feel to the place and of course a lovely coast line.
Visited the Gold Coast, but not really my cup of tea, though the beaches were excellent. In fact I dont think I have been on beaches where the sand was so clean and soft - just like the stuff you but at the ELC for your kids and there is miles of it. Makes Blackpool look like a grubby sand pit.
Shops
Not much of a shopaholic but found Brissie to have all that I would need. The supermarkets I found to be similar to UK. There aren't "corner shops" like in the UK. Shops are congregated in shopping precincts, some of which are showing their age but lots of free parking.
Schools
State Schools: I would say on a par with the schools that my children go to. Most could do with some money being spent on them re the fabric of the building and more equipment - some of the IT,workshops and libraries looked like they need more dosh. Behaviour of kids - from the small bit I saw, better.
Private School: only visited one and rated it the best of the schools I looked at. Certainly had more facilities and equipment.
Hospitals
Didnt do a grand tour - just a look in the reception or HR areas.
State: smaller than those I am used to in the UK but seemed okay. Similar feel to UK hospitals
Private: small and seemed a pleasant working environment.
Made some tentative enquires on behalf of wifey about jobs, but a lot of them preferred "casual" work to start off with. This can be a bit unsettling if like me you prefer the security of a permanent full-time post.
Houses
{mosgoogle left}Well this depends on your budget and preferences just like in the UK. I was looking at the $500,000 mark in Redlands and Sunshine Coast and you could get some very nice 4 bed houses. Plot sizes vary but I was aiming for the 750m2 mark. The very new houses were often on plots under this - around 600m2 plus bit there were older properties which met the criteria. As I said, further in land eg Alexandra Hills, Albany Creek the plot sizes were bigger.
My preference was for Buderim area in Mooloolabah or I would have gone for Wellington Point or Ormiston in the Redlands Bay area.
I went on as many "open house" days as I could, mainly Saturdays. Some are immaculately presented (a red rose on the bed!) whereas the older properties had that lived in feel. I got the impression that they do not go in for DIY or decorating with the same gusto as they do in the UK.
Nearly all the modern houses I saw are very open plan in the living quarters. This looks great but can be annoying when trying to listen to music/tv when someone is slaving over a hot stove and making lots of noise in the kitchen behind you.
I did enquire whether I could open an Oz bank account when I was there. No problem so long as I had a passport and driving licence (Commonwealth Bank).
So what did I think at the end of the reccy trip?
I ummed and aahed for a while - it is a big step after all. Decided that we could live in Oz, after all, in many respects it is not dissimilar to the UK.
However, I have three children and the oldest (15), in particular, does not want to go and has closed her mind to all the benefits. So despite the fact that DIMIA requested us to go for our medicals whilst I was in Oz, we have had to resign ourselves to not going. We have both found this very upsetting and hard to come to terms with. Even now I am clinging on to the hope that we may be able to go before it is too late.
For those of you that are setting off or are planning to go. Bon Voyage! I am sure that most of you will like it. I hope that this brief resume helps.