scissors

hi there,
well we ve been here for 2 months now,and i still have to pinch myself to see if its really real
Garys been at work for 2 weeks now, which is a relief cos we dont want to eat into our savings anymore,he ll been earning almost the same as he was in the uk but he s got a company car thrown in as well that is fully expensed so that ll help out no end,and as soon as he gets that i can have our car back to set to work myself mmmmmmmmmmmm if i have to,lol.
But not having thecar for the past 2 weeks has made me try out the public transport and i must say i think its far baetter than the uk,we have a bus stop just around the corner from us which ive used a few times,and the buses are always bang on time,it cost me £3.80 for a day ticket that would take me all round bayside and even into brisbane if i wanted to go,i thought that was very reasonable,and the lovely bus driver realising i was new to the country gave me a a guided tour of the area and was even telling me the price of all the houses that where for sale along the way who needs estate agents when you ve got a bus driver,lol,
Ive read many threads about the price of things here,but in my opinion i havent found things to be more expensive at all,guess it depends on what you want,but ive found my grocery shopping to be about the same as in england and im buying much more healthy foods because they are cheaper than in england,must admit you cant buy vety much rwady made meals but that suits me down to the ground cos i dont go for them much anyway,ive so far managed find an alternative for most of the things we like,other than mayonaise so far,so if anyone has any tips on that but i think the fresh friut and veg and the bakers just fantastic and ive started using the butchers to,something we re not really used to but i think its nice and reasonably priced to.
Super Amart is great for furniture both outdoor and indoor and good prices to cheaper i think than the uk.
Bunnings is just like B&Q and very reasonable.
We ve found Clive Anthony very good for electrical things,we bought a huge fridge freezer from them for $1500 although we did barter them down from $1900 but it would def have cost more than that in the uk by far.
K Mart,Big W,and Target are great all round shops,clothes,inen,bedding,which by the way unlike we were told before we came here is very reasonable,probably about the same price as the uk,but there are some bargains around as well,toys,craft,music,furniture,crockery,outdoor furniture and plants,ect.
Brumbys bread mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Just thought i would post this to let those of you know who are not yet here,i had visions of all these things being very expensive compared to the uk but in my opinion its not.
Plus we have this fantastic weather that give you so much more scope for things to do for free out doors rather than having to spend a firtune all the time paying to get in places to get out of the bad weather

tracey

nmccallum

Hi

Just replying about your alternative for mayo request....!! I loved Hellman's in the UK and struggled to find something as good as it here. But I eventually found 'Best Foods - Real Mayonnaise'. I've always said it tasted just like Hellmans and have now found that it is as close to Hellmans as you'll get!! It's owned by Hellman's now but was a Canadian company. It's about $4,50 a bottle at Safeways'!!

Have a look at the packaging on these two websites!!!!! Just the same!!
http://www.bestfoods.com/
http://www.mayo.com/

Enjoy!!

scissors

awwwwwwwwwwww,thanks for that mate,it ll save me wasting money on even more jars of mayo and finding it tastes like salad cream

tracey

Kelli28

hi tracey glad you have had time to check out the shops and the bus drivers! LOL see ya soooon babes kxx

SuperSeagulls

Excellent post, thank you. It's always good to hear how people are getting on in Oz.

SS

pako

Great to hear from you, be sure to keep us all posted. SOunds like you're settling in well. All the best

Simoned1

Nice to see such a positive thread, we are due to go to Perth in January (if i can sell my house in time), I think alot of it is you need to have an open mind and not expect to much, good luck to you in the future.

Simone

Juliecabs

Hi Tracey,
Great to hear that you are settling in really well.
Thanks for the info. It's handy to read posts like this that give us an idea of what to expect pricewise.
Julie

scissors

good luck you guys,hope you have the same luck as we have

We ve been looking at open houses this weekend,just to get an idea of what we can get for what price,we ve seen some lovely 4 bed 2 bath,with rumpus rooms and a swimming pool for betweem $35000 and $45000,oth high set and low set,most have double electric door garages,some even have car ports as well.
We went to currumbin wildlife sanctuary yesterday,it was absolutely fantastic,we fed loades of kangaroos,they hold your hand whilst they tske the food out of it,and we saw lots of koalas and a tazmanian devil to,we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves,rich and angie and family came with us,its well worth a trip,if you want to see some pictures just click onto my myspace link at the bottom of my signature

i ll keep you posted if you want me to,wouldnt want to bore people though
tracey

chatty34

Hi Tracey
Great post and really pleased to read that you are still loving it there.
We finally exchanged contracts on the house we complete on the 30th and will book flights today for around the 5th October.
Bad case of the wobbles now, doesn't help reading a lot of posts from people that are really unhappy out there, so I love to read your posts and see that you still love the place and even better that prices are not what we thought they may be.
Sharon
x

Steve G

What a great post!!


I feel all excited again about going to Brisbane now!


Glad to see things are going well for you.

debbiemc

hiya tracey,

OMG cant believe its two months already, how time flies eh!?
you make sure you keep us posted never mind what anyone else thinks, they have a choice not to read!

things still going great then, thats fab. bet the tan is looking good obviousley gary must realise that you are actually seeking work when you go out on those bus rides!

take care and keep posting

debbie x

scissors

HIYA sharon.
wow you havent got long to go now,dont get the wobblys,just sit back relax and enjoy,it really will be worth all the stress,although i must say i didnt really get ot streesed ,just took things as they came
let me know when you arrive i ll send you my phone number

tracey

scissors

hi simone
i think you ve got the right attitude,come with an open mind and dont expect everything to be the same,beats me why anyone would want things the same as in the uk,arent we all trying to get a new life,i think if you except that certain things are different,and that doesnt mean they are mad,you ll be just fine.

good luck,tracey

desperate2go

Glad to hear things are going well for you
Keep us posted with regular updates and congrats on getting work sorted already. That must be a weight off your mind