8 weeks on in Mackay
Jan 29th 2006, 7:31 am
#1
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 472
8 weeks on in Mackay
Well it has been a while since we have been on expats, but here is the update.
We flew into Sydney 30th November and had a fabulous 5 days - catching up with my family and friends. Our highlight was Sunday lunch at Doyles on Watson's Bay - we had a 3 hour leisurely lunch overlooking the water and it was brilliant. Do this if you get the chance, but book a few weeks ahead! You can even book online at their website....
We then flew to Mackay on 5 December with Bert starting work the same day! The company paid for 2 weeks in accommodation for us, but unfortunately there is a major housing crisis here - for every rental there are 24 people who want it. My 'job' was to find a car to buy and a house to rent.
Within a week we had a car - bought funnily enough from another expat who used to be a police officer in Ealing (where we lived in the UK) who had just moved to Mackay. Now that's just weird! Unfortunately you can't be a police officer here without being a citizen - hence he was selling used cars!
So one thing down and one to go. Unfortunately finding a house was extremely frustrating. Houses would be rented before you even made it to the estate agent to view it, let alone apply to rent it! So the two weeks went with no success, and we moved into the spare room at Bert's bosses house as accommodation was all booked over Christmas.
Three weeks later we were at our wits end, with still no house. We made a decision that if nothing came about by the end of the 6th week, we were going to pack up and head south. How long do you keep trying? However our final house application proved successful! Mind you we offered an extra $20 a week and paid 6 months up front. But to be fair we feel the house is worth it and are still under our rental budget.
We are now in a lovely house with air con and a pool - have purchased the bbq and lawn mower and have been here 2 weeks. The street is quiet and the neighbours friendly. But I don't envy anyone else going through the same stress we did - some of the agents make you feel quite unworthy of a salutation, let alone a house, even though you have money/income/references etc. It is a regional town that we found to be quite 'who you know' as much as anything else you have to give.
The next obstacle is a job for me. I just want an office job, office hours, and some income to support our saving for a home of our own. There are jobs out there but again, it is a bit of a case of who you know (unfortunately the people we know, know of jobs outside Mackay, but with one car between us it is just a bit too awkward to make it work). So fingers are crossed and off to employment agents tomorrow. Not sure how long it will take to get one
In regards to our shipping it is probably still another 2 or 3 weeks away. It landed in Brissy on 14 Jan, but there is a four week wait (3 weeks normally, plus one weeks delay from Christmas closure catchup) for customs to clear it. We are living quite simply, having only bought what we need to get by! Have however connected internet now at home (woo hoo!) so that is also progress.
So there are some challenges if you are moving to Mackay and don't know anyone here already to help you out. But the town itself? We think it is lovely. The people are very friendly and the shop assistants very helpful. There are a variety of supermarkets (Coles x 2 stores, Woolies x 3 stores, IGAs and BiLos etc), butchers, bakers, fish etc to shop with. There is also a fruit/veg market every Saturday but the past two it has been pouring with rain so we have yet to experience it. We are a couple of homeboddies really, so can't comment on nightlife!
The weather is warm, humid, but not intolerable. It tops max 35c but humidity can get to 90%.
Bugs - I got attacked by sandflies when staying near the beach - still have the scars! Mozzies are a bit fierce, but we have not been bitten much at our new house. Neighbours say mix baby oil with citronella and tea-tree oil and spray that on - keeps all the nasties away.
Have green ants in the garden which are a pain (how do you kill these?!!) but Bert was so focused on these blighters that his first redback discovery went by with little acknowledgement! The cane toads are not pleasant but they keep their distance so I can live with that
The bird life is incredible! All the parrots and galahs scream around in the afternoon and a tree at the back is like a reunion every day of how their day went! ...
Any regrets? Not so far. We are both settling in and as soon as our stuff arrives and I have a job I think it will be better still. I can't say Mackay is great or it isn't - what we think won't be what others think. All I can say is Mackay is giving us what we came here for, so for us we are (thusfar) happy!
Bert and Stella
P.S - so if anyone does know anyone in Mackay with a job for me......
We flew into Sydney 30th November and had a fabulous 5 days - catching up with my family and friends. Our highlight was Sunday lunch at Doyles on Watson's Bay - we had a 3 hour leisurely lunch overlooking the water and it was brilliant. Do this if you get the chance, but book a few weeks ahead! You can even book online at their website....
We then flew to Mackay on 5 December with Bert starting work the same day! The company paid for 2 weeks in accommodation for us, but unfortunately there is a major housing crisis here - for every rental there are 24 people who want it. My 'job' was to find a car to buy and a house to rent.
Within a week we had a car - bought funnily enough from another expat who used to be a police officer in Ealing (where we lived in the UK) who had just moved to Mackay. Now that's just weird! Unfortunately you can't be a police officer here without being a citizen - hence he was selling used cars!
So one thing down and one to go. Unfortunately finding a house was extremely frustrating. Houses would be rented before you even made it to the estate agent to view it, let alone apply to rent it! So the two weeks went with no success, and we moved into the spare room at Bert's bosses house as accommodation was all booked over Christmas.
Three weeks later we were at our wits end, with still no house. We made a decision that if nothing came about by the end of the 6th week, we were going to pack up and head south. How long do you keep trying? However our final house application proved successful! Mind you we offered an extra $20 a week and paid 6 months up front. But to be fair we feel the house is worth it and are still under our rental budget.
We are now in a lovely house with air con and a pool - have purchased the bbq and lawn mower and have been here 2 weeks. The street is quiet and the neighbours friendly. But I don't envy anyone else going through the same stress we did - some of the agents make you feel quite unworthy of a salutation, let alone a house, even though you have money/income/references etc. It is a regional town that we found to be quite 'who you know' as much as anything else you have to give.
The next obstacle is a job for me. I just want an office job, office hours, and some income to support our saving for a home of our own. There are jobs out there but again, it is a bit of a case of who you know (unfortunately the people we know, know of jobs outside Mackay, but with one car between us it is just a bit too awkward to make it work). So fingers are crossed and off to employment agents tomorrow. Not sure how long it will take to get one
In regards to our shipping it is probably still another 2 or 3 weeks away. It landed in Brissy on 14 Jan, but there is a four week wait (3 weeks normally, plus one weeks delay from Christmas closure catchup) for customs to clear it. We are living quite simply, having only bought what we need to get by! Have however connected internet now at home (woo hoo!) so that is also progress.
So there are some challenges if you are moving to Mackay and don't know anyone here already to help you out. But the town itself? We think it is lovely. The people are very friendly and the shop assistants very helpful. There are a variety of supermarkets (Coles x 2 stores, Woolies x 3 stores, IGAs and BiLos etc), butchers, bakers, fish etc to shop with. There is also a fruit/veg market every Saturday but the past two it has been pouring with rain so we have yet to experience it. We are a couple of homeboddies really, so can't comment on nightlife!
The weather is warm, humid, but not intolerable. It tops max 35c but humidity can get to 90%.
Bugs - I got attacked by sandflies when staying near the beach - still have the scars! Mozzies are a bit fierce, but we have not been bitten much at our new house. Neighbours say mix baby oil with citronella and tea-tree oil and spray that on - keeps all the nasties away.
Have green ants in the garden which are a pain (how do you kill these?!!) but Bert was so focused on these blighters that his first redback discovery went by with little acknowledgement! The cane toads are not pleasant but they keep their distance so I can live with that
The bird life is incredible! All the parrots and galahs scream around in the afternoon and a tree at the back is like a reunion every day of how their day went! ...
Any regrets? Not so far. We are both settling in and as soon as our stuff arrives and I have a job I think it will be better still. I can't say Mackay is great or it isn't - what we think won't be what others think. All I can say is Mackay is giving us what we came here for, so for us we are (thusfar) happy!
Bert and Stella
P.S - so if anyone does know anyone in Mackay with a job for me......
Jan 29th 2006, 7:53 am
#2
On the Dark Side :-)
Joined: Apr 2004
Location: South Wales to New South Wales!
Posts: 3,065
Re: 8 weeks on in Mackay
Nice post - thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us - much appreciated!
Rach
Rach
Jan 29th 2006, 8:31 am
#3
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Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 355
Re: 8 weeks on in Mackay
OMG!!!
I cannot believe that you have been out there sooo long! Seems only yesterday we were reading your check list post and then the "I got it".
I am so glad you are both happy out there, we cannot wait either, leaving in just seven days now. I am hopelessly jealous of you being there already.
Keep in touch, let us know how it is all going.
Regards
Abby & Nigel
I cannot believe that you have been out there sooo long! Seems only yesterday we were reading your check list post and then the "I got it".
I am so glad you are both happy out there, we cannot wait either, leaving in just seven days now. I am hopelessly jealous of you being there already.
Keep in touch, let us know how it is all going.
Regards
Abby & Nigel
Jan 29th 2006, 8:47 am
#4
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Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Sutton Coldfield now beautiful Karalee
Posts: 530
Re: 8 weeks on in Mackay
Hi Stella,
We too are considering Mackay as a friend of mine went out there in November also. He used to post on here (The Dove family) but I should think he has been quite busy lately. We are thinking of Mackay as we are told there is a lot of engineering work out there, apparently my mate had a choice of positions within no time, hope this is true.
Surprised to hear about your housing issues though, must see if the bank will lend me the money for an investment property there .
Don't know much about the area but sounds great though as me and my wife are also both homely people and don't really care about nightlife, kids may have different ideas though
.
Anyway let us know how you are getting on.
Cheers Sean
We too are considering Mackay as a friend of mine went out there in November also. He used to post on here (The Dove family) but I should think he has been quite busy lately. We are thinking of Mackay as we are told there is a lot of engineering work out there, apparently my mate had a choice of positions within no time, hope this is true.
Surprised to hear about your housing issues though, must see if the bank will lend me the money for an investment property there
.Don't know much about the area but sounds great though as me and my wife are also both homely people and don't really care about nightlife, kids may have different ideas though
.Anyway let us know how you are getting on.
Cheers Sean
Jan 29th 2006, 9:40 am
#5
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Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Redland Bay
Posts: 2,493
Re: 8 weeks on in Mackay
Nice to hear from you God the housing front seems streesful!! Glad you got a good one sorted.
Good luck finding a job, great to hear you've no regrets
God the housing front seems streesful!! Glad you got a good one sorted.Good luck finding a job, great to hear you've no regrets
Jan 29th 2006, 10:26 am
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 107
Re: 8 weeks on in Mackay
Originally Posted by Bert'n'Stella
Well it has been a while since we have been on expats, but here is the update.
We flew into Sydney 30th November and had a fabulous 5 days - catching up with my family and friends. Our highlight was Sunday lunch at Doyles on Watson's Bay - we had a 3 hour leisurely lunch overlooking the water and it was brilliant. Do this if you get the chance, but book a few weeks ahead! You can even book online at their website....
We then flew to Mackay on 5 December with Bert starting work the same day! The company paid for 2 weeks in accommodation for us, but unfortunately there is a major housing crisis here - for every rental there are 24 people who want it. My 'job' was to find a car to buy and a house to rent.
Within a week we had a car - bought funnily enough from another expat who used to be a police officer in Ealing (where we lived in the UK) who had just moved to Mackay. Now that's just weird! Unfortunately you can't be a police officer here without being a citizen - hence he was selling used cars!
So one thing down and one to go. Unfortunately finding a house was extremely frustrating. Houses would be rented before you even made it to the estate agent to view it, let alone apply to rent it! So the two weeks went with no success, and we moved into the spare room at Bert's bosses house as accommodation was all booked over Christmas.
Three weeks later we were at our wits end, with still no house. We made a decision that if nothing came about by the end of the 6th week, we were going to pack up and head south. How long do you keep trying? However our final house application proved successful! Mind you we offered an extra $20 a week and paid 6 months up front. But to be fair we feel the house is worth it and are still under our rental budget.
We are now in a lovely house with air con and a pool - have purchased the bbq and lawn mower and have been here 2 weeks. The street is quiet and the neighbours friendly. But I don't envy anyone else going through the same stress we did - some of the agents make you feel quite unworthy of a salutation, let alone a house, even though you have money/income/references etc. It is a regional town that we found to be quite 'who you know' as much as anything else you have to give.
The next obstacle is a job for me. I just want an office job, office hours, and some income to support our saving for a home of our own. There are jobs out there but again, it is a bit of a case of who you know (unfortunately the people we know, know of jobs outside Mackay, but with one car between us it is just a bit too awkward to make it work). So fingers are crossed and off to employment agents tomorrow. Not sure how long it will take to get one
In regards to our shipping it is probably still another 2 or 3 weeks away. It landed in Brissy on 14 Jan, but there is a four week wait (3 weeks normally, plus one weeks delay from Christmas closure catchup) for customs to clear it. We are living quite simply, having only bought what we need to get by! Have however connected internet now at home (woo hoo!) so that is also progress.
So there are some challenges if you are moving to Mackay and don't know anyone here already to help you out. But the town itself? We think it is lovely. The people are very friendly and the shop assistants very helpful. There are a variety of supermarkets (Coles x 2 stores, Woolies x 3 stores, IGAs and BiLos etc), butchers, bakers, fish etc to shop with. There is also a fruit/veg market every Saturday but the past two it has been pouring with rain so we have yet to experience it. We are a couple of homeboddies really, so can't comment on nightlife!
The weather is warm, humid, but not intolerable. It tops max 35c but humidity can get to 90%.
Bugs - I got attacked by sandflies when staying near the beach - still have the scars! Mozzies are a bit fierce, but we have not been bitten much at our new house. Neighbours say mix baby oil with citronella and tea-tree oil and spray that on - keeps all the nasties away.
Have green ants in the garden which are a pain (how do you kill these?!!) but Bert was so focused on these blighters that his first redback discovery went by with little acknowledgement! The cane toads are not pleasant but they keep their distance so I can live with that
The bird life is incredible! All the parrots and galahs scream around in the afternoon and a tree at the back is like a reunion every day of how their day went! ...
Any regrets? Not so far. We are both settling in and as soon as our stuff arrives and I have a job I think it will be better still. I can't say Mackay is great or it isn't - what we think won't be what others think. All I can say is Mackay is giving us what we came here for, so for us we are (thusfar) happy!
Bert and Stella
P.S - so if anyone does know anyone in Mackay with a job for me......
We flew into Sydney 30th November and had a fabulous 5 days - catching up with my family and friends. Our highlight was Sunday lunch at Doyles on Watson's Bay - we had a 3 hour leisurely lunch overlooking the water and it was brilliant. Do this if you get the chance, but book a few weeks ahead! You can even book online at their website....
We then flew to Mackay on 5 December with Bert starting work the same day! The company paid for 2 weeks in accommodation for us, but unfortunately there is a major housing crisis here - for every rental there are 24 people who want it. My 'job' was to find a car to buy and a house to rent.
Within a week we had a car - bought funnily enough from another expat who used to be a police officer in Ealing (where we lived in the UK) who had just moved to Mackay. Now that's just weird! Unfortunately you can't be a police officer here without being a citizen - hence he was selling used cars!
So one thing down and one to go. Unfortunately finding a house was extremely frustrating. Houses would be rented before you even made it to the estate agent to view it, let alone apply to rent it! So the two weeks went with no success, and we moved into the spare room at Bert's bosses house as accommodation was all booked over Christmas.
Three weeks later we were at our wits end, with still no house. We made a decision that if nothing came about by the end of the 6th week, we were going to pack up and head south. How long do you keep trying? However our final house application proved successful! Mind you we offered an extra $20 a week and paid 6 months up front. But to be fair we feel the house is worth it and are still under our rental budget.
We are now in a lovely house with air con and a pool - have purchased the bbq and lawn mower and have been here 2 weeks. The street is quiet and the neighbours friendly. But I don't envy anyone else going through the same stress we did - some of the agents make you feel quite unworthy of a salutation, let alone a house, even though you have money/income/references etc. It is a regional town that we found to be quite 'who you know' as much as anything else you have to give.
The next obstacle is a job for me. I just want an office job, office hours, and some income to support our saving for a home of our own. There are jobs out there but again, it is a bit of a case of who you know (unfortunately the people we know, know of jobs outside Mackay, but with one car between us it is just a bit too awkward to make it work). So fingers are crossed and off to employment agents tomorrow. Not sure how long it will take to get one
In regards to our shipping it is probably still another 2 or 3 weeks away. It landed in Brissy on 14 Jan, but there is a four week wait (3 weeks normally, plus one weeks delay from Christmas closure catchup) for customs to clear it. We are living quite simply, having only bought what we need to get by! Have however connected internet now at home (woo hoo!) so that is also progress.
So there are some challenges if you are moving to Mackay and don't know anyone here already to help you out. But the town itself? We think it is lovely. The people are very friendly and the shop assistants very helpful. There are a variety of supermarkets (Coles x 2 stores, Woolies x 3 stores, IGAs and BiLos etc), butchers, bakers, fish etc to shop with. There is also a fruit/veg market every Saturday but the past two it has been pouring with rain so we have yet to experience it. We are a couple of homeboddies really, so can't comment on nightlife!
The weather is warm, humid, but not intolerable. It tops max 35c but humidity can get to 90%.
Bugs - I got attacked by sandflies when staying near the beach - still have the scars! Mozzies are a bit fierce, but we have not been bitten much at our new house. Neighbours say mix baby oil with citronella and tea-tree oil and spray that on - keeps all the nasties away.
Have green ants in the garden which are a pain (how do you kill these?!!) but Bert was so focused on these blighters that his first redback discovery went by with little acknowledgement! The cane toads are not pleasant but they keep their distance so I can live with that
The bird life is incredible! All the parrots and galahs scream around in the afternoon and a tree at the back is like a reunion every day of how their day went! ...
Any regrets? Not so far. We are both settling in and as soon as our stuff arrives and I have a job I think it will be better still. I can't say Mackay is great or it isn't - what we think won't be what others think. All I can say is Mackay is giving us what we came here for, so for us we are (thusfar) happy!
Bert and Stella
P.S - so if anyone does know anyone in Mackay with a job for me......
Unfortunately you can't be a police officer here without being a citizen - hence he was selling used cars!
This is not the case, as I have only been here 14months and am presently at the police training academy.......you only need to have permanent residency, so you can pass this on to your car salesman friend!
Regards
Johnnet
Jan 29th 2006, 6:18 pm
#7
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: mackay and loving it
Posts: 202
Re: 8 weeks on in Mackay
Dear Bert and Stella
great to hear that you have landed in mackay and finally settled. we were very pleased to see your post as we are hoping to go to mackay in the near future as soon as our visa is approved(awaiting medical requests).
what does Bert do for a job and what job are you currently looking for?
peter is a printing engineer but will be looking for general mechanical engineering work and i am hoping to return to work after many years of rearing our 3 children.
we were very surprised to hear of the current housing situation, but pleased to hear that it is a friendly community.
look forward to any more info you can offer.
Denise, Peter, Bradley, Anya and Freya
great to hear that you have landed in mackay and finally settled. we were very pleased to see your post as we are hoping to go to mackay in the near future as soon as our visa is approved(awaiting medical requests).
what does Bert do for a job and what job are you currently looking for?
peter is a printing engineer but will be looking for general mechanical engineering work and i am hoping to return to work after many years of rearing our 3 children.
we were very surprised to hear of the current housing situation, but pleased to hear that it is a friendly community.
look forward to any more info you can offer.
Denise, Peter, Bradley, Anya and Freya
Jan 29th 2006, 11:46 pm
#8
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 472
Re: 8 weeks on in Mackay
Hi all,
I think in terms of engineering jobs these are plentiful. Certainly any tradesman's jobs are easy to get, as the mines (about an hour away in Moranbah) take all the tradies by paying them $100k a year (+car) so in town they are a bit scarce! I think the same is probably true for engineering work. Bert works in town as a property manager (facilities mgr in UK), but even his position was vacant for about 4 months before he applied for it!
Have an appointment with IPA personnel tomorrow at 10am - skills test and all! bit scary but must be done.
I think housing will be the hardest thing anyone will need to do. When we were looking at going back into self-contained accommodation (mid January) everywhere I looked was full. Not full of tourists but full of folk like us, who needed a house. When I tell people it took us 6 weeks to get a house, half of them say 'gee, that was quick!'. Honestly, nothing else can be more difficult! So just prepare yourselves for it!
Here is a link to the local worksearch web engine. It updates twice a week with local jobs.... sorry, you might have to cut and paste the link!
http://www.worksearch.com.au/jobseek...0&selclass=all
Stella
I think in terms of engineering jobs these are plentiful. Certainly any tradesman's jobs are easy to get, as the mines (about an hour away in Moranbah) take all the tradies by paying them $100k a year (+car) so in town they are a bit scarce! I think the same is probably true for engineering work. Bert works in town as a property manager (facilities mgr in UK), but even his position was vacant for about 4 months before he applied for it!
Have an appointment with IPA personnel tomorrow at 10am - skills test and all! bit scary but must be done.
I think housing will be the hardest thing anyone will need to do. When we were looking at going back into self-contained accommodation (mid January) everywhere I looked was full. Not full of tourists but full of folk like us, who needed a house. When I tell people it took us 6 weeks to get a house, half of them say 'gee, that was quick!'. Honestly, nothing else can be more difficult! So just prepare yourselves for it!
Here is a link to the local worksearch web engine. It updates twice a week with local jobs.... sorry, you might have to cut and paste the link!
http://www.worksearch.com.au/jobseek...0&selclass=all
Stella
Jan 29th 2006, 11:48 pm
#9
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Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 472
Re: 8 weeks on in Mackay
Hi Johnnet,
Not sure why he hasn't joined then - he didn't seem to enjoy standing in the hot sun all day showing folk cars! He said he was still on the temporary bit of the spouse visa (as we are) - where you can't do much, even getting a credit card at this point is pretty much impossible!
Stella
Not sure why he hasn't joined then - he didn't seem to enjoy standing in the hot sun all day showing folk cars! He said he was still on the temporary bit of the spouse visa (as we are) - where you can't do much, even getting a credit card at this point is pretty much impossible!
Stella
Originally Posted by johnnet
Bert and Stella
Unfortunately you can't be a police officer here without being a citizen - hence he was selling used cars!
This is not the case, as I have only been here 14months and am presently at the police training academy.......you only need to have permanent residency, so you can pass this on to your car salesman friend!
Regards
Johnnet
Unfortunately you can't be a police officer here without being a citizen - hence he was selling used cars!
This is not the case, as I have only been here 14months and am presently at the police training academy.......you only need to have permanent residency, so you can pass this on to your car salesman friend!
Regards
Johnnet
Jan 30th 2006, 12:17 am
#10
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: 8 weeks on in Mackay
Originally Posted by Bert'n'Stella
Hi Johnnet,
Not sure why he hasn't joined then - he didn't seem to enjoy standing in the hot sun all day showing folk cars! He said he was still on the temporary bit of the spouse visa (as we are) - where you can't do much, even getting a credit card at this point is pretty much impossible!
Stella
Not sure why he hasn't joined then - he didn't seem to enjoy standing in the hot sun all day showing folk cars! He said he was still on the temporary bit of the spouse visa (as we are) - where you can't do much, even getting a credit card at this point is pretty much impossible!
Stella
Pleased you have settled in ok. Not been up that way at all but no doubt will explore at some point.
