arrived in brissy
Aug 18th 2006, 10:48 am
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 82
arrived in brissy
g'day to you all,
we havent been online for a long time for obvious reasons, leaving the uk and flying out to oz.
well we have been here 3 weeks now and so far we have got tfn, medicare, 2 cars, rental property and have put the kids into school (although they are not happy about that one). everything we had to do we did in the first week and then the 2nd week we took 4 days down the gold coast (although freezing) was fantastic, the beach is a little different from barry island which is where we were living. so far we have found everyone really really helpful and friendly and are very polite and have not had any pommy remarks yet, in fact if you are a tradesman they almost welcome the extra hands because they are so inundated with work they cannot cope. the rental is in brassall, so if anyone is in this area, get in touch and perhaps we can meet up.
i have not had homesickness yet (which is not to say that i wont), we have the webcam set up and its like i only left my family yesterday which is nice and they get a chance to see the kids.
we stayed with my mums cousin when we first arrived and they were absolutely brilliant, i cannot even begin to repay them as they took us everywhere we needed to go and it feels like we have known them all an eternity.
so far we have been to the gold coast (coolangata), oreillys, victoria point, couchie island and brisbane city (southbank beach etc) and to say the least what i have seen so far i really really like, the kids are also enjoying the experience too but then again they are only 8 and 5, so they would enjoy anything anyway. i have also joined the local gym and the membership not only entitles you to use the gym but to attend any of the classes, use the squash court, tennis court, pool, sauna etc all for the monthly subscription of $53, which to me is fantastic.
also another thing which has facinated me is that when you pay for a train into brisbane this entitles you to use any of the transport facilities (sea ferrys, bus etc) for the rest of the day, for no extra fee (except $2 for the sea cat).
another facinating thing (call me sad if you like) is that there appears to be no waiting lists for the kids to join sports, my little boy has just started basketball and can go to training free but if he wants to play matches he has to play $40 for the season which really isnt bad either. my daughter waited 3 years on the gymnastics waiting list in the uk and finally got called up 4 weeks before we left.
anyway, gotta go, have loads of emails to send etc, if anyone wants to know anything or needs help with sorting out anything when they get here (while its all still fresh in my mind) just let me know, i hope i can be of help to anyone.
best regards
louise
we havent been online for a long time for obvious reasons, leaving the uk and flying out to oz.
well we have been here 3 weeks now and so far we have got tfn, medicare, 2 cars, rental property and have put the kids into school (although they are not happy about that one). everything we had to do we did in the first week and then the 2nd week we took 4 days down the gold coast (although freezing) was fantastic, the beach is a little different from barry island which is where we were living. so far we have found everyone really really helpful and friendly and are very polite and have not had any pommy remarks yet, in fact if you are a tradesman they almost welcome the extra hands because they are so inundated with work they cannot cope. the rental is in brassall, so if anyone is in this area, get in touch and perhaps we can meet up.
i have not had homesickness yet (which is not to say that i wont), we have the webcam set up and its like i only left my family yesterday which is nice and they get a chance to see the kids.
we stayed with my mums cousin when we first arrived and they were absolutely brilliant, i cannot even begin to repay them as they took us everywhere we needed to go and it feels like we have known them all an eternity.
so far we have been to the gold coast (coolangata), oreillys, victoria point, couchie island and brisbane city (southbank beach etc) and to say the least what i have seen so far i really really like, the kids are also enjoying the experience too but then again they are only 8 and 5, so they would enjoy anything anyway. i have also joined the local gym and the membership not only entitles you to use the gym but to attend any of the classes, use the squash court, tennis court, pool, sauna etc all for the monthly subscription of $53, which to me is fantastic.
also another thing which has facinated me is that when you pay for a train into brisbane this entitles you to use any of the transport facilities (sea ferrys, bus etc) for the rest of the day, for no extra fee (except $2 for the sea cat).
another facinating thing (call me sad if you like) is that there appears to be no waiting lists for the kids to join sports, my little boy has just started basketball and can go to training free but if he wants to play matches he has to play $40 for the season which really isnt bad either. my daughter waited 3 years on the gymnastics waiting list in the uk and finally got called up 4 weeks before we left.
anyway, gotta go, have loads of emails to send etc, if anyone wants to know anything or needs help with sorting out anything when they get here (while its all still fresh in my mind) just let me know, i hope i can be of help to anyone.
best regards
louise
Aug 18th 2006, 11:06 am
#2
Sunshine Coast -Yeepee!!
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: Sunshine Coast - Oh yea!!
Posts: 464
Re: arrived in brissy
Originally Posted by loopyloo2
g'day to you all,
we havent been online for a long time for obvious reasons, leaving the uk and flying out to oz.
well we have been here 3 weeks now and so far we have got tfn, medicare, 2 cars, rental property and have put the kids into school (although they are not happy about that one). everything we had to do we did in the first week and then the 2nd week we took 4 days down the gold coast (although freezing) was fantastic, the beach is a little different from barry island which is where we were living. so far we have found everyone really really helpful and friendly and are very polite and have not had any pommy remarks yet, in fact if you are a tradesman they almost welcome the extra hands because they are so inundated with work they cannot cope. the rental is in brassall, so if anyone is in this area, get in touch and perhaps we can meet up.
i have not had homesickness yet (which is not to say that i wont), we have the webcam set up and its like i only left my family yesterday which is nice and they get a chance to see the kids.
we stayed with my mums cousin when we first arrived and they were absolutely brilliant, i cannot even begin to repay them as they took us everywhere we needed to go and it feels like we have known them all an eternity.
so far we have been to the gold coast (coolangata), oreillys, victoria point, couchie island and brisbane city (southbank beach etc) and to say the least what i have seen so far i really really like, the kids are also enjoying the experience too but then again they are only 8 and 5, so they would enjoy anything anyway. i have also joined the local gym and the membership not only entitles you to use the gym but to attend any of the classes, use the squash court, tennis court, pool, sauna etc all for the monthly subscription of $53, which to me is fantastic.
also another thing which has facinated me is that when you pay for a train into brisbane this entitles you to use any of the transport facilities (sea ferrys, bus etc) for the rest of the day, for no extra fee (except $2 for the sea cat).
another facinating thing (call me sad if you like) is that there appears to be no waiting lists for the kids to join sports, my little boy has just started basketball and can go to training free but if he wants to play matches he has to play $40 for the season which really isnt bad either. my daughter waited 3 years on the gymnastics waiting list in the uk and finally got called up 4 weeks before we left.
anyway, gotta go, have loads of emails to send etc, if anyone wants to know anything or needs help with sorting out anything when they get here (while its all still fresh in my mind) just let me know, i hope i can be of help to anyone.
best regards
louise
we havent been online for a long time for obvious reasons, leaving the uk and flying out to oz.
well we have been here 3 weeks now and so far we have got tfn, medicare, 2 cars, rental property and have put the kids into school (although they are not happy about that one). everything we had to do we did in the first week and then the 2nd week we took 4 days down the gold coast (although freezing) was fantastic, the beach is a little different from barry island which is where we were living. so far we have found everyone really really helpful and friendly and are very polite and have not had any pommy remarks yet, in fact if you are a tradesman they almost welcome the extra hands because they are so inundated with work they cannot cope. the rental is in brassall, so if anyone is in this area, get in touch and perhaps we can meet up.
i have not had homesickness yet (which is not to say that i wont), we have the webcam set up and its like i only left my family yesterday which is nice and they get a chance to see the kids.
we stayed with my mums cousin when we first arrived and they were absolutely brilliant, i cannot even begin to repay them as they took us everywhere we needed to go and it feels like we have known them all an eternity.
so far we have been to the gold coast (coolangata), oreillys, victoria point, couchie island and brisbane city (southbank beach etc) and to say the least what i have seen so far i really really like, the kids are also enjoying the experience too but then again they are only 8 and 5, so they would enjoy anything anyway. i have also joined the local gym and the membership not only entitles you to use the gym but to attend any of the classes, use the squash court, tennis court, pool, sauna etc all for the monthly subscription of $53, which to me is fantastic.
also another thing which has facinated me is that when you pay for a train into brisbane this entitles you to use any of the transport facilities (sea ferrys, bus etc) for the rest of the day, for no extra fee (except $2 for the sea cat).
another facinating thing (call me sad if you like) is that there appears to be no waiting lists for the kids to join sports, my little boy has just started basketball and can go to training free but if he wants to play matches he has to play $40 for the season which really isnt bad either. my daughter waited 3 years on the gymnastics waiting list in the uk and finally got called up 4 weeks before we left.
anyway, gotta go, have loads of emails to send etc, if anyone wants to know anything or needs help with sorting out anything when they get here (while its all still fresh in my mind) just let me know, i hope i can be of help to anyone.
best regards
louise
Hi
I am pleased it is going so well for you. How cold is it, it is really cold here in Bristol, have had thunder and ligthening all day/night!
We will be arriving in Brisbane in 3 weeks time to start our new lives
and I was wondering how you sorted out your tax file and medicare. Also did you need an address to buy a car? We are going to be staying in a hotel until we find our rental so I think we might have to rent a car until we are sorted. Did you have to pay lots of extra charges for your car (stamp duty, GST, delivery (if new), rego and insurance0? We are trying to get an idea of costs. Good luck with it all 
Aug 18th 2006, 11:33 am
#3
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 82
Re: arrived in brissy
when we first arrived in brisbane it was freezing as we left when the uk was having a heat wave, we spent 4 nights in singapore which is very humid as well which made it feel a lot colder. right now the weather is certainly getting warmer and the days are about 25c and even the nights are getting warmer.
the tax file reference numbers you can do online, we actually went into the tax office in brisbane and it took all of 5 minutes as they have computers which you can use, we then received the numbers about 1-2 weeks after that, in fact i would say it was a week later. we are currently in ipswich which is about 40 minutes away from brisbane cbd, everything is pretty accesible from here and its cheaper than brisbane for rentals etc. ipswich takes about an hr and a half to the gold coast and probably an hr and and a half from the sunshine coast, so its quite central, yet still affordable. there is a place in ipswich where there is a road called the something mile (someone on here may know what the correct name is i have forgotten). these certainly do appear to be cheaper than where we got our car from, although you can bargin with everything. my car was up for $12000 and i think we eventually got it for $9,500, our electrical stuff we bought from bi-rite and they did us a very good deal for cash probably knocking off about $500 even when they appeared to be cheaper than anywhere else anyway.
when renting the house, everything was very smooth, we took our bank statement which we had when we opened our account, passports, medicare certificate etc and that appeared to be enough. we used ray white estate agents and they are very professional, they have the garden cut and debugged and stuff before you move in. my little boys room had a stain on the carpet and they changed it (even though the house is only 6 months old and you could hardly see the stain anyway). we live in a very nice suburb called brassall and we have a house on the grammar park estate which is lovely and quiet and have little cul-de-sacs, and i have never known such a peaceful place.
medicare is really easy, you just go to the office with your passports and they told us to come back in about half an hr, and they had our proof (which is temporary until your card comes through) slip, which you can use to gain extra points with your rentals (everything is done on a points system like in the uk and i think you need 100 to enable you to get a rental).
we worked it out, we bought our car, fridge, freezer, slow cooker, washing machine, fridge with ice dispenser (which i have always wanted), 3 piece leather suite (all recliners) for £6,000, which i thought was fantastic.
we moved into our new house on the monday and our delivery from pickfords came on the tuesday morning which was brill. all in all things have been smooth, (hopefully it will be the same with the jobs)
how many of you are there coming? do you have jobs etc?, any relatives?
if i have missed anything, just let me know and i will try to help
regards
louise
the tax file reference numbers you can do online, we actually went into the tax office in brisbane and it took all of 5 minutes as they have computers which you can use, we then received the numbers about 1-2 weeks after that, in fact i would say it was a week later. we are currently in ipswich which is about 40 minutes away from brisbane cbd, everything is pretty accesible from here and its cheaper than brisbane for rentals etc. ipswich takes about an hr and a half to the gold coast and probably an hr and and a half from the sunshine coast, so its quite central, yet still affordable. there is a place in ipswich where there is a road called the something mile (someone on here may know what the correct name is i have forgotten). these certainly do appear to be cheaper than where we got our car from, although you can bargin with everything. my car was up for $12000 and i think we eventually got it for $9,500, our electrical stuff we bought from bi-rite and they did us a very good deal for cash probably knocking off about $500 even when they appeared to be cheaper than anywhere else anyway.
when renting the house, everything was very smooth, we took our bank statement which we had when we opened our account, passports, medicare certificate etc and that appeared to be enough. we used ray white estate agents and they are very professional, they have the garden cut and debugged and stuff before you move in. my little boys room had a stain on the carpet and they changed it (even though the house is only 6 months old and you could hardly see the stain anyway). we live in a very nice suburb called brassall and we have a house on the grammar park estate which is lovely and quiet and have little cul-de-sacs, and i have never known such a peaceful place.
medicare is really easy, you just go to the office with your passports and they told us to come back in about half an hr, and they had our proof (which is temporary until your card comes through) slip, which you can use to gain extra points with your rentals (everything is done on a points system like in the uk and i think you need 100 to enable you to get a rental).
we worked it out, we bought our car, fridge, freezer, slow cooker, washing machine, fridge with ice dispenser (which i have always wanted), 3 piece leather suite (all recliners) for £6,000, which i thought was fantastic.
we moved into our new house on the monday and our delivery from pickfords came on the tuesday morning which was brill. all in all things have been smooth, (hopefully it will be the same with the jobs)
how many of you are there coming? do you have jobs etc?, any relatives?
if i have missed anything, just let me know and i will try to help
regards
louise
Originally Posted by Vernons
Hi
I am pleased it is going so well for you. How cold is it, it is really cold here in Bristol, have had thunder and ligthening all day/night!
We will be arriving in Brisbane in 3 weeks time to start our new lives and I was wondering how you sorted out your tax file and medicare. Also did you need an address to buy a car? We are going to be staying in a hotel until we find our rental so I think we might have to rent a car until we are sorted. Did you have to pay lots of extra charges for your car (stamp duty, GST, delivery (if new), rego and insurance0? We are trying to get an idea of costs. Good luck with it all
I am pleased it is going so well for you. How cold is it, it is really cold here in Bristol, have had thunder and ligthening all day/night!
We will be arriving in Brisbane in 3 weeks time to start our new lives
and I was wondering how you sorted out your tax file and medicare. Also did you need an address to buy a car? We are going to be staying in a hotel until we find our rental so I think we might have to rent a car until we are sorted. Did you have to pay lots of extra charges for your car (stamp duty, GST, delivery (if new), rego and insurance0? We are trying to get an idea of costs. Good luck with it all
Aug 18th 2006, 12:36 pm
#4
Sunshine Coast -Yeepee!!
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: Sunshine Coast - Oh yea!!
Posts: 464
Re: arrived in brissy
Hi Louise,
Thanks for all the help, it is great getting advice from someone who is doing it.
It is just me (Michelle, 28) and my husband (Ian 33) coming out. We have no family in OZ and everyone thinks we are nuts to be moving out but hey we can't wait and we are ready to give it everything we have!
Ian is a maintenance fitter/supervisor in a quarry at the moment and it was his skills that got us in, they are apparently in demaand and a shortage. I am a primary school teacher and I am really hoping to teach when we get out.
We will be in OZ in three weeks time, which is hard to imagine as we still have lots to do and goodbyes to be said. We are flying into Brisbane and staying in the CBD for a few days to sort out things like tax file numbers and medicare and then we have 10 nights book in an apartment in Caloundra. The plan is to see what the work situation is lke in and around Brisbane and particularly the Sunshine coast. We wold ideally like to live and work near there but we are not sure if it will happen. Lan d seems expensive along the coast and a bit more than we can afford so we will have to see. There are lots of quarries around there so we are hoping Ian will find work. We are also considering Townsville and if a job comes up there we will fly up and check it out (flights are a bargain). There are a few people on this site who live there and they love it, it looks beautiful but no surf
. We want to have a go at surfing, although I think I will spend more time falling off than anything else.
John Masson come to pack up the house in two weeks time and hopefully two weeks today we will be completing on our house.
I actually think being here is more stressful, I just want to get out to OZ and get on with it.
Michelle
Thanks for all the help, it is great getting advice from someone who is doing it.
It is just me (Michelle, 28) and my husband (Ian 33) coming out. We have no family in OZ and everyone thinks we are nuts to be moving out but hey we can't wait and we are ready to give it everything we have!
Ian is a maintenance fitter/supervisor in a quarry at the moment and it was his skills that got us in, they are apparently in demaand and a shortage. I am a primary school teacher and I am really hoping to teach when we get out.
We will be in OZ in three weeks time, which is hard to imagine as we still have lots to do and goodbyes to be said. We are flying into Brisbane and staying in the CBD for a few days to sort out things like tax file numbers and medicare and then we have 10 nights book in an apartment in Caloundra. The plan is to see what the work situation is lke in and around Brisbane and particularly the Sunshine coast. We wold ideally like to live and work near there but we are not sure if it will happen. Lan d seems expensive along the coast and a bit more than we can afford so we will have to see. There are lots of quarries around there so we are hoping Ian will find work. We are also considering Townsville and if a job comes up there we will fly up and check it out (flights are a bargain). There are a few people on this site who live there and they love it, it looks beautiful but no surf
. We want to have a go at surfing, although I think I will spend more time falling off than anything else.John Masson come to pack up the house in two weeks time and hopefully two weeks today we will be completing on our house.
I actually think being here is more stressful, I just want to get out to OZ and get on with it.
Michelle
Aug 18th 2006, 1:26 pm
#5
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 82
Re: arrived in brissy
hiya michelle,
i have to agree with you that for you this is probably the most stressful, everything this side takes a few days if you get cracking and its the looking for properties that can be time consuming, although we only looked at about 5 and i knew that i wanted this one, we probably could have got something a bit better if we had waited but didnt want to impose on the relies for too long but its a lot better than our little 2 bed terraced house in the uk so i cant be fussy.
the last few weeks are very emotional, we actually sold our house 2 months before we came out so we had to stay with my mum and dad,, which make things worse, everytime i looked at my dad he used to cry and then i would cry, toward the end i was an emotional wreck, but then my dad was excited when i was ringing and telling him what we had been up to, he actually looks forward to me ringing now. you have to try to be strong, i think everyone too thought that we were nuts because we had never been to oz and really had no expectations at all, which i think is good. i can honestly say that i dont miss the uk only the people.
i have to agree with you that for you this is probably the most stressful, everything this side takes a few days if you get cracking and its the looking for properties that can be time consuming, although we only looked at about 5 and i knew that i wanted this one, we probably could have got something a bit better if we had waited but didnt want to impose on the relies for too long but its a lot better than our little 2 bed terraced house in the uk so i cant be fussy.
the last few weeks are very emotional, we actually sold our house 2 months before we came out so we had to stay with my mum and dad,, which make things worse, everytime i looked at my dad he used to cry and then i would cry, toward the end i was an emotional wreck, but then my dad was excited when i was ringing and telling him what we had been up to, he actually looks forward to me ringing now. you have to try to be strong, i think everyone too thought that we were nuts because we had never been to oz and really had no expectations at all, which i think is good. i can honestly say that i dont miss the uk only the people.
Originally Posted by Vernons
Hi Louise,
Thanks for all the help, it is great getting advice from someone who is doing it.
i too fancy the sunshine coast and have looked into caboulture, so we have yet to have the weekend up there to find out what its like, i think it will be too expensive for us too. there is an oz website called "what if" which is really good for holiday packages within oz, we booked our gold coast accomodation through them and for a family of 4 for 4 nights it coast $336 which is good, so you may find your cheap flights to townsville through them. my hubby is a plumber/gas fitter and is having a few problems getting his licence, so he's had to do a migrant course in plumbing which could take about 1 month, so he wont actually be working until then, so i am hoping to start work soon to compensate for his not working.
anyway, gotta go, good luck with everything, give us a shout if i can be of any help, we have had so much help with everything here that it would be nice to help someone out thats in the same position too.
best regards
louise
It is just me (Michelle, 28) and my husband (Ian 33) coming out. We have no family in OZ and everyone thinks we are nuts to be moving out but hey we can't wait and we are ready to give it everything we have!
Ian is a maintenance fitter/supervisor in a quarry at the moment and it was his skills that got us in, they are apparently in demaand and a shortage. I am a primary school teacher and I am really hoping to teach when we get out.
We will be in OZ in three weeks time, which is hard to imagine as we still have lots to do and goodbyes to be said. We are flying into Brisbane and staying in the CBD for a few days to sort out things like tax file numbers and medicare and then we have 10 nights book in an apartment in Caloundra. The plan is to see what the work situation is lke in and around Brisbane and particularly the Sunshine coast. We wold ideally like to live and work near there but we are not sure if it will happen. Lan d seems expensive along the coast and a bit more than we can afford so we will have to see. There are lots of quarries around there so we are hoping Ian will find work. We are also considering Townsville and if a job comes up there we will fly up and check it out (flights are a bargain). There are a few people on this site who live there and they love it, it looks beautiful but no surf . We want to have a go at surfing, although I think I will spend more time falling off than anything else.
John Masson come to pack up the house in two weeks time and hopefully two weeks today we will be completing on our house.
I actually think being here is more stressful, I just want to get out to OZ and get on with it.
Michelle
Thanks for all the help, it is great getting advice from someone who is doing it.
i too fancy the sunshine coast and have looked into caboulture, so we have yet to have the weekend up there to find out what its like, i think it will be too expensive for us too. there is an oz website called "what if" which is really good for holiday packages within oz, we booked our gold coast accomodation through them and for a family of 4 for 4 nights it coast $336 which is good, so you may find your cheap flights to townsville through them. my hubby is a plumber/gas fitter and is having a few problems getting his licence, so he's had to do a migrant course in plumbing which could take about 1 month, so he wont actually be working until then, so i am hoping to start work soon to compensate for his not working.
anyway, gotta go, good luck with everything, give us a shout if i can be of any help, we have had so much help with everything here that it would be nice to help someone out thats in the same position too.
best regards
louise
It is just me (Michelle, 28) and my husband (Ian 33) coming out. We have no family in OZ and everyone thinks we are nuts to be moving out but hey we can't wait and we are ready to give it everything we have!
Ian is a maintenance fitter/supervisor in a quarry at the moment and it was his skills that got us in, they are apparently in demaand and a shortage. I am a primary school teacher and I am really hoping to teach when we get out.
We will be in OZ in three weeks time, which is hard to imagine as we still have lots to do and goodbyes to be said. We are flying into Brisbane and staying in the CBD for a few days to sort out things like tax file numbers and medicare and then we have 10 nights book in an apartment in Caloundra. The plan is to see what the work situation is lke in and around Brisbane and particularly the Sunshine coast. We wold ideally like to live and work near there but we are not sure if it will happen. Lan d seems expensive along the coast and a bit more than we can afford so we will have to see. There are lots of quarries around there so we are hoping Ian will find work. We are also considering Townsville and if a job comes up there we will fly up and check it out (flights are a bargain). There are a few people on this site who live there and they love it, it looks beautiful but no surf
. We want to have a go at surfing, although I think I will spend more time falling off than anything else.John Masson come to pack up the house in two weeks time and hopefully two weeks today we will be completing on our house.
I actually think being here is more stressful, I just want to get out to OZ and get on with it.
Michelle
Aug 18th 2006, 1:54 pm
#6
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Poole, Dorset
Posts: 1,217
Re: arrived in brissy
What a great post. It sounds as though you are really beginning to settle in.
Aug 18th 2006, 2:27 pm
#7
What's happening dudes?
Joined: Mar 2004
Location: Bayside Brisbane
Posts: 20,647
Re: arrived in brissy
Good on yer Louise. It's always good to hear positive experiences. My advice is to keep an open mind and learn from everything and everyone and you'll be just fine Isn't it great when you get your stuff delivered? I can still remember sitting on our sofa for the first time in almost a year.
The car place is the Marooka Magic Mile on Ipswich Road.
Isn't it great when you get your stuff delivered? I can still remember sitting on our sofa for the first time in almost a year.The car place is the Marooka Magic Mile on Ipswich Road.
Aug 18th 2006, 10:34 pm
#8
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 82
Re: arrived in brissy
ah yes the marooka mile, bloody wish we had gone down there first but never mind cause we had a good car and a good dealer with blue ribbon motors. the advice that was given to us when we first arrived was do all the formalities which need to be done and if you can afford it take a look around first to see why you are here. we went to the gold coast which really put things into perspective of why we are here. to think that all this beauty is only on our doorstep, except the kids just dont appreciate the scenery and find it quite boring!
i was so excited when our stuff from pickfords came it was like xmas over again, i did say to hubby that perhaps we should have wrapped the kids toys up in xmas paper and tell them when its arrived that its xmas in oz! could have saved us a fortune, ha ha.
where abouts are you all? anyone in the ipswich area?
louise
i was so excited when our stuff from pickfords came it was like xmas over again, i did say to hubby that perhaps we should have wrapped the kids toys up in xmas paper and tell them when its arrived that its xmas in oz! could have saved us a fortune, ha ha.
where abouts are you all? anyone in the ipswich area?
louise
Originally Posted by wmoore
Good on yer Louise. It's always good to hear positive experiences. My advice is to keep an open mind and learn from everything and everyone and you'll be just fine Isn't it great when you get your stuff delivered? I can still remember sitting on our sofa for the first time in almost a year.
The car place is the Marooka Magic Mile on Ipswich Road.
Isn't it great when you get your stuff delivered? I can still remember sitting on our sofa for the first time in almost a year.The car place is the Marooka Magic Mile on Ipswich Road.
Aug 19th 2006, 10:30 am
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 130
Re: arrived in brissy
Originally Posted by Vernons
Hi Louise,
Thanks for all the help, it is great getting advice from someone who is doing it.
It is just me (Michelle, 28) and my husband (Ian 33) coming out. We have no family in OZ and everyone thinks we are nuts to be moving out but hey we can't wait and we are ready to give it everything we have!
Ian is a maintenance fitter/supervisor in a quarry at the moment and it was his skills that got us in, they are apparently in demaand and a shortage. I am a primary school teacher and I am really hoping to teach when we get out.
We will be in OZ in three weeks time, which is hard to imagine as we still have lots to do and goodbyes to be said. We are flying into Brisbane and staying in the CBD for a few days to sort out things like tax file numbers and medicare and then we have 10 nights book in an apartment in Caloundra. The plan is to see what the work situation is lke in and around Brisbane and particularly the Sunshine coast. We wold ideally like to live and work near there but we are not sure if it will happen. Lan d seems expensive along the coast and a bit more than we can afford so we will have to see. There are lots of quarries around there so we are hoping Ian will find work. We are also considering Townsville and if a job comes up there we will fly up and check it out (flights are a bargain). There are a few people on this site who live there and they love it, it looks beautiful but no surf . We want to have a go at surfing, although I think I will spend more time falling off than anything else.
John Masson come to pack up the house in two weeks time and hopefully two weeks today we will be completing on our house.
I actually think being here is more stressful, I just want to get out to OZ and get on with it.
Michelle
Thanks for all the help, it is great getting advice from someone who is doing it.
It is just me (Michelle, 28) and my husband (Ian 33) coming out. We have no family in OZ and everyone thinks we are nuts to be moving out but hey we can't wait and we are ready to give it everything we have!
Ian is a maintenance fitter/supervisor in a quarry at the moment and it was his skills that got us in, they are apparently in demaand and a shortage. I am a primary school teacher and I am really hoping to teach when we get out.
We will be in OZ in three weeks time, which is hard to imagine as we still have lots to do and goodbyes to be said. We are flying into Brisbane and staying in the CBD for a few days to sort out things like tax file numbers and medicare and then we have 10 nights book in an apartment in Caloundra. The plan is to see what the work situation is lke in and around Brisbane and particularly the Sunshine coast. We wold ideally like to live and work near there but we are not sure if it will happen. Lan d seems expensive along the coast and a bit more than we can afford so we will have to see. There are lots of quarries around there so we are hoping Ian will find work. We are also considering Townsville and if a job comes up there we will fly up and check it out (flights are a bargain). There are a few people on this site who live there and they love it, it looks beautiful but no surf
. We want to have a go at surfing, although I think I will spend more time falling off than anything else.John Masson come to pack up the house in two weeks time and hopefully two weeks today we will be completing on our house.
I actually think being here is more stressful, I just want to get out to OZ and get on with it.
Michelle
I'm moving with my OH and kids (6 and 4) soon (we hope) and this kind of info really helps.
We're selling our house in Swansea before we've had our visa's and are sh*tting ourselves !
Aug 19th 2006, 1:00 pm
#10
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 82
Re: arrived in brissy
hiya martynm
we too are welshies (from cardiff) and sold our house before we had our visa's, no worries mate honest, everything will work out just right, its very stressful but you will be fine. what part of oz are you heading?
louise
we too are welshies (from cardiff) and sold our house before we had our visa's, no worries mate honest, everything will work out just right, its very stressful but you will be fine. what part of oz are you heading?
louise
Originally Posted by martynm
best of luck Michelle, great post loopyloo!
I'm moving with my OH and kids (6 and 4) soon (we hope) and this kind of info really helps.
We're selling our house in Swansea before we've had our visa's and are sh*tting ourselves !
I'm moving with my OH and kids (6 and 4) soon (we hope) and this kind of info really helps.
We're selling our house in Swansea before we've had our visa's and are sh*tting ourselves !
Aug 21st 2006, 9:01 am
#11
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 130
Re: arrived in brissy
Originally Posted by loopyloo2
hiya martynm
we too are welshies (from cardiff) and sold our house before we had our visa's, no worries mate honest, everything will work out just right, its very stressful but you will be fine. what part of oz are you heading?
louise
we too are welshies (from cardiff) and sold our house before we had our visa's, no worries mate honest, everything will work out just right, its very stressful but you will be fine. what part of oz are you heading?
louise
moving to brisbane I hope, dependent on the damn visa coming back ok.
Looks nice up there, lots of stuff to do adn enough work for the industry I'm in.
You ?
Aug 21st 2006, 10:58 am
#12
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 82
Re: arrived in brissy
we are currently living in brassall which is in ipswich, wouldnt mind taking a look at the prices around the sunshine coast though.
how long have you been waiting for your visa
louise
how long have you been waiting for your visa
louise
Originally Posted by martynm
hiya,
moving to brisbane I hope, dependent on the damn visa coming back ok.
Looks nice up there, lots of stuff to do adn enough work for the industry I'm in.
You ?
moving to brisbane I hope, dependent on the damn visa coming back ok.
Looks nice up there, lots of stuff to do adn enough work for the industry I'm in.
You ?
Aug 21st 2006, 12:28 pm
#13
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: North Wales > Manly, Brisbane > Gympie!
Posts: 530
Re: arrived in brissy
Originally Posted by loopyloo2
g'day to you all,
we havent been online for a long time for obvious reasons, leaving the uk and flying out to oz.
well we have been here 3 weeks now and so far we have got tfn, medicare, 2 cars, rental property and have put the kids into school (although they are not happy about that one). everything we had to do we did in the first week and then the 2nd week we took 4 days down the gold coast (although freezing) was fantastic, the beach is a little different from barry island which is where we were living. so far we have found everyone really really helpful and friendly and are very polite and have not had any pommy remarks yet, in fact if you are a tradesman they almost welcome the extra hands because they are so inundated with work they cannot cope. the rental is in brassall, so if anyone is in this area, get in touch and perhaps we can meet up.
i have not had homesickness yet (which is not to say that i wont), we have the webcam set up and its like i only left my family yesterday which is nice and they get a chance to see the kids.
we stayed with my mums cousin when we first arrived and they were absolutely brilliant, i cannot even begin to repay them as they took us everywhere we needed to go and it feels like we have known them all an eternity.
so far we have been to the gold coast (coolangata), oreillys, victoria point, couchie island and brisbane city (southbank beach etc) and to say the least what i have seen so far i really really like, the kids are also enjoying the experience too but then again they are only 8 and 5, so they would enjoy anything anyway. i have also joined the local gym and the membership not only entitles you to use the gym but to attend any of the classes, use the squash court, tennis court, pool, sauna etc all for the monthly subscription of $53, which to me is fantastic.
also another thing which has facinated me is that when you pay for a train into brisbane this entitles you to use any of the transport facilities (sea ferrys, bus etc) for the rest of the day, for no extra fee (except $2 for the sea cat).
another facinating thing (call me sad if you like) is that there appears to be no waiting lists for the kids to join sports, my little boy has just started basketball and can go to training free but if he wants to play matches he has to play $40 for the season which really isnt bad either. my daughter waited 3 years on the gymnastics waiting list in the uk and finally got called up 4 weeks before we left.
anyway, gotta go, have loads of emails to send etc, if anyone wants to know anything or needs help with sorting out anything when they get here (while its all still fresh in my mind) just let me know, i hope i can be of help to anyone.
best regards
louise
we havent been online for a long time for obvious reasons, leaving the uk and flying out to oz.
well we have been here 3 weeks now and so far we have got tfn, medicare, 2 cars, rental property and have put the kids into school (although they are not happy about that one). everything we had to do we did in the first week and then the 2nd week we took 4 days down the gold coast (although freezing) was fantastic, the beach is a little different from barry island which is where we were living. so far we have found everyone really really helpful and friendly and are very polite and have not had any pommy remarks yet, in fact if you are a tradesman they almost welcome the extra hands because they are so inundated with work they cannot cope. the rental is in brassall, so if anyone is in this area, get in touch and perhaps we can meet up.
i have not had homesickness yet (which is not to say that i wont), we have the webcam set up and its like i only left my family yesterday which is nice and they get a chance to see the kids.
we stayed with my mums cousin when we first arrived and they were absolutely brilliant, i cannot even begin to repay them as they took us everywhere we needed to go and it feels like we have known them all an eternity.
so far we have been to the gold coast (coolangata), oreillys, victoria point, couchie island and brisbane city (southbank beach etc) and to say the least what i have seen so far i really really like, the kids are also enjoying the experience too but then again they are only 8 and 5, so they would enjoy anything anyway. i have also joined the local gym and the membership not only entitles you to use the gym but to attend any of the classes, use the squash court, tennis court, pool, sauna etc all for the monthly subscription of $53, which to me is fantastic.
also another thing which has facinated me is that when you pay for a train into brisbane this entitles you to use any of the transport facilities (sea ferrys, bus etc) for the rest of the day, for no extra fee (except $2 for the sea cat).
another facinating thing (call me sad if you like) is that there appears to be no waiting lists for the kids to join sports, my little boy has just started basketball and can go to training free but if he wants to play matches he has to play $40 for the season which really isnt bad either. my daughter waited 3 years on the gymnastics waiting list in the uk and finally got called up 4 weeks before we left.
anyway, gotta go, have loads of emails to send etc, if anyone wants to know anything or needs help with sorting out anything when they get here (while its all still fresh in my mind) just let me know, i hope i can be of help to anyone.
best regards
louise
Welcome to Brisbane! We are in the Bayside but come from Wrexham, N.Wales - not missing it much!!! You seem as if you are very sorted but if you need any help just sing out!
Enjoy yourselves!
Jo
Aug 21st 2006, 5:57 pm
#14
egghead4+becky
Joined: Jul 2006
Location: was newport now sunny Bundy
Posts: 797
Re: arrived in brissy
Originally Posted by loopyloo2
g'day to you all,
we havent been online for a long time for obvious reasons, leaving the uk and flying out to oz.
well we have been here 3 weeks now and so far we have got tfn, medicare, 2 cars, rental property and have put the kids into school (although they are not happy about that one). everything we had to do we did in the first week and then the 2nd week we took 4 days down the gold coast (although freezing) was fantastic, the beach is a little different from barry island which is where we were living. so far we have found everyone really really helpful and friendly and are very polite and have not had any pommy remarks yet, in fact if you are a tradesman they almost welcome the extra hands because they are so inundated with work they cannot cope. the rental is in brassall, so if anyone is in this area, get in touch and perhaps we can meet up.
i have not had homesickness yet (which is not to say that i wont), we have the webcam set up and its like i only left my family yesterday which is nice and they get a chance to see the kids.
we stayed with my mums cousin when we first arrived and they were absolutely brilliant, i cannot even begin to repay them as they took us everywhere we needed to go and it feels like we have known them all an eternity.
so far we have been to the gold coast (coolangata), oreillys, victoria point, couchie island and brisbane city (southbank beach etc) and to say the least what i have seen so far i really really like, the kids are also enjoying the experience too but then again they are only 8 and 5, so they would enjoy anything anyway. i have also joined the local gym and the membership not only entitles you to use the gym but to attend any of the classes, use the squash court, tennis court, pool, sauna etc all for the monthly subscription of $53, which to me is fantastic.
also another thing which has facinated me is that when you pay for a train into brisbane this entitles you to use any of the transport facilities (sea ferrys, bus etc) for the rest of the day, for no extra fee (except $2 for the sea cat).
another facinating thing (call me sad if you like) is that there appears to be no waiting lists for the kids to join sports, my little boy has just started basketball and can go to training free but if he wants to play matches he has to play $40 for the season which really isnt bad either. my daughter waited 3 years on the gymnastics waiting list in the uk and finally got called up 4 weeks before we left.
anyway, gotta go, have loads of emails to send etc, if anyone wants to know anything or needs help with sorting out anything when they get here (while its all still fresh in my mind) just let me know, i hope i can be of help to anyone.
best regards
louise
we havent been online for a long time for obvious reasons, leaving the uk and flying out to oz.
well we have been here 3 weeks now and so far we have got tfn, medicare, 2 cars, rental property and have put the kids into school (although they are not happy about that one). everything we had to do we did in the first week and then the 2nd week we took 4 days down the gold coast (although freezing) was fantastic, the beach is a little different from barry island which is where we were living. so far we have found everyone really really helpful and friendly and are very polite and have not had any pommy remarks yet, in fact if you are a tradesman they almost welcome the extra hands because they are so inundated with work they cannot cope. the rental is in brassall, so if anyone is in this area, get in touch and perhaps we can meet up.
i have not had homesickness yet (which is not to say that i wont), we have the webcam set up and its like i only left my family yesterday which is nice and they get a chance to see the kids.
we stayed with my mums cousin when we first arrived and they were absolutely brilliant, i cannot even begin to repay them as they took us everywhere we needed to go and it feels like we have known them all an eternity.
so far we have been to the gold coast (coolangata), oreillys, victoria point, couchie island and brisbane city (southbank beach etc) and to say the least what i have seen so far i really really like, the kids are also enjoying the experience too but then again they are only 8 and 5, so they would enjoy anything anyway. i have also joined the local gym and the membership not only entitles you to use the gym but to attend any of the classes, use the squash court, tennis court, pool, sauna etc all for the monthly subscription of $53, which to me is fantastic.
also another thing which has facinated me is that when you pay for a train into brisbane this entitles you to use any of the transport facilities (sea ferrys, bus etc) for the rest of the day, for no extra fee (except $2 for the sea cat).
another facinating thing (call me sad if you like) is that there appears to be no waiting lists for the kids to join sports, my little boy has just started basketball and can go to training free but if he wants to play matches he has to play $40 for the season which really isnt bad either. my daughter waited 3 years on the gymnastics waiting list in the uk and finally got called up 4 weeks before we left.
anyway, gotta go, have loads of emails to send etc, if anyone wants to know anything or needs help with sorting out anything when they get here (while its all still fresh in my mind) just let me know, i hope i can be of help to anyone.
best regards
louise
its really nice to hear how well you have settled, its also really reassuring for us still in good old blighty. we are living in newport, I know, not good!! where abouts in brisbane have you settled? you also mentioned trades being in demand, which ones, as my OH is a plumber/gasfitter and it appears not all is good in relation to this occupation in OZ. any feedback would be really helpful. well hope things continue to go well for you and you family, youve certainly made the right coice.
bec+egg
Aug 21st 2006, 6:25 pm
#15
Lonely in France
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Deux Sevres, France (since July 2003)
Posts: 12
Re: arrived in brissy
'LoppyLoo',
It's lovely to read what you've posted. So positive, just what I need when starting out on the visa application minefield !
I'm a bit different, as I'm living in France .......... Have been for 3 years and it hasn't worked out so my OH has been back in the UK working for the last 12 months and I've been here (Deux Sevres, France) with the 2 kids, 2 dogs & a cat, trying to sell our house. Thank goodness, a sale has been agreed, but I can't leave France until March 2007 - waiting for pet passports ..........
Anyway, we've never been to Oz but think it will be the right move, at least they speak English there. I'm already used to being away from Family and using the web-cam etc. as I've been in France for the last 3 years and even without the OH for the last 12 months !
I've enjoyed what you've written and makes me think we're doing the right thing. Bless you. Cheered me up anyway.
Sarah (stuck in France
)
It's lovely to read what you've posted. So positive, just what I need when starting out on the visa application minefield !
I'm a bit different, as I'm living in France .......... Have been for 3 years and it hasn't worked out so my OH has been back in the UK working for the last 12 months and I've been here (Deux Sevres, France) with the 2 kids, 2 dogs & a cat, trying to sell our house. Thank goodness, a sale has been agreed, but I can't leave France until March 2007 - waiting for pet passports ..........
Anyway, we've never been to Oz but think it will be the right move, at least they speak English there. I'm already used to being away from Family and using the web-cam etc. as I've been in France for the last 3 years and even without the OH for the last 12 months !
I've enjoyed what you've written and makes me think we're doing the right thing. Bless you. Cheered me up anyway.
Sarah (stuck in France
)
