stevensarah

Hello everyone

I'm new on here and just looking for some advice on moving to Brisbane also.

We're a couple with two children. My partner is a cabinet maker/carpenter. We've been researching jobs opportunities within the area and the prospects look very promising. My partners area of work is more in demand in Australia than UK. We are looking for a better quality of life in Australia, as outdoor people the weather is very appealing!

I'm just really looking for any useful information anyone may have and experiences of living in Brisbane and moving to Australia from UK. Your advice is very much appreciated! Many thanks

old.sparkles

Hi and welcome to BE

Not sure of what the job opportunities are but thought this may be of interest - http://britishexpats.com/forum/austr...isbane-870359/

old.sparkles

Moved to own thread and general forum

Bermudashorts

There are a few regulars in Brisbane on here, but your question is really broad and it is difficult to know where to start in answering it. Is there anything more specific you might be wondering about? E.g. Schools, suburbs, making friends, dog parks, flights, removal costs, pet transportation, tax numbers, childcare facilities, netball teams, public transport etc etc.

There is so much to cover, you run the risk of getting no answers because people don't want to bombard you with a lot of information you are not looking for.

Of course the first thing to look into is the visa.

stevensarah

Thank you for the link. It is very useful.

I did post a question regarding visa's. I'm not sure whether this actually got posted. I was looking for a little more information of visas. My partner has a BA (Hons) degree in cabinet making and also an NVQ 6 in site management. Would he be eligible for points for the degree AND the NVQ or just the highest level of education i.e the degree?

Also if anyone has any information on childcare and schools in Brisbane childcare costs, school terms, hours ect that would be very helpful.

I appreciate everyones responses and help. Thank you.

Many Thank
Sarah

Bermudashorts

I found your visa question by looking through your posts, it is there but I think it just got lost as it was on somebody else's thread. Anyway no you would not get points for two qualifications, just the highest one.

I am sure that somebody will be along shortly to comment on schools. Not my area of expertise.

Rebekka

My husband moved to Brisbane on Tuesday, he's just in a temp unit until he can suss out areas, he started a new job as site manager yesterday.

He's gone on his own just in case things don't work out, we will hopefully join him before the end of the year. He only gets one day off a week and hours are long so he's hoping to use his Sunday's to check out areas, I think it will be either Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast for us, to be honest I have no idea 😊

He came over on his carpentry qualifications. Good luck

Bermudashorts

Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast are a few hours apart, perhaps the location of his work would help decide which is better. Neither being particularly good if work is in Brisbane.

jad n rich

He has done well to get a job as a site manager , usually Australian experience essential in that line of work. 6 days a week, 12 hour days as you discovered fairly typical, not unusual at all.

You can commute from GC or SC, loads do it, of course it adds about 3 hours a day but I know personally hundreds of tradies who have done it for years.
Another way is live on coast and get a cheapie rental or investment property in brisvegas. Not impossible either, prices in Brisbane are way way cheaper than melb or Sydney.
Nasty weather up there the next few days and I unfortunately am up there from Saturday. Lovely, NOT.

denzil73

So how much research have you done about the weather and liveability of Brisbane?

Does Brisbane have similar or better entertainment options to what you are currently used too?

QLD houses are uninsulated and not doubled glazed. This means they get pretty hot in summer and you'll need jumpers in the evening during winter. It also gets stupidly humid here during summer and I for one can't wait to move to Melbourne as after 10yrs I'm very tired of humidity and the mosquitoes.

So if you've check all these things out then good luck with your move but if you aren't aware of these things then think if it's something you can live with long term.

Oh, and Brisbane road infrastucture and public transport is woeful so expect to triple normal journey times during rush hour.

Grayling

Jumpers!!!!.....most people sit wrapped in blankets on winter nights

Pollyana

And thats on top of the jumpers!!

jad n rich

Melb houses like Qld have varying degrees of age and insulation. In our brand new rental unit. No insulation walls or ceiling, dark brown brick and dark grey roof. Windows that only open 6 inches or fixed glass! Temps inside have been 4c to 48c upstairs in summer. Be very careful what you rent or buy in melb ot has so.e extreme weather despite nice sane average temps. The winds winter and summer really rev up or down the apparent temp by easily 10c

sormesher

Well I love living in Brisbane. I live on the bayside which is to the east. A family friendly area which includes Wellington point, manly, Wynnum. We don't have children but there are lots of parks and good schools in the area.

Other areas I like are north Brisbane redcliff for example.

We have lived around Brisbane for 6 years. Before the bayside area we lived in Logan which is to the south of Brisbane between Brisbane and Gold Coast. I didn't enjoy it there as everything seemed far away. Just couldn't get out and walk or cycle somewhere it was all driving. Polar opposite to where I am now.

I still work in Logan, at the council. It takes me between 40-60 mins to drive there, it's a 30km journey. My husband drives around and about for work. Can take over an hour to get into the city or and hour and a half to go to gc.

The traffic can be bad and it will probably get worse with all the new houses being built everywhere in south east Queensland but it's no where near as bad as Sydney or Melbourne. Husband drives around those cities for work and says he could never live there. And I think people forget how busy it is back home. I was in the south and West Country at Christmas and the traffic is terrible around cities. I think it's comparable.

If I can be any more help feel free to pm me!

goldchoccycoin

I also love living in Brisbane and don't find it boring at all! If you are working in Brisbane I wouldn't recommend living on either Coast - the commute is a pain and life is short! Up to you - hundreds do it everyday.

Heaps of great suburbs and housing choices - I live an older (1980's build) brick unit and find it better insulated than many other houses so choose carefully!

Best of luck!