dotty

After just blowing up the microwave I found great website for household goods. www.goodguys.com.au You need a OZ postcode for some sections 4011 will get you in. Even better is a sample of an Australian TV ad, this is one of the funny ones involving store staff singing. Prepare yourself.

Cheap microwave too $129.

pommie bastard

I think its a Yank Group that has gone Australia wide , no credit cards just cash in the stores , there is one in Joondalup.

dotty

Prices are the best around here, they def discount for cash. We got about $400 off an aircondit unit paying cash compared to card. Wouldn't be at all surprised to find out they are Yanks, very competitive. As for airconditioners, dont order one in summer, order before, they always sell out, we got quoted between 6 weeks and 6 months!! to get one in Nov. Ordered in Sept and got straight away. The nightmare summer of 2000/01 they claim you could not buy one in QLD.

Find with heaps of stuff here, its all on order, couches and stuff can take 3 months, so get in early.

karenvirginia

great site, dotty! tweed heads right near where we want to live. any recommendations for furniture, sofas etc.?
karen

dibrucewillis

Thanks Dotty

Do you think prices are pretty standardised or do you think they will vary depending on which area of Oz you live in? We are hopefully heading for Perth and i noticed PB says that there is one in Joondalup.
I suppose i should find postcode for this area and take a look.

Thanks once again.
Its very useful to have a look at these sites to give people an insight as to costs in Oz compared to costs in UK

Diane

DagBoy

Reasonable quality and very reasonable prices for furniture at
Super A Mart, especially if you are not bringing much furniture with you.

karenvirginia

again, theres a branch in tweed heads! thanks dagboy!

kaleb777

Are you going to live in NSW or QLD? Just that NSW has yearly car inspections for registration while QLD hasn't. Since you're right on the border it might be better if you can somehow register your cars in QLD. I don't know if you knew that.

BTW, Tweed Heads is at the very south of the Gold Coast so you will find there are almost every chain of stores close by up the coast in QLD. Stores located at the northern end of the coast can be reached quickly via QLDs M1 motorway. There are large malls at Broadbeach, Southport, Robina and under construction at Oxenford but the entire length of the Gold Coast Hwy is commercial. The Gold Coast will have all the shopping and more of Brisbane. You will need a car though.

karenvirginia

Are you going to live in NSW or QLD?

not sure yet. thanks for the info on the car regs. do you know if the driving test rules are the same in both states? i.e. all we need to do is take the written test. one more thing, do you know if we buy a new car in oz, must we have passed this written test first to get an australian licence?
sorry if stupid questions but read somewhere that the garage must see the licence.
thanks kaleb
karen

Kiwipaul

Each state has it's own driving tests, but the road rules are just about the same Austrealia wide. Once you obtain a licence in a state if you move interstate (to live) the licence is only valid for 3 months in the new state. No test required just an admin (read money generator) thing to change the licence to the new state.
Pretty sure you don't need a Australian licence to buy a new car.

kaleb777

Yes, Kiwipaul is right. The driving tests are pretty much the same but NSW has harser penalties I believe. They have double points for speeding during holidays anyway.

The person selling you a car, new or not, doesn't care if you have an Aussie license. It's up to you to make sure you can drive the car away.

You might want to get an international drivers licence which is easy to get before you leave.

The thing about NSW vehicle inspections is that you have to pay for the inspection and you have to get any small thing fixed before you can be re-registered. In QLD you just pay every 6 or 12 months and your registration is mailed to you.