I'm back
 

Hi I've not been on for awhile, because we had a viurs on our computer almost as soon as we arrived in Australia.

We have been her nearly five weeks, and finding it ok. It's very different here, and we thank our selves lucky that we had family to stay with and to help us out.

We have had no real problems since we've been here, apart from transfering some money from England from one HSBC account to another it has been three weeks now and still nothing. so my advice would be to make sure you have you finances sorted before you arrive.

We have rented a house with a pool, at the moment is far to cold to swim in (although my children have). and we have bought a car, which we can't have until our money arrives from England, but luckily rather than us paying to hire a car again the car company have lent us one from the forecourt.

Our children have started school today. They look really good in their bright uniforms. (yellow and green). I did feel sad leaving them, but hopefully they will be fine and come home with news of new friends.

My husband started work last week, and is finding a bit hard going, it is very out dated here so he is back to using machines he used 15 years ago.

over all it's good here and beautiful. I just hope now the boys have started school , I will meet people. It's very quite and that is the time I will miss people and the familiarities back home. hopefully I will get a part-time job somewhere too.

My furniture arrives in 10 - 14 days, and I can't wait to get my home comforts. not sure where we are going to put everything. this is a bigger house, but I don't think I can talk my hubby into going in the Loft space there are just too many creepy crawlies in this country-so I don't blame him either.

Steph

Re: I'm back
 

Where is here.......Outer Mongolia perhaps. You cant mean anywhere in Australia. We have been here 6 weeks and find it to be a fantastic place. They even have a type of clothing here that doesnt stain or need ironing.....hardly 15 years in arrears!

There are no more creepy crawlies here than anywhere else in the world, the problem is because you dont recognise them, you think they are sinister in some way. PMA is whats required to make a success of this migration lark. Those with a PMA will make a good go of it..................those with a glass half empty outlook will end up going back to England saying Aus is crap. We only live once, take the bull by the horns and go for it.
:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

What's PMA?

my guess positive migrant attitiude or somthin similar.

Hello Stefian,

have you just moved to Brisbane or from Brisbane?
sorry for a silly question. We are planning to move to Bne soon, that's why I got so interested and wanted to ask a few more questions
Thanks
Tasha

Re: I'm back
 

The bit that says "Location: Brisbane" under her name may be a dead giveaway.
Just a thought.

She did mention in previous posts that where her and her family where headed, as well as making a delirious comment about supporting the Brisbane Bears.


:D

what side of the bed did you get out on chocolate fingers .I don't remember saying I didn't like Australia. It's a lovely place, just different and not in a bad way.

Yes I am in Brisbane, in a suburb called Algester, which is south of Brisbane CBD. it's a nice place, with a park and School nearby. They don't have corner shops here, they have small precincts. I can't wait to get our car because it's a little to far to walk with my shopping and everytime i walk back I get lost..... I have no sense of direction at all.

I'd kill for a local pub as well...... not seen one

Steph

Re: I'm back
 

What a simplistic statement. And from someone who has been in Oz all of 6 weeks. You don't seriously believe that every town in Oz is bristling with modern technology, do you? If you do, you need to change your medication. For example, have you been to Lightning Ridge recently - 15 years in arrears would be a compliment!

This has got to be a wind-up. And why do you think people might regard them as sinister? Call me strange, but I don't find funnel webs or red backs unsinister.
You also forgot that RE or NRTS are required - Realistic Expectations or No Rose-Tinted Spectacles :rolleyes:

thanks mike, i thought i was the only one who thought chocolate finger was talking out of their bum. I agree you need PMA, of which I have loads, but noneone if invincible to an odd "off day" were they miss home comforts and the people and things they left behind.

What good is non creased clothing to a toolmaker, it's a modern machine he needs.

can anyone tell me how many insects we find in and around uk houses that kill? mmmmm my point exactly.

Having said that so far we love the country. finding the fact that at 24 degrees with not a cloud in the sky, and Australians are wearing jumpers, scarves and ugg boots, which are sheepskin! they turn to us and ask us if were cold!!!:D

No worries :)

It's CadburyFingers type of attitude that could up the stress level of new migrants by making them think "Oh, what's wrong with us. We love it, but it's not perfect"

I hope it all works out well for you and your family.

I'm glad you are enjoying your new place, I couldn't find Algester on the map though...must be a bad map I'm using, or, the same as you are, I've got no sense of direction and can't quite locate things on the map :-((
We'll be joing in soon (in August), still so many things to be organised and sorted before we move.
It's good to see so many people moving to brisbane, already moved and enjoying it. We hope we'll like it too.

T.

Stef
Glad to hear all is well.

hi barrakuda

Algester is near Rochedale, Acacia Ridge, Sunnybank. The insurance company have just said there are no requirements for alarms or window locks, it's a good area. , so thats nice to know. where are you looking to move to?

Steph

The Calamvale Hotel is just down Beaudesert Rd from Algester. No, I wouldn't want to walk it, however. It's a fair hike.

Algester!

Thanks Steph, I realised I'm using the wrong map. I need a good map of Brisbane + suburbs in order to get used to all these new names and places, but my map doesn't show all the suburbs.
It's hard to say which place we will be looking at, I know so little about all the locations. I've just started reading your forum, what people say about different places, very useful indeed. We will have to stay in a B&B type of place for the first week or so, then find a rental place for the next 6 months and then will be able to buy something. Just like some other people I read in a different topic. Same plans. I will also have to look for an office space for the company I'll be with. This will be a total nightmare, to try to do a thousand things at a time in an unknown country, but I'm an optimist, we'll survive and then we'll definitely go to a pub together to celebrate right?

Thanks for the map Ulujain, BTW do you have such map in a downloadable version? Unfortunately I can't buy any maps here 9I'm in Saigon now) and won't be able to until I move, so I'd love to have a good map that I could download now.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Barrakuda

Steph,
Good to hear from you again. Glad you are amongst it.
Is it true you settled there because it was close to Rochedale which makes you feel at home ? :D


Barrakuda,
Not the best but Multimap finds most places.
Just enter the road or post code.

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.c...multimap.y=136

Hi Bix

good to hear from you. We were originally going to look for a house in Rochedale, because we liked the school. People back home thought it was bizzare to move to the other side of the world and still live in Rochedale.

Steph x:D

Anyone have any ideas where I can find friends? i'm thinking of going sitting outside the supermarket pleading with someone to talk to me. :)

maybe we could all meet up - although we need to get there yet - however there is nothing better (I think than getting together in a coffee shop for a good yarn every so often- must admit we do it weekly here - it would be a good way to meet people and to support one another

Thanks for the map Bix.

Would love to meet with you Steph once I arrive, and with you Diddy when you arrive. It'll be so great if we all could meet together for a chat. I've heard people are getting together on July 27 somewhere on Sunshine coast, they are discussing it now. I won't arrive by that time, too bad for me. Will try to make for the next do.

Give me a couple of months and me, the missus and my two offspring will catch up with you. I'll probably be living out that way sooner or later.

Have you got your visa already Ulujain?
In any case, good luck with it.

You see Steph, so many new people are coming soon, you won't have time to sit outside the supermarkets looking for new friends :-))

My wife is the one needing the visa; I'm already an Australian :D

School is a great place to start.

Then a job.

Then pinch your families friends.

Also your council might send you a brochure out (they did here in Vic) with a huge list of all groups and things to do etc in the area, just give em a call:)

Lastly, but most importantly, hold a tupperware party and invite evryone whose ever had eye contact with you:D

PS Chocolate fingers Australia is a CONTINENT, not a town, everywhere is different:p ;) :rolleyes:

Australian "Creepy Crawlies" and what to do about them!
 

Always a tricky one this, but I learnt a trick from the St John's course I did about 5 years ago.
Basically, insect-bites such as spiders, scorpions, etc. are PROTEIN based. Just get an ice pack, or pack of frozen peas / beans out of the freezer and slap it on the bite for a long time . . . an hour or so. This will prevent swelling and inhibit the toxins. Red backs (related to Black widows in the U.S.) and funnel webs are your main problem. Don't stick your hand down a hole you haven't checked out first and look out for webs with a funnel shape . . . dead give away! You'll fins a black thing at the other end of the funnel looking at ya!
Huntsman spiders . . . those big furry things as big as your hand . . . . are pretty harmless. They'll give you a nip and it feels like a hammer whack . . . you go a bit numb on the spot, but otherwise can get about alright for the day. They actually will keep your flies and mosquitoes right down, some Aussies have them on purpose running around their house.
Snake bites are venomous some of the time. Teach your kids NOT to play with them. Most folks are bitten by mucking around with them. You're too big for them to eat, so just give them time to disappear and they'll slither off. Take a step or two back to let them know you're not going for them! If you're unfortunate to startle a snake and it zapps you, put a restrictive bandage on your limb to stop the lymphatic system transporting the poison around your body. It won't travel in your blood stream . . . it's the lymphatic system that takes most of the venom to your heart, and that relies on movement to shift the lymph fluid around your body, so just immobilise the bitten limb as much as you can, and get to hospital quick. You've got a few hours usually.
Hope this bit of info gives you more confidence in living with the creepy crawlies. I've lived here 35 years and had not dramas .. . yet!

Thanks Bob & Ginnie for your explaination. could have done with it the other day though, I thought I'd been bitten by a red back. It turned out to be a big ant. They seem to like the taste of me, I get bit every day. They may be small but don't half nip.

Ulujain and Barrakuda, I would love to meet up when you arrive. We are going to the meet up in Brisbane. We went to one the week we arrived, they are really good and people are friendly. it's nice to put names to faces. Even if the names are Expats names at first. I looked puzzled when people introduced themselves with their real names, but as soon as they use their user name, it's like they are old friends.

Hevs.. well said mate anyway where have all the chocolate fingers gone:D :D :D

Bix

when do you arrive. Just seen how many post you have made. you must be nearly ready for coming over


Steph

This ones OK towork out where suburbs are in relation toeach other:

http://www.ourbrisbane.com/living/suburbs/

also recommend Mulitmap for detail. Don't waste your time with whereis.com

Thanks Steph, we'll be arriving in August (around 19-20th), booking the tickets now. Very convenient to check and choose the best flight as I work for STA Travel here.
As I mentioned somewhere before, we'll stay near the city for a short time, then move to a 6months rental place (probably somewhere near Redcliffe or Scarborough, need to study suburbs better before I leave) and only after that will be looking for something to buy. I'm now reading all postings about the suburbs on this forum, so many contradictory opinions. Really hard to make any decision now, need to see the places myself, then decide where we'd like to stay.

Thanks a lot for the link Jayr, a good one.
I agree about "Whereis", you need to know the exact street address to be able to "surf" through their map.

Re: I'm back
 

Maybe I won't bother posting my thoughts about my recent visit if this is the kind of debate on here at the moment.

G

Re: I'm back
 

You back then Grayling?

Re: I'm back
 

I am physically Bundy.
My head still thinks it it flying:confused:

Have you done your work for the year now?:D
Or still arguing with the boys?;)

Best wishes

G

Re: I'm back
 

Get over to the cr*p thread and I'll tell you!