Originally Posted by JohnAndNetta

Long story....shortened version : hubbie on a 27mth career break from PWC, I took voluntary redundancy from large American company. Both in I.T. No work here in I.T (well very little- not much except for Govt.) Will start looking for business venture in the next few weeks.

Originally Posted by Tiggs+Graz

Hi
Great post - made me want to get on the next flight to oz!!
We are still trying to make a rough decision on where we want to move to!

Just a quick question on IT jobs - when you say that there is not much about
do you mean that there is only a limited IT industry in Brisbane or are there very few IT jobs in industy altogether? (if you see what i mean?!)

(hubby and i both in IT but with quite a wide skill set so would have fairly large band of job types to aim at)

Tiggs

Originally Posted by MrsDagboy

Hi Netta, nice to hear how you are getting on, see you on Sunday .

Originally Posted by JohnAndNetta

MIL was bright and breezy from DAY 1!! I think its something to do with the fact that she doesn't sleep that well at night in the UK, and takes a lot of afternoon naps, so by the time she got here, her body clock was in perfect rhythm with australian time. As long as she gets a bit of shut-eye in the back of the car whilst we're moving from place to place, she's fine. And as long as she gets a 2 hourly coffee break as well! She came on a 2 week visit to Sydney and melbourne, a couple of years ago, and she handled that really well. I wouldn't recommend you have any elderly relatives in December / jan / Feb. Far too hot. Best time is from May to Sept.
The only thing that worried us, is that she might get lost at Singapore airport, so we asked the airline for assistance and she was REALLY well looked after, from Heathrow right through to Brisbane. She absolutely LOVES it here. She's coming back next July for 3 months :scared: :scared:

Originally Posted by beach bound

Hi Netta

I just wanted to add my thanks to you for taking the time to write such a wonderful post. It's really great hearing how people are getting on. I too am in IT and I too am looking for a change having been worn down by the industry.

My husband, two kids and I have just booked our flights for Jan 5th and are sooooo looking forward to finally getting to Oz. We still haven't sold our house but are leaving the sale in the capable hands of the estate agent in the hope that they can work wonders in the New Year!?!?!?! Want to get out there so the kids can start the new year at school and for us all to get on generally with our new life We are moving to the Bayside area so that we can be close to both the city and not too far away from the beaches.

I look forward to being able to post our experiences once we've found our feet but I can't imagine being able to keep up with your brilliant standard of writing - maybe a consultancy job in the tourist industry beckons for you!

Thanks again
BB

Originally Posted by Boomerang

Great Post!

---
cam_uk, i'll beat you to it, i'll be there in 3

But i'll have to return after 2 weeks

Originally Posted by JohnAndNetta

Well we’ve been here nearly two months now. So about time for a second update. Since the arrival of the mother-in-law nearly four weeks ago we have managed to clock up nearly 4500km. Anyone moving in or around Brisbane is in for some spectacular sightseeing. Some of it right on your doorstep. For example last week we went up to Mt. Nebo and Mt. Glorious and then came back via Samford Valley. We did all of tourist route 8 and some of route 9. And its starts just a short way out from the city. We went mid-week and at one stage, we passed only about 15 cars in 2 hours of driving. We stopped at quite a few lookouts and picnic points on the way, all really spectacular.

Despite living in the heart of the city I’ve really got into the wildlife out here which is something that’s never really interested me at all before. I joined Bulimba library last week and even got 2 bird-spotting books and one local animal book. How sad is that? I feel like a kid that’s got one of those activity books for the long drive down to Cornwall, but instead of spotting sheep and cows I’m spotting lizards, fairy wrens, bats and possums. I guess the novelty will wear off in time, but not for a while yet.

I can’t believe after 2 months we’re still sleeping on mattresses! We did have a bed before the MIL arrived, and we had one on order, but the delivery time is about 8 weeks and we didn’t order the second bed straightaway.

To anyone not sure about bringing furniture, there is TONS of choice here, and furniture is not expensive. There is a vast difference in the quality available. You can pick from cheap Vietnamese imports, to Australian made, to expensive European designer makes. The choice is quite amazing. But if you’re not buying ‘off the floor’, be prepared for long lead-times.

There’s not too much that I would say is more expensive. In most cases things are a bit cheaper. Food seems to be the same as UK in terms of price but I do find bread unusually expensive, and something else a little odd, mangoes are at least twice the price or more. We have a mango tree in our garden in Balmoral, but no fruit. Not sure when the fruit season is but I’m making sure the possums and bats steer clear of my mangoes (though haven’t devised a method of keeping them at bay yet…I’m working on it).

I saw a post just recently about the lack of anything similar to Tescos in Brisbane. Its true that there is not necessarily a one-stop solution, but the choice out here is superb. The Super IGA store near Kangaroo point has one of the best delicatessens I have witnessed, and I’m a real foody fan, and would have gone far and wide in the UK to achieve the same. You can even get snails and kartofflepoofa mix (wrong spelling I know.) The Brisbane Markets at Rocklea on a Saturday are a fraction of the price for fruit and vegetables compared to supermarkets. The sausages at West-end Saturday markets are to die for. I can’t believe the quality and how cheap Chorizo sausage is here. Before in the UK, I would reserve it in small portions for paella, but here I can afford a whole BBQ Chirozo to myself. Scrum Yum Yum! The Brisbane metro markets at the RNA showgrounds are a little too new to make a comment, but the Sunday market at Mount Gravatt is fantastic for fruit and veg. I think people are going to miss some of their favourites from the UK for a while, but the great seafood and fresh food available must surely eventually compensate. If you’re a supermarket convenient fast food fanatic you will suffer out here. If you’re a ‘make it from scratch’ person you will be spoilt. We live near the Raptis Fish market in Brisbane, but there are quite a few other small fish and seafood outlets that are just as good and cheap.


Moving on from food….I think in my last post I mentioned the cockroaches. If there is one thing I would like to change about Australia it’s the cockroaches. They should all be exterminated. Owing to recent pest treatment I still haven’t found a fully alive one in the house, but I do tend to keep my mouth shut when I’m getting the washing in off the line, after sunset. I also keep walking into cobwebs. Now, I’ve never been frightened of spiders in the UK, but I am a little more wary when I keep walking into spiders webs which tend to be wider and taller than me. I never realised spiders could make webs that seem to stretch across a whole street. And I feel a little uncomfortable putting my hand into the letter box void on a daily basis. I always feel there is something sinister lurking.

I think there were a few posts last week when we had those amazing thunderstorms. Now I’ve seen some tropical rainstorms in my life, but the ones in Brisbane last week were quite spectacular. We watched one moving in closer and closer to the city and saw the most amazing lightning strikes. On one night last week we got stranded in the local Turkish restaurant waiting for another storm to pass, but it never did. So me, hubby and the 76 year old MIL had to leg it up the road. By the time I got home I’d built up a three minute gap. I had no shoes on my feet, my dress was stuck fast to my skin, and I looked like some kind of swamp witch. Plus I’d trodden on something soft and furry but was too frightened to look. Nonetheless….it was still hot and sticky enough to sit and watch the storm eventually pass over on the balcony. Brilliant night - looking forward to the summer storms.

I have to say that the past few weeks have really just made me appreciate more and more what a wonderful city we live in. Brisbane is a small city by world standards, but there is so much more to appreciate than a lot of other cities. I love the river walks for a start. Though I have to say that I always feel really overweight and unhealthy when I return, because 90% of the people are jogging, power walking, cycling, or skating. I even see mothers jogging with double buggies. Me….well I’m just strolling at an average 2kmph with a stupid grin on my face.

Southbank is quite unique. It is especially pretty at night, and the fact that you can take a BBQ down to the heart of the city, but still feel like you’re a million miles from anyone else, is quite special. We haven’t had the opportunity to participate in the free cinema yet, nor the free yoga or aqua-aerobic sessions on Saturday mornings, but once the MIL goes back I’ll be there! Got to build up my fitness regime SLOWLLLLYYY!

Me and hubby did bring some cheap Halfords mountain bikes over in our container, but I almost feel too embarrassed to take them out. Everyone seems to have really expensive bikes out here, and there are some really serious cyclists around the city. I did think about just cycling around my local suburb, but it seems that most suburbs in Brisbane have their fare share of hilly bits, including ours, but I’ve yet to see ones to match Paddington. There are some hills there that take my breath away when hubby drives over the crest. But that makes for some interesting and spectacular views of the city, particularly at night.

Melbourne Cup day I found quite amusing. In England I’ve only ever really seen the hats at Ascot. But in Brisbane the whole city was teeming with amazingly dressed ladies with spectacular hats. All the city ferries were busy with some very smartly dressed but tipsy people returning home from wherever they’d been celebrating. We spent $20 at the local TAB shop and failed miserably. Next year I’m going for the favourite.

Service in Brisbane (and in fact Australia as a whole) is exceptional. In fact the only crap service I’ve ever had in 6 previous visits to Australia and 8 weeks of living here was yesterday. It was on Coochiemudlo Island, which is a short ferry trip from Victoria Point. Everyone who lives here probably knows each other. A lady on the ferry told us there are only 600 inhabitants. She was the owner of the local café / store and also the estate agents. We went to this local café and ordered ham and cheese toasties which were served in paper bags. We were told to ‘come and get it’, despite the fact that we were the only customers. Very strange.

We only managed to walk about 1km of Coochiemudlo (though I think its only 4.5km if you walk ALL the way around!). We were repeatedly attacked by mosquitos. I have about 24 bites on my arms, and I was wearing a cardigan…..there are also some very vicious ants….I felt like someone was sticking a needle in my foot at one stage. This is definitely a place for the locals, and I apologise in advance if I have upset any Coochiemudlo residents, but its not somewhere I would go rushing back to.
I would however go rushing back to tons of other places. We loved Noosa. Its very touristy and packed full of people but there are some lovely little nooks and crannies and there’s a superb river boat trip to go and visit the homes of the rich and shameless. The guy who runs the particular boat we were on was originally from the UK. He came out three years ago, bought the business without any prior experience, and works 3 hours a day now, and lives a wonderful life in Noosa. He probably owns one of those bloody mansions!

We loved the Glasshouse mountains drive. Some great outlooks and plenty of lovely little cafes on the way. We also revisted Toowoomba. Last time we stayed here it was pouring down with rain. This time it was spectacular sunshine and we had a fantastic meal at the restaurant at the top of the outlook. Can’t remember the name of the restaurant but there’s only one up there on the outlook road. Would thoroughly recommend the moreton bay bug and scallop cannelloni.

The jacarandas are out at the moment and Toowoomba has hundreds of them so its really pretty at the moment. I’ve also noticed that the neighbours frangipani are starting to flower. When we first moved into our house the previous owner told us not to dig out the rather dead looking branches explaining to us rather stupid Brits that these were frangipani and were extremely pretty. And these rather sad looking sticks are now starting to sprout loads of leaves, though they’re someway behind the neighbours enormous tree. I have all sorts of other strange plants in the garden but I have no idea what on earth they are, so its off to the library again in the next couple of days.

We have passed some fantastic suburbs quite close to the city for all you acreage lovers out there. We are pretty much city bums, but if I had to choose somewhere with open space, I’ve seen some great places and really amazing houses in Brookfield, Upper Brookfield, Kenmore, Pullenvale, Pinjarra Hills, the Gap, Samford valley (and surrounds), Jimboomba and well, loads of other places. We took a drive out to Lake Manchester today. Our aim was to take the Lake Manchester Road to Wivenhoe Dam, but we didn’t realise it becomes a no through road. And we didn’t realise that a large portion of it is actually gravel path, but we spotted quite a few plots for people who dream perfect isolation without being a million miles from civilisation. Not our cup of tea, but some people would love it. On the way back from the dam I thought I was going to get mauled by two rabid dogs. I was about 200 metres in front of hubby and MIL, when this big black dog and smaller beige canine monster lunged themselves at me. A rather worried young lady quickly rushed to my rescue before her dogs finally licked me to death. She mentioned that she’d never seen anyone visit this area mid-week which is why her dogs were galloping around like maniacs, excited at the prospect of some other human company. Now that’s isolation for you. Yet just 15 minutes later we managed to find civilisation in Ipswich and a really nice park with free entry to a tiny little nature area, complete with wombats, kangaroos, an aviary and plenty of other little animals. Great little stop for the kids if passing through Ipswich.

The MIL has been really impressed with the friendliness of the local bowls club. She was invited to play on ladies day, which was coincidentally Melbourne Cup day and she had a great day with lunch and a glass of champagne, all for £3.20! She’s been invited to join the weekly expats day whenever she comes to visit us. Good news for her, and even better news for us!

The MIL really loved O'Reillys at Lamington national Park. If you want to give someone of 'more senior years' the opportunity to walk up high in the rainforest canopy and experience the most amazing birdlife, this is the place. John's mum is 76, and not that nimble, but she walked the canopy and the ground floor boardwalks with relative ease. She even managed a smile when we covered her in bird seed and watched the parrots descend. Alfred Hitchcock, eat your heart out! PMSL!


Well that’s about it for my second update. I’m off to the Bayside meet at the weekend. Although we’re very close to the city we’re only a short drive to Wynnum. Manly, Victoria Point, Wellington Point, etc etc. So if we EVER get a boat (10 years from now I guess), we don’t have far to launch it.

The MIL returns back to the UK this weekend so its back to reality for us. The sight-seeing will have to stop, the lawn will have to be mowed, the house will have to be cleaned, and the early morning walks can now be resumed…….and that stupid grin on my face will still be there…..

Aaaahhhh life in Brisbane………Absolute bliss…………Hurry up and get your buts over here!


Netta XX

Originally Posted by chattyshazza

Wonderful post Netta, I know why Mrs Dagboy said we would get on now. lol
I am loving it too!!!

Sharon
x

Originally Posted by JohnAndNetta

Hi Sharon,
I haven't had too much time to read too many posts lately, so I seemed to have missed the arrival of quite a few people. Wherabouts are you in Brisbane?

Netta

Originally Posted by chattyshazza

Hi Netta
We are north of Brisbane, just signed a 6 month rental on a house in Bridgeman Downs, just waiting for our container to get through customs before we move in.
I laughed at your post and made me feel so much better to know that I am not the only one that Oz has turned into a 'Geek' (my daughters words) lol
I have bought a bird watching book and also love watching the sky so much that I have seen 3 shooting stars in 4 weeks and I even made my husband stop the car the other day to take photos of a bridge in Fig Tree Pocket :scared:
Just looked at the map for Balmoral but couldnt see where you are.

Sharon