Look Out OZ Here We Come
Apr 10th 2002, 8:58 am
#16
Just Joined
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 11
Re: Look Out OZ Here We Come
How many people out there have been to OZ before making a decision about moving? Is anyone planning to travel around before making a decision? Why Brisbane? Seems like most Brits choose Brisbane. Any particular reason why it's so popular? Sydney & Melbourne are much more sophisticated and have a bouyant employment sector, so what is it about Brisbane?
Just curious, that's all.
Just curious, that's all.
Apr 10th 2002, 11:30 am
#17
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Look Out OZ Here We Come
Well done Susan great news about your Visa, Feels great doesn't it? We have sold our
house and I am heading off to Brisbane next month ( for good yippee) to get so where
to live in the interim period before we build our house. All systems go We have the
packers coming in in 2 weeks its all happening keep in touch Love Adrian & Roni
"Kershaw4" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi, just registered today but wanted to congratulate you. Hope you still check
> messages now that you are on your way. We are off to Brisbane next Friday to look
> out jobs and places to live. Hope to be emigrating later this year applied March
> 2001 so still waiting but good news about the waiting times. Would love to keep in
> touch and maybe meet up once we are out there too. Helen and Graham
>
>
>
> --
> Helen kershaw
>
> ndaltonb
>
> Posted via http://britishexpats.com
house and I am heading off to Brisbane next month ( for good yippee) to get so where
to live in the interim period before we build our house. All systems go We have the
packers coming in in 2 weeks its all happening keep in touch Love Adrian & Roni
"Kershaw4" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi, just registered today but wanted to congratulate you. Hope you still check
> messages now that you are on your way. We are off to Brisbane next Friday to look
> out jobs and places to live. Hope to be emigrating later this year applied March
> 2001 so still waiting but good news about the waiting times. Would love to keep in
> touch and maybe meet up once we are out there too. Helen and Graham
>
>
>
> --
> Helen kershaw
>
> ndaltonb
>
> Posted via http://britishexpats.com
Apr 10th 2002, 12:26 pm
#18
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2002
Location: Brisbane since 3rd July 2002
Posts: 73
Re: Look Out OZ Here We Come
Martin, in my case, easy choice for choosing Brissie, my hubby is a Brisbanite and I have had the opportunity of visiting the place on three occassions, don't know the rest of Australia that well only having been to Cairns and Sydney, but I can say to me that Brisbane may be a city but seems friendlier more like a town, it is definitely cleaner than Sydney.
I haven't had the opportunity to sample a Brissie summer yet, although can definitely comment about how cold it gets at night in the winter, my hubby and mother-in-law both had to dig out heaters when I'm around, and that's from someone who was born in bred in the north of England!!
Anyway if it gets unbearably hot in the summer I will spend my time in the shopping centres or sweet talking my hubby into getting air conditioning!
Good luck with everyone whose moving there.
I haven't had the opportunity to sample a Brissie summer yet, although can definitely comment about how cold it gets at night in the winter, my hubby and mother-in-law both had to dig out heaters when I'm around, and that's from someone who was born in bred in the north of England!!
Anyway if it gets unbearably hot in the summer I will spend my time in the shopping centres or sweet talking my hubby into getting air conditioning!
Good luck with everyone whose moving there.
Apr 10th 2002, 1:09 pm
#19
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2002
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 97
Re: Look Out OZ Here We Come
Same goes for me too. My wife is a Brisbanite, and all her family and friends are there. Have been there twice - am going again in May, and fell in love with the way of life.
Have been to Sydney (most wonderful place on earth to visit, but wouldn't want to live there), and Perth (nice, but isolated) and would chose Brisbane every time.
Have been to Sydney (most wonderful place on earth to visit, but wouldn't want to live there), and Perth (nice, but isolated) and would chose Brisbane every time.
Apr 10th 2002, 11:30 pm
#20
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Look Out OZ Here We Come
i sent 47 sk july 2001. i'm a plumber,wife,boy 10 ,girl 8. we have never been to
oz.most people said to me its a fantastic place.few people i know hated it,and
returned to uk.(what a waste of a pr.),the 1st reasons they hated was they cant deal
with the brashness of ozzies.i said to them how could you go to the otherside of the
world expecting a mirror image of uk with the only diff being the weather ?dumbass.
2nd.they missed their family.i said once your over 16 ,you fly the nest,become an
independant adult,be able to tell your grandkids how adventuress and independant you
were(or would you prefer to born,live and die in the same town ? ,your loved one are
only a video cam away. i am a heat lover,if it was my choice i'd go straight up
north,but of course i put my wife and sprogs first.i want them not to overheat,we're
starting in vic, then perhaps creep up to syd, good luck future ozzies.
ps .did everone get real excite when they got an oz letter thinking it was pr.only to
find it was an invite to a south oz seminar?
oz.most people said to me its a fantastic place.few people i know hated it,and
returned to uk.(what a waste of a pr.),the 1st reasons they hated was they cant deal
with the brashness of ozzies.i said to them how could you go to the otherside of the
world expecting a mirror image of uk with the only diff being the weather ?dumbass.
2nd.they missed their family.i said once your over 16 ,you fly the nest,become an
independant adult,be able to tell your grandkids how adventuress and independant you
were(or would you prefer to born,live and die in the same town ? ,your loved one are
only a video cam away. i am a heat lover,if it was my choice i'd go straight up
north,but of course i put my wife and sprogs first.i want them not to overheat,we're
starting in vic, then perhaps creep up to syd, good luck future ozzies.
ps .did everone get real excite when they got an oz letter thinking it was pr.only to
find it was an invite to a south oz seminar?
Apr 11th 2002, 4:30 am
#21
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Look Out OZ Here We Come
Hi Martin,
How's it going? (virtually nobody says g'day here!)
My guess is that most people coming out from the UK to Aus are making a "lifestyle"
decision - ie., they are trying to get away from bad weather, chronic overcrowding,
hectic pace of life and all the other things that bug people about in living in the
UK. IMHO, the pace of life in Australia is slower than in the UK (esp. the UK
cities): but as you say Sydney and Melbourne are the most dynamic but then if you
want opt of a more relaxed lifestyle you'd probably want to head for somewhere slower
(eg., Brisbane, Perth, Adleaide).
For a couple of months in the year (January, February) the weather here can be a bit
oppressive (hot and very humid), but for the rest of the year the climate is just
about perfect. Brisbane is slowly becoming more metropolitan - better restaurants,
more plays, concerts are being played here and (of course) there is virtually
non-stop sports venues. There a great beaches fairly nearby - Sunshine and Gold
coast, Bribie, Stradboke and Moreton islands - good open countryside (bush) close by
- to the north, south and west. Also, the significant number of immigrants from all
over the world are helping Brisbane to adopt a more outward way of looking. I think a
lot of Sydneysiders and Melbournians (is that right?) still think Brisbane is very
backward, but I guess I lot haven't actually been here recently.
One a more somber note Brisbane city has still somewhat of large country mentality
compared to any UK city (eg. the standard to driving varies tremendously from Michael
Schumaker wannabies to the turbo-charged "Beverly Hillibies" driver, the supermarkets
are generally quite small and are not allowed to sell alcohol - has to be
off-licences or hotels, late-night shopping and Sunday trading is still rare although
this is actually a good thing when you get used to it, and many others). Also,
Queensland has no daylight saving in summer (apparently it confuses the cows!). The
biggest difficulty in moving to Brisbane will be adjusting the slightly provincial
atmosphere which prevails especially in the jobs market (it's often "not what you
know, but who you know").
That said, for a lifestyle decision I think it would be vey hard to beat moving to
Brisbane. Living here, you find that Brisbane just grows on you - I can't imagine
wanting to live anywhere else now.
For me, I was born of british parents in Jamaica in the West Indies and lived there
until I was 16. Althought, I lived in the UK (all over) I never quite got used to the
weather and the lifestyle it imposes on you (ie, the rain, rain and more rain).
Good luck in your decision.
Andrew (Brisbane). "Brisbane, beautiful one day - perfect the next".
Martin <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> How many people out there have been to OZ before making a decision about moving? Is
> anyone planning to travel around before making a decision? Why Brisbane? Seems like
> most Brits choose Brisbane. Any particular reason why it's so popular? Sydney &
> Melbourne are much more sophisticated and have a bouyant employment sector, so what
> is it about Brisbane? Just curious, that's all.
How's it going? (virtually nobody says g'day here!)
My guess is that most people coming out from the UK to Aus are making a "lifestyle"
decision - ie., they are trying to get away from bad weather, chronic overcrowding,
hectic pace of life and all the other things that bug people about in living in the
UK. IMHO, the pace of life in Australia is slower than in the UK (esp. the UK
cities): but as you say Sydney and Melbourne are the most dynamic but then if you
want opt of a more relaxed lifestyle you'd probably want to head for somewhere slower
(eg., Brisbane, Perth, Adleaide).
For a couple of months in the year (January, February) the weather here can be a bit
oppressive (hot and very humid), but for the rest of the year the climate is just
about perfect. Brisbane is slowly becoming more metropolitan - better restaurants,
more plays, concerts are being played here and (of course) there is virtually
non-stop sports venues. There a great beaches fairly nearby - Sunshine and Gold
coast, Bribie, Stradboke and Moreton islands - good open countryside (bush) close by
- to the north, south and west. Also, the significant number of immigrants from all
over the world are helping Brisbane to adopt a more outward way of looking. I think a
lot of Sydneysiders and Melbournians (is that right?) still think Brisbane is very
backward, but I guess I lot haven't actually been here recently.
One a more somber note Brisbane city has still somewhat of large country mentality
compared to any UK city (eg. the standard to driving varies tremendously from Michael
Schumaker wannabies to the turbo-charged "Beverly Hillibies" driver, the supermarkets
are generally quite small and are not allowed to sell alcohol - has to be
off-licences or hotels, late-night shopping and Sunday trading is still rare although
this is actually a good thing when you get used to it, and many others). Also,
Queensland has no daylight saving in summer (apparently it confuses the cows!). The
biggest difficulty in moving to Brisbane will be adjusting the slightly provincial
atmosphere which prevails especially in the jobs market (it's often "not what you
know, but who you know").
That said, for a lifestyle decision I think it would be vey hard to beat moving to
Brisbane. Living here, you find that Brisbane just grows on you - I can't imagine
wanting to live anywhere else now.
For me, I was born of british parents in Jamaica in the West Indies and lived there
until I was 16. Althought, I lived in the UK (all over) I never quite got used to the
weather and the lifestyle it imposes on you (ie, the rain, rain and more rain).
Good luck in your decision.
Andrew (Brisbane). "Brisbane, beautiful one day - perfect the next".
Martin <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> How many people out there have been to OZ before making a decision about moving? Is
> anyone planning to travel around before making a decision? Why Brisbane? Seems like
> most Brits choose Brisbane. Any particular reason why it's so popular? Sydney &
> Melbourne are much more sophisticated and have a bouyant employment sector, so what
> is it about Brisbane? Just curious, that's all.
Apr 11th 2002, 6:14 am
#22
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2002
Location: A city full of bloody poms
Posts: 95
Re: Look Out OZ Here We Come
Originally posted by Andrew
(apparently it confuses the cows!).
(apparently it confuses the cows!).
don't ask me. it confused me at the time
Apr 12th 2002, 5:42 am
#23
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2002
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 69
Re: Look Out OZ Here We Come
Congratulations Susan…. After you get your passports, the next big thing to achieve will be your Australian driving licences! You’re meant to get them within 3 months of arriving (ahem I know certain people who haven’t done it after 2 years!).. but it’s easier now because since December you only have to take a written multiple choice test, and not do the practical. We arrived here in Jan2000 just after celebrating the millennium in the UK.
Hi Graham – I agree with you it’s funny how suddenly they have a end of summer sale, and while the temperature is still 28/29 degrees, there’s simply no swimwear available any more! Agreed it feels cool, but it’s all relative.. in the summer when 35 degrees is a normal day, a 30degree day can feel cool too. In the winter you see a strange mix of people with some in teeshirts and others with long coat and scarf! It certainly does get cold at night in the winter – our extreme minimum overnight temp in Samford was 3.9 degrees, and our lowest ever daytime maximum was 8 degrees. A cold day is more normally 11 or 12 deg max, and often up to 19-20 which makes you smile when you see the Sydney temperatures typically 5 degrees less. The “westerlies� – (Westerly winds) come for a while in the winter, typically lasting for about 3 days each time, and are very blustery and at 10 or 11 degrees certainly is cold, but it’s about the worse weather that can get thrown at you. Inside, if you don’t heat the house it can get uncomfortable, down below 16 degrees and it’s surprising that some don’t bother to heat it and put up with the cold instead. Houses don’t have central heating, so heating is normally achieved by a fire in the living area and perhaps infrared bulb in the bathroom. If you have aircon, they’re normally reverse cycle and can heat too.
When we arrived with our 4month old baby, 20month old and a 10 year old, we were told it had been “unusually mild�. Then on our second day a heatwave hit and lasted for 3 days, at 42 degrees! We found it not too bad and so when it cooled down were quite happy with more normal temps of 35 max which is lovely. Last year’s max here was 39 – over Christmas. Our aircon only managed to cool the house down to 31, but with the air moving it stops you getting too hot – and of course the main survival tactics are drink, drink and drink some more!
As to why Brisbane – well we had only considered Sydney and throughout the process of filling in the application form, obtaining references etc (we took a year before submitting the form), we didn’t consider anywhere else. Only after submitting the application did we speak to a friend who had emigrated to Brisbane, and he sold it to us!, and other NSW people we spoke to mostly agreed they would prefer to live in Brisbane. The salaries are less, but it’s an easier pace of life and I agree more friendly, and you simply get so much more for your money with acreage houses and mountain views just 30 minutes from the city centre, achievable at just over £100k, and £200-£220k getting something outstanding. Finally it was of course the better weather that turned us on to coming here, and we don’t regret it one bit.
I’ve popped some more info up at http://emigrate.hotshopping.com.au
Hi Graham – I agree with you it’s funny how suddenly they have a end of summer sale, and while the temperature is still 28/29 degrees, there’s simply no swimwear available any more! Agreed it feels cool, but it’s all relative.. in the summer when 35 degrees is a normal day, a 30degree day can feel cool too. In the winter you see a strange mix of people with some in teeshirts and others with long coat and scarf! It certainly does get cold at night in the winter – our extreme minimum overnight temp in Samford was 3.9 degrees, and our lowest ever daytime maximum was 8 degrees. A cold day is more normally 11 or 12 deg max, and often up to 19-20 which makes you smile when you see the Sydney temperatures typically 5 degrees less. The “westerlies� – (Westerly winds) come for a while in the winter, typically lasting for about 3 days each time, and are very blustery and at 10 or 11 degrees certainly is cold, but it’s about the worse weather that can get thrown at you. Inside, if you don’t heat the house it can get uncomfortable, down below 16 degrees and it’s surprising that some don’t bother to heat it and put up with the cold instead. Houses don’t have central heating, so heating is normally achieved by a fire in the living area and perhaps infrared bulb in the bathroom. If you have aircon, they’re normally reverse cycle and can heat too.
When we arrived with our 4month old baby, 20month old and a 10 year old, we were told it had been “unusually mild�. Then on our second day a heatwave hit and lasted for 3 days, at 42 degrees! We found it not too bad and so when it cooled down were quite happy with more normal temps of 35 max which is lovely. Last year’s max here was 39 – over Christmas. Our aircon only managed to cool the house down to 31, but with the air moving it stops you getting too hot – and of course the main survival tactics are drink, drink and drink some more!
As to why Brisbane – well we had only considered Sydney and throughout the process of filling in the application form, obtaining references etc (we took a year before submitting the form), we didn’t consider anywhere else. Only after submitting the application did we speak to a friend who had emigrated to Brisbane, and he sold it to us!, and other NSW people we spoke to mostly agreed they would prefer to live in Brisbane. The salaries are less, but it’s an easier pace of life and I agree more friendly, and you simply get so much more for your money with acreage houses and mountain views just 30 minutes from the city centre, achievable at just over £100k, and £200-£220k getting something outstanding. Finally it was of course the better weather that turned us on to coming here, and we don’t regret it one bit.
I’ve popped some more info up at http://emigrate.hotshopping.com.au
Last edited by timsorrell; Apr 21st 2002 at 3:00 pm.
Apr 12th 2002, 8:22 am
#24
Came Back 2003
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2001
Location: Home & Settled
Posts: 659
Re: Look Out OZ Here We Come
Thanks Tim for all your info, I have taken a look at your web site, wonderful, I was going to print it all off but typical catridge has run out of ink anyhow I have put you in my favourites and will print it off tonight. this is the kind of info we really need.
Many thanks again, and if you haven't had a look, do it really is useful info.
Susan
Many thanks again, and if you haven't had a look, do it really is useful info.
Susan
Apr 12th 2002, 4:00 pm
#25
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Look Out OZ Here We Come
G'donya! Welcome to the Land Downunda from a Yank in the Bush!!!!
t juestel Port Hedland WA
heading downunder 2002 <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi All,
>
> We have had an e-mail from our agent this morning saying that our application has
> been approved. Applied January 2001 to London. Things are moving folks, Yipee I am
> off to open that nice bottle of sparkling Jacobs Creek that has been chilling in
> the fridge all day ready for hubby coming home tonight. Thought I had better write
> this whilst I am still able!!!!!!!!
>
> Good Luck everybody we are at last on our way
>
>
> Susan
>
>
>
> --
> Posted via http://britishexpats.com
t juestel Port Hedland WA
heading downunder 2002 <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi All,
>
> We have had an e-mail from our agent this morning saying that our application has
> been approved. Applied January 2001 to London. Things are moving folks, Yipee I am
> off to open that nice bottle of sparkling Jacobs Creek that has been chilling in
> the fridge all day ready for hubby coming home tonight. Thought I had better write
> this whilst I am still able!!!!!!!!
>
> Good Luck everybody we are at last on our way
>
>
> Susan
>
>
>
> --
> Posted via http://britishexpats.com
Apr 15th 2002, 1:03 pm
#26
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2002
Location: From Worcestershire to Perth WA
Posts: 1,106
Re: Look Out OZ Here We Come
Rday just had to reply yes we had a letter and got over excited and when we opened it yes it was from the south australian gov inviting us to a seminar in birmingham or manchester,dont think our poor nerves can cope with that again
regards jo
regards jo
