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Moving to Brisbane in 6 weeks..help!

Moving to Brisbane in 6 weeks..help!

Old Jun 3rd 2008, 6:40 pm
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Smile Moving to Brisbane in 6 weeks..help!

Hi,

My name is Bel and we fly on the 20th July to live in Brisbane for 1 year. We are coming my husbands job and our daughter who will be 18 weeks when we arrive.

As yet we have nowhere to live! My husband is going to be working at a hospital on Wickham Terrace so would be good if he could walk to work.
We were looking at apartments in Spring Hill, Fortitude Valley and Brisbane City. Having second thoughts about fortitude valley having read some threads? What are the other places like and any good suggestions of a family friendly area with lots going on. Were thinking about getting a hotel for a few nights and then getting somewhere asap when we arrive (any nice, reasonable hotels known?)

Another query is about car seats but again having looked I take it the advice is to leave it here and buy an Australian standard one when we arrive.


What about clothes shopping? Can I just rock up with a few bits and buy a load of stuff there or is it more expensive? Are there decent clothes shops with lots of choice or are clothes generally a bit naff? Also kids clothes any good or should I come with a load.

Sorry for mass of questions but last few I promise, feeling a little stressed as so much to do and not much time....!! What about lotions and potions?! Am a girly girl who likes decent make-up etc....shall I bring some or is there plenty to choose from?!


Thank-you!
Bel
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Old Jun 3rd 2008, 9:42 pm
  #2  
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Default Re: Moving to Brisbane in 6 weeks..help!

Hi Bel,

You sound as excited as we did when we were preparing to leave the UK in 2005.

I'll try to answer some of these as best I can:-

Family friendly areas in the city would be New Farm, Redhill, Paddington, St Lucia and Rosalie to name a few. We live in the western suburbs and are a bit biased towards that area, so I would recommend Indooroopilly, Chapel Hill, Kenmore and Kenmore Hills (easy commute to the city by bus). Pullenvale and Brookfield if you are looking to live on an acreage property.

Australian car seats by law require the use of an anchor point and therefore most of the UK makes of car seat are not suitable. It's easy to get new car seats here, you can visit independant baby stores or places like David Jones, Myer, Kmart, etc.

There are loads of clothes shops here, but I'm totally in favour of the Australian fashion sense (still miss Next and Gap). You could rock up and just buy everything you need and pricing is comparible to the UK prices (we are closer to China than the UK!!). For kids clothes Target comes highly recommended, but there is also Pumpkin Patch and the department stores like Myer and David Jones.

All the major make up brands are sold in Myer and David Jones, so don't panic there either.

If you want to know anymore just PM me.

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Old Jun 3rd 2008, 10:01 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Brisbane in 6 weeks..help!

If hubby is going to be working at St Andrews, then living in a unit in Spring Hill is a decent option. He'll be able to walk to work easily and you have access to essential shops without needing to go anywhere. For more thorough shopping you'd have just a 10 minute walk down the hill into the city.

I lived in Spring Hill for a year when I first moved to Brisbane and it was really handy. Things to look out for:

1) If your apartment is a basic 'brick-box' it may be unlivable in the summer. I lived in one block that looked great - was new and comfortable, but had no air-con. When summer kicked in all the brick fore-court around the complex just acted as a heat-sink and heated up like an oven (my thermometer topped out at 55C outside our front door - when the official temperature was 34C). We ended up staying in a hotel 2 blocks away for a couple of nights just to sleep in air-con and escape the unbearable conditions in our unit!

2) Take care walking between Spring Hill and the City late at night. The parkland between Spring Hill and the City used to be *very* dodgy indeed - it was a spot populated by well dressed young rent-boys 'servicing' clients passing by in their cars as well as junkie and homeless occupants. Its cleaned up a lot in the last 5 years (man-whores have no doubt moved somewhere else) - but theres still occassional reports of evil-doers beating the crap out of unsuspecting passers by every now and then.

If you want to move slightly further out from the city and have some space, more family-friendly environments and more other mothers to socialise with then you'll probably want to stay NW of the city (trying to commute across the city is foolish). I cant say anything bad about The Gap (15 minute drive off-peak to City) and you'll get a LOT more space for your $$$s as well as quieter neighbours (apartment dwelling is all very well when you dont mind partying - but thin walls and diverse populations could make for an uneasy time when you want baby to sleep! )

I'll leave opinions on Brisbane shopping quality to those more qualified than me....
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Old Jun 4th 2008, 12:40 am
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Default Re: Moving to Brisbane in 6 weeks..help!

Hi Bel,

my wife and I live in a modern city apartment with our 11 week old son. There are actually several couples with young children in our building, at first we were unsure about staying in our unit with a young child, but we quickly realised that it is very easy. You should find that most modern apartments have air-con so you will have no problems in the 6 - 8 weeks of humidity that come around Dec - Feb each year.

If your husband doesn't mind catching a bus, then I would agree with Antney. If he would prefer to walk, he is restricted to the City, Spring Hill, and maybe the Valley and Southbank.

I would personally write off the Valley and Spring Hill as I do not consider them to be particularly family friendly...just my opinion. There are parts of each suburb that might fit the bill...but on the whole, I would suggest looking elsewhere.

If you are looking in the City, then you still need to be a bit picky. There are many apartments to choose from, but lots have pitfalls that aren't obvious at first (traffic noise at night, inadequate lifts, too many students, hotel chains). Personally I would steer clear of any apartments managed by hotel chains. Before we bought our place a couple of years back we took a look at practically every available complex in the city.... This is just my own opinion, but I would only consider the following buildings:

admiralty towers
admiralty quays
riverplace
riparian
the gardens
the grosvenor

You might find though that there are other buildings in the city that you like. But just make sure you understand all the pros and cons before moving in !

I would also consider looking at the Red Hill area, though I don't know much about that part of town.

There are also some nice apartments on grey street at southbank...check them out when you get here.

I would agree with Dadagain that the gap is a nice area... but I think he is slightly biased. You will find that there are nice areas north, south, east and west of the city.

re: clothes shopping, I am a bloke so can't help you here. But going by what I've read here over the last couple of years....I would pack a suitcase before coming.

re: baby stuff, there's lots of that around.

best of luck on the move !!
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Old Jun 4th 2008, 12:59 am
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Default Re: Moving to Brisbane in 6 weeks..help!

...but I think he is slightly biased
Yep sorry....

Yeah there are nice areas all over - but if you lived in West End for example you'd have a totaly unreasonable bitch of a commute to Spring Hill considering the small distance involved!

Stick to NW and you'll be much happier. Herston and Kelvin Grove might be worth a look since they could still be 'walking distance' from Spring Hill depending on how dedicated to personal fitness you are and even if you dont walk it it'll be an easy drive.

Red Hill has some decent places - and there are a couple of apartment complexes in Red Hill/Ashgrove that would probably be OK (and considerably cheaper than CBD or Spring hill) - Steer clear of the Gun Shop/Porn shop/centrelink boarding houses part of Red Hill and the rest is very nice
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Old Jun 4th 2008, 6:27 am
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Default Re: Moving to Brisbane in 6 weeks..help!

Wow, what a minefield!! Thanks so much for responding; really helpful. Will let you know how we get on
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Old Jun 4th 2008, 9:46 am
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Default Re: Moving to Brisbane in 6 weeks..help!

Hi there good luck with the move....some nice little places around the spring hill area...young lass I work with not been out from UK long has just moved into a 2 bed town house 10 minutes walk from Wickham Terrace in a complex with a pool, rent is about $450 a week.
Which hospital is your hubby going to work at St Andrews or Brisbane Private ?
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