My First Three Weeks in OZ
Apr 16th 2004, 11:24 am
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6
My First Three Weeks in OZ
Myself and family (wife 2 young kids) came to Brisbane with 13000 dollars. We sold everything we had, paid off most of our debt in the UK, packed what we could carry into four large cases and got on the plane. Our families thought we were mad, as I had a well paid job in Scotland. But I felt their was no future for my kids in Scotland, so we took the biggest gamble of our lives and came to Brisbane.
We checked out the Cleveland/Redland Bay area before we got here and decided it was the place for us. We are renting a brand new big house in Cleveland for $350 a week(£140) unfurnished, as we want to start saving for a deposit If that sounds expensive, consider we were paying about the same in the UK and living in a bleak horrible place. Looking to buy within the next 3 years probably.
We arrived on a Saturday night at 10 o clock, took a taxi to a hotel I had booked and cried myself to sleep, worrying if I had done the right thing.
Next morning I took a taxi to the hire car company, to pick up the car I have hired for 28 days, still feeling sick, thinking of the security of home, knowing that if I was home, come Monday I would be off to work, with money coming in, getting home at night knowing what was on the telly, popping to ASDA at any time of the night to but milk if needed... stuff like that.
Anyway picked up the hire car, went back to the hotel, picked up the wife and kids, and four huge cases and travelled to a hotel that I had booked for a week that was close to the Redland Bay area. The idea was while staying in the hotel we would search the area for rented property.
Scary part coming up-
Well the Hotel was the biggest dump I have ever stayed in, now I know Oz is famous for spiders, but this place was like a zoo! It was horrible. Although I had booked to stay for a full week, the very next morning I checked out and went back to the hotel we stayed near the hotel. The airport hotel was spotless, and the same price as the hole that we had checked out of. And no spiders or creepy crawlies. During the stay at the hotel, we ventured into the Cleveland area and found a brand new house available for rent, so we put our names down.
Firstly, agents asked us for references, being home owners in the UK we had none! Dread started its funny little movements into my stomach again, I started to think that we wouldn’t get a rented property, we would need to buy a tent, basically all the crazy stuff that goes through your head.
Surprise surprise, the agents took photocopies of our passports, driving license, bank details and told me they would speak to the owner of the property to see what they could do. Very next day they phoned us, and casually informed us that everything was fine and gave us our move in date. Also, my dog (who was in quarantine in Sydney) was welcome as long as she was kept outside, even though most properties here state NO PETS, nearly all of them do!
So, after two weeks in OZ we move into the house with nothing other than four suitcases and the $12000 dollars(just less than £5000) left.
No job, no furniture, kids not at school, but the foundations had been set. We purchased a second hand couch from a second hand shop in Capalaba for $395, just so we could sit on something, cos believe me due to the size of these houses, when they are empty, they are MASSIVE.
Next day the couch was delivered, alas we had something to sit on, but nothing to watch (important for kids). Went to a place in Capalaba, and managed to get a washing machine, TV and a big fridge/freezer for $1100 brand new. We couldnt get it cheaper even from a SH shop.
Striaght across the road we went and purchased three beds, 1 for us 2 for the kids, for $1200 dollars.
Everything was delivered next day(as promised (take note Comet!!)). Now we were up and running!
Okay I got messed about from Telstra with my phone line, but that was sorted eventually but until it was I couldnt send my CV to agents regarding work. OH OH doubt started to creep in again, after all I was never messed about from BT “at home�. I was using my mobile to phone family in the UK, just to let them know we were all OK. While we waited, we took the kids to be enrolled into the local school. Wow, what a difference when compared to the school in Glasgow. It even has an open air pool.
Kids cant wait to start(they are currently on easter holidays).
Anyway, Telstra sorted the line after a week, which allowed me to got onto seek.com.au and start applying for positions. Whoosh, my cv blasted itself across the Net, all I had to do now was to sit back and wait. And wait I did, as no one phoned, no one seemed interested! Oh dear, I started to get edgy again, what was the problem, my cv was good I was skilled with lots of experience but no one was biting. I decided to contact an agency, who after reading my cv told me to rip it up and do it again. This was the same cv that had got me my last two jobs in the UK, I thought it glowed it was that good and most importantly it conformed to the “2 page� limit for a cv. Forget the “2 page� limit in OZ, I had to rewrite it and it ended up at just under seven pages and it included everything I had done and was capable of doing. The same agent loved it, and told me I wouldn’t have too many problems getting work with the look CV.
Sent my new cv to a company in Brisbane on good Friday, they phoned me on the Tuesday after Easter requesting an interview. I attended interview on the Wednesday with the technical manager. Before I got home, a message from the company was on my answering machine, requesting me to attend a second interview with the directors on the Thursday. Thursday came, interviewed and offered the position on the spot! Start Tuesday. Ok money isn’t as high as Scotland, but it IS cheaper to live here.
Basically the moral of this story is “don’t think it, do it� Where we lived in Scotland, we lived in a nice house, but the area was rotten, and worsening by the day. My 11 year old son was about to go to senior school, too far to travel by bike and saying that I wouldnt trust him on the busy roads. My kids couldn’t play outside once it was dark in the UK, I feared for them being attacked by gangs of similar aged boys or girls or getting into trouble because their really WAS NOTHING to do where we lived. My son also suffered almost constantly from “Glue Ear� which is very common in Scotland, but it has cleared up in Oz.
Hopefully if you are reading this and thinking of moving, but you have a niggling voice saying things like “You have a job�,
“we would miss the family�, “What about this, what about that etc� don’t let it put you off. Make the choice, you wont regret it.
We are proof that not everyone comes here with thousands of dollars in the bank with the ability to fully furnish their new house straight away, buy a car and stuff like that. In the last couple of weeks, when my doubts were at their highest, we would jump into the car and head of to the gold coast, swim in the sea, have a snack on the beach and it all becomes worth it again.
I constantly make comparisons with the UK, petrol prices, train fares, shopping, electrical etc, but I am “acclimatising� to most things, not just the weather.
Here are a couple of things to watch out for:
Queenslanders are VERY friendly - to the extent that you can sometimes feel they are nosey. But they arent!
Petrol Prices - I feel guilty knowing I can fill my 4 litre V6 for £4 cheaper than my mom can fill up her 1 litre Toyota Yaris in the UK!
Groceries are cheaper - fact (Fruit tastes so much better)
Weather - better
Rush hour traffic here is the same as a regular day in Glasgow or waiting to get into Braehead!!
Ozzies are bad mannered on the roads, so watch for that.
I have no doubt that sometime in the future, something is going to p**s me off, and I will want to go home, but i am already starting to think of Australia as home. No regrets.
If you find yourselves in the position described above and you are having a conscience crisis, reply to this thread and hopefully i can help, or if you just need to ask a question, don’t be shy I will do my best to answer it.
Wcee
We checked out the Cleveland/Redland Bay area before we got here and decided it was the place for us. We are renting a brand new big house in Cleveland for $350 a week(£140) unfurnished, as we want to start saving for a deposit If that sounds expensive, consider we were paying about the same in the UK and living in a bleak horrible place. Looking to buy within the next 3 years probably.
We arrived on a Saturday night at 10 o clock, took a taxi to a hotel I had booked and cried myself to sleep, worrying if I had done the right thing.
Next morning I took a taxi to the hire car company, to pick up the car I have hired for 28 days, still feeling sick, thinking of the security of home, knowing that if I was home, come Monday I would be off to work, with money coming in, getting home at night knowing what was on the telly, popping to ASDA at any time of the night to but milk if needed... stuff like that.
Anyway picked up the hire car, went back to the hotel, picked up the wife and kids, and four huge cases and travelled to a hotel that I had booked for a week that was close to the Redland Bay area. The idea was while staying in the hotel we would search the area for rented property.
Scary part coming up-
Well the Hotel was the biggest dump I have ever stayed in, now I know Oz is famous for spiders, but this place was like a zoo! It was horrible. Although I had booked to stay for a full week, the very next morning I checked out and went back to the hotel we stayed near the hotel. The airport hotel was spotless, and the same price as the hole that we had checked out of. And no spiders or creepy crawlies. During the stay at the hotel, we ventured into the Cleveland area and found a brand new house available for rent, so we put our names down.
Firstly, agents asked us for references, being home owners in the UK we had none! Dread started its funny little movements into my stomach again, I started to think that we wouldn’t get a rented property, we would need to buy a tent, basically all the crazy stuff that goes through your head.
Surprise surprise, the agents took photocopies of our passports, driving license, bank details and told me they would speak to the owner of the property to see what they could do. Very next day they phoned us, and casually informed us that everything was fine and gave us our move in date. Also, my dog (who was in quarantine in Sydney) was welcome as long as she was kept outside, even though most properties here state NO PETS, nearly all of them do!
So, after two weeks in OZ we move into the house with nothing other than four suitcases and the $12000 dollars(just less than £5000) left.
No job, no furniture, kids not at school, but the foundations had been set. We purchased a second hand couch from a second hand shop in Capalaba for $395, just so we could sit on something, cos believe me due to the size of these houses, when they are empty, they are MASSIVE.
Next day the couch was delivered, alas we had something to sit on, but nothing to watch (important for kids). Went to a place in Capalaba, and managed to get a washing machine, TV and a big fridge/freezer for $1100 brand new. We couldnt get it cheaper even from a SH shop.
Striaght across the road we went and purchased three beds, 1 for us 2 for the kids, for $1200 dollars.
Everything was delivered next day(as promised (take note Comet!!)). Now we were up and running!
Okay I got messed about from Telstra with my phone line, but that was sorted eventually but until it was I couldnt send my CV to agents regarding work. OH OH doubt started to creep in again, after all I was never messed about from BT “at home�. I was using my mobile to phone family in the UK, just to let them know we were all OK. While we waited, we took the kids to be enrolled into the local school. Wow, what a difference when compared to the school in Glasgow. It even has an open air pool.
Kids cant wait to start(they are currently on easter holidays).
Anyway, Telstra sorted the line after a week, which allowed me to got onto seek.com.au and start applying for positions. Whoosh, my cv blasted itself across the Net, all I had to do now was to sit back and wait. And wait I did, as no one phoned, no one seemed interested! Oh dear, I started to get edgy again, what was the problem, my cv was good I was skilled with lots of experience but no one was biting. I decided to contact an agency, who after reading my cv told me to rip it up and do it again. This was the same cv that had got me my last two jobs in the UK, I thought it glowed it was that good and most importantly it conformed to the “2 page� limit for a cv. Forget the “2 page� limit in OZ, I had to rewrite it and it ended up at just under seven pages and it included everything I had done and was capable of doing. The same agent loved it, and told me I wouldn’t have too many problems getting work with the look CV.
Sent my new cv to a company in Brisbane on good Friday, they phoned me on the Tuesday after Easter requesting an interview. I attended interview on the Wednesday with the technical manager. Before I got home, a message from the company was on my answering machine, requesting me to attend a second interview with the directors on the Thursday. Thursday came, interviewed and offered the position on the spot! Start Tuesday. Ok money isn’t as high as Scotland, but it IS cheaper to live here.
Basically the moral of this story is “don’t think it, do it� Where we lived in Scotland, we lived in a nice house, but the area was rotten, and worsening by the day. My 11 year old son was about to go to senior school, too far to travel by bike and saying that I wouldnt trust him on the busy roads. My kids couldn’t play outside once it was dark in the UK, I feared for them being attacked by gangs of similar aged boys or girls or getting into trouble because their really WAS NOTHING to do where we lived. My son also suffered almost constantly from “Glue Ear� which is very common in Scotland, but it has cleared up in Oz.
Hopefully if you are reading this and thinking of moving, but you have a niggling voice saying things like “You have a job�,
“we would miss the family�, “What about this, what about that etc� don’t let it put you off. Make the choice, you wont regret it.
We are proof that not everyone comes here with thousands of dollars in the bank with the ability to fully furnish their new house straight away, buy a car and stuff like that. In the last couple of weeks, when my doubts were at their highest, we would jump into the car and head of to the gold coast, swim in the sea, have a snack on the beach and it all becomes worth it again.
I constantly make comparisons with the UK, petrol prices, train fares, shopping, electrical etc, but I am “acclimatising� to most things, not just the weather.
Here are a couple of things to watch out for:
Queenslanders are VERY friendly - to the extent that you can sometimes feel they are nosey. But they arent!
Petrol Prices - I feel guilty knowing I can fill my 4 litre V6 for £4 cheaper than my mom can fill up her 1 litre Toyota Yaris in the UK!
Groceries are cheaper - fact (Fruit tastes so much better)
Weather - better
Rush hour traffic here is the same as a regular day in Glasgow or waiting to get into Braehead!!
Ozzies are bad mannered on the roads, so watch for that.
I have no doubt that sometime in the future, something is going to p**s me off, and I will want to go home, but i am already starting to think of Australia as home. No regrets.
If you find yourselves in the position described above and you are having a conscience crisis, reply to this thread and hopefully i can help, or if you just need to ask a question, don’t be shy I will do my best to answer it.
Wcee
Apr 16th 2004, 11:33 am
#2
Wannabee Queenslander
Joined: Mar 2004
Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands
Posts: 1,638
That's good to hear. I keep hearing the voices all the time in my head.
Like having a good job, house safe and secure.
your stroy gives me the assurance that we shoudl just do it.
Let things come..
Thanks for the posting
Cheers and enjoy the time....
Like having a good job, house safe and secure.
your stroy gives me the assurance that we shoudl just do it.
Let things come..
Thanks for the posting
Cheers and enjoy the time....
Apr 16th 2004, 11:33 am
#3
Wannabee Queenslander
Joined: Mar 2004
Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands
Posts: 1,638
That's good to hear. I keep hearing the voices all the time in my head.
Like having a good job, house safe and secure.
your stroy gives me the assurance that we shoudl just do it.
Let things come..
Thanks for the posting
Cheers and enjoy the time....
Like having a good job, house safe and secure.
your stroy gives me the assurance that we shoudl just do it.
Let things come..
Thanks for the posting
Cheers and enjoy the time....
Apr 16th 2004, 11:42 am
#4
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2002
Location: UK 2 Oz, Oz 2 UK, Been there, done that, got the tee-shirt!
Posts: 773
What a lovely, honest post. It is the biggest step that most of us will make in our lifetime and sometimes it is sooo big that we think we cant do it, well i know i do!
I haven't gone yet and I have good and bad days. To hear you talk so honestly makes me feel that we can do it and we will do it!
I hope that your dreams become reality and that you family have settled well.
Keep posting, let us know how you are doing as I for one will look forward to it.
Mandy
I haven't gone yet and I have good and bad days. To hear you talk so honestly makes me feel that we can do it and we will do it!
I hope that your dreams become reality and that you family have settled well.
Keep posting, let us know how you are doing as I for one will look forward to it.
Mandy
Apr 16th 2004, 11:44 am
#5
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: The North
Posts: 79
Re: My First Three Weeks in OZ
Thnaks for positive post - we are looking to head off to Melbourne in August and your post has reinfoced the need for a positive mind. Its so easy to coast along doing what you do day in day out - it takes guts to do what you've done. Well done.
Apr 16th 2004, 11:51 am
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
wcee
What can I say ? - Wow, well done !
A very nice and informative post.
And welcome to the area
What can I say ? - Wow, well done !
A very nice and informative post.
And welcome to the area
Apr 16th 2004, 11:52 am
#7
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 987
Bloody brilliant post.............however I think your attitude is so much more positive than others............many `give up` after a couple of weeks.
Hope all goes well for you!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope all goes well for you!!!!!!!!!!!
Apr 16th 2004, 11:53 am
#8
What's happening dudes?
Joined: Mar 2004
Location: Bayside Brisbane
Posts: 20,647
Re: My First Three Weeks in OZ
Wcee, that's fantastic! Glad it's worked out for you and reading your post has lifted me no end. Nice one.
Apr 16th 2004, 11:59 am
#9
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Pine Rivers Shire, QLD
Posts: 302
Congratulations, getting regular income is one less thing to worry about, no matter how much money you may or may not have.
Well done for believing.
Well done for believing.
Apr 16th 2004, 12:06 pm
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
my first 3 weeks in oz
Thanks for such a great post i have been in a panic as we are coming out to perth very soon with 20,000 dollars and i have been having second thoughts as i did not think we would survive on such a small amount. I hope it works out well for you and all your dreams come true.
The very best of luck but somehow i dont think you are going to need it
The very best of luck but somehow i dont think you are going to need it
Apr 16th 2004, 12:14 pm
#11
She's a bird, you know
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 7,655
What a fantastic post! We've been stressing a bit because me and Mr B will have about £15,000 when we go to Oz, and I keep seeing posts from others saying how many hundreds of thousands they have. So your post gives me heart, esp as there's only the two of us and, as Mr B's an aussie, we have family and friends to stay with.
Well done for taking the initiative and leaving a dreary life behind. May you all enjoy your new life out there!
Well done for taking the initiative and leaving a dreary life behind. May you all enjoy your new life out there!
Apr 16th 2004, 12:26 pm
#12
Banned
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,432
Re: My First Three Weeks in OZ
Originally posted by wcee
Myself and family (wife 2 young kids) came to Brisbane with 13000 dollars. We sold everything we had, paid off most of our debt in the UK, packed what we could carry into four large cases and got on the plane. Our families thought we were mad, as I had a well paid job in Scotland. But I felt their was no future for my kids in Scotland, so we took the biggest gamble of our lives and came to Brisbane.
We checked out the Cleveland/Redland Bay area before we got here and decided it was the place for us. We are renting a brand new big house in Cleveland for $350 a week(£140) unfurnished, as we want to start saving for a deposit If that sounds expensive, consider we were paying about the same in the UK and living in a bleak horrible place. Looking to buy within the next 3 years probably.
We arrived on a Saturday night at 10 o clock, took a taxi to a hotel I had booked and cried myself to sleep, worrying if I had done the right thing.
Next morning I took a taxi to the hire car company, to pick up the car I have hired for 28 days, still feeling sick, thinking of the security of home, knowing that if I was home, come Monday I would be off to work, with money coming in, getting home at night knowing what was on the telly, popping to ASDA at any time of the night to but milk if needed... stuff like that.
Anyway picked up the hire car, went back to the hotel, picked up the wife and kids, and four huge cases and travelled to a hotel that I had booked for a week that was close to the Redland Bay area. The idea was while staying in the hotel we would search the area for rented property.
Scary part coming up-
Well the Hotel was the biggest dump I have ever stayed in, now I know Oz is famous for spiders, but this place was like a zoo! It was horrible. Although I had booked to stay for a full week, the very next morning I checked out and went back to the hotel we stayed near the hotel. The airport hotel was spotless, and the same price as the hole that we had checked out of. And no spiders or creepy crawlies. During the stay at the hotel, we ventured into the Cleveland area and found a brand new house available for rent, so we put our names down.
Firstly, agents asked us for references, being home owners in the UK we had none! Dread started its funny little movements into my stomach again, I started to think that we wouldn’t get a rented property, we would need to buy a tent, basically all the crazy stuff that goes through your head.
Surprise surprise, the agents took photocopies of our passports, driving license, bank details and told me they would speak to the owner of the property to see what they could do. Very next day they phoned us, and casually informed us that everything was fine and gave us our move in date. Also, my dog (who was in quarantine in Sydney) was welcome as long as she was kept outside, even though most properties here state NO PETS, nearly all of them do!
So, after two weeks in OZ we move into the house with nothing other than four suitcases and the $12000 dollars(just less than £5000) left.
No job, no furniture, kids not at school, but the foundations had been set. We purchased a second hand couch from a second hand shop in Capalaba for $395, just so we could sit on something, cos believe me due to the size of these houses, when they are empty, they are MASSIVE.
Next day the couch was delivered, alas we had something to sit on, but nothing to watch (important for kids). Went to a place in Capalaba, and managed to get a washing machine, TV and a big fridge/freezer for $1100 brand new. We couldnt get it cheaper even from a SH shop.
Striaght across the road we went and purchased three beds, 1 for us 2 for the kids, for $1200 dollars.
Everything was delivered next day(as promised (take note Comet!!)). Now we were up and running!
Okay I got messed about from Telstra with my phone line, but that was sorted eventually but until it was I couldnt send my CV to agents regarding work. OH OH doubt started to creep in again, after all I was never messed about from BT “at home�. I was using my mobile to phone family in the UK, just to let them know we were all OK. While we waited, we took the kids to be enrolled into the local school. Wow, what a difference when compared to the school in Glasgow. It even has an open air pool.
Kids cant wait to start(they are currently on easter holidays).
Anyway, Telstra sorted the line after a week, which allowed me to got onto seek.com.au and start applying for positions. Whoosh, my cv blasted itself across the Net, all I had to do now was to sit back and wait. And wait I did, as no one phoned, no one seemed interested! Oh dear, I started to get edgy again, what was the problem, my cv was good I was skilled with lots of experience but no one was biting. I decided to contact an agency, who after reading my cv told me to rip it up and do it again. This was the same cv that had got me my last two jobs in the UK, I thought it glowed it was that good and most importantly it conformed to the “2 page� limit for a cv. Forget the “2 page� limit in OZ, I had to rewrite it and it ended up at just under seven pages and it included everything I had done and was capable of doing. The same agent loved it, and told me I wouldn’t have too many problems getting work with the look CV.
Sent my new cv to a company in Brisbane on good Friday, they phoned me on the Tuesday after Easter requesting an interview. I attended interview on the Wednesday with the technical manager. Before I got home, a message from the company was on my answering machine, requesting me to attend a second interview with the directors on the Thursday. Thursday came, interviewed and offered the position on the spot! Start Tuesday. Ok money isn’t as high as Scotland, but it IS cheaper to live here.
Basically the moral of this story is “don’t think it, do it� Where we lived in Scotland, we lived in a nice house, but the area was rotten, and worsening by the day. My 11 year old son was about to go to senior school, too far to travel by bike and saying that I wouldnt trust him on the busy roads. My kids couldn’t play outside once it was dark in the UK, I feared for them being attacked by gangs of similar aged boys or girls or getting into trouble because their really WAS NOTHING to do where we lived. My son also suffered almost constantly from “Glue Ear� which is very common in Scotland, but it has cleared up in Oz.
Hopefully if you are reading this and thinking of moving, but you have a niggling voice saying things like “You have a job�,
“we would miss the family�, “What about this, what about that etc� don’t let it put you off. Make the choice, you wont regret it.
We are proof that not everyone comes here with thousands of dollars in the bank with the ability to fully furnish their new house straight away, buy a car and stuff like that. In the last couple of weeks, when my doubts were at their highest, we would jump into the car and head of to the gold coast, swim in the sea, have a snack on the beach and it all becomes worth it again.
I constantly make comparisons with the UK, petrol prices, train fares, shopping, electrical etc, but I am “acclimatising� to most things, not just the weather.
Here are a couple of things to watch out for:
Queenslanders are VERY friendly - to the extent that you can sometimes feel they are nosey. But they arent!
Petrol Prices - I feel guilty knowing I can fill my 4 litre V6 for £4 cheaper than my mom can fill up her 1 litre Toyota Yaris in the UK!
Groceries are cheaper - fact (Fruit tastes so much better)
Weather - better
Rush hour traffic here is the same as a regular day in Glasgow or waiting to get into Braehead!!
Ozzies are bad mannered on the roads, so watch for that.
I have no doubt that sometime in the future, something is going to p**s me off, and I will want to go home, but i am already starting to think of Australia as home. No regrets.
If you find yourselves in the position described above and you are having a conscience crisis, reply to this thread and hopefully i can help, or if you just need to ask a question, don’t be shy I will do my best to answer it.
Wcee
Myself and family (wife 2 young kids) came to Brisbane with 13000 dollars. We sold everything we had, paid off most of our debt in the UK, packed what we could carry into four large cases and got on the plane. Our families thought we were mad, as I had a well paid job in Scotland. But I felt their was no future for my kids in Scotland, so we took the biggest gamble of our lives and came to Brisbane.
We checked out the Cleveland/Redland Bay area before we got here and decided it was the place for us. We are renting a brand new big house in Cleveland for $350 a week(£140) unfurnished, as we want to start saving for a deposit If that sounds expensive, consider we were paying about the same in the UK and living in a bleak horrible place. Looking to buy within the next 3 years probably.
We arrived on a Saturday night at 10 o clock, took a taxi to a hotel I had booked and cried myself to sleep, worrying if I had done the right thing.
Next morning I took a taxi to the hire car company, to pick up the car I have hired for 28 days, still feeling sick, thinking of the security of home, knowing that if I was home, come Monday I would be off to work, with money coming in, getting home at night knowing what was on the telly, popping to ASDA at any time of the night to but milk if needed... stuff like that.
Anyway picked up the hire car, went back to the hotel, picked up the wife and kids, and four huge cases and travelled to a hotel that I had booked for a week that was close to the Redland Bay area. The idea was while staying in the hotel we would search the area for rented property.
Scary part coming up-
Well the Hotel was the biggest dump I have ever stayed in, now I know Oz is famous for spiders, but this place was like a zoo! It was horrible. Although I had booked to stay for a full week, the very next morning I checked out and went back to the hotel we stayed near the hotel. The airport hotel was spotless, and the same price as the hole that we had checked out of. And no spiders or creepy crawlies. During the stay at the hotel, we ventured into the Cleveland area and found a brand new house available for rent, so we put our names down.
Firstly, agents asked us for references, being home owners in the UK we had none! Dread started its funny little movements into my stomach again, I started to think that we wouldn’t get a rented property, we would need to buy a tent, basically all the crazy stuff that goes through your head.
Surprise surprise, the agents took photocopies of our passports, driving license, bank details and told me they would speak to the owner of the property to see what they could do. Very next day they phoned us, and casually informed us that everything was fine and gave us our move in date. Also, my dog (who was in quarantine in Sydney) was welcome as long as she was kept outside, even though most properties here state NO PETS, nearly all of them do!
So, after two weeks in OZ we move into the house with nothing other than four suitcases and the $12000 dollars(just less than £5000) left.
No job, no furniture, kids not at school, but the foundations had been set. We purchased a second hand couch from a second hand shop in Capalaba for $395, just so we could sit on something, cos believe me due to the size of these houses, when they are empty, they are MASSIVE.
Next day the couch was delivered, alas we had something to sit on, but nothing to watch (important for kids). Went to a place in Capalaba, and managed to get a washing machine, TV and a big fridge/freezer for $1100 brand new. We couldnt get it cheaper even from a SH shop.
Striaght across the road we went and purchased three beds, 1 for us 2 for the kids, for $1200 dollars.
Everything was delivered next day(as promised (take note Comet!!)). Now we were up and running!
Okay I got messed about from Telstra with my phone line, but that was sorted eventually but until it was I couldnt send my CV to agents regarding work. OH OH doubt started to creep in again, after all I was never messed about from BT “at home�. I was using my mobile to phone family in the UK, just to let them know we were all OK. While we waited, we took the kids to be enrolled into the local school. Wow, what a difference when compared to the school in Glasgow. It even has an open air pool.
Kids cant wait to start(they are currently on easter holidays).
Anyway, Telstra sorted the line after a week, which allowed me to got onto seek.com.au and start applying for positions. Whoosh, my cv blasted itself across the Net, all I had to do now was to sit back and wait. And wait I did, as no one phoned, no one seemed interested! Oh dear, I started to get edgy again, what was the problem, my cv was good I was skilled with lots of experience but no one was biting. I decided to contact an agency, who after reading my cv told me to rip it up and do it again. This was the same cv that had got me my last two jobs in the UK, I thought it glowed it was that good and most importantly it conformed to the “2 page� limit for a cv. Forget the “2 page� limit in OZ, I had to rewrite it and it ended up at just under seven pages and it included everything I had done and was capable of doing. The same agent loved it, and told me I wouldn’t have too many problems getting work with the look CV.
Sent my new cv to a company in Brisbane on good Friday, they phoned me on the Tuesday after Easter requesting an interview. I attended interview on the Wednesday with the technical manager. Before I got home, a message from the company was on my answering machine, requesting me to attend a second interview with the directors on the Thursday. Thursday came, interviewed and offered the position on the spot! Start Tuesday. Ok money isn’t as high as Scotland, but it IS cheaper to live here.
Basically the moral of this story is “don’t think it, do it� Where we lived in Scotland, we lived in a nice house, but the area was rotten, and worsening by the day. My 11 year old son was about to go to senior school, too far to travel by bike and saying that I wouldnt trust him on the busy roads. My kids couldn’t play outside once it was dark in the UK, I feared for them being attacked by gangs of similar aged boys or girls or getting into trouble because their really WAS NOTHING to do where we lived. My son also suffered almost constantly from “Glue Ear� which is very common in Scotland, but it has cleared up in Oz.
Hopefully if you are reading this and thinking of moving, but you have a niggling voice saying things like “You have a job�,
“we would miss the family�, “What about this, what about that etc� don’t let it put you off. Make the choice, you wont regret it.
We are proof that not everyone comes here with thousands of dollars in the bank with the ability to fully furnish their new house straight away, buy a car and stuff like that. In the last couple of weeks, when my doubts were at their highest, we would jump into the car and head of to the gold coast, swim in the sea, have a snack on the beach and it all becomes worth it again.
I constantly make comparisons with the UK, petrol prices, train fares, shopping, electrical etc, but I am “acclimatising� to most things, not just the weather.
Here are a couple of things to watch out for:
Queenslanders are VERY friendly - to the extent that you can sometimes feel they are nosey. But they arent!
Petrol Prices - I feel guilty knowing I can fill my 4 litre V6 for £4 cheaper than my mom can fill up her 1 litre Toyota Yaris in the UK!
Groceries are cheaper - fact (Fruit tastes so much better)
Weather - better
Rush hour traffic here is the same as a regular day in Glasgow or waiting to get into Braehead!!
Ozzies are bad mannered on the roads, so watch for that.
I have no doubt that sometime in the future, something is going to p**s me off, and I will want to go home, but i am already starting to think of Australia as home. No regrets.
If you find yourselves in the position described above and you are having a conscience crisis, reply to this thread and hopefully i can help, or if you just need to ask a question, don’t be shy I will do my best to answer it.
Wcee
Having a large stash does not hunger make.
Apr 16th 2004, 12:27 pm
#13
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Far away from canned Oz
Posts: 1,833
Re: My First Three Weeks in OZ
Originally posted by wcee
Myself and family (wife 2 young kids) came to Brisbane with 13000 dollars. We sold everything we had, paid off most of our debt in the UK, packed what we could carry into four large cases and got on the plane. Our families thought we were mad, as I had a well paid job in Scotland. But I felt their was no future for my kids in Scotland, so we took the biggest gamble of our lives and came to Brisbane. ...
Groceries are cheaper - fact (Fruit tastes so much better)
Weather - better
Rush hour traffic here is the same as a regular day in Glasgow or waiting to get into Braehead!!
Ozzies are bad mannered on the roads, so watch for that.
I have no doubt that sometime in the future, something is going to p**s me off, and I will want to go home, but i am already starting to think of Australia as home. No regrets.
If you find yourselves in the position described above and you are having a conscience crisis, reply to this thread and hopefully i can help, or if you just need to ask a question, don’t be shy I will do my best to answer it.
Wcee
Myself and family (wife 2 young kids) came to Brisbane with 13000 dollars. We sold everything we had, paid off most of our debt in the UK, packed what we could carry into four large cases and got on the plane. Our families thought we were mad, as I had a well paid job in Scotland. But I felt their was no future for my kids in Scotland, so we took the biggest gamble of our lives and came to Brisbane. ...
Groceries are cheaper - fact (Fruit tastes so much better)
Weather - better
Rush hour traffic here is the same as a regular day in Glasgow or waiting to get into Braehead!!
Ozzies are bad mannered on the roads, so watch for that.
I have no doubt that sometime in the future, something is going to p**s me off, and I will want to go home, but i am already starting to think of Australia as home. No regrets.
If you find yourselves in the position described above and you are having a conscience crisis, reply to this thread and hopefully i can help, or if you just need to ask a question, don’t be shy I will do my best to answer it.
Wcee
What I do find puzzling was why did you say to yourself 'not working out in Scotland, so I'll go to Brisbane!'. I mean, why not try places closer to Scotland - eg England or Europe? Going to Oz seems an extreme solution...
By the way, I think the vegetables you get in the UK have more taste - especially tomatoes.. Oz apples are better, but they don't seem to have any decent satsumas (in Sydney anyway)
Apr 16th 2004, 12:32 pm
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
tomatoes
Originally posted by MikeStanton
By the way, I think the vegetables you get in the UK have more taste - especially tomatoes.. Oz apples are better, but they don't seem to have any decent satsumas (in Sydney anyway)
By the way, I think the vegetables you get in the UK have more taste - especially tomatoes.. Oz apples are better, but they don't seem to have any decent satsumas (in Sydney anyway)
I was over the moon when I tasted them
And only cost $2 per kg when in season.
We have different tastes in apples though
I prefer UK apples.
Apr 16th 2004, 12:34 pm
#15
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2002
Location: From Worcestershire to Perth WA
Posts: 1,106
Hi Wcee
Really glad all is going well for you all.
We came out with about the same as you, and that was nearly 2 years ago now. Like you by the time we had paid off stuff in the UK, there wasnt enough profit in the house im afraid. So we came out and shipped our bits and bobs out. Paul luckily got work in the first week of being here, so that made all the difference. Bought 2 second hand cars to get from a-b, kids in school, and a rental sorted all in the first 2 weeks.
Its hard at times as you have nothing to fall back on, but you just have to keep going, we have a family to support so we have to keep going.
Any regrets? Not now, i did in the early days, mainly homesickness i think, which looms around now and again, especially if things are bad and there is no money, but hey it would probably have been the same at home.
Good luck to you all who like us have come or are coming with nothing, it can work we may not have a few hundred thousand dollars worth of back up but we are happy maybe alot happier than some with money, we are determined it will work, and one day we will own something or other, but its not the be all and end of it all is it.
Joanne
Really glad all is going well for you all.
We came out with about the same as you, and that was nearly 2 years ago now. Like you by the time we had paid off stuff in the UK, there wasnt enough profit in the house im afraid. So we came out and shipped our bits and bobs out. Paul luckily got work in the first week of being here, so that made all the difference. Bought 2 second hand cars to get from a-b, kids in school, and a rental sorted all in the first 2 weeks.
Its hard at times as you have nothing to fall back on, but you just have to keep going, we have a family to support so we have to keep going.
Any regrets? Not now, i did in the early days, mainly homesickness i think, which looms around now and again, especially if things are bad and there is no money, but hey it would probably have been the same at home.
Good luck to you all who like us have come or are coming with nothing, it can work we may not have a few hundred thousand dollars worth of back up but we are happy maybe alot happier than some with money, we are determined it will work, and one day we will own something or other, but its not the be all and end of it all is it.
Joanne