geordie mandy

The kids the other day asked as they often do how long it was till we go. I just said a couple of months, but smart alec son number 3 (8years old) piped up its 47 days . Seeing that time we have in days has made me realise rather quickly how much i still have to do before the packers arrive.
Ive donated loads of stuff to charity from the house, earmarked stuff for various people like my aromatherapy candles. But im no where near sorted in the garage as my OH is working so hard he hasnt got round to sorting through the masses of army stuff we have in boxes.
We still havent got luggage sorted out yet as my OH is last minute .com for so many things.
So can some some help me draw up a list of things i need to do and when i should be doing them please.
Mandy

QLDJo

Hi, I have left Darwin a year ago, it's great, I loved it but OH got posted to QLD.
If the packers haven't been yet you need to pack loads of gravy, bold washing powder, custard powder (you'll eventually get used to the vanilla they add in there custard, oh they also do cold custard not hot!!) you won't need many warm weather clothes! get the kids loads of decent shorts and T's cause i think the material is better quality from the UK. theres not alot of shopping in Darwin but to be honest I only wore work clothes and then bikini tops and shorts with the old baggy white shirt, not much of a dress code in darwin.
don't get rid of too much of your stuff, we did and now miss it, thought we'd get it cheaper over here but it isn't. my oh just changed the plugs over on the bread maker and steamer ect. I have friends who brought the fridge freezer and it worked fine, we got rid of all that so it was real expensive setting back up again.
I miss Darwin, it's a great place with loads to do for visitors when they come over - I've seen more of certain members of my family since I've been here then I ever did before. theres not alot to do here in Oakey not like in the NT.
you must be real excited.
good luck to you and your family, enjoy that business class all the way!!!

pproehann

Not long now Mandy...

As other poster you only get powdered Jelly here so stick a few years worth of Jelly Cubes in as Aus Jelly not the same.

Also get minimum of 3 English 4 or 5 gang extension leads so you just need put one Aussie plug on and be able to use your UK electrics great for kids your UK kitchen gadgets or when you have visitors.

I would agree about clothes here not quite as good and football gear extortionate so go to the UK sports outlets and try and get the kids a load of Addidas or Umbro or the likes Clima Cool vented/breathable often with Silver weave lightweight football tops. They are excellent in the heat my sons favourite clothes here for the heat. Plus you just can't get them here with ease.

One last silly one for you on the you front stock up on Tampax or Lilettes which ever you use or a couple of Mooncups from Boots as the brands here aren't the same.

billabongbunyip

I lived in Darwin for five months and absolutely LOVED the place. However, that was five months in the dry season. I have heard that some people (even long time residents) can go a little bit stir crazy and troppo during the wet season. I believe the official term is Mango madness.

Chances are, you won’t get food stuff through customs; they are strict to the point of being paranoid about bringing in food.

So there is not much point weighing your luggage down with jelly cubes and food stuff you can buy here anyway.

There are loads of “speciality” British shops in Australia (or UK stores who deliver to Australia), so you can still buy all your goodies:

http://www.britishprovender.com.au

http://www.britishcornershop.co.uk

http://www.britishsweets.com.au

http://www.treatsfromhome.com.au

http://www.britishonlinesupermarket.com

http://www.britzinoz.com/info/ukfood.htm

http://www.bestofbritish.com.au

Yummy!

pproehann

People have to declare the food they have brought and depends if it's on the not allowed list. Quite a few people have got stuff through no problem recently.

Jaycee1

Hi Mandy,
Not long now! We have been in Melbourne for 6 months now and the week before we left was manic. I was still sorting the morning we were flying!
And i thought i was organised...
In hindsight (great thing!)
- I should have de-cluttered with avengence instead of being too soft.
- Sort through what the kids are definately taking with them and get rid/give
away everything else
- Sort clothes/shoes you are taking push to other side of the wardrobe items
you are leaving/getting rid of
- Infact go through every room in the house and be very strong!!

3 weeks before
- Ring about council tax, water, electricity and gas to turn off supplies
- Book taxi to the airport or transport family/friends
- Label suitcases/buy suitcases!
- Exchange money for travel/arrival
- Decide what everyone is wearing to travel in
- Ask kids to list what they are taking on the plane (can then sort to a
reasonable amount!)
- Arrange for a friend to help after you have left. Our house sale was not
complete and we went straight to the airport from our house. My mum had
the keys and went in after we had left to clean and tidy for the new
buyer this took a lot of stress off me!!
- Decide if you are taking consoles in lugguage to use on arrival. We took
the Wii console and Wii fit board in our lugguage and it was a good idea

As you can see these are all my last minute things..
If i think of anymore i will add them. Good luck with the move, it comes around very quickly!!
J x

QLDJo

my mum visits a couple of times a year, plus we get other visitors from the UK regulary so I get loads of stuff brought over - for free!!! saves paying postage and packing.
I did mean to pack the washing powder ect with the furniture cause of the weight.

geordie mandy

Thank you everyone fo your advice, all duely noted.
Mandy xx

moneypenny20

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=345774

It's going to fly, enjoy the trip

billabongbunyip

To be perfectly honest, I don’t understand why you would want to bring supplies of English products with you anyway.

This is not a Third World country; we are not on the brink of a Civil War with mass produce shortages.

We do actually have perfectly good............food, drinks, clothes, tampons, washing powder, etc, here. Either made in Australia, or imported from other countries.

The food here is fantastic. And I am not talking about buying processed muck from big nationals like Coles or Woolworths.

There are some gorgeous speciality food businesses in townships like Berry and Byron Bay who are producing fantastic relishes, jams, chocolates and ice-creams and these brands are sold at places like Thomas Dux, Myer and David Jones.

Amazing cheeses from King Island. Small farms such as Mungalli Creek Dairy selling biodynamic yogurts. Fresh fruit (often wildly exotic), fresh vegetables, nuts, gourmet smoked meats and fish and traditional breads can be purchased from farmers markets and organic markets all over the country.

Wonderful ethnic food markets (I remember many happy feeds in at the Darwin markets). Brilliant award winning wineries and boutique breweries, and some amazing restaurants and chefs.

Even small country towns in the middle of nowhere embrace good food (such as, Orange Food Week and Stefanos at the Grand Hotel in Mildura).

Not to mention picking fresh oysters off the rocks, catching your own yabbies and barramundi, and making your own damper bread then cooking them in a bush camp fire under a billion stars.

I eat far better here, than I ever ate in England.

Seeking out good food in your area is not difficult. In Sydney I use The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. In Melbourne you would use The Age Good Food Guide, and so on.

Even Darwin likes good food:

http://www.slowfooddarwin.com.au/index.html

There is rubbish food here if you insist on KFC, Wendys and Mcdonalds. But given the very small examples that I have listed above - I simply can’t understand or comprehend when people say (as I have now read a few times on this forum) that Australian food is rubbish ??!!

Open your eyes and senses – seek and you shall find!

pproehann

I think you will find a lot of women here find sanitry products inferior.

elice_in_oz

I honestly find them the same. Same brands, same stuff.. Not sure why you'd want British Tampax rather than Australian ones

sadieb

I get what you are saying, but for people who work full time it is far easier to go to the supermarket and just do one big shop. Unfortunately that means coles, safeways or woolies. Yes I know there are a few more supermarkets but they are absolute crap.
I shopped on Vic market a couple of times for fresh cheese and products etc, but the hygiene and the manners of some staff left a lot to be desired.
Give me Marks & Spencers anytime, good food, good price, good service.
Unfortunately one of the reasons my OH and I will never return to Oz.
Life is too short to eat shit food, when so much delicious food is to be had in the UK.
I have to say though the Thai restaurants in Melbourne were outstanding and NO chinese place in the UK could take their place.

billabongbunyip

I am not being rude, so please don’t take this the wrong way.

But why do you (and many others on here) quote the whole passage, just to make one small comment?

Surely it would make the board easier to read if you just edit and just quote the relevant part (i.e.): ”We do actually have perfectly good............food, drinks, clothes, tampons, washing powder, etc, here. Either made in Australia, or imported from other countries”.

I have had monthlies for 30 years and honestly can’t tell any difference between English and Australian sanitary products.

Although I must admit I don’t actually use either. I use chlorine-free sanitary products from the USA and the brand is Seventh Generation. Best product I have ever used in my whole life, and readily available in Australia.

Besides that, English products are imported into Australia and sold in Coles, Woolworths, IGA, Aldi , Thomas Dux, etc....so it just seem strange to me to bring in suitcases crammed with tampons and whatnot.

pproehann

Not all easily available round here and I haven't found a match for Always.