Our first impressions of Brisbane
Apr 16th 2004, 11:59 am
#1
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Joined: Mar 2003
Location: Brisbane, Australia
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Our first impressions of Brisbane
We left snowy UK on Feb 26th, flew to South Africa and spent a nice two week holiday there. We flew BA, Heathrow to Jo'burg direct, it was a great flight.
After a few tearful goodbyes in SA, we left Joburg International on 14th March and flew Qantas to Sydney, arriving on 15th March. (11.5 hour flight). Again the flight was good. It was a great way to travel to Oz breaking up that long flight! We connected immediately on to Brisbane and were thrilled to share the flight with Steve Irwin and his wife and baby. Our daughter got his autograph.
We had a rental car waiting at the airport and equipped with the Brisbane UBD headed for our hotel in the city, next to Roma street gardens. The streets are quite well signed and we found the hotel quite easily (in the dark).
We had to fetch our dog from quarantine in Sydney, so drove down there and spent a few days sight seeing. The dog was fine, they looked after her very well! We had stress with the dog before we left the UK because one of the blood tests came back positive meaning she wouldn't be able to come to Oz, but thankfully the second blood test came back negative.
We have now moved into a rental house in Eatons Hill. It is a brand new house and a nice area. Brisbane is great, the people are very friendly and there is loads to do and see. The children are booked into high school and start on the 20th.
The long wait for the visa has been worth it, and we are all enjoying our new life. For those of you still waiting, hang in there, the visa comes through eventually and then the fun and games really begin!
All the best,
Wayne & Hazel
After a few tearful goodbyes in SA, we left Joburg International on 14th March and flew Qantas to Sydney, arriving on 15th March. (11.5 hour flight). Again the flight was good. It was a great way to travel to Oz breaking up that long flight! We connected immediately on to Brisbane and were thrilled to share the flight with Steve Irwin and his wife and baby. Our daughter got his autograph.
We had a rental car waiting at the airport and equipped with the Brisbane UBD headed for our hotel in the city, next to Roma street gardens. The streets are quite well signed and we found the hotel quite easily (in the dark).
We had to fetch our dog from quarantine in Sydney, so drove down there and spent a few days sight seeing. The dog was fine, they looked after her very well! We had stress with the dog before we left the UK because one of the blood tests came back positive meaning she wouldn't be able to come to Oz, but thankfully the second blood test came back negative.
We have now moved into a rental house in Eatons Hill. It is a brand new house and a nice area. Brisbane is great, the people are very friendly and there is loads to do and see. The children are booked into high school and start on the 20th.
The long wait for the visa has been worth it, and we are all enjoying our new life. For those of you still waiting, hang in there, the visa comes through eventually and then the fun and games really begin!
All the best,
Wayne & Hazel
Apr 16th 2004, 12:08 pm
#2
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Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Pine Rivers Shire, QLD
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Well done!
Nice drive down to Sydney? A question frequently asked on here, we too did the same drive to Eastern Creek Quarantine Centre to pick up our dog, she was equally well looked after, was bathed and cleaned the day before we picked her up.
Nice drive down to Sydney? A question frequently asked on here, we too did the same drive to Eastern Creek Quarantine Centre to pick up our dog, she was equally well looked after, was bathed and cleaned the day before we picked her up.
Apr 16th 2004, 12:11 pm
#3
Born to be ignored
Joined: Sep 2003
Location: Anstead, Brisbane
Posts: 1,138
Welcome to Brisbane!
We arrived at the beginning of January, hit a rough patch about 2 months in, but are now settled very nicely. Apparantly we're coming up to the best time of year, weather-wise, so you've missed the worst. Hope you continue to be happy.
Jane
We arrived at the beginning of January, hit a rough patch about 2 months in, but are now settled very nicely. Apparantly we're coming up to the best time of year, weather-wise, so you've missed the worst. Hope you continue to be happy.
Jane
Apr 16th 2004, 12:15 pm
#4
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Joined: Oct 2002
Location: Sussex
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Nice to hear that you have all settled in Rudy.
Keep us posted with your thoughts and findings in Brisbane.
footie chick x
Keep us posted with your thoughts and findings in Brisbane.
footie chick x
Apr 16th 2004, 12:21 pm
#5
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 369
Glad to hear you have settled in well.
Don't forget to post more as you find out about the city etc.
I'd be really interested in how you find the schools as my eldest will be high school age when we get there.
Positive posts are a real help to all of us waiting in blighty.
Jo
Don't forget to post more as you find out about the city etc.
I'd be really interested in how you find the schools as my eldest will be high school age when we get there.
Positive posts are a real help to all of us waiting in blighty.
Jo
Apr 16th 2004, 12:42 pm
#6
Home at last
Joined: Mar 2004
Location: Beautiful UK
Posts: 866
So glad you had a nice trip. hope things will continue to go smoothly for you. I love reading about day to day things. Lets us know a little what to expect. I very much appreciate the bit about your dog. mine is very skittish, a big baby that has never spent any time without me. he is 8 years old now so I really worry that he'll be very stressed not knowing where I am for a month. Its good to hear that other dogs are coming out of quarentine with no problems. keep us all posted on your new life! thanks
Apr 16th 2004, 10:58 pm
#7
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Yep, my biggest concern before I left was the dog. She is 5, never been away from us other than when we've been on holiday, but then she always stayed at home in her own environment. She doesn't eat very well, very spoilt, I end up feeding her with a fork most days! So in the last few days in the UK was a nervous wreck. She tested positive for Erlichia, a disease banned in Oz, apparently spread by ticks. My vet said it was very unlikely that she had the disease and sent off a new blood sample to the lab and put her on a course of antibiotics. Thankfully the day before we left the UK, that second blood test came back negative, apparently a lot of the blood tests are having a cross reaction and come out positive when they shouldn't!
So we left her in the care of a friend and she only left the country a week after we had left. I phoned up the quarantine station in Sydney and they put me right through to her carer, the same girl for her whole stay. She put my mind at ease, and told me that Snoopy was doing well and eating. When we collected her, she had just had a bath and was happily walking with her carer. When she saw us, she went potty! She did appear a little thinner, but not much and she is in good shape!
So try not to worry too much about your pet, I think they handle it a lot better than we do!
Our furniture arrived in Brisbane on 27th March, and although it has cleared customs, the removal firm is still waiting for quarantine to inspect. They are hopeful that it will be done early next week, we can't wait, sitting on the floor is a killer! We used PSS, they were excellent!
A few things we realised we needed immediately ... new beds, a kettle, toaster, iron, crockery and cutlery etc, and a fridge! we have just bought a small bar fridge because we have a huge one coming. So when you ship think about the fact that you may need to replace those items here before your goods arrive!
HTH.
So we left her in the care of a friend and she only left the country a week after we had left. I phoned up the quarantine station in Sydney and they put me right through to her carer, the same girl for her whole stay. She put my mind at ease, and told me that Snoopy was doing well and eating. When we collected her, she had just had a bath and was happily walking with her carer. When she saw us, she went potty! She did appear a little thinner, but not much and she is in good shape!
So try not to worry too much about your pet, I think they handle it a lot better than we do!
Our furniture arrived in Brisbane on 27th March, and although it has cleared customs, the removal firm is still waiting for quarantine to inspect. They are hopeful that it will be done early next week, we can't wait, sitting on the floor is a killer! We used PSS, they were excellent!
A few things we realised we needed immediately ... new beds, a kettle, toaster, iron, crockery and cutlery etc, and a fridge! we have just bought a small bar fridge because we have a huge one coming. So when you ship think about the fact that you may need to replace those items here before your goods arrive!
HTH.
Apr 16th 2004, 11:15 pm
#8
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Joined: Mar 2003
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 338
Hi Rudy
Welcome to Brissie! It is a lovely place and the people are very friendly.
We've been here 8 months now and I have to say you do truly have a lifestyle here. I still miss friends from the U.K. but we're going to give it at least 2 years before we decide whether or not to stay or go back and that will be the main reason for going back if we do.
Anyway I hope that you continue to enjoy it here and that you settle in well.
Diana
Welcome to Brissie! It is a lovely place and the people are very friendly.
We've been here 8 months now and I have to say you do truly have a lifestyle here. I still miss friends from the U.K. but we're going to give it at least 2 years before we decide whether or not to stay or go back and that will be the main reason for going back if we do.
Anyway I hope that you continue to enjoy it here and that you settle in well.
Diana
Apr 16th 2004, 11:27 pm
#9
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Hi Diana,
Where about are you in Brisbane? We are in Eatons Hill, near Albany Creek.
Hazel
Where about are you in Brisbane? We are in Eatons Hill, near Albany Creek.
Hazel
Apr 17th 2004, 4:02 am
#10
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Hi Hazel
We're in Bellbowrie, 10 minutes from Kenmore on the West side. JaneandJim are also in Bellbowrie and I think they like it here as well.
There seems to be quite a few british expats in Albany Creek and you're a lot closer to the seaside.
Take care
Diana
We're in Bellbowrie, 10 minutes from Kenmore on the West side. JaneandJim are also in Bellbowrie and I think they like it here as well.
There seems to be quite a few british expats in Albany Creek and you're a lot closer to the seaside.
Take care
Diana
Apr 17th 2004, 5:14 am
#11
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Joined: Jun 2002
Location: Gold Coast- the best place in the world
Posts: 3,196
Welcome to Australia!
Glad to hear things are going well for you. I wish you all the best for the future.
Glad to hear things are going well for you. I wish you all the best for the future.
Apr 17th 2004, 10:27 am
#12
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Thanks guys,
I hope things continue to go well, we just need to start sorting jobs now. I have an interview with an agency on Monday, so hopefully they can find me something soon. There seems to be plenty in my line. Maybe not so much in hbbys line advertised, but we will send CV's directly to the companies.
Hopefully we can meet up with some of you if there is another Brisbane meet??
You know the hardest thing I've found so far ... the school etc ask me for an emergency contact number other than me and hubby and we can't give them one, we don't have anyone we know yet!!!! Tough hey, thats when it hits home!
Hazel
I hope things continue to go well, we just need to start sorting jobs now. I have an interview with an agency on Monday, so hopefully they can find me something soon. There seems to be plenty in my line. Maybe not so much in hbbys line advertised, but we will send CV's directly to the companies.
Hopefully we can meet up with some of you if there is another Brisbane meet??
You know the hardest thing I've found so far ... the school etc ask me for an emergency contact number other than me and hubby and we can't give them one, we don't have anyone we know yet!!!! Tough hey, thats when it hits home!
Hazel
Originally posted by tinaj
Welcome to Australia!
Glad to hear things are going well for you. I wish you all the best for the future.
Welcome to Australia!
Glad to hear things are going well for you. I wish you all the best for the future.
Apr 17th 2004, 10:56 am
#13
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Joined: Feb 2003
Location: Samford, Brisbane
Posts: 259
Hi and welcome to our part of the world! We are in Samford so you are not far from us at all. We nearly bought a house in Eatons Hill but someone beat us to it.
Which school will your children be going to? We have just put down mobile numbers for emergency contacts at school and they were happy with that but then there are so many Brits at our local primary school I guess they are used to it.
We both found work quite easily and possibly sooner than we had hoped although it was a relief when we did get jobs. Hubby is about to change jobs and is having a couple of weeks off in between jobs as he started straight away when we arrived in August last year. You soon settle into a routine. We have found people very friendly. I have just come back from camping with two friends I have made and all the kids - we had a great time although one night was enough!!! Scary out in the bush with all the wildlife!
Don't know when the next expat meet is - nothing in pipeline yet I believe. We have no regrets so far and haven't had any rough patches so far.
Dawn
Which school will your children be going to? We have just put down mobile numbers for emergency contacts at school and they were happy with that but then there are so many Brits at our local primary school I guess they are used to it.
We both found work quite easily and possibly sooner than we had hoped although it was a relief when we did get jobs. Hubby is about to change jobs and is having a couple of weeks off in between jobs as he started straight away when we arrived in August last year. You soon settle into a routine. We have found people very friendly. I have just come back from camping with two friends I have made and all the kids - we had a great time although one night was enough!!! Scary out in the bush with all the wildlife!
Don't know when the next expat meet is - nothing in pipeline yet I believe. We have no regrets so far and haven't had any rough patches so far.
Dawn
Apr 17th 2004, 12:07 pm
#14
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by dmf
Hi Dawn,
The kids start at Albany Creek State High school on Tuesday Year 8 and Year 10. They are looking forward to making friends. Eatons Hill is a nice area, but there is so much development going on, I can see why carpenters are on the demand list out here!
We are in a new estate, only us and one other couple have moved in so far, the rest of the houses are still being built.
We are in a big house with no furniture!
Hazel
Hi Dawn,
The kids start at Albany Creek State High school on Tuesday Year 8 and Year 10. They are looking forward to making friends. Eatons Hill is a nice area, but there is so much development going on, I can see why carpenters are on the demand list out here!
We are in a new estate, only us and one other couple have moved in so far, the rest of the houses are still being built.
We are in a big house with no furniture!
Hazel
Apr 17th 2004, 1:04 pm
#15
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Posts: 378
Hi
Glad you made it at last and that the wait was worth it. Just sent you a pm, hopefully we can get together soon.
wendy
Glad you made it at last and that the wait was worth it. Just sent you a pm, hopefully we can get together soon.
wendy