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escapedtonz

Hi all and Happy New Year.

Didn't manage to get much done over the Christmas/New Year break but only what I expected. I did a little bit of Networking on LinkedIn by basically messaging people in management positions who work at the companies I've shortlisted as potential employers. It didn't give me a job but a few messaged back with good advice. I did speak to one consultancy company in particular who wasnt even on my radar as they were looking for an electrical engineer to join them in an advisory role which isnt anything I've done before so didnt give it much thought as a viable option.
Brisbane seemed to re-open from the 10th January and with that a few job vacancies appeared which I jumped in and applied for. Only difference with these is my CV and Cover letters now have a Brisbane address and Aussie mobile number so hoping that will make a difference. As yet I'm still waiting for the expiry dates of those ads which is next week.

in the meantime we've been crazy busy trying to secure a property to buy. The housing market is fierce and very competitive. Demand is massive. Property prices are rising just as much as in NZ but luckily they're about half the value but doesn't make buying one any easier. We've missed out on a couple after putting in offers but we are learning so hopefully have one bought very soon. There's two we're really interested in that go to auction Monday so hopefully we'll have one of those won and be in there within 30 days.

Got a message out of the blue Wednesday from the Founder / MD of the consultancy company I mentioned above saying they possibly have some work for me so invited me for a coffee and a chat. No idea what I was expecting but I walked away with a full on job offer, initial 3 month contract and same salary as my previous NZ job. Contract came through yesterday and BLOW ME - they offered me Senior Electrical Engineer role, initial 6 month contract, another $10k on base salary, plus 10% super, plus 15% bonus....Woop Woop!!!
Works out around $30-35k more than my NZ job, and the great thing is, No shifts, No commuting, work from home, work flexi time, less hours per week and only Mon-Fri. Mrs is chuffed to bits. No corporate bullshizen, no management rubbish or office politics.
It has been a happy couple days.
Just need to bag a house now.
an

queenstown5

Hi, we are thinking to move to Brisbane also , for similar reasons.... We live in Queenstown with 3 kids (9, 11, 12) and trying to decide if it's the right move. Would love to know if the food and electricity are much cheaper? We pay so much here, especially in winter. We love the beach, but the good public schools such as Kenmore High seem to be west? Have you had a look at areas such as Ferny Grove or Bellbowrie? Is it really possible to get a nice house with pool for $850'000 or am I dreaming...

How are you all coping with the hot summer? Is the traffic awful?

Would love to know everything!!!

the troubadour

While I don't live in Brisbane (Perth) it should be remembered that Brisbane is not a beach location in the sense other Australian capitals are. While the winters will not be taxing on the electricity bills, summer most certainly will be. How are you with humidity? House prices are high in all cities. I suspect you will get something in that price range but check the suburb. What we could have bought in Perth for that price about three years ago is over a million today.

queenstown5

We pay $800+/month here in winter (electricity). $300-500 the rest of the time.
Prefer the heat/humidity to the long winter of cold/snow/frost if it's just for a couple of months IF we have a pool and air con to sleep. Perth is also an option if you have any suburb recommendations...Ocean Reef maybe? We do (did!) love holidays in South East Asia and my husband is from Spain so would be nice to be closer to Spain (I'm from Queenstown). Looks to be a lot more crime in Perth though? Have lived in Sydney(1 year), Melbourne(1 year) and Brisbane(just a few months over a summer) in our 20s. Loved them all.
Thanks!

escapedtonz

Hi queenstown5,
Don't blame you whatsoever. Queenstown is a stunning place to live etc but it is top dollar for everything - and equally as expensive to live there as other major cities across NZ.

Yes so it is cheaper for groceries for sure and there's heaps more choice of course. I reckon we're saving at least $150 per week. Eating out and take-outs aren't much different although in my opinion the food is way better quality and taste to my liking here more than NZ. I found Chinese and Indian pretty tasteless in NZ unless you went to a proper restaurant. The first Chinese take-out here was beaut. One thing I have noticed is a box of beers is near 40% more expensive here. So the likes of a 24 box of DB Export cost roughly $35 in NZ, but they're $50 here, however on the other hand wine is much more affordable and a much wider choice. I think spirits are about the same. Fuel is way cheaper - paying $1.70/litre for 91 here and approx $1.85 for super. I think diesel around the same price as other fuels. There are no RUC's to buy here for diesels and the fuel is taxed at the pump just like petrol. Car insurance and servicing/maintenance the same and there's no need for annual or 6 monthly Warrants but registration is a lot more expensive like between $500 - $1000 per year. One only needs to have a warrant type safety check if you sell a vehicle - its called a Roadworthy and you have to provide it at point of sale if you want to get the value of the car.
Yes electricity is cheaper in my opinion but that may be because everyone has solar panels on the roof and feeds power back in to the grid when you're not home so it's more like $140 per month instead of $250 per month like it was in NZ. The cost of a solar system is also cheap as chips here - more like $8k as opposed to $25k in NZ and you can get a grant from the government depending where you live as there's massive incentives to be had. Our feed in tariff is super small, something like 4c or 5c per kwh but it soon adds up when the sun is blazing down on the panels all day and you aren't home to use the power. Obs the larger solar system you go for the cheaper it'll work out on the bill. There are tariffs that give 10c or 20c feed in but you have to sign up for 2 years and I think the base cost for electricity use is higher. Have a look on Origin Energy for tariff info to see how it compares. Also, many people here use bottled gas for the hob and maybe hot water and out of the cities that'll be by bottled gas as there's not much in the way of piped mains gas. We have 2 x huge gas bottles down the side of the house. You have them filled or topped up to full when you move in, pay the 2 x full bottles fee which is around $200 ish and then the gas man comes round regularly to keep them topped up and you then just pay for usage. When and if you move out, whatever is left gets credited back to you and the new people pay for 2 x full bottles again. So the house is all electric apart from the cooking hob and the hot water but we have a 5kw solar system on the roof and 20 panels.
Yeah we used to pay around $400 a month over winter in NZ.
We love going to the beach too and we have missed/do miss that as we used to have gorg beaches on our doorstep and even though there's lots of beaches the really nice ones are either down the Gold Coast or up in the Sunshine Coast so its a bit more of a trek. We live in Narangba now approx 30/40 mins north of Brisbane CBD up the M1 Bruce Highway. Our local beach at Scarborough approx 20/30 mins easy drive but its like an orange sand and not super beautiful like beaches in NZ so we tend to go Kings Beach or Currumundi Beach/Lake up in the Sunshine Coast which is 45 mins and what we call a really nice beach.

Yeah schools can be a bit of a worry. The Mrs spent months researching both state and private schools in each of the areas we would like to live, checking out reports and all that jazz. There are absolutely heaps of very good schools all over the place, both private and state and the private schools way more affordable than in NZ but yes you'll need to spend some time on the pooter doing lots of research. We're thinking of sending the eldest to private secondary next year and that is $5k per year but we've heard the local state high school is really good anyways so I suppose it all depends how he feels and if his mates will be going or not although if the private school is markedly better, he'll be going there no matter what assuming we get a place. Roll sizes are huge here also - our kids primary school in NZ was a roll of 320 kids - here its 1200. The high school is something like 3000. Huge huge schools and another reason why we're thinking of private school as the numbers are lower and once again the state schools are zoned but the private schools not. Only issue with private schools is actually getting a place. One has to enroll years early to stand any chance.
Yes we went to have a look at a house in Bellbowrie but decided the place was a bit out on a limb as we drove through quite a bit of rural to get to the house which was nice, on a nice estate in suburbia but a little too far walk to shops etc. Ferny Grove is more Upper Kedron way I think and not somewhere we have actually seen any properties that met our budget etc so don't really know much about it.
Have a look at Mueller College in Rothwell which is coastal side but really reasonable and good.

I think, like us you'll have likely missed the boat on property those prices but all depends on house and block size. I don't think you'll find a decent house with pool for $850k nowadays unless you are more rural - especially if the area has good schools. They might be advertised as offers around / over $850k etc but it'll likely go for way more - $100k or $200k over what is mentioned in the advert. Buying property is a nightmare. Demand for housing is insane here and there's like 20/30 groups turn up at an open home and the sale by auction thing is slowly creeping in here in QLD although a lot of the time a house will sell prior to auction. We've tried to purchase 4 homes here and got lucky on the 4th. Managed to secure before it went to auction as the owners had found a property and wanted it all over and done with after the first open home so I suppose we were in the right place at the right time and since we had the experience of talking to agents, house values and how buying a property worked (after 3 previous fails) we offered in excess of what is was worth on paper like an hour after the open home - probably $150k more and since we had no conditions they went for our offer pretty much that evening. House is 270sqm and built around 2008. On a 900sqm block with a 70sqm proper covered outdoor area. with built in bbq/outdoor kitchen and beer fridge. 4 beds / 2 bath with master/ensuite/wir, separate media room and study, separate laundry and internal double garage. 21 panel solar. Doesn't have a pool but plenty room for one. We've paid $1,252,850 and I think it was quoted as $1.1M online valuations. We put a pool in at our house in NZ which cost us $!20k. Here it'll cost probably half of that but value wise we'll be all good and house prices are rocketing up here so it is a good time to invest in your property.

The weather has been fine. Yes it is always warm but it hasn't been anywhere near as bad as we expected. Generally between 25-32 degrees and we'll probably not get the really hot weather this year because of el nino effect this time around. We've had loads of rain, but its still warm. Lots of people have told us we've not seen anything yet and summer can be 35-42 degrees so not looking forward to that when it happens.
Yes the traffic is busy in and out of the city and motorways pretty much all the time other than late evenings. Even on a weekend the M1, M3 etc are chocca. Its just like being back on the roads in the uk but public transport is way way better.

Anything you wanna ask just lemme know.

escapedtonz

Yes the same here.
We'd much rather be warm and in the heat/humidity than suffer the cold. Its great not having to worry about anything other than which shorts, t shirt n jandals I'm gonna wear but yes its not the heat, more the humidity that is the tough part of living in this climate but you just gotta adapt to keeping out of the sun. The shade is much more priceless here.

Moses2013

Why did you not consider Spain if you want to be closer? I think the big downside in Brisbane is the lack of light in the evenings and that's why it's often an issue for people who move for the so called better weather.

escapedtonz

The going dark early hasn't been an issue whatsoever. Only noticed it for the first week or so and doesn't even register anymore. I quite like the fact that the sun comes up a lot earlier in the morning like by 5.15am now it is light - I think mid summer it is light around 4.30am. Seems a lot of people here get up super early because of this (well, super early in my opinion) and do their morning exercises before the sun comes up, gets on with the day and finish their workday mid afternoon and I kinda like that so has been easy to adapt in to that sort of lifestyle. I've never been the kind of person that sleeps in so it works for me and of course the kids have always been up at the crack of dawn anyways.

Yeah the so called better weather hasn't been that great at all. Summer in NZ has been way way hotter and drier than we've had it here in Brisbane. We've had so so much rain its crazy and only had temps in the low to mid 30's on the sunny days which for me is great, however it isn't usually less than 23 degrees day or night which still begs t shirt, shorts n jandals during the day and air con and a ceiling fan at night - any higher temps would be a waste
Apparently its the result of the el-nino climate pattern that's hitting the region this year but we've been told to brace ourselves for the super hot and humid weather that will return - probably next year now though.
Seems Brisbane tends to swing between flooding and bush fires. Last year was bush fires and this year we have flooding. We're just at the end (hopefully) of 3 days of solid rain and over 500mm has fallen in the last 48hrs causing massive flooding issues all over the shop, motorways and rail services shutdown. We've had council emergency notifications to stay indoors, keep off the roads, don't go out unless absolutely necessary etc.
Fun & games!

Moses2013

Don't get me wrong and everyone is different. It's just that your average person who seeks the sun often expects the sun and brightness after work, bbq, beach etc.. If you have flexible working hours that certainly helps. I'm not really focused on high temps and otherwise wouldn't have lasted 10 years in Ireland. What I do love are long summer evenings with daylight and winter is winter on this side of the world, but still brighter than England/Kent during winter😉. We do also have a small place in Spain though and picked an area that is at least still green near Girona coast. Climate is a challenge eveywhere it seems but if I wanted to be closer to Spain like queenstown5 and have equity in my home, husband is Spanish, maybe now is a good time. Especially with work from home options and cheaper housing, she wouldn't have to worry if $850'000 would get her a nice home😄. If you can get a villa for 200K€ and have plenty of savings left, life probably wouldn't be too bad, assuming kids speak some Spanish.

queenstown5

Thank you so much for your long reply! Lots to think about! I will definitely contact you again if I have more questions, thanks! You must be relieved to have found a nice home and can start to enjoy life without the stress of moving. I hope the flood has not affected you too badly. Sounds pretty awful!

queenstown5

Not sure I could handle living in Spain..my husband's family is full on! I hate the 11pm dinners and the kids are not keen...Houses actually look rather expensive down on the coast but I might have another look!

Moses2013

Where in Spain are they living? If you could live a few hours drive away from them, that might solve some problems..

escapedtonz

Hey folks, how's it going ?
Haven't been on the forum for a while.

Latest update on life in Brisbane.

Settling in well so far as I can tell.
We purchased a property at the beginning of Feb and moved in beginning of March so have been in our new place around 6 weeks now. We're approx 45 mins north of Brisbane CBD in Narangba, just off the M1 Bruce Highway so gives us easy access to Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
We live at the top of a cul-de-sac in suburbia and its so great not having to spend a couple days per week cutting grass, tidying the garden and tending to fruit trees on a rural property. Takes me around 1.5hrs to do it all which means I have more time to play with the kids, drink beer and cook bbq
It is a very friendly cul-de-sac and bar one house everybody has kids of all age ranges. The kids are having a ball playing in the street at every opportunity. So much so we bought a new basketball hoop and stand and set it up in the street with one of the neighbors hoops. Anything to keep the kids off devices is good. Such a great place to live so we're happy on that score.

The electrical engineering consultancy job I was offered out of the blue didn't last so long. I quickly learned after around 2 weeks that it wasn't the role for me and other than the power system modelling and power system studies side of the role, I had pretty much zero experience in all the remaining work that was required. I was totally up front with them, took a step back but ultimately that just delayed the inevitable. I left mid March with a big sigh of relief.
Since leaving I've been trying to land a role within real time electricity operations but being that it is a bit of a niche specialty, the jobs are very thin on the ground and the companies who I could work for can be counted on less than one hand but I live in hope and applying for anything I'm qualified to undertake.
I have had a couple of interviews for a couple of roles at Powerlink Queensland who are effectively the National Grid of Queensland but they're reportedly experiencing a few unforeseen recruitment issues so as yet I've been notified that my application is still very much under consideration but it'll most likely be after Easter when they make any decisions.....the waiting is so frustrating.
I have applied for 3 other roles and also waiting for feedback on those, but touch wood I bag one of those.....only need the one job!!!

Kids have settled in to school well. We were a bit concerned about the eldest for a couple of weeks but it seems he's found his mojo again which is a relief. Youngest hasn't had any issues really. Has been a strange time though as we haven't had the opportunities to meet school parents etc due to the restrictions with picking up kids after school and having to keep your distance because of Covid but glad to say we know a few people now since the restrictions were pretty much removed last month.

We're in Easter half term at the moment and unfortunately the Mrs tested positive for Covid last week after a day of feeling unwell so she's had to isolate for the past 7 days. Me and the kids have tested twice but we've not had even a hint of the virus or had any symptoms so have been keeping ourselves away from Mum and away from others just in case - effectively we've been in quarantine but today was the last day so we'll be free to mingle from tomorrow so sets me and the kids up for the Easter weekend but the Mrs still has to keep to herself for another week.
Don't have much planned really other than a BBQ with friends (Mrs not going) and an Easter Egg hunt maybe.

Mrs tarted up her CV last week and has landed an interview with our local GP surgery but her illness means the interview is delayed till after Easter now but since the GP surgery in question doesn't have any advertised vacancies and has asked her to come in for a "chat" it is most likely she'll be offered a job there. This is the way it seems to happen for practice nurses and the way she has landed her last three jobs in NZ so it's good to know at least one of us should have a job by the end of the month and we'll have some income coming in.
The last dregs of my final pay from the consultancy role have now been spent so we have started on the savings his week and even though we have sufficient funds to get back without jobs for quite a while it'll be good to turn the tables and spend what we earn instead of that nest egg.

So, it seems we're getting there slowly but surely. Just need to land that elusive job and we'll be all set up to fully settle and we already have 2 lots of friends visiting this year July and September

Cheers

old.sparkles

Not sure who you were working for but based on a previous post, would AEMO be an option - https://career10.successfactors.com/...XvVZO8yjmP8%3d