thewoodz

oooh will tune in great reading

mark 'n' joe

Cant wait for the next installment Jacqui. Brought back good memorys of our time in Brissie, although it peed down for most of it

Jx

DunRoaminTheUK

Hi.

The Links has a very high turnaround of people. We've seen about 4 different families move in and out just in our street, in the last 3 months or so. We're off to Wakerley in October/November time which I guess doesn't really coincide with your projected arrival date?

I'm not sure I would call "Stellar At Carina" a resort though? Lol! We looked at that place and had the same thoughts as you, after we took a really good look around Brisbane and the inner and outer suburbs.

Apparently, Carina has suffered from a bad reputation in the past because there used to be a caravan site on the current Stellar development.

Another word of warning about living in Carina (especially at The Links) is that it seems to lie directly on the flightpath for incoming Virgin Blue and Quantas jets and can be quite noisy at times.

Cannon Hill shopping centre is also conveniently located, in the event that you find yourself unwilling to venture out to the Westfield at Carindale.

nightnurse2

Enjoying reading your posts.
Are you up yet
Tracey

newlife_downunder

...... I am really enjoying this, as we are off a week today!!! for our recci ....look forward to next instalment.

Scotschick

Are we sitting comfortably? - now let's begin.......

Tuesday 20 February
After some research online the previous evening decided to head up to North Lakes/Mango Hill to have a look at the Master Builder Display Village. After some really skillful map reading managed to get lost in the one way system around Brisbane - I'm sure we passed our hotel a few times before we got on the right road to head up to North Lakes. Finally arrived and must admit there was definitely a wow factor. I know this is to be exptected as they are show homes but gee you sure get a lot of house for your money in Oz. Must have wandered around about 20 show homes and really liked the area that the houses were being built in. We couldn't make up our minds between a highset and a lowset but really liked the designs of Plantation Homes. The highset was definitely the favourite but do we really need 4 beds, 3 baths, a living room, rumpus room, family room, upstairs tv room, etc, etc when there are only 3 of us (mmmm maybe good idea though as we could each have our own space - would save fighting over football matches and kids tv programmes). Seriously though we were really impressed with the design. The prices at first glance appear absolutely fantastic but of course once you start adding on things like the facade, rendering, driveways, etc the costs start to mount up. Mind you we still reckon we could build the highset for about $250k to the spec we want (around £100k to £110k) which I think is really brilliant. There is an abundance of plots around this area and they were asking for $186k for a 740m2 lot which I think is very reasonable. $436k for a massive 2 storey home with double garage, and a fair bit of ground to spare I think is very good value.

When we were looking around the village hubby was asking about reduction in costs if he were to do some of the internal works himself given that he is a carpenter (ever the true Scot.....). As soon as he mentioned that he was a carpenter he was advised that they are crying out for tradies in the North Lakes area and was advised he should contact the head office of a couple of the companies. One of the homes we went to visit the guy was all for calling the site supervisor and arranging a meeting right there and then. It was great to hear this as given our previous disappointment in Carina with the property finally something positive was happening. Hubby was feeling far more upbeat when we left as not only were the houses and lots well within our price range but there was plenty of work around. North Lakes also had a really nice feel about the place - loads of building work going on and development work at the nearby shopping centre which apparently is away to become the biggest in the southern hemisphere. And so we returned to Brisbane with a slight skip in our step especially as we had found the Gateway Motorway and it only took us 20 minutes to reach the airport and easily found our way back to the hotel (unlike our nightmare journey to get to North Lakes in the first place).

We had a lovely buffet meal at the hotel restaurant again and sat and had a couple of drinks in the bar to reflect on our day. Hubby admitted that up until that point he had been having doubts about our dream of living in Oz.

Forgot to mention earlier that on Monday we had headed up to Carindale Heights to view a townhouse on the Monte Mariposa Estate. Were a bit disappointed with the size of the rooms as they were very small and even more disappointed to learn that there was only one other person in the whole place that had children and that the estate wasn't really suited to children. In other words kids wouldn't be allowed to play outside the front of the house which was a cul de sac and obviously any noise would be frowned upon. Another one crossed off our list then.

Wednesday 21 February
Thought I better try and see what sort of work would be available for myself in and around Brisbane so went to a recruitment agency. I'm currently an admin services manager with a variety of functions on a pretty good wage here. Now I know I will be taking a dramatic pay cut and lower functions when I move over but when the receptionist quoted $16 an hour my jaw hit the floor. Just hoping she didn't really know what she was talking about as she was quoting junior wages. Found this really funny as have been working for over 20 years so am hardly a junior - oh the Ozzie sun must be doing wonders for my youthful looks hee hee. I was only trying to get an idea of how much I might be able to earn but wish I hadn't bothered. To be honest they weren't really interested especially when I explained that I was only looking for info at the moment. Phoned another well known agency to be told to send a cv in but they took my name and number and would get someone to phone me back. I'm still waiting ...................

So feeling under a bit of a black cloud we decided to have another drive up to North Lakes to have another look around and check out the schools to cheer us up. Found even more display homes so had a look around them but we kept being drawn back to Plantation Homes so decided to go and have another look and get a bit more info about them. Saw the lowset again and really liked that too so now totally undecided about which to go for. Guess it all depends on how much money we make off our house sale as there is a difference of $35k between the lowset and the highset that we like. Part of me thinks though what the heck go for the dream home I'm sure we will get plenty of visitors and would be nice to have all that space.

Went to have a look at North Lakes State School but unfortunately the enrolment officer wasn't around so couldn't get much info. Everyone at the display village had said that it was a really good school and it did have a nice feel about it when I went there. Really nice to see all the P1s playing in the play area and other kids playing team games on a lovely grassed area. Our son's school only has concrete playgrounds so lots of lovely bruises and ripped trousers when he comes home from school. The school took a note of my e-mail address and said the enrolment officer would be in touch which she has done now that I am back home (use the term loosely as hopefully it will not be home for much longer).

We decided to try to take the scenic route back to our hotel via Redcliffe with the thought of having a look at the beach - however it started totally chucking it down with rain and the traffic was a nightmare so not one of my better plans. Even worse when we hit the Gateway Motorway a car had broken down so the traffic was backed up for ages. Decided to leave the motorway and went the Nudgee Road - what a flippin mistake that was. Took us 2 1/2 hours to travel a distance of 20km which really put a damper on the whole North Lakes thing as obviously getting into Brisbane would be a nightmare. However not totally disheartened yet.

Sorry have to get ready for work again. To be continued tonight.

sarahlou

What time do you get in...... this is great reading,cant wait as my mate has just moved to North Lakes so its great to get another opinion,
any way this certainly a great thread so cant wait for the next instalment,
sarahlou

bethandneil

ooohh what a fab posting, we are headed for brisbane in september and are looking at north lakes, so thanks for all the info
beth

Scotschick

Thursday 22 February
Hubby was away at 7.30am until 6.00pm with his mate helping him do a few jobs around Brisbane. This was a trial to see whether hubby liked the work and whether he would be happy doing it on a daily basis.

While hubby was away me and the little dude went for a really nice breakfast in the hotel and for once he was really well behaved. May have been the threat of being told he wouldn't be allowed to leave the hotel if he misbehaved or the bribe of an ice cream if he was good. Anyway it worked. After breakfast we decided to do the laundry. Couldn't believe it was only $2 for the washer and $2 for the drier - this is so cheap. When we were in Florida in May we paid about $4 US for each in Disney. Went back to the room whilst the clothes were being washed and did the same when they were in the drier. Went back down about 35 minutes later to check to see if the stuff was ready. Imagine my surprise to find that my stuff was sitting on top of the washer. Some guy had taken it out and he was now using the drier. He said it was dry which it was but that is not the point. Didn't feel comfortable about him taking my smalls (well Bridget Jones actually) out of the drier to make way for his stuff. How rude - grrrrrrrrrr.

After this decided that my son and I would head over to the South Bank to get something to eat and go to the beach. Left the hotel, crossed the road and started down the slope to the City Cat when my son started to run down the hill. No sooner had the words come out of my mouth when he fell flat on his face after tripping over his own feet. Luckily he was wearing a massive floppy sun hat so his head and face were protected from any scrapes or bruises. His knee and elbow were a different matter. Blood was pouring everywhere and as soon as my son sees blood that's it he starts screaming whether it's sore or not. I have to admit I was a bit concerned as some of you may remember he had broken his arm in September playing on his trampoline so I am always worried when he falls in case he re-breaks it. Between sobs he was able to acknowledge that his arm wasn't sore though but we obviously had to head back to the hotel to get a few plasters. Have to say the Reception staff were fantastic. They quickly rustled up some plasters and I took him upstairs to clean him up. The cleaning staff were also great and were asking if there was anything they could do (in fact one of them asked how he was doing as we were leaving on the Saturday).

Anyhow managed to get him all cleaned up and he decided he still wanted to go to the beach so we headed out again. Managed to get to the City Cat without event and off we went to South Bank. As a treat (and for being so good at breakfast) I took him for some ice cream which he loved. He would eat ice cream all day if he could and in Oz it became a daily ritual of trying a variety of ice creams.

We headed to the beach area at South Bank and what a great time we had. It was very safe - especially in the shallow end and my son had an absolute ball just playing in the sand and wading in the water. After a couple of hours we went for something to eat at one of the outside cafes. It was fantastic but the only downside was the ibis wandering around trying to eat anything that was going. My son happened to pick up a bit of food and the next minute there were 2 of the flippin things at him trying to get the food out of his hand. Poor thing you should have heard him screaming. They definitely spoiled the meal and was really annoyed to see people feeding them when there were signs all over the place saying not to feed them. Plus all the bird crap around - not very hygenic.

Headed over to the play area after lunch and he had an absolute ball climbing up and down and sliding. Really love the fact that any of the play areas we were at were in the shade. Also couldn't get over the fact that none of the play areas had been vandalised and all had safety surfacing underfoot. I work in local government in Scotland and our department is forever having to replace the play areas due to little neds setting fire to the equipment and generally wrecking the stuff. They also all hang around the play areas smoking and generally causing havoc making it very intimidating for any kids trying to get on the rides. I didn't see this at any of the playparks we were at - they were all just full of little kids.

Headed back to the hotel late on in the afternoon to chill for a bit as we had both been out in the sun for long enough. But we had a really great time and it's nice not to have to rush about for once.

Hubby came back around 6.00pm totally upbeat. He had really enjoyed himself and knew he could do the job so it's just a case of going to see his mate's boss when we emigrate and he will give him a job. We headed out for something to eat and then back to the hotel bar for a couple of drinks. Feeling really upbeat as obviously getting a job is half the battle. Finally everything seemed to be falling into place and our dream was definitely going to become a reality.

Friday 23 February
Headed out to Roma Street Parklands. Found a wonderful playpark so spent a bit of time there. Unfortunately it started raining so we took shelter in one of the kids shelters only to turn around and see a flippin spider looking back at me. I can't believe I was so calm as back here I am absolutely petrified of them. Maybe it's because they are usually scurrying across my floor and this one was just sitting in its web watching the world go by. This was only the third spider I had seen during our visit. Half expected to see them everywhere but didn't see any redbacks or huntsman - only flamin ants that seemed to love biting me. The rain went off for a bit so we decided to make a run for it back to the car.

Headed up to Mount Coot Tha next. Guess where we ended up - yes the ice cream shop. Hubby and I sat and had a coffee and son had his ice cream sitting looking at the most amazing view. Unfortunately it was a little bit cloudy but you could still see for miles and miles (sorry kms and kms - have to get used to this metric lark as I'm afraid I am an imperial babe. Luckily hubby works in metric as a carpenter so won't have any problems). I would imagine on a clear day the view must be phenominal. Will definitely be heading back up there again when we return.

Later on in the afternoon we went around the Carina/Carindale area again as still undecided about where we should live and drove up to see another development but they didn't sell land only. She directed us over to Wakerly so had a look at some of the homes there. Really nice but we still prefer those from Plantation Homes. Drove back towards the CBD and hubby stopped to have a look at Bunnings to see what sort of prices and stock they have. Returned to the hotel and went out for our tea. Found a really nice restaurant so sat and chilled while we ate our tea and had a couple of drinks. Reflected on the past couple of weeks and how we now felt we were definitely doing the right thing.

Will come back later and give you the final instalment.

Scrawni 2

Great posts! You have been busy bees haven't you. Glad to see it's all coming together and so quickly too.

Mandy

DunRoaminTheUK

Did you look at Metricon homes? They tend to hit you in the pocket with the optional additions but in my mind their design and finish stood out amongst the competition. They also offer promotional packages which are very good value for money and allow you to upgrade many things inside and outside the house.

themerlin

What is it with new arrivals and Lego land

Scotschick

Hi

Yes I am sure we looked at them too. Have to say was really impressed with most of the builders but Plantation had the design that we wanted. There were a couple of builders that also said they would customise the home but can't remember what they were called so wouldn't totally rule them out yet.

Thanks for your earlier comments on Carina Links. We drove around there again before we left and still quite liked it. Not sure if there are many families with kids there though - do you know? And also are they allowed to play outside? Still haven't ruled them out in the short term but it depends on availability when we are ready to come over.

Scotschick

Here we go - final instalment (huge sighs of relief from the readers)

Sorry should have warned you it would be very, very long

Saturday 24 February
Got up nice and early and finished the remaining packing. I headed out to Queen Street Mall to pick up some presents for the parents and had a last quick look around some of the shops. Have to say the Mercure Hotel is very central for the shops, the City Cat and the Parklands so is a really good location. Was quite impressed with Queen Street Mall lots of different shops. Headed back to the hotel and checked out for 10.00am ready for the long day ahead as we weren't flying until midnight.

Decided as we had hours to kill we would head up to North Lakes again to have another look around for a final fix before we flew home (yes we are display home addicts). Found some more new homes that we hadn't looked at before so had a wander around and took our son to the park to burn off some energy. For lunch we headed to a lovely cafe beside the lake (not sure what it was called but it wasn't far from North Lakes State College). Had a really good meal at really reasonable prices. Really nice just sitting by the lake watching the turtles mooching for food. Started discussing our plans for the future and felt that it doesn't get much better than this (rose tinted glasses firmly in place of course). Discussed North Lakes again but not really sure whether it is the place for us. Really lovely place but probably a bit too far for hubby to commute given that he is going to be based out of Jindalee (totally opposite direction from North Lakes). Traffic would be a bit of a nightmare especially if the Gateway was backed up as we found on our 2 1/2 hour journey earlier in the week.

Decided to head down to Jindalee to see how long it would take and I'm sure it took us about 1 hour although in saying that there were probably quicker ways to go than we took but as you are aware my map reading skills aren't exactly brilliant. Obviously this is a bit long so we were starting to think we would have to reconsider where we wanted to be.

After heading out to Jindalee we decided we may as well head to the airport even though there were still a couple of hours until check in opened.

When we did check in I decided I would try my luck and see if there were any upgrades available on the flight. Imagine my delight when I was told we could have 3 seats from Brisbane to Kuala Lumpur for a very reasonable price. We asked about an upgrade between KL and Heathrow and again were quoted a really reasonable price but unfortunately the system wouldn't let her do it so we would have to try this in KL for the next leg of the journey. As we were upgraded were given access to the Quantas Lounge. Have to say it was nothing special and have definitely been in much nicer lounges in other airports. Liked Brisbane airport itself - definitely not too busy which was great although the domestic terminal may be busier. Nice couple of shops too.

Boarded the flight on time and oohed and aahed over the wonderful legroom and near flat beds. Just away to close the doors for take off when my son proceeded to be sick everywhere - and I mean everywhere. Luckily had a change of clothes for him and the crew were really great with him. Absolutely no idea what was wrong as he has travelled loads in his short life and is usually a great little flyer. Thankfully he fell asleep soon after and slept for the whole of the flight. The service on the flight was fantastic would definitely fly this way all the time if I could afford it (now where did I put that lottery ticket ........).

When we landed in Kuala Lumpur we tried to find out where to ask about the upgrades and were sent to one desk then another and then finally advised we would have to go through immigration as the ticket counter was beyond this. Thought what a hassle it was but given the great price and the thought of over 13 hours being cramped this swayed it for us. What a hassle though getting through immigration. Were sent by immigration to get a visa for the day only to be told by the visa people that we didn't need one as we hold British passports. So off it was back to immigration again to then be told we need to fill out arrival and departure cards. Finally completed these and got through to go to the ticket counter only to be quoted a price for the seats 3 times more than we were quoted in Brisbane. Apparently Brisbane shouldn't even have sold us the tickets so cheap in the first place but hey we weren't complaining. There was no way were paying the price they quoted in KL so it was a bit of a wasted trip out through immigration. But hey ho on the bright side we have now officially been in Malaysia and have a Malaysian stamp in our passports which we wouldn't have got as we were only in transit before.

The flight between KL and Heathrow took off an hour late and lo and behold we were in the dreaded row 47 again bah humbug. Same crap as going out - lots of noise and rubbish service. Can honestly say this has put us off from travelling with Malaysian again. Started to panic a bit when we landed as we were an hour late - landed about 4.15pm and still had to clear immigration get our luggage and get from terminal 3 to 1 for our flight to Edinburgh at 6.25pm. Oh and to make matters worse our poor son had been sick again just as we were landing so he wasn't exactly feeling like hurrying between terminals poor little soul. Managed to get our luggage okay and managed to negotiate our way through Heathrow. Got to check in at 6.00pm (flying with BA) to be told flight was only 5 minutes late however it was after 6.30pm before we even started boarding. Then when on the plane we were told it would be another 50 minutes before we could push back. Flippin heck at this point all we wanted to do was get home. Flight was great though and luggage was really quick in Edinburgh and so our adventure ended - although it is really only beginning......

What have we learned .......

well for one I would definitely recommend a reccie if you can afford it before you go - there was no way our 2 weeks was long enough but unfortunately at the time we booked that was all we could do

you have to be flexible and just go with the flow when you are there - I was totally focused on one area to live in but this probably is not now where we will settle so we will now have to look at other options

treat the place for what it is - a new country and culture and just run with it

don't be afraid to ask questions - I spoke to everyone I could, even in the playparks about schooling and things and everyone was really helpful

and finally ...........

invest in sat nav or risk marriage counselling (only joking!!!!!) but seriously we will be considering sat nav as found having to constantly change our routes using the map a bit disconcerting. I know this would improve as you got to know the place but given that hubby may be driving all over the place will definitely be beneficial - especially as he will be on his own and won't have the benefit of my map reading skills hee hee.

Thanks for reading hope it wasn't too boring. We really enjoyed ourselves and are so glad we were able to visit first and just can't wait to return.

Princess Leia

I really enjoyed reading your diary. You seem to have your feet firmly on the ground and seem to be trying to think everything through realistically. My inlaws live in North Lakes so I could picture everything you talked about. I have to say I'm not particularly keen on new, modern estates but I really love the walking track around the lake, which I do every time we travel up from Sydney to see the family.

The traffic up that way didn't used to be that bad - we've been travelling that way for visits for nearly 10 years now. But it seems that since they've widened the Bruce Highway it seems to have got worse for some reason.