just arrived
 

we arrived in Brisbane at the end of May. Myself and hubby are both nurses and kids are 10 and 7 yrs old. we have found the weather a bit odd with very cold evening and overnight and lovely sunshine during the day. I am sure i never needed fleecy pj's at home during the summer.
We found a rental house easily, too easily in fact as there is lots wrong with the house which we didn't note at the time of viewing and now feel a bit stuck with it. Only advice i can give is choose a newer house above an old one as they are dusty and drafty.
We have found the cost of living ie day to day groceries etc expensive and there seems to be a constant drain on our finances. Does anyone else find this??
We are living in Albany Creek which is a nice small town adjacent to the brisbane suburbd of mcdowall and bridgeman downs. Kids seem to enjoy school which is very laid back and i do wonder wether they are actuallly learning anything.
How do you make freinds ?? People we have met seem freindly enough but as soon as there mates turn up they go off to talk to them. We never seem to get to the exchange of phone number stage or further than the pleasantries. In that respect we are feeling a bit lonely at moment.
Does anyone else feel homesick this soon? I don't even know if it is homesickness but i know that life does not seem a lot different except the sun shines.
It would be good to hear from some of you expats and hear your experiences

Re: just arrived
 

Hi

I am in Perth and to be honest I have found the same things as you its not cheap to live here at all and as the wages are less I am definitely not better off money wise. I am spending more time with my family though so that is a plus.
I have family here so I have been able to go out and about with them and their friends, but i miss my friend Barb who i could sit and talk to about anything, I dont have that close relationship with anyone here and thats probably the thing i miss the most.
We have bought a house a new one and are due to move in next month and i am hoping that my feelings will change once I am able to settle as at the moment if i could turn the clock back I would do it in a flash.

Send me a PM if you want to chat

Tricia

Re: just arrived
 

Where are you Tricia ? There are a few regular meets on in Perth both North and South of the river.

I'm sure there must be something going on in Bribane as well, Superchick. Put a request up in the meet up section - I'm sure you'll get to meet a few more people that way - but migrating is a lonely process - hope things pick-up for you.

Gillian

Re: just arrived
 

You won't need fleecy pjs in the summer in Brisbane either ;)

Seriously though, as sme says post asking if anyone else fancys a meet. Good bunch of folks on here from over your way so I am sure it won't be long before you make some friends. Don't expect too much too soon, its still early days for you.

Re: just arrived
 

Hi, my partner Ciaran and I(rosie) migrated to Oz in Feb'07. We are living in Redland Bay. Ciaran is an electrician and I'm a nurse. We are still waiting on our Queensland licences to practise our trades. Likewise we have met lots of people but have not made any new friends.Havn't met any ex-pats but are contemplating joining in a meet-up. Did you ever consider this option?

Re: just arrived
 

hi thanks posted on meet up board and have made contact with some people. Are you near Redcliffe? That is not far from us maybe we can meet up?

Re: just arrived
 

Redclife not close to us. We are in the Redlands area.

Re: just arrived
 

I dont know if this reply is even going to get to you as Ive only just logged on to this site and to be honest I dont have a clue what im doing.
I found your letter on this expat site as i was browsing albany creek in google. Anyway I thought I would write you a little note to say hi. My family are moving to Brisbane as soon as the visa finally arrives and we are making our way to Albany Creek.
I have never been to Australia before so its a big adventure (I think!!??) Our plan is to rent somewhere initially until the sale of our house goes through in the UK. I have two children, well three if you count Alan, only joking he's my husband. Alan has a job with Ansaldo which is a railway company, he is a project manager and will be based in Brisbane, near the airport.
We have a couple of people as a contact in Eatons Hill, there not friends of ours, they are friends of my brother in law. They have been a big help as far as information etc.
What is Albany Creek like? It concerned me what you wrote about the schools, lack of learning etc, are you a bit happier with that now?
I dont have anything else to write at the moment. Ill keep you posted of the developments and hopefully we will be on our way soon.
Im going to try and send this to you now, fingers crossed.
Bye for now
Kaye

Re: just arrived
 

Hya, and welcome to BE. We have regular met ups near Redland Bay and there are loads of expats from down your way, they will be on this thread soon. Have a look at the Wynnum/Manly/Lota rest of Bayside meet ups thread on here and you will see we are a really friendly lot. PM me if you cant find the thread and I'll try to help. The next meet up is going to be next weekend 8th/9th Sept in a park (for the children) near a BBQ area (for the adults). I'll try and keep you posted. sarah

Re: just arrived
 

I may be acting abit thick yet how do I compose a new message on this site? do I have to subscribe.
Please help
Kaye

Re: just arrived
 

I understand exactly what you are saying!!
I am here in SA but yes winter was a bit of a shock to me too,not outside but inside it was freezing but it has been much warmer recently here.
Yes I agree that groceries seem more expensive here in Oz,meat seems cheap but daily things such as bread etc are more expensive.I suppose we are used to Asda and tesco etc.
I have found like you that there are plenty of people to exchange pleasantries with but they all seem to have their own circle of friends already.I think we are fitting in now after 6 months,but I think it is harder for you to make friends if you both work as most of the people I have met are outside school etc.

good luck Im sure that it is only early days yet:thumbsup:

Re: just arrived
 

Hi, sorry you are finding it a bit difficult. The cost of living in Oz has risen dramatically over the past 5 years. It used to be very cheap here across the board, and I think that is still the image that most people have of Oz in the UK, so it can be a bit of a shock.

I noticed you said you arrived here in May..which means the season is now winter...not meaning to ask a daft question, but surely you do realise it is winter, not summer there right now, and hence the fleecy pj's you have to wear??? Sorry - dont understand your comments about the 'odd' weather, especially with regards to comparing a winter to a UK summer.

Re: just arrived
 

We have been here 7 weeks on Friday i live in McDowall so if you fancy a coffee any time give me a shout.

Tracey

Re: just arrived
 

Kaye, I suggest you already have subscribed and you're doing just fine!

There's a "new thread" button top left of each forums home page.

Buzzy

Re: just arrived
 

whereabouts in redland bay are you. There are a few of us expats in redland heights, off school of arts road. Just shout if you want to get together for a coffee or beer.