Perth so far....

Old Apr 15th 2008, 4:12 pm
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Default Perth so far....

Sorry this has taken so long to post but life has been very busy since we arrived in Perth. Here is the story of our journey so far. To fill you in on who we are it is me, 38 year old mum and my two children a daughter of 14 and a son of 16. My long term partner was supposed to be coming with us but he changed his mind at the last minute, so we left him in the uk! Anyway on the 24th Feb my daughter, my mum and my self boarded a Singapore airlines flight and headed to Perth. The drama began before we even took off as we were £450 over our baggage aallowanceI just handed my visa card over and told them that i was moving to oz and my teenage daughter needed all off her things so i better suffer the extra charge. The wonderful women let me off and i could have hugged her. From then on i knew we would be fine. The flight was excellent and we only had a two hour stop over in Singapore, thank goodness because the duty free is excellent and my daughter was eyeing up all of the designer handbags.

When we landed in Perth we were all a bit jet lagged and my mum burst in to tears as she had just realised how far away Perth is. I had brought her with me as backup for when i would be sorting everything out as i did not want to leave my daughter on her own in a strange country. My son was still in the uk as he had a skiing holiday to go on and would be arriving later on. We got a cab to the city stay apartments in the centre of Perth, which i had booked from the uk and we found them basic but clean and being in the centre of Perth it ment i could get my bank accounts, medicare, private health insuranceand tax file number sorted out. The first night we stayed up and went for dinner to try and get over our jet lag and this worked for me as i soon settled into the time difference but my mum sat up for the first couple of nights crying and listening to us sleep. She said she was crying because she was so happy that we were sleeping well. Yes my mum is a bit mad but just having her there helped.

The next few days were taken up with paperwork and looking for a long term rental. I knew it would be hard to find a rental but i was not prepared for the real estate agents attitude. They were either very nice or very rude and just did not care. Bobcat was very nice and you will find him on expats. You have to find a rental on line or in the paper/mags then drive past it then phone up to see when there is an open house viewing or see if you are able to have a private viewing. This was the hardest part but you just have to keep on and look everyday. I would say try and find suburbs you like and focus on them and the surrounding areas. After a lot of hard work we found a brand new house in Sumerly, Clarkson. It is three bed, two bathroom and we pay $360 a week. It took two weeks to find and move in and we love it. It is near the schools, the train station and the shops and suites all of our needs.

I had sent a lot of stuff in a container, which should arrive next week but when i got here i brought a fridge, a tv, a couple of beds and a sofa bed. I also brought other bits like four plates, cutlery etc just to see us through. One piece of advice is jam your container with everything. From hangers to bins because i wish i had put them in instead of leaving them or giving them away. If there is room put it in as it is the little things that add up.

I also think it is a good idea to get a car asap. I had brought a car when i visited Perth in November and it was waiting for me when i arrived. How organised i thought i was and then some idiot hit into me whilst i was sitting waiting at a round-about. $7000 worth of damage, but we were all ok and they had insurance. Our first visit to A and E went well and my daughter was very excited about the x-ray. However it did set me back and trying to get to work was a bit of a pain but i used the trains, which are excellent and very cheap compared to the UK.

In the first three weeks, i started work, my daughter started school, my mum set up our little house and we began getting into the swing of it. 98% of people have been friendly and we have made some really nice friends already. We were invited round people from ex pats for dinner, went for a meet up in kings park and met people everywhere we went. The weather has been fantastic, the food is wonderful and the lifestyle suites us all. All of this makes up for how long it takes to get things done, such as a landline, cars fixed, getting a hire car. I have said yes to every invite, asked advice from everyone and been helped whenever i have asked for it. The people we have met have been so friendly, in fact sometimes it takes you back how nice people can be.

My drama queen of a daughter has settled into school and made friends who are already staying over all weekend. She had a few big wobbles and wanted to go back to the uk but so far so good and i can see her becoming more positive everyday. My son arrived two weeks ago and is starting school after the holidays. He joined a rugby club straight away and is already playing matches. I brought him a bike so he can get around and he loves it here. He is a very positive teenager anyway but even he seems happier since he got here.

It has been hard at times being away from friends and family and after my mum went home it all felt very real. When the car was hit i realised i did not know what to do but you have to just get on with it and ask for help. We brought a phone card that is $10 for 1600 mins worth of calls back to the uk and we brought mobile broadband so we could use the internet so this helps us keep in touch with everyone. There have been a few moments when i have been friendsick but i have not been homesick. I know it is early days and this might change but at the moment i am loving every minute of it and enjoying the feeling of adventure.

I will update again and if anyone needs any help or advice then PM me. Good luck to everyone and keep pushing ahead with the visa nightmare for us it has been worth all of the hard work.
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Old Apr 15th 2008, 4:41 pm
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Default Re: Perth so far....

Originally Posted by midwife-mandy
Sorry this has taken so long to post but life has been very busy since we arrived in Perth. Here is the story of our journey so far. To fill you in on who we are it is me, 38 year old mum and my two children a daughter of 14 and a son of 16. My long term partner was supposed to be coming with us but he changed his mind at the last minute, so we left him in the uk! Anyway on the 24th Feb my daughter, my mum and my self boarded a Singapore airlines flight and headed to Perth. The drama began before we even took off as we were £450 over our baggage aallowanceI just handed my visa card over and told them that i was moving to oz and my teenage daughter needed all off her things so i better suffer the extra charge. The wonderful women let me off and i could have hugged her. From then on i knew we would be fine. The flight was excellent and we only had a two hour stop over in Singapore, thank goodness because the duty free is excellent and my daughter was eyeing up all of the designer handbags.

When we landed in Perth we were all a bit jet lagged and my mum burst in to tears as she had just realised how far away Perth is. I had brought her with me as backup for when i would be sorting everything out as i did not want to leave my daughter on her own in a strange country. My son was still in the uk as he had a skiing holiday to go on and would be arriving later on. We got a cab to the city stay apartments in the centre of Perth, which i had booked from the uk and we found them basic but clean and being in the centre of Perth it ment i could get my bank accounts, medicare, private health insuranceand tax file number sorted out. The first night we stayed up and went for dinner to try and get over our jet lag and this worked for me as i soon settled into the time difference but my mum sat up for the first couple of nights crying and listening to us sleep. She said she was crying because she was so happy that we were sleeping well. Yes my mum is a bit mad but just having her there helped.

The next few days were taken up with paperwork and looking for a long term rental. I knew it would be hard to find a rental but i was not prepared for the real estate agents attitude. They were either very nice or very rude and just did not care. Bobcat was very nice and you will find him on expats. You have to find a rental on line or in the paper/mags then drive past it then phone up to see when there is an open house viewing or see if you are able to have a private viewing. This was the hardest part but you just have to keep on and look everyday. I would say try and find suburbs you like and focus on them and the surrounding areas. After a lot of hard work we found a brand new house in Sumerly, Clarkson. It is three bed, two bathroom and we pay $360 a week. It took two weeks to find and move in and we love it. It is near the schools, the train station and the shops and suites all of our needs.

I had sent a lot of stuff in a container, which should arrive next week but when i got here i brought a fridge, a tv, a couple of beds and a sofa bed. I also brought other bits like four plates, cutlery etc just to see us through. One piece of advice is jam your container with everything. From hangers to bins because i wish i had put them in instead of leaving them or giving them away. If there is room put it in as it is the little things that add up.

I also think it is a good idea to get a car asap. I had brought a car when i visited Perth in November and it was waiting for me when i arrived. How organised i thought i was and then some idiot hit into me whilst i was sitting waiting at a round-about. $7000 worth of damage, but we were all ok and they had insurance. Our first visit to A and E went well and my daughter was very excited about the x-ray. However it did set me back and trying to get to work was a bit of a pain but i used the trains, which are excellent and very cheap compared to the UK.

In the first three weeks, i started work, my daughter started school, my mum set up our little house and we began getting into the swing of it. 98% of people have been friendly and we have made some really nice friends already. We were invited round people from ex pats for dinner, went for a meet up in kings park and met people everywhere we went. The weather has been fantastic, the food is wonderful and the lifestyle suites us all. All of this makes up for how long it takes to get things done, such as a landline, cars fixed, getting a hire car. I have said yes to every invite, asked advice from everyone and been helped whenever i have asked for it. The people we have met have been so friendly, in fact sometimes it takes you back how nice people can be.

My drama queen of a daughter has settled into school and made friends who are already staying over all weekend. She had a few big wobbles and wanted to go back to the uk but so far so good and i can see her becoming more positive everyday. My son arrived two weeks ago and is starting school after the holidays. He joined a rugby club straight away and is already playing matches. I brought him a bike so he can get around and he loves it here. He is a very positive teenager anyway but even he seems happier since he got here.

It has been hard at times being away from friends and family and after my mum went home it all felt very real. When the car was hit i realised i did not know what to do but you have to just get on with it and ask for help. We brought a phone card that is $10 for 1600 mins worth of calls back to the uk and we brought mobile broadband so we could use the internet so this helps us keep in touch with everyone. There have been a few moments when i have been friendsick but i have not been homesick. I know it is early days and this might change but at the moment i am loving every minute of it and enjoying the feeling of adventure.

I will update again and if anyone needs any help or advice then PM me. Good luck to everyone and keep pushing ahead with the visa nightmare for us it has been worth all of the hard work.
That was one of the best and positive messages I have read recently, it's grate that after a couple of hiccups things are settled and going well for you and your family.
My husband and our 2 children are coming out to Perth on the 10th Dec to do a rekkie for 3 weeks, as we are hoping to emigrate within the next year or so, all being well. We can't wait, we hope that it's everything we hope for a better quality of lifestyle for us and especially our children.
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Old Apr 15th 2008, 5:00 pm
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Default Re: Perth so far....

I really enjoyed reading your thread, it was very positive and i am so glad you have all settled in so well . I hope when we arrive on the 20th may we get on as well as you all have. My daughter is only coming over for a week to validate her visa and then she is returning home to finish her last few months at uni. This will be hard for us as she hasnt been away from us more than 2 weeks at any time. But time passes quickly We Hope!!!
Anyway good luck to you all and enjoy your new life

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Old Apr 15th 2008, 5:03 pm
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Default Re: Perth so far....

Total respect to you Mandy for going through with it with out your longterm partner, and im so glad youre having a good time.We loved perth and cant wait to get out there soon.Good luck to you!
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Old Apr 15th 2008, 7:37 pm
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Default Re: Perth so far....

Fantastic post Mandy! Well done & I wish you continued success!
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Old Apr 16th 2008, 12:51 am
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Default Re: Perth so far....

Great post Mandy!
Glad you're settling in.
We'll have to meet up soon, I'm sure I have your mobile somewhere, but send me a txt would you (if you still have mine)
Tracey
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Old Apr 16th 2008, 1:18 am
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Default Re: Perth so far....

mandy glad that you are settled .........and happy

ellie and yr son are brilliant kids and have one brave kick ass mum so you all will do fine.

are you still up for lunch? soon?


ps how long did ellies expensive make up last?


lots of love

tiff, alex and felicity
xxx
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Old Apr 16th 2008, 2:37 am
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Default Re: Perth so far....

Bloody well done Mandy.

I can't believe your partner chose not to go with you! That's incredible, but better to find out earlier rather than later in my opinion.
You've done brilliantly and I hope you can find some time to really relax amongst all the stress. Those first few weeks of finding a house and getting everything settled is hard work, isn't it!

I can understand your mum crying at how well you were sleeping... that's the sort of daft thing I do when I look at my kids sleeping!

Good on you Mandy. Welcome home.
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Old Apr 16th 2008, 8:57 am
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Default Re: Perth so far....

[ .[/QUOTE]

A very heartening post, congratulations, well done.

Dave
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Old Apr 16th 2008, 10:20 am
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Default Re: Perth so far....

Glad to hear all is going well for you and your family Mandy -look forward to the next update
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Old Apr 16th 2008, 1:59 pm
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Default Re: Perth so far....

What a fantastic post good on yer for making the move with your kids, your ex is the one missing out. I wish you lots of luck for the future you're very brave
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Old Apr 16th 2008, 6:04 pm
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Default Re: Perth so far....

What a great post Mandy, well done for starting your new life despite the set backs you have had. Glad you are all settling in and starting to enjoy it.
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Old Apr 17th 2008, 2:11 am
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Default Re: Perth so far....

Great post Mandy, I hope that I will settling in like you!
Magda from Holland now living in Scarborough
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Old Apr 17th 2008, 4:00 am
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Thumbs up Re: Perth so far....

Mandy, I really enjoyed reading your posting. You must have had a fairly traumatic spell when your partner backed out, so well done on following through. We, (my wife and 6 year old son), just got our orange stickers and are eager to move to Australia. I had a 6 mouth spell living in Oz years ago (working holiday), and like you, hardly ever met anyone who was not good humoured and helpful. I'm sure you are going to be happy and enjoy a great Ozzie experience. I will look forward to your next update.
Cheers,
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Old Apr 17th 2008, 5:24 am
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Default Re: Perth so far....

You are an inspriration
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