Six Months in Adelaide
Aug 11th 2009, 6:06 am
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Adelaide, SA
Posts: 107
Six Months in Adelaide
So six months in Adelaide later and time for an update I thought!
The first month was such plain weird, you feel incredibly disconnected on your own in a new city, new country and new culture, desperatly trying to get done all the things that need to be done, buy a car, rent a house, open bank accounts, getting driving licences. It is literally almost like having to rebuild the building blooks of your life again. Either it was getting things done or waiting for things to open to get more things done. After a couple of weeks we realised that we were driving ourselves crazy and we were letting this golden time get away from us, and before jobs started etc we also needed to make sure that we saw as much as possible of the city and country, this is really important in reminding ourselves why we had come here.
So people, make sure you take some time out to smell the flowers!
The next 5 months have been wonderful however, apart from the 46 degree week in February which was a bit excessive. In those six months we have found great jobs, got a great rental and are looking about to purchase and we have started to build a good group of friends. So many things are better than the UK, in Oz you are expected to work hard but you are also expected to go home at a reasonable time and not to take work with you to do, your weekends are for you and not to be used to 'catch up' for your job. The pace of life is certainly slower, housing is so much cheaper and the people are so much friendlier, especially Adelaidians. The joke is that all Ozzies will ask how you are, Adelaidians will actually listen to your reply and ask further questions!
But while I am painting a rosy picture there were many things it would have been nice to know and could have made life easier.
1. Renting is really different, basically you spend your weekends attending open days for rental properties and you have to apply for each property with references etc. So have references ready and if you owned your house in the UK get friends to write a piece about how clean and tidy your house always is, our rental lady loved this!
2. Don't buy anything for a while. Tempting though it is I can guarantee by the end of six months you will have picked a different area that you want to live in than you originally thought. Especially in Adlelaide where the suburbs are so very different to each other.
3. Go to expat meet ups, looks here, Pomms in Adelaide, British Expats, facebook groups to find one you like the look of. While making ozzie friends is really great, people that understand what you are going through and have been there themsleves are really important too.
4. Find out who 'The Crows' and 'The Power' are, and don't whatever you do mix them up!
5. Get seperate Ambulance Insurance if you don't have a private healthcare policy, god forbid anything goes wrong but it can be really expensive if you are not covered.
6. When looking at renting or buying check out internet access, some areas of Adelaide are way behind the times technology wise and broadband might not be available (Yes I know its the 21st century)
and finally (for today)
7. Never say 'I'm rooting for you' - rooting means something very different here
The first month was such plain weird, you feel incredibly disconnected on your own in a new city, new country and new culture, desperatly trying to get done all the things that need to be done, buy a car, rent a house, open bank accounts, getting driving licences. It is literally almost like having to rebuild the building blooks of your life again. Either it was getting things done or waiting for things to open to get more things done. After a couple of weeks we realised that we were driving ourselves crazy and we were letting this golden time get away from us, and before jobs started etc we also needed to make sure that we saw as much as possible of the city and country, this is really important in reminding ourselves why we had come here.
So people, make sure you take some time out to smell the flowers!
The next 5 months have been wonderful however, apart from the 46 degree week in February which was a bit excessive. In those six months we have found great jobs, got a great rental and are looking about to purchase and we have started to build a good group of friends. So many things are better than the UK, in Oz you are expected to work hard but you are also expected to go home at a reasonable time and not to take work with you to do, your weekends are for you and not to be used to 'catch up' for your job. The pace of life is certainly slower, housing is so much cheaper and the people are so much friendlier, especially Adelaidians. The joke is that all Ozzies will ask how you are, Adelaidians will actually listen to your reply and ask further questions!
But while I am painting a rosy picture there were many things it would have been nice to know and could have made life easier.
1. Renting is really different, basically you spend your weekends attending open days for rental properties and you have to apply for each property with references etc. So have references ready and if you owned your house in the UK get friends to write a piece about how clean and tidy your house always is, our rental lady loved this!
2. Don't buy anything for a while. Tempting though it is I can guarantee by the end of six months you will have picked a different area that you want to live in than you originally thought. Especially in Adlelaide where the suburbs are so very different to each other.
3. Go to expat meet ups, looks here, Pomms in Adelaide, British Expats, facebook groups to find one you like the look of. While making ozzie friends is really great, people that understand what you are going through and have been there themsleves are really important too.
4. Find out who 'The Crows' and 'The Power' are, and don't whatever you do mix them up!
5. Get seperate Ambulance Insurance if you don't have a private healthcare policy, god forbid anything goes wrong but it can be really expensive if you are not covered.
6. When looking at renting or buying check out internet access, some areas of Adelaide are way behind the times technology wise and broadband might not be available (Yes I know its the 21st century)
and finally (for today)
7. Never say 'I'm rooting for you' - rooting means something very different here
Aug 12th 2009, 2:11 am
#2
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Joined: Jan 2009
Location: Woodvale, WA
Posts: 1,674
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
Great post. Glad you guys are doing well.
For our rental we bought with us a copy of the sales brochure showing our house when it was on the market. We also got our Solicitor to write a short reference confirming that we acted appropriately and everything went as it should with our sale. Apparently this got us our rental!
We've only been here 2 weeks but we're taking time out today!
For our rental we bought with us a copy of the sales brochure showing our house when it was on the market. We also got our Solicitor to write a short reference confirming that we acted appropriately and everything went as it should with our sale. Apparently this got us our rental!
We've only been here 2 weeks but we're taking time out today!
Aug 12th 2009, 2:14 am
#3
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Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Burnham On Crouch Essex
Posts: 1,511
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
Go the Power!!
Aug 12th 2009, 8:50 am
#4
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 790
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
love the bit about rooting-I'm always dropping myself in it with that one.....
Aug 12th 2009, 6:57 pm
#5
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 740
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
Very usefull update. Thanks!
Aug 12th 2009, 7:35 pm
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2008
Location: Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside
Posts: 115
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
Glad to see it's all working out.
Some very useful tips on there.
Some very useful tips on there.
Sep 6th 2009, 6:04 pm
#7
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 126
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
hey there tarnee would you in your short time their recommend adelaide .myself and wife have to decide on a destination in the next week or so (2 adults 2 chillder)were did you buy a house?::
Sep 9th 2009, 6:03 am
#8
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2009
Location: Wimmera/Mallee
Posts: 115
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
Holidayed in Glen Elg last Easter. That SA's were the friendliest bunch of people i've ever met over here!
Sep 16th 2009, 1:47 am
#9
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Adelaide, SA
Posts: 107
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
We haven't bought a house yet, I think where you end up in Adelaide really depends on where you will be working, wether you are a beach person and what budget you have. ANy ideas on what you will be doing?
Sep 16th 2009, 4:26 pm
#10
Capt Hilts
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Sunny Adelaide :)
Posts: 1,573
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
Thanks Tarnee22,
your post will be used to help us when we come over - very soon
Where are you staying at the moment?
Also, how do you check about internet viability?
Cheers,
Cooler
your post will be used to help us when we come over - very soon
Where are you staying at the moment?
Also, how do you check about internet viability?
Cheers,
Cooler
Sep 17th 2009, 12:02 am
#11
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Adelaide, SA
Posts: 107
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
We are based in Mawson Lakes in the NE of Adelaide, good rental choices and public transport access into the city, very pretty suburb. Has some downsides main one of which is shocking adsl broadband coverage so we have to go to mobile wireless access.
Among areas worst for internet coverage in Adelaide are Mawson Lakes, Athelstone, Hallett Cove, Woodcroft and Paralowie. The best advice is to ask when looking at rentals to see if adsl is available - if not then head to Telstra/Virgin mobile phone shops to ask if covered by mobile, be careful here as the further you go out of Adelaide the lower your download allowance will be and higher your monthly charges. You can also get satellite access put in which is a pricey option and not worth it for rentals.
Sep 17th 2009, 12:05 am
#12
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2005
Location: Wales
Posts: 660
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
So six months in Adelaide later and time for an update I thought!
The first month was such plain weird, you feel incredibly disconnected on your own in a new city, new country and new culture, desperatly trying to get done all the things that need to be done, buy a car, rent a house, open bank accounts, getting driving licences. It is literally almost like having to rebuild the building blooks of your life again. Either it was getting things done or waiting for things to open to get more things done. After a couple of weeks we realised that we were driving ourselves crazy and we were letting this golden time get away from us, and before jobs started etc we also needed to make sure that we saw as much as possible of the city and country, this is really important in reminding ourselves why we had come here.
So people, make sure you take some time out to smell the flowers!
The next 5 months have been wonderful however, apart from the 46 degree week in February which was a bit excessive. In those six months we have found great jobs, got a great rental and are looking about to purchase and we have started to build a good group of friends. So many things are better than the UK, in Oz you are expected to work hard but you are also expected to go home at a reasonable time and not to take work with you to do, your weekends are for you and not to be used to 'catch up' for your job. The pace of life is certainly slower, housing is so much cheaper and the people are so much friendlier, especially Adelaidians. The joke is that all Ozzies will ask how you are, Adelaidians will actually listen to your reply and ask further questions!
But while I am painting a rosy picture there were many things it would have been nice to know and could have made life easier.
1. Renting is really different, basically you spend your weekends attending open days for rental properties and you have to apply for each property with references etc. So have references ready and if you owned your house in the UK get friends to write a piece about how clean and tidy your house always is, our rental lady loved this!
2. Don't buy anything for a while. Tempting though it is I can guarantee by the end of six months you will have picked a different area that you want to live in than you originally thought. Especially in Adlelaide where the suburbs are so very different to each other.
3. Go to expat meet ups, looks here, Pomms in Adelaide, British Expats, facebook groups to find one you like the look of. While making ozzie friends is really great, people that understand what you are going through and have been there themsleves are really important too.
4. Find out who 'The Crows' and 'The Power' are, and don't whatever you do mix them up!
5. Get seperate Ambulance Insurance if you don't have a private healthcare policy, god forbid anything goes wrong but it can be really expensive if you are not covered.
6. When looking at renting or buying check out internet access, some areas of Adelaide are way behind the times technology wise and broadband might not be available (Yes I know its the 21st century)
and finally (for today)
7. Never say 'I'm rooting for you' - rooting means something very different here
The first month was such plain weird, you feel incredibly disconnected on your own in a new city, new country and new culture, desperatly trying to get done all the things that need to be done, buy a car, rent a house, open bank accounts, getting driving licences. It is literally almost like having to rebuild the building blooks of your life again. Either it was getting things done or waiting for things to open to get more things done. After a couple of weeks we realised that we were driving ourselves crazy and we were letting this golden time get away from us, and before jobs started etc we also needed to make sure that we saw as much as possible of the city and country, this is really important in reminding ourselves why we had come here.
So people, make sure you take some time out to smell the flowers!
The next 5 months have been wonderful however, apart from the 46 degree week in February which was a bit excessive. In those six months we have found great jobs, got a great rental and are looking about to purchase and we have started to build a good group of friends. So many things are better than the UK, in Oz you are expected to work hard but you are also expected to go home at a reasonable time and not to take work with you to do, your weekends are for you and not to be used to 'catch up' for your job. The pace of life is certainly slower, housing is so much cheaper and the people are so much friendlier, especially Adelaidians. The joke is that all Ozzies will ask how you are, Adelaidians will actually listen to your reply and ask further questions!
But while I am painting a rosy picture there were many things it would have been nice to know and could have made life easier.
1. Renting is really different, basically you spend your weekends attending open days for rental properties and you have to apply for each property with references etc. So have references ready and if you owned your house in the UK get friends to write a piece about how clean and tidy your house always is, our rental lady loved this!
2. Don't buy anything for a while. Tempting though it is I can guarantee by the end of six months you will have picked a different area that you want to live in than you originally thought. Especially in Adlelaide where the suburbs are so very different to each other.
3. Go to expat meet ups, looks here, Pomms in Adelaide, British Expats, facebook groups to find one you like the look of. While making ozzie friends is really great, people that understand what you are going through and have been there themsleves are really important too.
4. Find out who 'The Crows' and 'The Power' are, and don't whatever you do mix them up!
5. Get seperate Ambulance Insurance if you don't have a private healthcare policy, god forbid anything goes wrong but it can be really expensive if you are not covered.
6. When looking at renting or buying check out internet access, some areas of Adelaide are way behind the times technology wise and broadband might not be available (Yes I know its the 21st century)
and finally (for today)
7. Never say 'I'm rooting for you' - rooting means something very different here
Steve
Sep 17th 2009, 6:38 am
#13
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 126
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
im a bricklayer and i heard weather its reliable or not there is huge tracts of land being freed up towards the north so it maybe closer to north we would consider and we would take advantage of the ooa for def
Sep 17th 2009, 11:18 am
#14
Capt Hilts
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Sunny Adelaide :)
Posts: 1,573
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
Hi Cooler
We are based in Mawson Lakes in the NE of Adelaide, good rental choices and public transport access into the city, very pretty suburb. Has some downsides main one of which is shocking adsl broadband coverage so we have to go to mobile wireless access.
Among areas worst for internet coverage in Adelaide are Mawson Lakes, Athelstone, Hallett Cove, Woodcroft and Paralowie. The best advice is to ask when looking at rentals to see if adsl is available - if not then head to Telstra/Virgin mobile phone shops to ask if covered by mobile, be careful here as the further you go out of Adelaide the lower your download allowance will be and higher your monthly charges. You can also get satellite access put in which is a pricey option and not worth it for rentals.
We are based in Mawson Lakes in the NE of Adelaide, good rental choices and public transport access into the city, very pretty suburb. Has some downsides main one of which is shocking adsl broadband coverage so we have to go to mobile wireless access.
Among areas worst for internet coverage in Adelaide are Mawson Lakes, Athelstone, Hallett Cove, Woodcroft and Paralowie. The best advice is to ask when looking at rentals to see if adsl is available - if not then head to Telstra/Virgin mobile phone shops to ask if covered by mobile, be careful here as the further you go out of Adelaide the lower your download allowance will be and higher your monthly charges. You can also get satellite access put in which is a pricey option and not worth it for rentals.
Waiting daily for the visa then we're off
Cheers,
Cooler
Sep 17th 2009, 3:17 pm
#15
Just Joined
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 21
Re: Six Months in Adelaide
thanks for the update and useful information esp on the rentals front
we are heading out to adelaide on 24 nov so just sorting shipping etc right now!
so here's the BIG questions
1. Do you miss the rain HA HA
2.Do you feel differently about hte about spiders and snakes to when you were just getting used to the idea 6 months ago???
we are heading out to adelaide on 24 nov so just sorting shipping etc right now!
so here's the BIG questions
1. Do you miss the rain HA HA
2.Do you feel differently about hte about spiders and snakes to when you were just getting used to the idea 6 months ago???