Wow a year already
Oct 4th 2008, 8:38 pm
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Narangba
Posts: 249
Wow a year already
Well here we are, one year in Oz, and what a year, I think this has been the quickest year for us ever.
We arrived in Brisbane on the 2nd October and set about getting started with our new life.
I found finding work easy, I went and enrolled with as many recruitment agency's as I could find and was working within a couple of weeks, I did landscape gardening, cleaning offices and some driving jobs. Through these small short time jobs I found out about a job working for Santos as a Casual Tanker unloader, then through that job found out about the job I am in know at Caltex Refinery. So it can be done, and it's true, its not what you know but who you know. My advice would be to get yourself known to employers as once they see what kind of worker you are, and if good the offers of work will come.
We decided to live in the northern suburbs, no reason other than when we visited Australia Zoo we liked the area.
Started renting at North Lakes but after a few weeks we realized it was not for us, too busy, too much of a walk or cycle to school but the final nail in the coffin was the land prices, during December 2007 the new releases were priced at $230,000 for a 600 cubic meter block, so by the time we built our house it would have cost us around $450,000, and all the house styles we liked required an 18 meter frontage which we could not find on any of the 600 blocks. So we broke our lease and moved a further 10 minutes North to Narangba.
We now have an 800 block, 32 meter frontage, with a pool and a 5 minutes walk to the brand new school, surrounded by greenway's and woods. We love it although it is a bit quieter than North Lakes so might not be to everyones taste.
My wife is working in a Barber shop in Redcliff/Rothwell for two day's a week and she loves it, great boss and atmosphere, she is a casual so gets a better hourly rate which is much higher than she was earning in Scotland.
Even though we have been here a year, we have not done half the things we would like to do, been too busy with the house but soon we will get out and about camping and visiting places.
My two kids (5 & 9) have a great life here, we never see them, they are out playing in one of the many parks most day's which is something we could never do in the UK.
To summarize our first year I would say it has been fantastic so far, but remember to remove the Rose Colored Glasses occasionally as once the routines set in of Work, shopping, bills etc you can sometimes feel a bit down, then the sun comes up and you jump into the pool and forget about any worries.
Any way I am off to the Beach now to enjoy one of the many day's of sunshine and when I am there I will go for a stroll along the white sandy beach, stop and pause for a moment, see my two kids playing in the water, my wife lying in the sun and all the other families enjoying life and say to myself it has all been worthwhile and it was the right thing to have done.
I already posted a little something here, just to get you in the mood
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=524130
Bobby
We arrived in Brisbane on the 2nd October and set about getting started with our new life.
I found finding work easy, I went and enrolled with as many recruitment agency's as I could find and was working within a couple of weeks, I did landscape gardening, cleaning offices and some driving jobs. Through these small short time jobs I found out about a job working for Santos as a Casual Tanker unloader, then through that job found out about the job I am in know at Caltex Refinery. So it can be done, and it's true, its not what you know but who you know. My advice would be to get yourself known to employers as once they see what kind of worker you are, and if good the offers of work will come.
We decided to live in the northern suburbs, no reason other than when we visited Australia Zoo we liked the area.
Started renting at North Lakes but after a few weeks we realized it was not for us, too busy, too much of a walk or cycle to school but the final nail in the coffin was the land prices, during December 2007 the new releases were priced at $230,000 for a 600 cubic meter block, so by the time we built our house it would have cost us around $450,000, and all the house styles we liked required an 18 meter frontage which we could not find on any of the 600 blocks. So we broke our lease and moved a further 10 minutes North to Narangba.
We now have an 800 block, 32 meter frontage, with a pool and a 5 minutes walk to the brand new school, surrounded by greenway's and woods. We love it although it is a bit quieter than North Lakes so might not be to everyones taste.
My wife is working in a Barber shop in Redcliff/Rothwell for two day's a week and she loves it, great boss and atmosphere, she is a casual so gets a better hourly rate which is much higher than she was earning in Scotland.
Even though we have been here a year, we have not done half the things we would like to do, been too busy with the house but soon we will get out and about camping and visiting places.
My two kids (5 & 9) have a great life here, we never see them, they are out playing in one of the many parks most day's which is something we could never do in the UK.
To summarize our first year I would say it has been fantastic so far, but remember to remove the Rose Colored Glasses occasionally as once the routines set in of Work, shopping, bills etc you can sometimes feel a bit down, then the sun comes up and you jump into the pool and forget about any worries.
Any way I am off to the Beach now to enjoy one of the many day's of sunshine and when I am there I will go for a stroll along the white sandy beach, stop and pause for a moment, see my two kids playing in the water, my wife lying in the sun and all the other families enjoying life and say to myself it has all been worthwhile and it was the right thing to have done.
I already posted a little something here, just to get you in the mood
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=524130
Bobby
Oct 5th 2008, 8:39 am
#2
East Mids to Vic
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 148
Re: Wow a year already
Hiya
I remember watching you youtube clip, cannot believe that its six months ago!! Glad that you are continuing to enjoy it.
Laura XX
I remember watching you youtube clip, cannot believe that its six months ago!! Glad that you are continuing to enjoy it.
Laura XX
Oct 5th 2008, 4:08 pm
#3
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Helensvale - yipeeeeeeeee!!
Posts: 1,331
Re: Wow a year already
Hello,
We watched your youtube link when you first posted it. So emotional!!
We downloaded the song and its become our anthem. We have suffered a few delays with our plans and its really helped to lift our spirits when things looked bleak.
Anyway, planning on arriving on the Gold Coast in the middle of November, so thanks!!
Ren xx
We watched your youtube link when you first posted it. So emotional!!
We downloaded the song and its become our anthem. We have suffered a few delays with our plans and its really helped to lift our spirits when things looked bleak.
Anyway, planning on arriving on the Gold Coast in the middle of November, so thanks!!
Ren xx
Oct 5th 2008, 7:34 pm
#4
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 352
Re: Wow a year already
Well here we are, one year in Oz, and what a year, I think this has been the quickest year for us ever.
We arrived in Brisbane on the 2nd October and set about getting started with our new life.
I found finding work easy, I went and enrolled with as many recruitment agency's as I could find and was working within a couple of weeks, I did landscape gardening, cleaning offices and some driving jobs. Through these small short time jobs I found out about a job working for Santos as a Casual Tanker unloader, then through that job found out about the job I am in know at Caltex Refinery. So it can be done, and it's true, its not what you know but who you know. My advice would be to get yourself known to employers as once they see what kind of worker you are, and if good the offers of work will come.
We decided to live in the northern suburbs, no reason other than when we visited Australia Zoo we liked the area.
Started renting at North Lakes but after a few weeks we realized it was not for us, too busy, too much of a walk or cycle to school but the final nail in the coffin was the land prices, during December 2007 the new releases were priced at $230,000 for a 600 cubic meter block, so by the time we built our house it would have cost us around $450,000, and all the house styles we liked required an 18 meter frontage which we could not find on any of the 600 blocks. So we broke our lease and moved a further 10 minutes North to Narangba.
We now have an 800 block, 32 meter frontage, with a pool and a 5 minutes walk to the brand new school, surrounded by greenway's and woods. We love it although it is a bit quieter than North Lakes so might not be to everyones taste.
My wife is working in a Barber shop in Redcliff/Rothwell for two day's a week and she loves it, great boss and atmosphere, she is a casual so gets a better hourly rate which is much higher than she was earning in Scotland.
Even though we have been here a year, we have not done half the things we would like to do, been too busy with the house but soon we will get out and about camping and visiting places.
My two kids (5 & 9) have a great life here, we never see them, they are out playing in one of the many parks most day's which is something we could never do in the UK.
To summarize our first year I would say it has been fantastic so far, but remember to remove the Rose Colored Glasses occasionally as once the routines set in of Work, shopping, bills etc you can sometimes feel a bit down, then the sun comes up and you jump into the pool and forget about any worries.
Any way I am off to the Beach now to enjoy one of the many day's of sunshine and when I am there I will go for a stroll along the white sandy beach, stop and pause for a moment, see my two kids playing in the water, my wife lying in the sun and all the other families enjoying life and say to myself it has all been worthwhile and it was the right thing to have done.
I already posted a little something here, just to get you in the mood
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=524130
Bobby
We arrived in Brisbane on the 2nd October and set about getting started with our new life.
I found finding work easy, I went and enrolled with as many recruitment agency's as I could find and was working within a couple of weeks, I did landscape gardening, cleaning offices and some driving jobs. Through these small short time jobs I found out about a job working for Santos as a Casual Tanker unloader, then through that job found out about the job I am in know at Caltex Refinery. So it can be done, and it's true, its not what you know but who you know. My advice would be to get yourself known to employers as once they see what kind of worker you are, and if good the offers of work will come.
We decided to live in the northern suburbs, no reason other than when we visited Australia Zoo we liked the area.
Started renting at North Lakes but after a few weeks we realized it was not for us, too busy, too much of a walk or cycle to school but the final nail in the coffin was the land prices, during December 2007 the new releases were priced at $230,000 for a 600 cubic meter block, so by the time we built our house it would have cost us around $450,000, and all the house styles we liked required an 18 meter frontage which we could not find on any of the 600 blocks. So we broke our lease and moved a further 10 minutes North to Narangba.
We now have an 800 block, 32 meter frontage, with a pool and a 5 minutes walk to the brand new school, surrounded by greenway's and woods. We love it although it is a bit quieter than North Lakes so might not be to everyones taste.
My wife is working in a Barber shop in Redcliff/Rothwell for two day's a week and she loves it, great boss and atmosphere, she is a casual so gets a better hourly rate which is much higher than she was earning in Scotland.
Even though we have been here a year, we have not done half the things we would like to do, been too busy with the house but soon we will get out and about camping and visiting places.
My two kids (5 & 9) have a great life here, we never see them, they are out playing in one of the many parks most day's which is something we could never do in the UK.
To summarize our first year I would say it has been fantastic so far, but remember to remove the Rose Colored Glasses occasionally as once the routines set in of Work, shopping, bills etc you can sometimes feel a bit down, then the sun comes up and you jump into the pool and forget about any worries.
Any way I am off to the Beach now to enjoy one of the many day's of sunshine and when I am there I will go for a stroll along the white sandy beach, stop and pause for a moment, see my two kids playing in the water, my wife lying in the sun and all the other families enjoying life and say to myself it has all been worthwhile and it was the right thing to have done.
I already posted a little something here, just to get you in the mood
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=524130
Bobby
Lee
Oct 8th 2008, 9:55 pm
#5
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 869
Re: Wow a year already
Hey Bobby
Just want to say i love that vid
If you only knew how many times i have watched it
Paddy
Just want to say i love that vid
If you only knew how many times i have watched it
Paddy
