vickyplum Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 (edited) Hi all Not really a discussion but more of an update / share / vent! My partner and I spent the weekend finishing packing up the house over the weekend, as we've got Seven Seas coming today, to take our stuff away in a small [or maybe medium!] Move Cube. I'll be interested to see how this works out, given the mixed reviews. We used them because they offered a good price for the small cube and seems to be the most efficient way of moving our items. There was also a panic trip to TK MAXX to purchase the largest suitcases they have to offer, and then subsequent panic weighing them and making sure the overall baggage allowance is not exceeded... I resigned from my job on Friday, and the tenancy agreement on our flat ends Thursday, so we are off to live in a friend's spare room until 19 May! We've then got just under a week in Hong Kong and Taipei, and then head to NSW on 26 May. So I am going to be very crumpled [living out of a suitcase] and probably a slightly less rational than usual, until this is all over. The volume of alcohol consumed may also go up... We'll be living with my partner's Dad in Wollongong until one of us gets a job, and then hopefully we will get our own place [renting] in Sydney! I'll be looking for PA/senior admin roles and my partner will be looking for something in IT [security, firewalls, networks, UNIX, LINUX + other stuff that I have no clue about]. So long in the planning and still a rush at the end of it all :dull: Fingers crossed and good luck to everyone else in the same situation. Edited April 27, 2015 by vickyplum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metoo Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Good luck Vicky, hope your move goes smoothly. Enjoy your new lives in Sydney, hopefully we won't be too long behind you Metoo x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Good luck both of you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 I should have also said that I aim to provide updates on the more practical aspects, as and when I have the info. I'd like to hope I can give a little back after all these months [years?!] of asking questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Good Luck with your travels and please update us once you arrive and get a spare minute. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Good luck to you, I'm sure you'll not only sail through but with your positive attitude enjoy the journey too. Good luck! :wubclub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Great to see your update, Vicky. We will be just a couple of months behind you so can imagine how you are feeling. Best of luck with it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 How exciting! Best of luck with the move though I don't envy the suitcase living - I was doing that for the past few months and it's so nice to finally have some space again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungbean Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Good luck and enjoy your travels @vickyplum and +1! I was living out of a suitcase for 4 months in the end... Makes you finally appreciate finding a place even more though, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 have a good flight and good luck @vickyplum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 A couple of very small updates after arriving in NSW yesterday [after a very rainy visit to Hong Kong & Taipei]: 1) Activated my bank account today, after opening it online from the UK. Picked up the debit card from the designated branch, they checked my ID and then activated the account so it's now ready to go. Internet banking already enabled, so if had some money in the account, I'd be up and running for all varieties of spending It was absolutely no hassle, which I was very pleased about. Today is payday from my old job in the UK, so I am going to transfer that payment to my Australian account over the weekend. I also need to apply for a TFN and tell HMRC that I have left the UK - once I receive my P45. 2) I already had a cheap pay as you go SIM card, so today I changed my plan so it's still PAYG but with a monthly bundle for calls, texts and data. I think 20 AUD a month is a pretty good deal, as I didn't want to get into a contract at this stage, and my UK phone is still perfectly usable and up to date (ish). I have put my UK SIM into an old Nokia, so that number is still active. And for those interested in Seven Seas Move Cube - our cube/vessel is currently at the Indian Ocean end of the Red Sea. Quite exiciting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungbean Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Welcome to "winter"! Actually it was a beautiful day in Sydney today. You missed some appalling weather in April. All the best with all the stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 Welcome to "winter"! Actually it was a beautiful day in Sydney today. You missed some appalling weather in April. All the best with all the stuff! Thanks! II thought the weather here today and yesterday, was just perfect. Bit of rain this afternoon but nothing too onerous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Glad things are going smoothly for you which bank did you go with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 Glad things are going smoothly for you which bank did you go with? I went with CBA. Them and NAB were one of the few who could deal with migrant banking in a sensible way (I did try others!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 I now have a Medicard number! Card to follow in 7-10 days. Went into my local Centrelink/Medicare/Dept of Human Resources (not sure if they are always in the same building or not?). Filled in form, got number - which is valid for 1yr - and was out again 10 min later. Pretty good going! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 TFN applied for last weekend and received today. Think I am more or less there with the formalities now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 cool @vickyplum - did you decide where to base yourselves yet? still keen to see what people think,as we still haven't decided between north shore (on/near train line) or south Sydney ((on/near train line). Hope all is going well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 cool @vickyplum - did you decide where to base yourselves yet? still keen to see what people think,as we still haven't decided between north shore (on/near train line) or south Sydney ((on/near train line). Hope all is going well. Hi @Captain Roberto - yes it's all going pretty well thanks! No hiccups so far, touch wood. We will probably settle in Artarmon/Crows Nest/Greenwich/St Leonards area, maybe Chatswood. Mainly because we know and like the areas and have family and friends there, plus we want to be near a train station and not reliant on driving all the time. Being within striking distance of Chatswood means that most facilities will be close by and there are other options on the north-bound train route. I have secured a five-month contract in the CBD, so if my partner ends up working in the same area, or North Sydney, it should be pretty easy for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 ah sounds good! We are looking a bit further north from there on the same train line - possibly Killara. Is Chatswood a good place to be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 ah sounds good! We are looking a bit further north from there on the same train line - possibly Killara. Is Chatswood a good place to be? I like Chatswood as it has great facilities (shopping, dining out, some cultural stuff) and is good for public transport, including express buses from the CBD, later at night, but I'm not entirely sure I'd want to live there. The centre is fairly bland with lots of new high-rise blocks, but a 5-10 minute walk will take you to some more "ordinary" streets where property isn't too insanely priced - bearing in mind I came from London! So I think it would depend on the property but worth considering in my opinion. We are a couple so no children/pets/schooling etc to take into account. It might be a different kettle of fish if that's the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Ah yes. I didn't really mean to live there. If we were a little further north on the trainline, it seems tou need to go through Chatswood to get to the CBD, so it might be the case that some of us might go there for some stuff if it's nearer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share Posted July 8, 2015 Apparently Seven Seas are delivering our boxes tomorrow, but will only believe it when I see it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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