3 weeks into Sydney with 3 kids....story so far

**jaffas1** · 18-05-2012, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by melanie79

congratulations!!!! sounds wonderful.

can i just ask thiough about your shipping. i will onkly be shipping a couple of suitcases, pictures etc as dont own much. for the shipping side of things, if you didnt have an address when you landed in oz, then how does that work. do you ring them when you land with an address?! sorry if that seems a bit of a daft question.

i have had quotes around 12 weeks for shipping for my small belongings but that was with one company. anyone know who will ship small items not a full container? alot i contacted said only containers. spprox 2 large suitcases, large pictures, maybe a couple of bedside dressers.

thanks

Hi Melanie, just came across you post. We had quotes from several companies. We have gone with Excess baggage company who are shipping a large tea box of electronics and 3 picture boxes for us by sea (groupage with other people's stuff in a container) with approximate times of 6- 10 weeks. They are cominig next week to collect the boxes (they provided these for free, and we packed them ourselves).
Also I am air freighting a few suitcases of my shoes and clothes, in addition to our baggage allowance (I have tried desperately to downsize, but failed miserably!) with the same company, which should take 2 weeks. They have said we can provide them with a delivery address when we get there for the shipment by sea, and we will pick up our suitcases at the airport when we land and clear them.
I would shop around, as we found that prices varied and we had to do a self survey first for a price to be quoted.
Hope that helps!

**melanie79** · 18-05-2012, 10:11 PM

thanks jaffas1 for that! i didnt think about flying baggage unaccompanied but will def look into it now! good luck with your move!

**NurseAng** · 08-06-2012, 07:15 PM

Hi Frostie
Thanks so much for taking the time to update us all and it's great to hear all your news. So pleased that you are settling in well and enjoying your new life. It's great to hear that you've had a good experience with an estate agent - very encouraging! Hope you get the school application approved quickly.
Did you book a hotel room in Singapore? If so do you mind if I ask which one or where the pool was? It sounds like it worked really well for you so will definitely look into it.
Thanks again and I'll look forward to reading your next installment

**Murta** · 08-06-2012, 10:26 PM

Such a great thread!!! Thanks Frostie

We so love Sydney and so wanted it to be our destination but so fearful that it will be so expensive so we have researched Brisbane and think this will be more economical..this thread has reignited the spark to look again at SYdney. We have 2 kids 6 and 2 and like the idea of vatholic schooling....oh what a dilemma ha!!

**frostie** · 10-06-2012, 12:25 PM

Hi, didn't book a room in Singapore just paid to use the pool, with 3 kids the cost of staying in Singapore just worked out too much for us as we would have needed 2 rooms!
The school we enrolled the kids in was very quick, we visited the school left it a week then put their application in which was the Friday, met with the head mistress on the Monday to be told they could start straight away but as we were still in our temporary accomodation we left it a week before starting so very quick....
Murta how funny I always said to my husband if we go to Oz I'd like to be in Brisbane or Adeleide and with job offer ended up in Sydney. If I could live closer to the beach it would be perfect ! Not sure it's going to be forever so we are living it o the full and visiting as many places as we can...good luck with your journey
Mandy

**cartertucker** · 13-06-2012, 03:08 AM

So pleased all is going well

May I ask, you said in your last post ''not sure its going to be forever'' is that due to visa issues or some other reason?

**frostie** · 13-06-2012, 03:41 AM

Originally Posted by cartertucker

So pleased all is going well

May I ask, you said in your last post ''not sure its going to be forever'' is that due to visa issues or some other reason?

No worries over the visa... We all suddenly got very home sick over the last couple of weeks, infact probably as soon as we moved into our rental. We were so exited to move in and then homesickness struck!
We are still happy to be here and cant wait to explore even more but just not sure I can leave my family back home forever.....

**cartertucker** · 13-06-2012, 03:42 AM

Originally Posted by frostie

No worries over the visa... We all suddenly got very home sick over the last couple of weeks, infact probably as soon as we moved into our rental. We were so exited to move in and then homesickness struck!
We are still happy to be here and cant wait to explore even more but just not sure I can leave my family back home forever.....

Good on you for making the best of your time here ~ I can totally relate 100%

**divewench** · 13-06-2012, 05:35 AM

Can I ask you guys how you came to get your jobs (you mention 457 visa, so I guess you had your job offer before you left the UK) did you apply on-line for your employment?

**frostie** · 13-06-2012, 05:55 AM

Originally Posted by divewench

Can I ask you guys how you came to get your jobs (you mention 457 visa, so I guess you had your job offer before you left the UK) did you apply on-line for your employment?

Its was with my husbands company so in effect was a transfer...