Hi all, here's my two month in Oz update!

[Kellie23]

So thought I would come on and update you all on how we are getting on and what we think so far after 2 months.

 

Moved from Kent to the Gold Coast on a 189 visa.

 

me, hubby and 3 kids. Aged 9, 7 and 23 months.

 

I'll list all the positives first: hubby landed a job straight away (diesel mechanic) at a local bus garage, so handy as we can survive with just one car as he can cycle to work. He has settled into work really well working 6-2 and getting some overtime in too. Already had a couple of bbqs at work and they ordered pizza in to celebrate the Melbourne cup! All paid for by the boss. In his free time hubby is enjoying his cycling tackling different mountains here like beechmont and Tamborine.

 

The kids have settled far better than expected and much quicker than I thought too! My son struggled on his first couple of weeks at school in terms of friendships but I think that's a boy thing as it's taking him a bit longer to establish friends, he said he found the boys over here quite immature and silly, I chatted to a few people about this (other poms) and they said there sons found this too and they felt it might be because they start school a year later out here. My daughter made friends straight away and loved school here much better than UK, I'm sure that might be because they seem a lot more laid back at the school so the kids have more freedom. An example; the bell goes and the kids go into class grab a fruit snack and sit eating it while they take the register, also they can kick a ball about before school and after school and during breaks, all stuff they were not allowed to do in UK school. Not saying it's better or worse but just giving you an idea of some differences. The major difference is how big the primary school is! It's the size of a UK senior school! Think there's 1200 kids there as opposed to just over 400 in their uk school. But the area it covers would be same as an area where we lived in the UK that would have maybe 20 primary schools in if that makes sense.

 

I have asked the kids if they would want to return to UK and they say no way! The kids are enjoying there other activities cycling, swimming, girl guiding and surfing lessons! They are loving the lifestyle here. We have also purchased a yearly pass to the theme park/waterpark here $70 for the year each and go as many times as we like. Every Sunday we go to the beach and most afternoons we are in the pool. The weather has so far been glorious in the two months so far we have had 3 nights that have been uncomfortably hot but we have then put the A/C on.

 

me and my youngest have been to loads of playgroups which are far superior to the ones in the UK, ,most aRe free and the facilities are amazing. We have made some lovely lovely friends. Everyone's so friendly.

 

We have had one hospital trip so far and cost was covered on Medicare. My daughter had a bad ear infection where blood came out and as it was a Sunday we went straight to the hospital, they treated her promptly and wanted to see her again for a follow up visit.

 

so far electric has been €80 for the month. gas is on bottles so you get them and apparently they last ages we paid €270 for two full bottles but that was more expensive being the first one as you pay for the actual bottles too, so far not switched over to the 2nd bottle yet and people have said one bottle lasts them 6 months or more. The gas supplies our hot water and gas to the hobs.

 

petrols cheap here. Uniforms for school are expensive. And we have to buy all the kids stationary and books.

 

If your on PR u can claim centre link bit like child benefit. That helps a lot. Unless you earn loads then you can't get it.

 

advice to anyone arriving join the local Facebook selling pages as you can pick up so much on there as lots of people seem to move about and get rid of loads. Also people don't mind you asking questions on the groups, the community here have been so helpful.

 

Negatives: the biggest negative is missing family and friends in uk especially grandparents who would norm be just round the corner to lend a hand with the kids.

 

The driving! Man there's some bloody terrible drivers here!

 

Oh and a massive neg is the nightmare trying to get internet! There only seems to be Telstra as the main supplier but if all the ports are taken you can't have cabled internet only option is a mobile pocket wifi! So frustrating as you plan to skype family but you don't get a lot of data, so ours is $65 a month for 12g of data and that has to last the whole month, well one skype session used 1g! Can't download too much as that uses heaps and kids need the net for homework!

Another thing is mobile phone coverage that can be a nightmare and quite expensive. Also tv package seems expensive too.

 

I've been shopping in Aldi and I'd say my food bill is on par with uk.

 

That's about it really, sorry for the essay! But hope the info helps a few of you thinking about making the move

 

Kellie x

[susanbro]

Really good idea to update on your progress, might help to put people at ease if they are moving to the same location xx

[tina0101]

Glad to hear you're getting on well!! We travel down to the Gold Coast most Sundays to laze by the beach and bodyboard :-)

 

We've just had our 2 month electric bill and it was $300. We don't have gas, so that covers it all.

 

Hope the scorching days weren't too bad for your little one!! Xx

[jac2011]

So lovely to read your feedback, GC is an area we are considering and our children are just slightly older than yours but similar age gaps.

 

Do you mind me asking whereabouts in GC you are? We are looking at booking a short term holiday let in Tugan but a little concerned about the distance from Brisbane and other parts of the GC...

 

I hope everything continues to go well for you x

[fifi69]

It all sounds ace...so glad its gone so well.

 

really looking forward to visiting that area. Even better than you've been able to use your pool for the past two months.

 

Over here in WA, we are just getting to that stage.

 

hope life just keeps getting better for you.

 

Fi xx

[calNgary]

Thanks for updating us, looks like you are settling in really well,lots of luck for the future.

 

Cal x

[MARYROSE02]

You've done very well in only two months! I was thinking what I achieved in my first two months? No job, that took three months. I spent a month in Perth, a week in Adelaide, and then came to Sydney.

[NigelWaring]

So lovely to read your feedback, GC is an area we are considering and our children are just slightly older than yours but similar age gaps.

 

Do you mind me asking whereabouts in GC you are? We are looking at booking a short term holiday let in Tugan but a little concerned about the distance from Brisbane and other parts of the GC...

 

I hope everything continues to go well for you x

 

Some parts of Tugun might be a bit close to the airport flight paths but don't worry about Brisbane, you'll be far enough away for it not to cause any problems. From Tugun it should be as easy as anywhere to get to other parts of GC. Try visiting The Spit before the developers wreck it.

[Parley]

I don't understand your internet issue. Are you in an apartment ? is that the cause ?

 

I live in a house and I'm with Telstra Cable internet and get 200GB per month.

[NigelWaring]

The Internet can be a big issue if you live in an area where Telstra has the monopoly as they do in our hamlet, they are the only company that can supply real broadband at around 20 Mbps, all the other ISPs are limited to 8 Mbps. We have a fibre that runs from the telephone exchange in the next town to a couple of nodes in our hamlet, this is the same system than NBN will be installing all around Australia. I haven't seen it in writing but when I asked Telstra why they had a monopoly I was told that they were given it because they had carried the very high cost of installing the fibre to the node. We are supposedly in the Sydney Metropolitan Area but we do not have have the competition. Our ISP was TPG, a great firm to deal with and very reliable, they now offer Unlimited Internet plus telephone including local, national and 100 minutes of international for $66.99 per month but we have to stick with the Telstra Monopoly which costs us over $120 per month plus cost of all calls. Incidentally we are very lucky because we are around 80 metres from the node and can hit 20 Mbps sometimes, many others further away are not able to achieve this. At peak times we notice the speed slowing down. We look forward to NBN being able to provide us with some competition.

[Parley]

Telstra are the best anyway.

 

I don't believe the issue is Telstra having a monopoly but the other companies may not think it worthwhile to build the necessary infrastructure to provide the service.

 

This happened to me.

My street is unusual in that it was extended and the original part has telegraph poles and the new extension is all undergrounds cabling.

Telstra installed underground cabling up the new part of the street, but when Optus put their cable in they just strung it up on the poles and stopped when the poles stopped. They refused to take on the expense of the underground cabling.

 

But I like Telstra. Okay a bit more expensive but definitely always the best quality product.

[NigelWaring]

Sorry, but our Federal MP Philip Ruddock and the Minister of Communications Malcolm Turnbull did confirm that Telstra was given the monopoly because they had invested a lot of money in bringing broadband to our suburb. I recently wrote to them both and asked if the equipment could be transferred to NBN because it is identical to what they are installing, it would then give us the choice of ISPs, I also suggested that it would be a good test of Mr Turnbull's scheme for NBN, all the equipment is already there. The reply was that they could not do that because Telstra is not an NBN supplier. Other ISPs can resell Telstra's service but that is just what you get, Telstra's service is almost double what other ISPs charge, there would be no saving to us the customer. I understood that eventually all the Telstra equipment in the street, mainly the copper wire would be sold to NBN, seems this doesn't include our fibre to the node.

[spangley]

Kellie thanks for the update. I've been checking back as you'd been fairly quiet around here....I hope all is working out for your family.

[benthomas010]

The Internet can be a big issue if you live in an area where Telstra has the monopoly as they do in our hamlet, they are the only company that can supply real broadband at around 20 Mbps, all the other ISPs are limited to 8 Mbps. We have a fibre that runs from the telephone exchange in the next town to a couple of nodes in our hamlet, this is the same system than NBN will be installing all around Australia. I haven't seen it in writing but when I asked Telstra why they had a monopoly I was told that they were given it because they had carried the very high cost of installing the fibre to the node. We are supposedly in the Sydney Metropolitan Area but we do not have have the competition. Our ISP was TPG, a great firm to deal with and very reliable, they now offer Unlimited Internet plus telephone including local, national and 100 minutes of international for $66.99 per month but we have to stick with the Telstra Monopoly which costs us over $120 per month plus cost of all calls. Incidentally we are very lucky because we are around 80 metres from the node and can hit 20 Mbps sometimes, many others further away are not able to achieve this. At peak times we notice the speed slowing down. We look forward to NBN being able to provide us with some competition.

$120 per month for Internet? Wow. That's a lot.

 

Is that normal?

[NigelWaring]

Yes, $120 is normal at this location. There are two things holding us back from getting more speed. 1 - We are in a very safe seat and it has been for many decades. 2 - Apathy, many want more speed but they will not hit the keyboard or put pen to paper. Our Federal MP and the Dept of Communications think everyone is happy with what they've got and I'm the solitary trouble-maker.

 

Using a pocket-wifi I can get almost double the speed but it is an expensive way of doing it.

[Paednurseclaire]

Thanks so much kelly for the update we are looking to move to the Gold Coast / brisbane area! So I'm delighted to see that you have settled in quickly good luck and keep us posted

[NigelWaring]

I think you'll both enjoy that part of the country, it is a very nice place to live and also a good location to set off exploring, there are many interesting and enjoyable places within driving distance. In our early days we had a wonderful time camping with a few stops at YHAs which are popular with families and out of school holiday time older people, YHAs are great places to meet other people and exchange very useful ideas and information, they also save you a lot of money. There are great beaches and also bush areas well within a day's drive.

[Guest]

$120 per month for Internet? Wow. That's a lot.

 

Is that normal?

 

 

Depends where you are I get Unlimited with TPG including phone rental for 59.99. I stream tv with no problem.

 

I live 5 k's out of Brisbane CBD it is probably a different story further out

[NigelWaring]

That is what I'm complaining about. TPG and iiNet can supply at that price anywhere except the five small hamlets/villages where Telstra has a monopoly because they set up a satellite rim which is the same things as fibre to the node.

[Guest Ptp113]

Telstra are the best anyway.

 

I don't believe the issue is Telstra having a monopoly but the other companies may not think it worthwhile to build the necessary infrastructure to provide the service.

 

This happened to me.

My street is unusual in that it was extended and the original part has telegraph poles and the new extension is all undergrounds cabling.

Telstra installed underground cabling up the new part of the street, but when Optus put their cable in they just strung it up on the poles and stopped when the poles stopped. They refused to take on the expense of the underground cabling.

 

But I like Telstra. Okay a bit more expensive but definitely always the best quality product.

 

And the local office service is exceptional. Big changes at the Big T

[emj1986]

Maybe do some shopping around for a better internet deal? We are up in the a*se end of nowhere (Springbrook) - we have home phone and ADSL with DODO and its under $50 a month. Don't get me wrong, we don't have lightening speed but we have unlimited downloads and I can stream TV with no buffering issues and have a decent quality Skype call, much to my mothers delight lol. My partner can also quite happily and easily work from home.

[Pascoe1986]

This is a really useful post, thanks. My husband and I are moving to Adelaide in March next year and it's great to hear tips, pros and cons from others so thanks

[NigelWaring]

Yes, internet is now an important part of our lives and has to be considered but there are probably many other things that newcomers should look at. When we first came together we were looking to buy a unit in a major town, Hornsby, one estate agent said "why not look at Cowan, you can buy a house for the same price". The only house available went right away because few want to leave the suburb so we ended up buying a block of land and had a project home built on it, here that means something like an inexpensive Wimpey house. All that happened more than 30 years ago and we've loved living here since, we did think of moving recently to something nearer to the shops but gave up and have decided to extend to make things more comfortable. We've loved living here and hope to stay much longer but it does have some disadvantages. One of the first things that we noticed was shopping, we only have one car and my wife does not drive so when I swerved to avoid a kangaroo, braked hard on the accelerator and put the car in the panel-beaters for almost five months we had a problem. Our nearest shops were in Hornsby and public transport is not the best in this area, we found that instead of doing one big weekly shop we had to call in on the way home from work about three times a week, shopping seemed to dominate our lives for several months all because the shops were so far away. Things have improved considerably since then, the Hornsby shopping centre was redeveloped, we now have Coles, Woolworths and ALDI supermarkets along with both DJs and Meyers Department stores but these are smaller versions of the real thing and range of goods is limited, we also have both K-Mart and Target, all this competition definitely does keep some prices down. We used to visit Byron Bay a lot, my in-laws lived there and it was quite noticeable how much the only supermarket was able to ask, similarly even in the Metro area of Sydney, about five kms from Hornsby there's a suburb with just one of the big two supermarkets and the higher prices are quite noticeable especially on fresh fruit and vegetables. Our other big problem was finding tradesmen, you'd call one on the phone and he'd nominate a date and time to give us a quote, this would usually mean one of us having to take a day off work, they'd never turn up and never let you know what had happened, often they would hang up if you tried to call them again, this was not an isolated incident it happened over and over again with plumbers, electricians, carpenters and anyone connected with home maintenance in general, even when you had a quote and agreed to pay cash they would not turn up to do the work. It probably took us about 15 years to make contact with reliable tradesmen, we are now OK with them but it is something to consider if you buy in a remote area. Even now we have some difficulties, we like to travel a lot which means trips to the airport, it's on the other side of Sydney to us, a taxi costs around $180 so we end up going by train with our suitcases, it takes a while and if we have an early flight we have to stay overnight at the airport hotel, that is a luxury that we enjoy though. When we first arrived in Cowan many Metropolitan trains terminated here so we had three trains an hour, two metropolitan ones and one inter-urban, state rail then decided to terminate all Metro Trains at Berowra 5 kms away so we ended up with just one train an hour, around lunchtime it can be more than an hour and sometimes you get the announcement that "this train is cancelled for today only". Public Transport is important especially if you have children, we don't but we do see neighbours more or less running a taxi service to take their children to school, sporting and even social events, when I was growing up I walked or got a bus, my parents never had a car. The other thing people with children should consider is schools, we live in a great little hamlet of about 180 houses but I don't think we have the best of education, there is a small school but it has composite classes, that means children of different ages are in the same class, many parents send their children to schools in other suburbs, there are free buses to transport them but it makes a much longer day. The next problem is when they go to High School, there does not seem to be anything in the area so some travel as much as 25 kms to get what they need. So when moving to a new suburb a family needs to consider a few things, shopping, public transport, education and availability of tradesmen. No doubt others can add to this list.

[MARYROSE02]

Living a long way from shops, station, bus stop, etc, can be a burden, even if you do have a car, preferably one for each member of the family. My brother's family had four cars, one for each member. When he had his first home, in Edensor Park, I went there with my Mum to look after the place one weekend, and, frankly, it was like being in an open prison, especially when it's so hot you can hardly bear to walk up the drive to the car!

 

I remember another time, going for a cycle ride with my Mum, and it was so hot, she couldn't cycle home, so I had to cycle back - no mobiles then - and get my brother to go and pick her up. The same thing happened in Picnic Point, not that long ago, when I - foolishly - walked to the shops, only a quarter of a mile away, and had to ring my sister in law to come and pick me up. She had told me to take the car too!

 

I drove down to the airport from Surry Hills last night to pick up a friend, which cost me $24 to park. I could have probably parked up near to the airport, told her to ring me, then met her in the '15 minute, driver must stay with car' free zone, just the other side of the multi-storey car park (at International.) My one experience of picking up a friend from Domestic was vile! The airport line is great, ten mins from Central, or maybe fifteen, but it's SO dear - $15 or $16 one way, double return, because that part of the line is privately owned, otherwise the fare would be $5 or $6.

 

If you live in a street close enough to walk to a railway station, you have to put up with your street looking like a parking lot during the week.

 

Still, once you are in your suburban 'castle' you can pull up the 'drawbridge' and relax, maybe have a swimming pool. My brother has one, and when I stayed with him, I never bothered going to the beach, just too convenient having the pool a few steps away. Very peaceful too, in the evenings, with the sounds of the bush.

 

Here in the inner city - Surry Hills - have everything I want within easy walking distance - going for a coffee soon, which means a 20 metre walk from my front door, but there is a constant, though, muted, thunder of traffic, on Elizabeth and Cleveland Sts.

 

I never used to have a car, but now I have, I use it go to the beach, but not to the the CBD or Bondi Beach. Train, bus or walk to the CBD, and I don't like Bondi, too big, too crowded, too impossible to park, but Clovelly and Bronte are much easier - free to park at Clovelly and free up the road a little at Bronte.

 

So, inner city means unit or terrace, and suburbia means, usually, a home with a garden, though you increasingly see 'duplexes?' ie. 'semi-detached' which are big, roomy, but with relatively small gardens, and town houses or villas, but often not too many units. Everything is changing though, all the time.

[woody123]

Hi Kellie,

 

Where are you on the Gold Coast? We have family in Oxenford and are hoping to finally make the move next year from Essex.. Would be great if you were in that area as I could ask you a million questions! lol....

 

Thanks for the great post!

 

Jules. x