Our story..6mths living in the Gold Coast

Thought in keeping with what seems to be a PIO tradition I'd give everyone who's interested our story 6mths on.

We arrived in Sept 2014. We had a rental car booked & two week holiday let.

We are a family of four, me 47, DH 40, DD 19 & DS11.

We sold up everything we had in the UK and gave up our secure jobs, uprooted our 18 year old (more to follow on that), and moved into the unknown, we didn't know a soul when we arrived.

Fourtunatley my hubby had been able to secure a job before we left which gave us some peace of mind.

Our holiday let was in Runaway Bay. We knew from our reccie a couple of years before & Internet research that we wanted to live in Helensvale. Good schools, public transport, good infrastucture etc..

DS had just finished year 5 in the UK. Whilst still there we applied for Coomera Anglican College & Lords Lutherean in Ormeau. Both have very good reputations as does Helensvale State Sch. Suffice to say Coomera didn't have any places available & Ormeau is friggin miles away! (How many of look at a map and underestimate the distance) & Helensvale has a strict catchment area.

Looking for for a rental in Helensvale = good luck with that one! We signed up with several Agents on arrival. Not one had any available property in the area. We could have looked at Coomera (doesnt deserve the poor reputation btw) but didn't want to be as far out, it still lacks some infrastucture in parts but the new town centre has been given the go ahead so watch this space!

The property that was available fell far short of our expectations of a new life in Oz, so..... we bought a house.

Some could deem it reckless but in hindsight it's worked out so well for us. We were in a very fortunate & rare position to be able to purchase without a mortgage (we lived on building sites for twenty years) The housing market was still lagging 6 months ago and it's the best decision we could have made. It's in the catchment area for Helensvale and on a beautiful canal development) although we're on a dry plot if we crane our necks we get a canal glimpse . We had cash left to buy two cars and we'd shipped our furniture over.

Cost of living...

Yes, it really is expensive over here. Yes, the petrol is cheaper but you have to drive further, forget about taking a stroll to the corner shop. We got skanked for the house & building insurance but won't be making that mistake again. Our car insurance is cheaper than the UK and we were able to keep our no claims bonus.

Water is very expensive although back in the UK we didn't have a water meter (Thames water), or a swimming pool and we only had one bathroom. Internet is expensive due to lack of competition but all other Utiliies have been comparable. Food can be expensive and once again there's a lack of supermarket choiceso they can charge what they like. It actually costs me less than the UK now because I shop at the markets and only have three mouths to feed.

Husband

works for one of the biggest employers in Brissie. He's a civil eng and earns more & has better prospects than he did in the UK. He's hoping to start his chartership very soon which wil open a lot more doors for him.

He enjoys his work but finds some of the practices a little, not backwards but...

The commute can be very hit and miss at times. When the line fails and you're in Brissie or sat on the train u are stumped. The one saving grace are the other commuters who have always been amazing. The kindness and generosity of the people in Oz has been humbling at times. He was stuck on the train after a failure a couple of weeks ago (again) and got a lift home from the wife of another passenger who was able to drive and pick them up. There have been jobs advertised in the GC which he's confident he could get but needs to stick it out for a couple of years yet.

Me

I took some time out to set up home and settle the kids. I've recently started to volunteer at one of the schools through Gold Coast Volunteering (brilliant organisation to gain experience) I specialise in kids with ASD and love being around them.

It looks like I'm going to be offered paid work which is amazing and With my previous experience I've already been able to make a difference. If any of you want any info on the education of ASD kids out here I'm only to happy to share any info that I've gained.

Son

Hes 11, he loves rugby, surfing, karate, bmx, he loves Australia. I've had zero probs with my boy settling in.

The education system & curriculum is different. It won't suit everybody moving over but it suits him. He's not massively academic but neither does he struggle with anything. He works at average which is very common for boys his age. He made big improvements and their back to basics approach to teaching and the use of ICT in the classroom and the whole outdoor openness has worked in his favour. I was so worried about the size of the schools comming from a one form entry to six, but he loves it. Go Helensvale!!

Daughter

Oh Dear. Moving an 18 year old away, leaving her entire life behind her and her future in tatters .

We made the decision to wait until after her A levels so knew it was never going to be an easy ride for her.

She had the Boy friend back in the UK and we had lots of tears leaving. It didn't matter to her that there was some of the most amazing beaches and way of life. She spent the first month meh, meh at everything.

The Uni system for someone moving over who qualifies as a comonwealth student but has english qualifications is very stressful and caused a lot of upset and anxiety. However she was offered a place at University of Queensland, so amazing and so pleased for her. She stays on campus which was a promise we made. It's not the cheapest option and anyone who needs any info drop me a line.

Six months on and I have a completely different daughter. She's living the most amazing life, more than I could have dreamed for her. The everyday snap chats are full of pics of her and the friends she's made having the time of their lives. She works hard and plays hard and is a member of the rowing team and others. So proud . She did say that if there are any others who need info on applying for Uni from the UK that she would take time out to help as much as she could.

Friends and family.

Husbands family disowned us completely. Long story but one that is unfortunately quite common amongst the expats over here. I miss my mum. We skype every other day and she's just been given the all clear from her GP to fly so hopefully she'll be out soon. I speak to my bestie every week and miss her like mad.

All the usual really birthdays, christmas etc... But we keep busy.

The facebook forums have been a life saver. I threw myself into coffee mornings, meet ups, all the other stuff. My husband hated it, I think men do. But it's been through those that I met people, who introduced us to others and now have a really lovely group of friends. It's a bit more difficult given my age because I dont have a toddler to take along to mums groups etc.. And it's really wearing having to explain over and over who u are and all that stuff. I also have a new puppy and get out meeting people at the park and beaches now. We have a much better social life here than back in the UK.

Gold Coast

Absoultely love it. Best choice for us by far. Stunning, quiet, loud, peaceful, busy, great beaches, great food, near enough yet far enough. It's hot, When it rains..it really rains, there are massive spiders & snakes. the drivers are horrendous and the sausages are rank , but we knew that before we moved. There have definately been a few eye openers for us and it could be deemed a little behind the times but it was defo the right choice for us.

Very good report and well done at settling in, in particular, your daughter.

Brilliant post and thanks for going into so much detail. It's great to hear how well your family has settled in and I'm sure there'll be quite a few people who'll take heart from the way your daughter has taken to life in Australia after her rocky start.

I enjoyed reading your post! Lovely to hear you are all settled in (especially your 18 year old daughter).

Great post, glad to hear it's going well, takes a good solid 2yrs to really settle so u r doing great

Yes, I enjoyed reading about your adventures too. It sounds like you are settling in well.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with such a detailed post! Glad to hear that your family seem to be settling in well now x

brilliant update. life is pretty fab in oz.

So glad everything has worked out and your daughter is happy and settled!! x

What a great report. Balanced, but full of optimism. I must admit that I followed your journey through the forum and had wondered how you were getting on.

I was interested in seeing that you were able to keep your no claims bonus. Did you get a letter from your UK insurer or did the renewal notices suffice (we have 2 cars here and may have the same over there in due course but definitely only one at first.

Also interested that you dived right in and bought (mainly from necessity). Like you, we will not need a mortgage but had more or less resigned ourselves to looking at renting for 6 months initially while we fully got the lie of the land. Not just the suburbs and areas but we are in two minds about a pool (for example) and feel if we can manage to rent a house with one we can get an insight into pool maintenance and how much use we might actually make of one. Also with houses bring so different from what we are used to I find it quite hard imagining ourselves living in one. I think our furniture when it comes over will be lost in a corner of some of these rooms.

We are a bit older. Me 54, DW 52 and daughter aged 11. We will be settling in The Redlands which really is not that far from Helensvale.

Thanks everyone for your kind words. I very rarely get the chance to get on this site very often.Gbye grey Sky, not long now eh!

With re the motor insurance we had a letter stating our claims status from previous insurer.

Without the pool I seriously think I would have died this summer. Hubby is now pool man . We have a

salt water, sand filter one which is easy to maintain. We take a pool water sample to Bunnings once a month diy, & top up the chem ourselves.

laugh at the furniture sittuation. Our house makes the UK

stuff looks like it belongs in a dolls house. We also have many more rooms to fill. Any other things I can help with pkease feel free to ask ☺

Sounds like you've settled in very well

Glad things are going well especially for your daughter given her bumpy start. You sound happy :smile:

that's a fab update - great to hear you have settled in so well and life seems good. and a great outcome for your daughter as well!

Great to hear that you have settled in so well, and also great to hear that you're daughter in particular has settled, I can imagine it being very hard for an 18 year old and she's done amazing!

What a lovely post, one of the reasons I still come onto PIO. It's a hard long fight to get there, but reading other people's experiences makes it all worth while. It sounds like you have had up's and down's but you are getting there and it appears like it will all work out in the long run. xx

Hey, good to hear how you're getting on. I have wondered as we'll be making the same move to the Gold Coast in the very near future. Still planning on moving to the Gold Coast in August. Been applying for jobs since getting the visa in March. But will come out in August, job or no job.

Not looking forward to trying to secure a rental in the area we want. We've also been looking at the Helensvale area as heard good reports bout the schools etc. Our house is up for sale, and we're hoping for a sale soon. Just not sure we'd be knowledgeable enough about which suburb we want to settle in when we arrive to buy! Glad it's all worked out for you though!

Which facebook expat sites have you been using since you arrived?

Can't wait to be in your position now, 6 months in. Kids at school etc. we'll be staying at ashmore holiday village when we arrive then trying to secure a rental form then. Plan to rent for 6 months then buy. Hoping we can actually get somewhere we want though!!

Thank you for posting such a detailed account- made really good reading and so glad you are enjoying life here. The Gold Coast is a wonderful place, isn't it? We only get up there now and then but always love it when we do. Happy memories.

Hi Aaron.

Brits on the goldcoast is the fb site most of us post on.

Tbh we would have prefered to have settled in Benowa/Ashmore. Its central GC and has some really good schools. Oh just didn't want to add to the commute. The rain here was torrential yesterday and caused chaos. It took him 3hrs to get home from Brissie. Send a request to the above fb page and introduce yourself. Its really helpful for work, socializing etc..and always someone who can answer any questions. Looking forward to meeting u guys.

Love your post - down to earth and realistic - our son moved over last year after completing Uni in the UK, he is working, but wants to return to Uni for some more qualifications and work part time (as students do). He has PR as he was included on our visa, but I'm not sure how that effects Uni funding and loans. it sounds like you're reaping the rewards of your hard work.

Lovely post sounds like hard work is paying off for you. Good luck for the future.

Hi. Great to read your story of new life down under. I wonder if you mind me asking. My husband is a Civil (Structural) Engineer too. We are in the final stages of getting our PR visas. Could your husband tell me if he has any contacts for agents to find work or if he has any advice on where my husband should begin to look. We are also coming over with an 11 yr old Daughter and my son (23years) is staying in the UK for a while longer. We are looking forward to the move but want to secure jobs (I'm a neonatal intensive care nurse) beforehand if possible before we sell everything.TIA ☺

Lovely post. Hope you continue to enjoy your new life in Aus. We hope to move to the Gold Coast. Which other suburbs would you recommend for a family with 2 children aged nearly 16 and nearly 10? Cheers.