9 weeks in Brisbane

[2Posh2Push]

Hi all,

Mr push here (Craig). I have been reading the posts on here for ages and just wanted to share my experiences to date.

As the title says, we have been here for 9 weeks now and came over on a skilled 136 visa.

It only seems like yesterday that our home was being packed up in England, we used Mark Chudley (Mark Chudley international shipping, furniture transport & storage) to ship our stuff and I must say they were excellent and I would highly recommend them.

That was at the end of August and we flew out on the 3rd of September with Singapore Airlines who were fantastic with our 3 kids (6, 3 & 2), had a stop over for a few days, which was well needed and landed in Brisbane on the 7th.
We had a day flight from Singapore which enabled us to see some fantastic scenery as our flight path was over the middle of Australia.

We have friends and family who moved to Brisbane last year, so had some help and a bit of familiarity on arrival. We did find it difficult to find a rental as there was not much about at the time, so we ended up in some holiday rentals which did help us to decide on where we wanted to permanently settle and have made Narangba our base. Its just north of Brisbane and takes about 40 minuites to do the commute, we are 40 mins from the Sunshine coast and 20 mins from Bribie Island which both have some wonderful beaches. We have been lucky enough to find a brand new rental with a pool that overlooks a large lake to the front which is a massive improvement on our house in the UK.

We had not been to Australia before, so did not know what to expect, which I suppose that has its good and bad sides. It has been a great help using the forums to get all sorts of information both good and bad which has helped us to prepare for our new life down under.

I have been fortunate enough that a job came up in Brisbane with the company that I was working for in the UK, so that was one major worry out of the way. I do get paid slightly less than the UK, I work as a service engineer and have a company car which I am not taxed on here, so with this and the family benifit, we are better off financially.

It's so far so good for us and I'm sure that there will be more hard times ahead, but we are determined to give it our best shot and make it work. We moved for a number of reasons, but the main one was to give our kids the chance to experience a different way of life.

Sorry for the essay, but I just wanted to pass on my thoughts as when I was preparing for the move I found these threads most useful.

There is loads more I could say, but I will save that for my next post.

Cheers

Craig

[batman]

hi, great to read things have got off to a good start for you and your family,we are hoping to join you in april next year all being well,as like you we have never visited oz before,so i hope we have the same success as you,my brother in law travelled to sydney last friday and had to fly through a tornado apparently it scared the kids that bad they never want to return to the uk,i hope everything continues to work out for you all the best.rich

[calNgary]

Good to hear things are going plan and your settling well ,lots of luck for the future
Cal x

[Angelcake]

Thanks for posting, glad it's all going well for you!

We are hoping our visa will come through in March so should be in Brisbane by the middle of next year.

Narangba is on our list of places to live, Ive never been there just researched on the internet.

Would be interested to hear what attracted you to it and what you think of it, also which areas did you discount and why?

Ive got 3 young children too (4 and 19 mth old twins) so good to hear about your experiences in Singapore.

Keep posting!

Angelcake

[EM&M]

Hi Guys glad all going well.

Em x

[ali]

Great to see you back on PIO and that you're settling in

Ali

[richayl]

Hi there and congratulations on doing so well for yourselves in 9 weeks. We are hoping to be over there by this time next year, hubby a joiner so will also be coming over on a skilled Visa. We are looking at the Brisbane area - have looked at North Lakes and Halpine Lakes, looking for somewhere around 30 mins from CBD for work. We've got a 13 year old daughter and our twin girls are almost 3 and we too just want a 'nice life for our kids'! I will be more than happy for you to rattle on to your hearts content, can't wait to hear everyones stories and advice on anything and everything ..............

[2Posh2Push]

Hi ya, we loved Narangba as it has a lovely feel to it. We live opposite a lake and a park and public barbecue. Its so beautiful and we have gorgeous views off the mountains too. We have a four bed house with a pool. We pay about $520 a week for it but that includes a gardener and pool maintenance. It was hard to find rentals when we arrived as it was the school hols. We pay more than most here it seems but we have a pool and aircon and a gorgeous setting so I will not complain as its heeps better than what I had. Craig works in CBD so we didnt want too much of a drive for him - takes him 45 mins now which means he gets to see our kids in the morning and every evening which he didnt before. I have 2 primary schools on my doorstep and 2 secondary schools, countless nurserys and a good range of shops within walking distance (although I mainly drive if its too hot). My daughter 7 has been at school 2 weeks and loves it and my younger 2 attend Sesame Lane nursery 2 days a week. There arent many playgroups here so I am possibly going to start one myself. Generally the nurserys are right next to the schools and offer before and after school care for the older siblings if needed and they can be picked up on a bus from school to the nursery. I think its a brilliant idea and must make it so much easier for working parents. Narangba is very picturesque and I've found people here very friendly. We are 15- 20 mins away from the major shopping centres- North Lakes, Morayfield and Strathpine. North lakes has opened a new wing so there are loads more now in the mall. Bribie Island, Redcliffe & Scarborough are about 20mins away when you want the beach or the sunshine coast is about 1hr, but worth it. When you get over and if you decide to settle here I would love to keep in touch and help you with anything you may need. My second daughter Alicia is 4 and would love some new playmates. My youngest Joshua is 2 and he keeps me busy but sadly not too trim as I eat far too much chocolate to compensate!!! lol. Take Care

[richayl]

Hi there, lovely to hear from you - a leisurely Saturday night here, kids in bed, watching X Factor ........... sad eh? ... will miss the good old english trash on tv!!!
Have a few little dilemmas that you could no doubt help with - general cost of living ? We're a family of 5 like you and spend about £500 a month on food, maybe more... just wondered what the comparison is? Also we're still undecided on furniture, we're going to need a container for bikes, toys, excercise equipment etc so wondering whether we should stock up on everything else and bring with us or buy new there? Need dining suite, beds, new sofas etc, how do prices compare? Would be interested to know what you think of the North Lakes / Halpine Lakes areas? Been looking at the new housing developments there and they seem lovely but your opinion would be nice having been there.
Also I have a massive 'snake phobia'... so you're probably wondering why I would want to move there at all????! Do you have any experiences I should be concerned about??? I'm trying to tell myself that there won't be any near civilisation but still extremely worried!!
Just looked at the dates on your visa lodging etc - that seemed to come through quickly, were you prepared? A little worried about finances and how much we'll need, did you have a good chunk of money or were you also concerned over how much you'd need and how long it would last? We're thinking of perhaps trying to secure some sort of property before we leave the UK, do you know of anyone thats done that? Sorry for all the questions, I'm sure you'll become really bored of us!!!!

[Angelcake]

Hi Emma

Thanks for answering my questions. Narangba sounds perfect!! Everything I'm looking for with a young family and the mountain view sounds amazing. Wow, your rental house sounds fantastic!

Can I ask how long it took for your husband to find a job and also what time does he leave in the morning and get in at night?

Good on you for thinking about starting a playgroup, I would definately be interested in joining or helping out when we eventually get out to Aus.

My sister and her famiy are also emigrating and she has a 3.5 yr old daughter and a 7 yr old son, so more playmates for your children.

Would love to stay in touch with you, feel free to PM me.

Angelcake