G'day from steamy Townsville - new girl !!!

[alliekate]

Hello,

I would just like to introduce myself, say hello, and stuff ! We moved to Townsville from Cumbria in September - hubbie is going back to school (Uni), and we came over as tourist, then applied for (and got) the student visa over here. My God, all I can say is that it has brilliant, but very hard work !!! And yes, an emotional rollercoaster with fat knobs on.........

I thought I would go thru some of the of the things we have experienced so far, so if I can be of any help to anyone else, ask away. We found out the hard way, although hubbie did loads of internet research before we got here. Made a difference, but we still got a HUGE shock re the the house prices, Townsville is "booming" and prices are going up daily, and even had to consider going home before we started. So far we have;

- lived in a motel for six weeks (complete with every insect, frog and god knowns what in the room)
- bought a car, registered it, traded in our licences for Queensland ones - no test, just pay and away you go
-bought a fab house, very lucky....a very close call that was. estate agents are nothing like the UK - they do not like to advertise prices, love to auction things (without a guide price), have you signing a contract the minute you go to an open house viewing (always held at weekends the day the paper is published), have a secret language, etc etc. We had to get FIRB approval thru our solicitor too.
-applied for the student visa, got medicare,had our medicals here, got the visa, lost our entitlement to medicare, got private cover.
- been to the doctor, been diagnosed with not carpal tunel, now possibly a neck injury/arthritis,a tumour (OMG). am awaiting an operation - medical system very confusing but this doctor brilliant. I miss the simplicity of the NHS!!!!
-found spiders, dengue mozzies and TWO poisonous snakes in our garden ---- . Oh, and found and "disposed of" approx 200 cane toads, in prep for our dogs arrival. Don't ask.
-am awaiting the arrival of our 1 out of 2 dogs into Sydney as I write. Very very traumatic, and a nightmare to get sorted.(our beloved lab Sydney died last week in quarantine)
-started voluntary work at the RSPCA while awaiting a work permit.
-had to report a loony road-train driver to the police when he nearly ran us off the road (deliberately). The driving is NOT GOOD!!!!

There is so much more, but I have gone on far too long - sorry! It has been tough. Townsville is ok so far... the weather is just getting a wee bit steamy tho.

Alliekate xx

[calNgary]

Hiya ,,seems like your having a fun time then!!! you must enlighten us on the toads ,,what have you bought a golf course?lol,,We too think life is great over here and would never go back ,Whats your hubby studying?
Cal x

[alliekate]

Hiya,

no we have exactly 900 square metres apparently, with a cany living in every single inch..... we are quite countrified and have a fish pond - came out one night and they were all in this tiny pond. Now we have raised it so they can't climb in, and that seems to have p'd them off to a large extent. But the upside is the Ozzie frogs - love em! And the fish seem a lot happier too.

Hubbie is going to study Environmental Science, at JCU - I think he is getting very nervous now. But he will have a great time, and I'm really jealous - what a place to study !!!

[keily]

NO WAY I COULD LIVE WITH ALL THOSE BEASTIES LOL
MRS KEILY

[alliekate]

As a postscript to all the above, and with all that has happened in Quarantine (another thread) , we are not even sure we are going to stay. Much as I cannot face another move, we are in such despair at how things have worked out, that maybe we should cut our losses and get the hell back home.

We find it akin to living in a country that has money and priviliges, education and so on, but feel like we are living in a third world. I am absolutely sure it is not like this in the vast majority of oz, it feels very cut off and -dare I say it hillbilly and hicksville. We are plagued by dirt bikes - even in a good area, the driving is so bad it's amazing more don't die. Oh, and the road conditions are always to blame, never the pissed driver on the wrong side of the road.

My hubbie is distraught at having to even start his course as he doesn't want to leave me in such an alien place, and it feels like the Ozie dream (alive for 6 years) has been crushed. Does anyone else feel like this ? How do you get thru it, or do you go home ??

Maybe things will improve when my Sophie arrives (8 days............)

Sorry to rant guys,



I feel for sure that we picked the wrong location (a cost factor), and wish we had the means to travel to Brissie or Sydney. Townsville locals are often rude, frontier types who do not give a damn as long as they can get their ute/roadtrain in front of you.

Sorry to rant again,

[Rachel&Stu]

dear AllieKate

I know from your other thread, that you've had a really tough time, but.......you say your OH had the Aussie dream for 6 years, but now you're contemplating quitting after 4 months??

Does that make sense to you? It doesn't to me. I know that you're so, so sad after losing Sydney. I just think 4 months is no time at all to reverse a decision that was so long in the making. Think long and hard before you decide anything. I'm sure you're emotionally fragile right now. Maybe you could try another part of Australia? You might be able to get a transfer of your OH's place at Uni. Just a thought.

Hope you don't make any rash decisions. Sending you a cyber-hug

Rachel x

[alliekate]

After what has happened over Chrissie, J is determined to put our house on the market - and I haven't even got my girl back yet.

Why did this happen to us ?

A xxx

[Ron & Chel]

Hi Allekate we are mov ing to nsw in july but last time out there we went to the hunter valley and passed through a town called cessnock quite a nice little town but it gave you the felling of tumble weed rolling down the street and that the people you would see would have two heads and arms and there brothers uncle was the son and the sister was the mother if you get my drift when we returned to my brothers that evening that that was about right so i sort of know how you feel and wat your going through so good luck and a happy new year to you

[alliekate]

Thankyou so much. Like being in Pleasantville in the 50's but without the pleasant.........Or that Jeepers Creepers film - i sing where d'ya get those peepers every time a roadtrain tailgates us.

And these kids that do kill themselves on the road while drunk and high are literally canonised - not a word about what they have done to themselves, their family, the other people involved. Just "he was a great mate, a true blue aussie".