yazzee

Hi Ask me the same question in a month's time. Until we move into our rented house we haven't any idea what we will be spending on electricity etc. Our food bill is low because we eat lots of veggies, lentils and rice and we don't spend money in fancy restaurants. We have used our savings to buy our car and pay for the bond and to get us set up. As long as I can afford to send my daughter to swimming lessons and dance lessons I will be happy. In the UK I worked in a pre school and I will be looking for casual- term time work next year. Our rent here is $410 per week. I knew that coming to Australia would not bring me financial benefits, but life is short and at least it's a change. I have heard that it is more expensive to live in Sydney. I have also seen how expensive it is to use child care over here. If you lived here I could do the child care for you lol. Good luck in Sydney and I hope it works out for you all.

Hi A little update on how things have been for us (hubby and seven year old daughter). We landed in Melbourne 14 October and stayed in a nice little unit in Box Hill. A good area for getting trains and trams to the city and lots of Asian markets nearby. If anyone is looking for accommodation we used HomeAway and I can forward you the details if you would like. The price was $750 per week which is ok for Melbourne. My husband is a printer and spent the first couple of weeks following up leads from the Uk and going to recruitment agencies. Myself and my daughter spent time at Box Hill swimming pool and joining the library. Anything that did not cost too much money! It was expensive during the week to catch a train because we were in Zone 2. My husband was offered a job in Melbourne but it was not on a contract so there was no security. He was then offered a job in Brisbane and a contract so at the end of the 3rd week we jumped on a plane and here we are. We managed to find accommodation for 17 nights at Upper Mount Gravatt East, if anyone wants the details please let me know. Hubby started work straight away and my daughter has started school - its a state school and already she has made lots of friends. I am immersing myself in the local school by helping out in the classroom and making sandwiches for the once a week tuckshop. After the long summer holiday I hope to find paid work. We have managed to rent a property at Upper Mount Gravatt and move this coming Monday. We have also bought a 2nd hand car which we have had for one day and it started to leak. We bought it from a dealer and they have just replaced 2 hoses. Fingers crossed it will be ok if not I will have to give them some bad publicity... Our lives have been hectic and it is not slowing down yet because we need furniture which is not being shipped. Our container has been diverted from Melbourne to Brisbane for an extra cost. I now realise that I have far too many jumpers and coats due to arrive from the UK - it is a lot hotter up here. If anyone is doing anything similar then let me know and I will try to give you some advice. We are not living the dream yet but we are on the journey.

Hi again, It's good to hear that other families are in the same boat as us 'jobless'and 'homeless', got to have a sense of humour at times like this so they say - that's why I had to get some pills from the Doctor. Good news today, we have 3 weeks accommodation in Box Hill fortunately I love asian cooking. We are letting our house and yesterday the 'to let' sign went up which is quite weird. At the moment every day is busy. One of my priorities is ensuring my daughter has lots of fun over the summer holidays. Luckily my friends and family are taking her out for day trips whilst I spend time sorting out what is being shipped and what is being taken to the charity shops and sold. We have the shipping company arriving 26 september not long now, (PSS hope they are good). Good luck everyone - keep in touch Anthea x

Hi, Thanks Lynne. We are waiting confirmation about a unit in Box Hill that will give us somewhere to stay for a few weeks. Like most people it is quite difficult to find furnished accommodation from this end. Then it will depend on where my husband manages to secure a job. After some researching there appears to be some areas that we would not like to live - but that can sometimes just be a matter of different opinions! Are you in the UK or in Melbourne? We think you are in the UK if so where do you plan on heading and when? Anthea

Just woke up to your thread. Many thanks for your reassurance, it's always good to hear.

Hi, My husband's a label printer in Exeter and there is not much happening here. Luckily I have dual nationality (a long story) so I am his sponsor and he is positive he will find work...... We will check out the Victoria forum and thanks for the info.

Hello everyone - My husband, myself and 7 year daughter are emigrating to Melbourne October 12th. Our situation is a little different to some posts because we do not have jobs to go to. Quite a few people appear to have jobs already lined up so this is quite daunting for us. My husband is a flexographic printer and has been made redundant here in the UK. I work part time in a pre-school and when we are settled I will be looking for similar work. Having said that my husband will be looking immediately and him finding a job is a priority. We are letting our house here and have limited funds to get us settled. Does it all sound very crazy? We are both in our forties and feel that our life needs a big change and hopefully it will be for the best. :v_SPIN: