stevio

Hi there, We are a family of two adults, one teenager and one 3 year old just recently (last week) relocated to Brisbane and looking for rented accommodation. We viewed a nice property today at Shailer Park but are unsure about the area, does anyone have any views? Particularly on things to do for toddlers and teenagers, transport links into Brisbane (it seems a way out - is the traffic bad and are the transport links good?) is it a friendly community? Any comments appreciated! Thanks

Im currently 17 moving into Oz in late October on a permanent visa, i was wondering on an estimation on how hour driving lesson costs in Brisbane area about. Is it worth getting started on my driving lessons in the UK just to get familiar with the road and so i can save spending more on the same lessons in Australia. Thanks

Thanks, i am moving over to Brisbane in October and considering going into a tafe college instead of high school as it will be more suited to me.

Hi calNgary, Thanks for this info,I have already found a possible property on the back of your help. Stevio.

Hi Loopylu, Thanks for your reply,we are looking at short term until we both find suitable employment and pin down a definite area,we could end up living in North Brisbane so we are cautious of committing for too long. Stevio

Hi folks, Does anybody know of any properties (min 3 bed) in the south east of Brisbane that are available UNFURNISHED for a 3 month rental from the beginning of November? Big ask I know but no harm in trying! Thanks Stevio

Thanks a lot Pom Queen, will do. Cheers Stevio

Hi Wellypoint, We are arriving in Brisbane on the 31st October from the UK so any chance of meeting up for a coffee would be great. Good luck with your move Stevio.

Hi Keith and Linda, Thanks again for your reply. I've been it touch with a few of the workwear/ppe suppliers so I will go and knock on a few doors when we arrive! Thanks again.

Hi Milly71, We are also moving to Brisbane at the end of October from the UK and are in a similar position to yourselves,when I say we I mean my partner,Stepson and our daughter who will be three in November. If you want to meet up for a coffee that would be great and we can all be indecisive together!! Stevio

I have been looking into going into a tafe college and wondering if there was any entry requirements to getting into one, appart from the fees. Are there any spesific dates for college enrollment in Brisbane or are they different between each college? Thanks

Hi Folks, Has anybody got experience of shipping goods from the UK to Brisbane be they good or bad? We have had a few quotes and are wondering wether to look for cheaper marine insurance online or to do it through the shipping company? Thanks Stevio

We're on s189 permanent residency visas. He's not sure what he wants to do re study, he's quite interested in history and media but he really just wants to keep his options as wide as possible. I think he may have struggled with A levels here academically, but he would have put the work in and got some grades (C probably to give an idea) - but I worry whether the Oz equivalent last 2 years at school will be tough for him as assume the syllabus will be very different from the UK and he's had a year away from doing the more pressured academic stuff (his media course was more hands on, and he's enjoyed it, but it hasn't challenged him much). Does anyone know when enrollment is in Oz as worried that if we arrive in November and schools will close in Dec/Jan, we may be in limbo. Sorry if this is a bag of problems... it may be I'm worrying over nothing and just need to get there to see what#s what. I just don't want to be too late and for him to have to miss a full year at school. Thanks everyone for advice.

We're landing in Brisbane on 31 October and are hoping to spend a month looking around areas to get a rental property and jobs. Our dilemma is this, and we're not sure where to start! We have a 17 year old son, who didn't do great at his GCSE's but has worked hard at college and resat his basics (English) and done a diploma in media, passed with flying colours. He has a great attitude to his work. He wants to continue in education for a while yet, and we were thinking he could either do his last 2 years in high school in Oz or do something at a TAFE. However as we wont know where we are staying until the end of November I don't know how to approach the school/college thing. Will we be too late to enrol in Nov/Dec 2014? What do people advise re the highschool orTAFE route (my son is happy with both, and will work hard, but I don't want to put lots of pressure on him at the same time as emigrating and making new friends). Or is it worth picking say 6 areas and approaching the schools/TAFE's directly now whilst we still have a bit of time, even though we can't visit them yet and we don't have an address so may not be in their ctachment zone! It seems like a catch 22 situation...any help or suggestions would be really appreciated. We can't afford private school fees.

Thanks again Keith,sorry for the late reply...just so busy at the moment. After being in external sales for 23 years (Corporate/Industrial workwear & PPE) I completely changed my role after being made redundant and currently work in the funeral Industry! I will however be trying to get back into my previous role once in Brisbane so If you know of anybody looking for a experienced external Salesman give me a shout. My partner Wendy is a Chartered Accountant......hey Keith its been hot in Leeds and Oldham for nearly four weeks, what a summer!

Can anyone answer how quick is it to enroll in school or does it depend on the school/college? We are arriving in November and need to find my son (17 yrs) a school or college before February, but we don't know what area we are staying in yet (other than 'Brisbane') so we were hoping to have a look round when we arrived. Just concerned it may be too late by then.

Thanks for this information PerthBlue. My daughter works for Hoover/Candy here in the UK so we can get great prices....however if we can purchase them in Oz and save on shipping costs it may be worth looking at. Where do you recommend to purchase white goods in Oz? Cheers Stevio

Hi Keith, Thanks again for your help. Steve

Hi Folks Does anybody know whether rental properties are designed to accommodate our white goods that we are looking to bring with us from the UK? By this I mean washing machine,tumble drier,free standing fridge freezer etc or are the kitchens designed for integrated appliances? Thanks Stevio

Thanks Jimmy P, We are currently looking at this option on the back of your advise. Good luck to you.

Great, Thanks for your help and best wishes......isn't it scary and exciting in equal measure!

Thanks for this, We suspected it would be a bit of a pain but always better to have it confirmed.

Cheers Skippy1 That is what I had been told,thanks for confirming this.

Thanks Alaska, We will certainly have a good look at this website.

I looked at Ferny Hills after your post so thanks for that. My stepdaughter was looking at North Lakes and although the properties look nice I have heard that it is full of brits! Being a brit myself I don't have a problem with that although I would love to integrate with Australians and experience different cultures. So we are really open to ideas of nice areas to live be it north or south.