Nicky n Joe Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 We've got our hands on the visa at last and the one-way flights (scary thought!) are booked for Jan 2nd 2013. Would love to chat to anyone in a similar situation. Myself, my husband and our 7 month old daughter are making the big move. Just trying to decide which suburb to rent then buy in; there's so many to choose from! People have recommended North Lakes and Warner; the houses look fantastic, but we've been put off by posts saying it's "Brit central". Anyone got first-hand experience of living there?? Nicky x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Hi welcome to the forum and congratulations on the visa. The biggest 'tip' i could give you ,is to book arrival accommodation now as you will land right in the middle of the xmas/ summer/ school holidays so furnished / holiday accommodation will be hard to secure and you will need some for around 3 to 4 weeks. Good Luck with everything , Brisbane is a great place Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenon4017 Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 +1 for the tip about immediate temp accom. Ringing round on day one for a hotel from the airport with a 1 year old would not be my idea of fun. An Aussie friend of ours lives in North Lakes. It has lots of facilities, and is nicely planned, and of course none of the houses are more than 15 years old. She likens it to living in the Truman Show. Best thing is to get here and drive around a few suburbs to see what you like. Personally I think the biggest criteria when selecting a suburb is how will you get to work from there. Once you know where you'll work, there are always good and bad suburbs nearby. If you do it the other way round then you need to be quite flexible about what kind of work you'll do. The advantage is that your child is not school age, so you could move easier than someone with kids at school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky n Joe Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 Thanks both, that's v helpful. We're lucky in that we've been offered some acommodation by someone we know who lives in Samford, so we haven't got to make other arrangements for the first 3 weeks or so. I did do a lot of searching before we got the offer and you're right, the short-term lets seem to expensive and pretty hard to find. We're hoping that we can find somewhere to rent for the next 6 months or so within that time. The Truman show did pass through my mind when I was looking at photos of the pristine houses and gardens, that or Wisteria Lane! I think, as you say, it's best to have a drive round when we get there toget a true feel of these places. We'd really live to set up some viewings for the first week we're there though, so would be good to have a list of suburbs we can start with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenon4017 Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Glad to see you've got things in grip for when you first arrive. That's a major hurdle taken care of. As for a long term rental, there isn't much you can do except peruse the real estate listing trying to get a feel for what you might like. I don't know of anyone who has actually got a rental before being here. It may even be illegal to rent out to someone who hasn't been sighted by the agent, so to speak. But once here the system is pretty clear. Empty rentals are advertised, they have a viewing and everyone troops along. I'm sure others have described the experience more fully. Anyway, you don't have to book in advance or anything; you just rock up and have a look. You're right to set this up for when you come though. We found it's best to check out one suburb per day. Even then, it's surprising how quickly the days go by, since you've got other things to take care of too, like car, medicare etc. Most viewings are on Saturday, and it can take about 2-3 days before you get a reply from your application, so you're back round to Wednesday before you know if you have to keep looking. But I wouldn't worry too much, if there's just the three of you then I guess you can be quite flexible about where you live/what kind of house. Where I live there are lots of 3 bedroom houses for rent, because they're too small for families with >2 kids, but too big for singlies. The standards vary though, but I'll leave to to discover that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadcon Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 My wife and I and 7 month old son will be heading to Brisbane in Feb 2013 also. We are seriously looking at getting a Relocation agent to sort out a rental for us before we go. They do seem to be pricey but if they can save you all of the hard work of getting a rental and means you can get off the plane and go straight to your new house it sounds worth it. They consult with you about what you want in a property and then view a few places for you and report back with pictures/videos etc and because they are on the ground over there they can have the rental sorted before you even get there included rented furniture (if your waiting on your container) and utillities etc A rough price would be some where between $1000 to $1700 from what im seeing so far but you can also factor in that you wont be paying the high prices for short term rentals aswell. We're still trying to make our minds up is it worth it. Anything that can reduce the stress even if your paying for it has to be worth considering :biggrin: We have decided to go with Singapore airlines and are booking a seperate seat for our toddler. The thoughts of him sitting on our laps for 24 hours would be tough and also when you have an extra seat you will also get another 40kg baggage allowance (extra 20 per person because of permanent residency visa). Another tip a friend of mine mentioned that if your going to be commuting by train in Brisbane you might want to consider a suburb that is close to one of the train junctions which will most llikely mean less swapping of trains to get from one place to another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola57 Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Hi, we will be moving to mango hill (right next to north lakes but the houses are a little older and it's not quite as full.of brits) myself, my fiance Dan our daughter 2 in October and baby number 2 due in September will be.moving either December/January.... We can organise a play date when we are all settled? Spent 6 months in mango hill already, North lakes is quite full.of brits but it's not necessarily a bad thing.. The setting makes everyone happier so you dont see the.miserable.brits you.do here.. The houses are.impressive.in my opinion, new builds some are quite close together but when you compare it.to a semi or a terrace here you realise it's not bad.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky n Joe Posted August 9, 2012 Author Share Posted August 9, 2012 Thanks for the info, v useful, especially re the open viewings on the rental properties. We're hoping to stretch to a 4-bed property, if we can manage it, as we're expecting quite a few visitors from the uk over the following few months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenon4017 Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 About a relocation agent; are you sure that they can arrange a rental contract without you actually being here? I'm not 100% sure, but I thought that it was actually illegal to commit to a rental contract unless the agent/landlord has seen the renter. From my own expereince here, I'd be very surprised if a landlord would rent out to someone without having first verified who they are, what they do for a living, what sort of resources they have to pay for the place etc. And would _you_ want to take on a contract without having actually seen the place first? The market at the moment is quite illiquid, so agents and landlords are having to search a bit more for tenants. Obviously it depends on where you are, but the stories of 20+ families queueing for a viewing have seemed to all but disappeared. I don't know how much a relocation agent charges, but is it really less than the extra you'd pay for living in temprary accom for a few weeks? But best of luck, I'd be interested to hear how this pans out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky n Joe Posted August 9, 2012 Author Share Posted August 9, 2012 Thanks Nicola, Yep, definitely set up a play date when we're all there. You're brave travelling with a 3/4 month old! Do you live back in the UK currently? How old was your oldest child when you first flew to Oz? The new builds do look really big in the pics, I like the idea of the open plan living and kitchen areas, my husband's already talking about getting a 50" telly to go in it! Hi, we will be moving to mango hill (right next to north lakes but the houses are a little older and it's not quite as full.of brits) myself, my fiance Dan our daughter 2 in October and baby number 2 due in September will be.moving either December/January.... We can organise a play date when we are all settled? Spent 6 months in mango hill already, North lakes is quite full.of brits but it's not necessarily a bad thing.. The setting makes everyone happier so you dont see the.miserable.brits you.do here.. The houses are.impressive.in my opinion, new builds some are quite close together but when you compare it.to a semi or a terrace here you realise it's not bad.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky n Joe Posted August 9, 2012 Author Share Posted August 9, 2012 Thanks bigbadcon - Relocation agent wasn't something we'd thought of. When you get some prices for the service, I'd be interested to know how much it comes out at. We're flying with Cathay Pacific; had a bit of a nightmare trying to sort a migration fare and the extra baggage allowance, but it all worked out OK in the end. We're not stretching to an extra seat for our daughter, so it'll be pass the parcel for the duration! I asked re a bassinet, but was told they're only suitable for babies 6 months and under and our daughter will be a year old. My wife and I and 7 month old son will be heading to Brisbane in Feb 2013 also. We are seriously looking at getting a Relocation agent to sort out a rental for us before we go. They do seem to be pricey but if they can save you all of the hard work of getting a rental and means you can get off the plane and go straight to your new house it sounds worth it. They consult with you about what you want in a property and then view a few places for you and report back with pictures/videos etc and because they are on the ground over there they can have the rental sorted before you even get there included rented furniture (if your waiting on your container) and utillities etc A rough price would be some where between $1000 to $1700 from what im seeing so far but you can also factor in that you wont be paying the high prices for short term rentals aswell. We're still trying to make our minds up is it worth it. Anything that can reduce the stress even if your paying for it has to be worth considering :biggrin: We have decided to go with Singapore airlines and are booking a seperate seat for our toddler. The thoughts of him sitting on our laps for 24 hours would be tough and also when you have an extra seat you will also get another 40kg baggage allowance (extra 20 per person because of permanent residency visa). Another tip a friend of mine mentioned that if your going to be commuting by train in Brisbane you might want to consider a suburb that is close to one of the train junctions which will most llikely mean less swapping of trains to get from one place to another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadcon Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Have a read of this post about someone who used a relocation agent... http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/queensland/145487-anyone-moving-brisbane-around-end-summer-2013-a-6.html#post1935894077 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky n Joe Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 That's a useful link, thanks. Particularly the recommendation re the insurer, instead of going with the one from the shipping agent. We're in the process of booking the agent and I'll definitely get another insurance quote to compare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola57 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Hi, we travelled pre-kids and responsibilties spent 6 months living with the parents in law in brisbane and then went to NZ for 6 months..then came back in 2009 and grew up (a little). We have a four bed house on mango hill - very generous parents in law sorting it out for us as we speak, they own a town house in a complex in north lakes which they rent out currently, but the space of an open plan house is something great - just means no way of stopping the kids getting into the kitchen but can deal with that. think travelling with the baby will be fine - hoping he/she sleeps a lot, its the 2 year old i more worried about she isnt a sit down watch a film kind of toddler so think we will be doing a lot of running up and down the plane - we are aiming for a boxing day flight hoping it will be quite quiet. we still dont have our visas - as I have to wait to have my medical until after the baby born but less than 4 weeks to go now so should all be sorted by christmas! Read that you are flying cathay pacfiic - all i would recommended is bring food on the plane with you particualar for your daughter - Dan flew with them 2 years ago and said the foos is quite asian authentic - fine if you like that kind of food, but i would take my own for her. Think we are going to fly emirates, the 2 year old gets a seat so she gets full baggage - we currently selling everything and buying it all when we get there -we dont need white good or furniture (very generous MIL plus when we where there we worked at super Amart - a cheapish furniture store - similair to MFI was here - so we will get some cheeky discounts) . Just a side note if anyone every goes to Super Amart - always ask if thats the best price - the sales people work on commision and can easily knock a bit off for you if its over $200. I know i am waffling a bit now - but I am going to be buying lots of kids clothes before we go - somethings tend to be quite expensive in australia for quality...i hit the last NEXT sale hard - and hoping to do the same if theres another one before we go. Right thats enough waffling from me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelaa83 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Hi Nicky Me my husband and my son, who will be a year and a half are planning our trip to brisbane to validate our visas at the end of feb. We would love to meet up with you once we are out there and see how your settling in and possibly pick your brains for any tips. Our trip is mostly a research trip to have a look at suburbs etc. Good luck with your move and all the planning. I'm sure everything will go to plan. Love Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky n Joe Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 Hi Nicola, Thanks for the tip re Super Amart, I had a look on their website and things don't look too bad price-wise. I think I'll take your advise re chilrens clother, if that's the case. We're not flying till Jan 2nd, so I should be able to hit the Next boxing day sale before we go (I'm not queuing at 4am in the morning tho!). You're v lucky that you've got your in-laws out their doing some organising for you. Does Mango Hill have a "centre"? I'm keen to move somewhere that's got a bit of a shopping centre and a few places to eat out. Some of the suburbs we've looked at look like great houses, but then seem to have a couple of stores, a petrol station and 1 bar and nothing else. How long does it take for you to get into CBD from there? I'll have to get my daughter Gabriella a few curries in the coming months to ensure she's ready for the aeroplane food (don't fancy the nappies after that!). I should be able to take enough food for her, she's not too fussy at the moment, so hopefully she won't change. Speak soon Nicky Hi, we travelled pre-kids and responsibilties spent 6 months living with the parents in law in brisbane and then went to NZ for 6 months..then came back in 2009 and grew up (a little). We have a four bed house on mango hill - very generous parents in law sorting it out for us as we speak, they own a town house in a complex in north lakes which they rent out currently, but the space of an open plan house is something great - just means no way of stopping the kids getting into the kitchen but can deal with that. think travelling with the baby will be fine - hoping he/she sleeps a lot, its the 2 year old i more worried about she isnt a sit down watch a film kind of toddler so think we will be doing a lot of running up and down the plane - we are aiming for a boxing day flight hoping it will be quite quiet. we still dont have our visas - as I have to wait to have my medical until after the baby born but less than 4 weeks to go now so should all be sorted by christmas! Read that you are flying cathay pacfiic - all i would recommended is bring food on the plane with you particualar for your daughter - Dan flew with them 2 years ago and said the foos is quite asian authentic - fine if you like that kind of food, but i would take my own for her. Think we are going to fly emirates, the 2 year old gets a seat so she gets full baggage - we currently selling everything and buying it all when we get there -we dont need white good or furniture (very generous MIL plus when we where there we worked at super Amart - a cheapish furniture store - similair to MFI was here - so we will get some cheeky discounts) . Just a side note if anyone every goes to Super Amart - always ask if thats the best price - the sales people work on commision and can easily knock a bit off for you if its over $200. I know i am waffling a bit now - but I am going to be buying lots of kids clothes before we go - somethings tend to be quite expensive in australia for quality...i hit the last NEXT sale hard - and hoping to do the same if theres another one before we go. Right thats enough waffling from me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky n Joe Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 Hi Angela, Thanks for your nice post. Would be great to hook up once you're out there. When are you planning to make the actual move over there? Nicky Hi Nicky Me my husband and my son, who will be a year and a half are planning our trip to brisbane to validate our visas at the end of feb. We would love to meet up with you once we are out there and see how your settling in and possibly pick your brains for any tips. Our trip is mostly a research trip to have a look at suburbs etc. Good luck with your move and all the planning. I'm sure everything will go to plan. Love Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky n Joe Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 On a slightly different subject, can anybody send me a link to a website that shows the Brisbane train timetables and station locations please? Re choosing a suburb, we're keen to minimise the commute to cbd as much as possible, but I've had trouble finding a definitive website with all the routes etc on. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelaa83 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 We are planning for feb 2015, Seems ages away but I hope it will fly in. We need to save some money first so we can buy a nice home and pay off our debt. Do you guys have jobs out there already? It seems very daunting leaving a well-paid job here to go into the unknown, iykwim? x Hi Angela,Thanks for your nice post. Would be great to hook up once you're out there. When are you planning to make the actual move over there? Nicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadcon Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 On a slightly different subject, can anybody send me a link to a website that shows the Brisbane train timetables and station locations please? Re choosing a suburb, we're keen to minimise the commute to cbd as much as possible, but I've had trouble finding a definitive website with all the routes etc on. Cheers Heres a link to the train map of brisbane which shows where all of the stations/junctions are, not sure about timetables though.. http://www.railmaps.com.au/brisbane.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenon4017 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Heres a link to the train map of brisbane which shows where all of the stations/junctions are, not sure about timetables though.. http://www.railmaps.com.au/brisbane.htm http://translink.com.au/ You should be able to get to both train and bus timetables from there. When you get here, buy a Go card, which will get you cheaper fares. It's all on the site. and while we're on the subject of favourite links, here is a link to hi-res sat photos, to be able to see your house from above: https://www.nearmap.com/welcome-new. Also see if your neighbours got a pool. "Watch out for donuts and fishtails" and if you want to see how much houses were actually sold for: http://www.onthehouse.com.au Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola57 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Hi Nicola,Thanks for the tip re Super Amart, I had a look on their website and things don't look too bad price-wise. I think I'll take your advise re chilrens clother, if that's the case. We're not flying till Jan 2nd, so I should be able to hit the Next boxing day sale before we go (I'm not queuing at 4am in the morning tho!). You're v lucky that you've got your in-laws out their doing some organising for you. Does Mango Hill have a "centre"? I'm keen to move somewhere that's got a bit of a shopping centre and a few places to eat out. Some of the suburbs we've looked at look like great houses, but then seem to have a couple of stores, a petrol station and 1 bar and nothing else. How long does it take for you to get into CBD from there? I'll have to get my daughter Gabriella a few curries in the coming months to ensure she's ready for the aeroplane food (don't fancy the nappies after that!). I should be able to take enough food for her, she's not too fussy at the moment, so hopefully she won't change. Speak soon Nicky Hi, mango hill has a few shops in terms of on the side of the main roads, it has like petrol station and a few food outlets e..g pizza hut.. but north lakes has a westfield (major shopping mall) and thats like 2 minutes drive away really. They are also looking at building a rail track going through mango hill in the next couple of years to make the commute to CBD easier, but at the moment the majority of people in that area will drive to petrie (about ten mins away) park the car at the station and get the train there. To drive in straight you are probably talking 45-1hr in traffic Sophia (nearly 2) already has her name down at one of the schools near mango hill (st benedicts if you want to google it) but there is another new school there called mango hill school i think.,.. North lakes has a big state school - my fiance's cousins all go to this one and have had no complaints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadcon Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 We are hitting the sales hard now because all of the summer range is coming to an end and the shops are looking to clear them out. In fact most shops have already got rid of their summer ranges already. You wont find any summery clothes before you leave because its going to be winter here. We bought loads of boys shorts and tshirts from 1 until 3 years old in the debenhams sale. Im hoping it will save us a lot of money in Australia... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markanstis Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Hi everyone, thought I'd say hi as we are planning to move over in 12 months, I'm English and my wife is a kiwi, we currently live in New Zealand, we're a young family, I'm Mark 30, my wife Amanda 25, we have a little girl kaitlyn 5, and two boys, Corbyn 4 and Harrison 2. We have been over to Brisbane twice and we will be heading to south side Brisbane when we move over, we love it there, we're hopeing to head to the calamvale area. Anyway, hi to you guys and good luck :em3600: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsb21 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Hi All My husband flys to brisbane for a job interview in newstead next week! really hoping he gets it. This will be the 4th interview in the process the first with the company in OZ. If all goes well I think he/we will be heading out at the beginning on 2013!! Neither of us have been to OZ before we have been doing lots of research and are very excited about the potintal move. Just wanted to say hi. Do any of you know the best way to use a couple of days in Brisbane to help (fingerscrossed) with the move across. He won't have a car so its very limited. Any thoughts would be gratefully receivied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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