Fresh Arrivals!

[Jonord1]

Hi all,

 

My wife, two children ( coming up three years old and one year old) and I are moving to Canberra. We arrive on 5th August. We have a month long let initially in Lyneham. We are originally from just outside Durham. We cant wait to get there.

 

Would love to meet people similar to us when we arrive. PM me for our contact details. Thanks.

[Sammy1]

Have fun in Oz.

 

It is very very cold there right now, so wrap up warm.

[Guest Ptp113]

Have fun in Oz.

 

It is very very cold there right now, so wrap up warm.

 

15C isn't cold. Add to that the sun shines nearly all day, every day. Second highest sunshine per day of all the capital cities.

[Slean Wolfhead]

It's 9 degrees at 9pm tonight, up to 17 tomorrow and sunny.

So it's not baking hot, but that's hardly a cold winter for folks from Durham ?

[Guest Ptp113]

It's 9 degrees at 9pm tonight, up to 17 tomorrow and sunny.

So it's not baking hot, but that's hardly a cold winter for folks from Durham ?

 

Ahh but heaps of snow last week on the Brindies. Great drive to Piccadily Circus for some fun

[Jonord1]

Dead right Slean wolfhead - at nine degrees in the north east, we're almost into summer attire!

[Nealmason1986]

Hi,

 

Myself and my Girlfriend Anna arrived in canberra 3 weeks ago from Bolton.

 

It is cold. Some nights its been hitting 0 but it will warm up soon.

 

We are both 27 y/o.

 

We have probably been through what you are going to experience when you get here.

 

Nightmares with phones etc.

 

My advice. Go to Optus. Get the pre paid deal and you free minutes you can call the uk landline and mobiles.

 

Get in touch.

[ABL275]

Hi all,

 

My wife, two children ( coming up three years old and one year old) and I are moving to Canberra. We arrive on 5th August. We have a month long let initially in Lyneham. We are originally from just outside Durham. We cant wait to get there.

 

Would love to meet people similar to us when we arrive. PM me for our contact details. Thanks.

 

Hi Guys - hope you have/had a great flight (mine was delayed in Bangkok after a volcano erupted in Chile so it toom 44 hrs all told!) and manage to find your way to your new home ASAP.

 

Don't know if you've got friends here but the first few days might be quite miserable (no furniture or just rented stuff and the sudden change of going from a British summer with long warm-ish days to cold days where it's suddenly dark at 6.00) but it gets warmer and the days get longer so stick with it.

 

A few thoughts for the first few days;

 

- for internet connections find a local library as they'll usually have free wi-fi and won't bregrudge you using it; they're warm too, unlike most Canberra houses in winter. Some coffee shops also have free wi-fi but you need to know which and I'm not familiar with Lyneham.

 

- Get an Australian mobile phone number ASAP as they are almost used as a form of ID by banks and others (sending transaction authorisation codes to your mobile is a popular form of identity validation). Telstra or Optus seem to have the best coverage, Virgin still seem to be rolling out their network.

 

- Get an Australian drivers license ASAP as they are obviously the other popular form of ID - used for all kinds - you can generally get one from a Canberra Connect office for a smallish fee simply by filling in the forms and presenting your UK license. Canberra Connect offices are local one-stop shops for all local government services and they're normally quite civilised by British standards and there's normally a 'concierge' on the way in who's there to direct you to the right forms/desks etc. Your nearest is probably in Dickson Motor Registry, 13 - 15 Challis Street, just the other side of Northbourne Av from Lyneham so probably walking distance.

 

- buy a car soon as Canberra is designed for car drivers and the bus services can be poor (that said, in Lyneham you're at least close to the main trunk routes). The main dealerships are all clustered around Phillip (Woden), Belconnen and Fishwyck but at weekend people also advertise their cars by leaving them on the grass at the corners of main roads or entrances to their suburb.

 

- Make use of all the museums around town if you've got time to kill as they're mostly free, warm and tend have some of the best views and coffee shops in town.

 

 

So good luck and remember it gets much better in summer!

[Nealmason1986]

I couldn't of put it better myself.

 

It's hard for the first week or so.

 

We are nearly starting our 3rd week. Desperate for a car but if you use busses get a my trip card. Well cheaper.

 

Get medicare cards asap as again this is a form of ID here.

 

Not hard to do either.

 

Cafes are great for Internet.

 

Don't try to get a contract phone because it won't happen until you have pay cheques.

 

Go to Optus. The pre pay deals are better especially for contacting the UK. There pre paid mobile Internet dongle is ok as well.

[Guest Ptp113]

Hi Guys - hope you have/had a great flight (mine was delayed in Bangkok after a volcano erupted in Chile so it toom 44 hrs all told!) and manage to find your way to your new home ASAP.

 

Don't know if you've got friends here but the first few days might be quite miserable (no furniture or just rented stuff and the sudden change of going from a British summer with long warm-ish days to cold days where it's suddenly dark at 6.00) but it gets warmer and the days get longer so stick with it.

 

A few thoughts for the first few days;

 

- for internet connections find a local library as they'll usually have free wi-fi and won't bregrudge you using it; they're warm too, unlike most Canberra houses in winter. Some coffee shops also have free wi-fi but you need to know which and I'm not familiar with Lyneham.

 

- Get an Australian mobile phone number ASAP as they are almost used as a form of ID by banks and others (sending transaction authorisation codes to your mobile is a popular form of identity validation). Telstra or Optus seem to have the best coverage, Virgin still seem to be rolling out their network.

 

- Get an Australian drivers license ASAP as they are obviously the other popular form of ID - used for all kinds - you can generally get one from a Canberra Connect office for a smallish fee simply by filling in the forms and presenting your UK license. Canberra Connect offices are local one-stop shops for all local government services and they're normally quite civilised by British standards and there's normally a 'concierge' on the way in who's there to direct you to the right forms/desks etc. Your nearest is probably in Dickson Motor Registry, 13 - 15 Challis Street, just the other side of Northbourne Av from Lyneham so probably walking distance.

 

- buy a car soon as Canberra is designed for car drivers and the bus services can be poor (that said, in Lyneham you're at least close to the main trunk routes). The main dealerships are all clustered around Phillip (Woden), Belconnen and Fishwyck but at weekend people also advertise their cars by leaving them on the grass at the corners of main roads or entrances to their suburb.

 

- Make use of all the museums around town if you've got time to kill as they're mostly free, warm and tend have some of the best views and coffee shops in town.

 

 

So good luck and remember it gets much better in summer!

Better here in winter to be honest. Drove to Bulls Head today, snowing when I got there. The ACT has the best and most varied terrain in the country, and I saw a fair bit today. To many tourists, but it can't be helped

[sunniecat]

the only other thing I would say is not to be scared at how fast money may initially seem to vanish from your bank account - once you're on a Canberra wage, it will all settle out, but it can seem pretty terrifying to start with once you've shelled out a house deposit, bought a car, got your phones, paid for the new driving license (can cost up to $150 depending how long it's valid for) and the myriad of other start-up costs that seem to show up out of nowhere.

 

Hope it all goes well!

[Nealmason1986]

the only other thing I would say is not to be scared at how fast money may initially seem to vanish from your bank account - once you're on a Canberra wage, it will all settle out, but it can seem pretty terrifying to start with once you've shelled out a house deposit, bought a car, got your phones, paid for the new driving license (can cost up to $150 depending how long it's valid for) and the myriad of other start-up costs that seem to show up out of nowhere.

 

Hope it all goes well!

 

I couldnt agree more with this comment.

 

We tried to only convert a modest 7.5k English pounds to start with while the exchange rate picks up before we change the rest.

 

This got us around $12,500 ish dollars and i think we will be lucky to have $2000 in the accounts now.

 

We are 3 weeks in and after paying high rental prices for a 6 week fully furnished apartment while we wait for our shipping from the UK. Two weeks rent and a bond on a long term house which we move to in 3 weeks. Essentials, foods and meals out. A new laptop (the one we bought with us broke doh) and just general living costs we have spent over $10k and it feels like loads.

 

Luckily we have started work now and the $ will be rolling in soon and i am pretty sure it will level off when the money because relevant to our spending habbits.

[ABL275]

Fair comment but I was thinking of someone arriving from where its currently 35c with 16 hrs of daylight a day and finding themselves in Canberra where it's about 15c with only 8-9 hrs of daylight.

 

Having done the switch myself at this time of year I was surprised myself at just how depressing it was, must mess up some deep seated part of your brain that doesn't like overnight seasonal change!

[janlo]

Hi Guys - hope you have/had a great flight (mine was delayed in Bangkok after a volcano erupted in Chile so it toom 44 hrs all told!) and manage to find your way to your new home ASAP.

 

Don't know if you've got friends here but the first few days might be quite miserable (no furniture or just rented stuff and the sudden change of going from a British summer with long warm-ish days to cold days where it's suddenly dark at 6.00) but it gets warmer and the days get longer so stick with it.

 

A few thoughts for the first few days;

 

- for internet connections find a local library as they'll usually have free wi-fi and won't bregrudge you using it; they're warm too, unlike most Canberra houses in winter. Some coffee shops also have free wi-fi but you need to know which and I'm not familiar with Lyneham.

 

- Get an Australian mobile phone number ASAP as they are almost used as a form of ID by banks and others (sending transaction authorisation codes to your mobile is a popular form of identity validation). Telstra or Optus seem to have the best coverage, Virgin still seem to be rolling out their network.

 

- Get an Australian drivers license ASAP as they are obviously the other popular form of ID - used for all kinds - you can generally get one from a Canberra Connect office for a smallish fee simply by filling in the forms and presenting your UK license. Canberra Connect offices are local one-stop shops for all local government services and they're normally quite civilised by British standards and there's normally a 'concierge' on the way in who's there to direct you to the right forms/desks etc. Your nearest is probably in Dickson Motor Registry, 13 - 15 Challis Street, just the other side of Northbourne Av from Lyneham so probably walking distance.

 

- buy a car soon as Canberra is designed for car drivers and the bus services can be poor (that said, in Lyneham you're at least close to the main trunk routes). The main dealerships are all clustered around Phillip (Woden), Belconnen and Fishwyck but at weekend people also advertise their cars by leaving them on the grass at the corners of main roads or entrances to their suburb.

 

- Make use of all the museums around town if you've got time to kill as they're mostly free, warm and tend have some of the best views and coffee shops in town.

 

 

So good luck and remember it gets much better in summer!

 

what sort of museums and where r they ? Love that sort of stuff and coming to Canberra for a weekend break in sept.

[Maggie2012]

I couldnt agree more with this comment.

 

We tried to only convert a modest 7.5k English pounds to start with while the exchange rate picks up before we change the rest.

 

This got us around $12,500 ish dollars and i think we will be lucky to have $2000 in the accounts now.

 

We are 3 weeks in and after paying high rental prices for a 6 week fully furnished apartment while we wait for our shipping from the UK. Two weeks rent and a bond on a long term house which we move to in 3 weeks. Essentials, foods and meals out. A new laptop (the one we bought with us broke doh) and just general living costs we have spent over $10k and it feels like loads.

 

Luckily we have started work now and the $ will be rolling in soon and i am pretty sure it will level off when the money because relevant to our spending habbits.

 

Hello, we are due to arrive the beginning of October with similar amount of money. The advantage is that it is only the two of us and we have looked short term rentals and honestly we were horrified. So now we are thinking the camper-van path in the beginning. if you do not mind and willing to share did you have work before you arrived and if not, what was it like to search for a job and which agency have you guys used. Also, how was it to find the house? Did you need to show that you are employed before you'd get the rental? I think for us the most worrying thing is to find that long term rental. Thanks

[grahamffc]

Hello, we are due to arrive the beginning of October with similar amount of money. The advantage is that it is only the two of us and we have looked short term rentals and honestly we were horrified. So now we are thinking the camper-van path in the beginning. if you do not mind and willing to share did you have work before you arrived and if not, what was it like to search for a job and which agency have you guys used. Also, how was it to find the house? Did you need to show that you are employed before you'd get the rental? I think for us the most worrying thing is to find that long term rental. Thanks

 

I arrived in Feb (just myself) and have spent $15,000 since then having only worked in a temp job for two months during that time, which has since finished.

[Nealmason1986]

Hello, we are due to arrive the beginning of October with similar amount of money. The advantage is that it is only the two of us and we have looked short term rentals and honestly we were horrified. So now we are thinking the camper-van path in the beginning. if you do not mind and willing to share did you have work before you arrived and if not, what was it like to search for a job and which agency have you guys used. Also, how was it to find the house? Did you need to show that you are employed before you'd get the rental? I think for us the most worrying thing is to find that long term rental. Thanks

 

 

Ok. So we looked at long term rentals and to be honest we spent to much. Where we are now is 125 a day but it's a fully furnished city centre apartment . We will be here 6 weeks and we got out place in waramanga.

 

Neither had jobs before we got here. There are a few websites like seek.com. We both got a job in a week and very well paid ones.

 

I was a cop in England and have gone into management at the moment. My girlfriend works with women who suffer from domestic violence.

 

Jobs I think are easy to get if your a brit.

 

For a long term rental I did prove employment but only my contract as in hadn't started. I put my police check, Pay slips from the uk, mortgage repayment from the uk etc together in a pack and was accepted in 24 hours.

 

Its expensive here but the exchange rate is good. We have been lavish with buying nesspresso machines and expensive apartments but you can do it on the cheap. When you start earning it all becomes relative.

 

I worried about a long term rental but the first we applied for we got and it's a spanking new town house.

[ABL275]

what sort of museums and where r they ? Love that sort of stuff and coming to Canberra for a weekend break in sept.

 

 

Hi- most of the museums are in or around the Parliamentary triangle; the area of Canberra between the new Parliament building and Lake Burley-Griffen and bounded by the roads to the two bridges across the lake; Kings Av and Commonwealth Av.

 

The old (http://moadoph.gov.au/) and new (http://www.aph.gov.au/) Parliament houses are both worth a visit as they are a great intro to Australia and its historic constitutional ties to Britain and as usual, both have great coffee shops. On King Edward Terrace/Parkes Place there's also the National Portrait Gallery (http://www.portrait.gov.au/) and National Gallery (http://nga.gov.au/Home/Default.cfm); neither would be a huge draw for kids but the National Gallery has a great outdoor sculptures garden and views across the lake.

 

Probably of more interest for kids is Questecon which (I think) was founded by CSIRO and is a big interactive science museum (you have to pay for this, see http://www.questacon.edu.au/) - visit while you've got time free mid-week as it can get packed during school holidays and weekends.

 

My 7-year old daughter actual really likes the National Archives (http://www.naa.gov.au/, just off Kings Av/Queen Victoria Terr) as they have an small interesting interactive display about Australian Federation, often have good visiting displays (currently there's one showing the original design drawings for Canberra complete with interactive iPads for visitors) and they also have a big 'Minority Report'-style bench to views records - you probably wouldn't think to spend more than a half an hour there but we've often clocked up two hours or more.

 

She's also a fan of the National Library (http://www.nla.gov.au/) which only has a small museum but has things like Captain Cook's log-book and early drawings and letters from the 1790's, and again, the outdoor coffee shop overlooks the lake and is a great place to dawdle in summer.

 

Outside of the Parliamentary triangle are probably the two best known museums; the Australian War Memorial (http://www.awm.gov.au/) and the National Museum (http://www.nma.gov.au/).

 

The Australian War Memorial presumably started as a memorial and the expanded into a museum and stands on ANZAC Parade in the shadow of Mount Ainslie directly opposite Parliament across the lake - think the Imperial War Museum London, but much more upto date and better kept. The memorial also hosts the dawn service on ANZAC day (25 Apr) and the subsequent parade)

 

The National Museum of Australia sits on Lawson Cres on a peninsula jutting out into the lake just west of the Commonwealth Bridge and is recognisable by the large orange arch that rises above it. When it opened it was criticised as being a bit of a hotch-potch of both indiginous and European settler histories without doing justice to either but it probably has the best views of town from it's new coffee shop and restaurant. They generally do fun things for kids during the school holidays and have some good temporary exhibits.

 

All these are free entry (except Questecon) and most will have some sort of treasure hunt activity pack for the kids (or at least they will during holidays) and do special kids events during holidays.

 

Further afield there's the National Botanical Gardens (http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/, Clunies Ross St, just on the south-east side of Black Mountain - 'free' but you have to pay for car-parking) which is OK, but look out for the polite little notices warning you about the Eastern Brown snakes that also visit - the Eastern Brown is apparently the world's second most venomous land snake - but the restaurant is really nice (welcome to Australia!)

 

There's also the 'Gold Creek Tourist Resort' (http://www.gctr.com.au/index.php) on the Northern edge of town just off the Barton Highway. It's an odd collection of tourist business places such as the National Dinosaur Museum (with mostly plastic dinosaurs) as well as it's own English Pub and minature English village - worth a visit just to see what you think of it.

 

Two other free places that you'll need a car to visit; both would only take about half an hour to do but are in great locations so coffee, cake and general lounging are a must - the Stromlo Observatory (http://scopemountstromlo.com.au/observatory.php) - about 15 minutes from central Canberra about to the west along the Cotter Road - which currently also has an exhibition about the 2003 fire that hit the west side of Canberra and burned out much of the original observatory site.

 

The second is the Tidbinbilla Deep Space Tracking Station (http://www.cdscc.nasa.gov/) which is a good 25-35 minute drive out to the west of town (depending on which way you go); it only has a small little museum but is a nice destination for a drive and is a great place to have a coffee and just stare at those huge tracking dishes. If you go that way from Weston Creek along the Cotter Road and Paddy's River Road you'll also pass through the various Cotter Dam/Causarina Sands beauty spots (picnic tables and public BBQs beside loops in the river) and the Tibdinbilla Nature Reserve (http://www.tidbinbilla.com.au/ - entrance fee for cars).

 

I'm sure everyone else will have their own views, but hopefully this will be enough to get you started, have a great time.

[Maggie2012]

Ok. So we looked at long term rentals and to be honest we spent to much. Where we are now is 125 a day but it's a fully furnished city centre apartment . We will be here 6 weeks and we got out place in waramanga.

 

Neither had jobs before we got here. There are a few websites like seek.com. We both got a job in a week and very well paid ones.

 

I was a cop in England and have gone into management at the moment. My girlfriend works with women who suffer from domestic violence.

 

Jobs I think are easy to get if your a brit.

 

For a long term rental I did prove employment but only my contract as in hadn't started. I put my police check, Pay slips from the uk, mortgage repayment from the uk etc together in a pack and was accepted in 24 hours.

 

Its expensive here but the exchange rate is good. We have been lavish with buying nesspresso machines and expensive apartments but you can do it on the cheap. When you start earning it all becomes relative.

 

I worried about a long term rental but the first we applied for we got and it's a spanking new town house.

 

or you just the luckiest man on earth :-) I hope it won't be hard for us to find jobs. Would you say there are plentiful opportunities at the moment? And would you recommend an employment agency (if you have used one) and a real estate agent? Sorry for asking too much, just so many worries....

[Nealmason1986]

There are loads of real estate agents. Best to use allhomes for that.

 

We only used seek.com.au there are loads of jobs on there. I saw about 8 I could apply for this week.

 

Seems to be plenty on offer.

[Maggie2012]

There are loads of real estate agents. Best to use allhomes for that.

 

We only used seek.com.au there are loads of jobs on there. I saw about 8 I could apply for this week.

 

Seems to be plenty on offer.

 

well, fingers crossed. otherwise how are you liking it?

[Nealmason1986]

I love it here. I think some home sickness will kick in soon but our shipping is only a maximum of 4 weeks away and when we have our own stuff here it will feel more like home.

 

I think the fact i have missed a summer is also making it more difficult but i am sure the canberra weather will pick up soon and make me happy again.

 

I love it here and i love how clean the place is and the fact its not as busy as places like manchester and people dont always seem in a rush.

 

I feel happy here and the moment but i still dont know if i will be in canberra after my 2 years or move to somewhere like perth we will have to see.

[Peach]

I think the fact i have missed a summer is also making it more difficult but i am sure the canberra weather will pick up soon and make me happy again.

 

That was the hardest thing for me; we left the UK in spring (after a long cold snowy winter) to arrive in Canberra just as the weather had turned for the worse and the clocks had gone back in 2011. The mercury should start hitting the low 20s before the end of Sept and it'll stay that way (apart from some overnight frosts) until May.

[Nealmason1986]

Thats good to know Peach.

 

Having a 10 month of crap weather between the UK autumn to canberras winter.

 

But i cant wait for some sun as it will be much better once its here and it will be warmer for longer then the UK

 

Bonus

[Maggie2012]

Thats good to know Peach.

 

Having a 10 month of crap weather between the UK autumn to canberras winter.

 

But i cant wait for some sun as it will be much better once its here and it will be warmer for longer then the UK

 

Bonus

 

Well, tat how it feels for us at home. We live near Peterborough in East Anglia and it is many times overcast. Summer? Well, yes here are a few days when the temps are at low twenties but two days in a row this week we are only getting 17 C during the day and overnight it drops down to 8-9.

 

I hope you love Canberra. I hope we'll like it too once living there.