Guest hoffer Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 So since landing in Brisbane on the 7th of January I am not sure if I have posted on here and ive not really been interested in coming on the site until this morning. I get into work have my morning icebreak and decide to have a look on here and see what everyone is upto. Surprise my first post I read is one of negativity. So on that I thought it would be a good idea to write something so that people who have yet to make the move can get another (of the many on here) balanced view. We are on a 457 visa but I am about to start the process of converting to PR as I can not see us going back to the UK. So we left the UK on the 31st of December and spent a few days in Hong kong before landing in Brisbane on the 7th of January. This lead to almost a month of stressing about schools for my daughter, housing for all of us and all the other stuff you need to set up cars etc etc. There is no getting round this bit its very expensive and as you do not really know the system yet its very easy to overpay for things and to spend a small fortune. To give you an idea we spent $50k in our first two months although this involved buying two cars etc etc. So we finally settled on an area to live in beautiful queensland having initialy been decided on Sanctuary Cove the quality of the state schooling and distance from Brisbane CBD put us off so decided on Manly. We have an old 1970s house which although not what we would choose if there were more options at our price point and criteria ($900 per week). We do however have the most spectacular views of the bayside and straddy and whenever I feel even the little bit down a beer/bbq on one of the balconies soon fixes it. Schools are different over here. We have got my daughter into a great catholic primary school and I guess it would be considered private as we do pay but its only $1000 a term. The issue with the schools is as your new you have to go and buy everything so thing $650 for uniform and almost $500 on stationary books etc etc. We have seen other parents come over and push for their children to be put in the same year as they left in the UK and when my daughters first homework came back as learning to letter words I could see why but we were more concerned on my daughter fitting in. I should not have been concerned she is thriving here. In the UK she was very emotional and shy here she jumps straight into stuff without batting an eyelid. If you are coming to OZ for the benefit of your children in our experience you will not regret it if you get their school right. So onto my wife. Now this is also where I have seen other people go home as my wife is a stay at home mum you would expect homesickness etc. But no she has made some really good friends already and keeps busy with free Zumba and yoga classes outdoors on the bay. She does not want to go home but I think part of that is she has thrown herself into life here. Now onto me. Work wise I set up a small IT company and work wise its going well. If you have half a brain and are prepared to work hard you can gain a reputation very quickly in Brisbane and I am using this to my advantage. I am not ashamed to admit in the UK as my career was allways a priority that I only saw my family at weekends. Here I spend much more time with my daughter and I am benefiting from it as well as she is. Negatives are that im struggling to make friends my own age (33) ive got a good mate that I new from when I was in the UK and a couple of guys I network with that are nice but compared to the UK I am a little isolated. This wont deter me though as my girls are thriving and its only a matter of time I hope. Money – Look there is no getting round that if you compare the costs here with the UK it seems expensive mushrooms are scary money when you convert it. So my recommendation is as soon as your earning $ stop converting and look at how much more you get to do here than you were doing in the UK. We used to love a takaway in the UK and have not had one here as you might as well eat in a restaurant and with every weekend feeling like a holiday make sure you make the most of it. So in summary (sounds a bit like a lecture): You will have ups and downs You will spend far more money setting up and establishing yourself than you thought you would. The police love a hidden speed trap(got caught this morning while one was hiding in a bush) It truly is beautiful here Family time is increased And ive just noticed how long this post is so your probably asleep by now but you get the gist. oh and i posted a pic of the view from my house. A view im not sure i could ever get bored with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Sounds like you have made a good start, just steer clear of those 'shrooms eh? :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy1982 Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Family time is increased Good that you are settled and enjoying your new life. We unfortunately have much less family time as all of ours are back in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Great post and good to see your settling in well. Once you have PR if you qualify for Centrelink you will recieve a payment towards school costs, its $400+ for primary children and $800+ for a high school student at the moment so does cover the cost of books etc and helps a lot. Please also feel free to pop a post on this thread - http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/news-chat-dilemmas/193833-positive-emigrating-australia-true-life-stories.html Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Lovely to read your post, these type of posts are never too long for me!!! I think you have exactly the right attitude that will make it successful. I have spoke to people on here that expect miracles to happen without putting the work in or getting out there. You seem realistic in your expectations and you are all embracing the Australian lifestyle. I have no doubt that your move will be successful. I look forward to hearing more updates in the future and I wish you all well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BestyBlue Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Such a lovely post to read. We fly to Brisbane in 2 weeks and cannot wait to get stuck in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Brisbane is awesome basically :wink: Hope you have hopped over to Straddy, such a great place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elven Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I really enjoyed reading your post. My self and my partners visa application is looking positive and we're looking at moving to Brisbane. I'm scared of loneliness but having the right attitude and joining in with things I'm sure will get me through. Leaving family and friends is starting to tug on my heart strings and it will be a tough thing to do. The view from your balcony is lovely. The life style out there is just so inviting it's hard to resist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathy99 Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Lovely to read your post, I like the cup we have that cutlery, from Kmart?:wink: Like yourself we are now in our 5th month and I am feeling really settled, I have finally sorted my home phone and broadband out! Until now its just been our mobiles! Totally agree with schools, mine are in a public school and are totally thriving, doing much better than they were at home and made loads of friends. My husband, whose visa we're here on, has settled in now (panel beater with trucks) it's taken him a while plus back home he was a big socialiser darts, pool, footie etc and since being here has done none of it and not missed it either. We're enjoying the outdoors, have bought second hand bikes off of ebay and spend a lot more time together and talking - sounds odd but it's not until you're forced into a situation that you realise how much you didn't do back home, there was always something to do - but here it just seems so much more laid back! I've not made hardly any friends yet, but that's okay it will happen in time, I chat to a couple of the mums at school and I'm applying for suitable part time work when I see it, but yes totally agree the first month is the hardest month you'll ever have, arriving, feeling lost, in a strange place, trying to find a rental etc but once you've done all that then it's sit back and enjoy all the hard work it's taken you to get here! :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 What a wonderful update thank you so much for sharing. Its like you say usually the ones who love it move on from the forum and forget to update us. I'm sure there are a lot more positive stories out there. Please stay around or if you go don't be a stranger to long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tina0101 Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I love your post!! Having just booked the flights for August and initial accommodation until we find a rental, it's so nice to come on here and read a positive story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tappers2oz Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Beautiful post. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Great to hear a positive post from someone on a 457. Enjoy yourselves and keep us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Loved reading your post but I am soooooooo jealous right now. At least the sun is shining here today for a change and it is getting a bit warmer which helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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