zk2102 Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Arrived on Thursday morning. Staying n Biggera waters for a couple if weeks. All very surreal at the moment. Sorted out our bank accounts and Mobile phones yesterday. Going to Helensvale today to sign up with letting agents and hopefully get a rental sooner rather than later. Love the Gold Coast, good choice for us. Going to have a fun day tomorrow cos our 10 year old is not enjoying the boring stuff! My 18 year old is coping ok considering she left the love of her life behind in the UK. She doesn't start uni till next march so I hope she manages to meet some new friends through sports clubs etc... All in all we're doing ok. Just want to mention that Singapore airlines were fantastic. We travelled with 5 Suit cases, a BMX bike, long board, 4 heavy hand luggage cases and the dogs ashes in hand! Didn't charge us any extra and the in flight service was amazin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Glad you arrived safe and well, you wont have trouble finding something fun to do down there,lol you will be spoilt for choice Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Don't forget to explore the hinterland when you get time. Incredible walks e.g Witches Falls that really do look like they're out of a film set with all the enormous boulders and foliage (and the odd bit of exotic wildlife) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tina0101 Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Woo hoo!! You're here :-) There's lots of boring stuff to do - we've been trying to splice it with trips to the Gold Coast/walks on the beach etc to give us some time to relax! Id apply for your tax file numbers soon too as it takes a couple of weeks to come thru and the bank charges you on your interest until you give them your numbers. And your driving licences too - ours came in the post yesterday and finally Medicare cards. Hope your 18 year old settles - our almost 17 year old seems quite content now we are here and a bit settled! Good of luck with the start of the adventure! Pm if you fancy a cuppa anytime :-) x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Best wishes on your new liffe.As each day passes,and you tick off your list more "to do's"you will settle into your new lives.xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Congratulations! I even got butterflies reading this as i dream of being there this time next year. We have accommodation booked from the 16th September! I hope everything else goes well and you enjoy your new life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wen66 Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Arrived on Thursday morning. Staying n Biggera waters for a couple if weeks. All very surreal at the moment. Sorted out our bank accounts and Mobile phones yesterday. Going to Helensvale today to sign up with letting agents and hopefully get a rental sooner rather than later. Love the Gold Coast, good choice for us. Going to have a fun day tomorrow cos our 10 year old is not enjoying the boring stuff! My 18 year old is coping ok considering she left the love of her life behind in the UK. She doesn't start uni till next march so I hope she manages to meet some new friends through sports clubs etc... All in all we're doing ok. Just want to mention that Singapore airlines were fantastic. We travelled with 5 Suit cases, a BMX bike, long board, 4 heavy hand luggage cases and the dogs ashes in hand! Didn't charge us any extra and the in flight service was amazin. Glad you all arrived safe and sound. :smile:x We're travelling with Singapore in November. Wow, that is alot to bring. I am curious, how did you get to much on board? Did you make special arrangements or was it all under the weight requirements? x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zk2102 Posted September 20, 2014 Author Share Posted September 20, 2014 Glad you all arrived safe and sound. :smile:xWe're travelling with Singapore in November. Wow, that is alot to bring. I am curious, how did you get to much on board? Did you make special arrangements or was it all under the weight requirements? x Hi. We were over the weight requirement. I told them we were moving permanently and they just laughed at the amount we had and put it through. The customs in oz all laughed too when they saw it but just waved us through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zk2102 Posted September 20, 2014 Author Share Posted September 20, 2014 Woo hoo!! You're here :-) There's lots of boring stuff to do - we've been trying to splice it with trips to the Gold Coast/walks on the beach etc to give us some time to relax! Id apply for your tax file numbers soon too as it takes a couple of weeks to come thru and the bank charges you on your interest until you give them your numbers. And your driving licences too - ours came in the post yesterday and finally Medicare cards. Hope your 18 year old settles - our almost 17 year old seems quite content now we are here and a bit settled! Good of luck with the start of the adventure! Pm if you fancy a cuppa anytime :-) x Hi Tina. We're nearly there with the boring stuff. Having a fun day out today though and back to it tomorrow. We're in Brisbane to look at the Uni on Tuesday. I'll catch up with you next week over a cuppa xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Welcome zk2102, we have now been here for just over a week and feel quite settled, the only headache so far has been the accommodation where there is a lot of competition due to the areas we want to be in. From our experience, sort your TFN, MediCare, Bank and Driving Licence ASAP then the rest will tend to fall into place. Each of these provide points which can be used in place of a credit record. If possible get a copy of your employment contract as this also goes a long way. Regarding Singapore Airlines, we booked in 86kg for 2 of us! The lady at check in asked to see my visa grant letter, increased our allowance and after some thought allowed us to proceed with no charges. We have travelled here on a previously validated visa so should have only been allowed 30kg each. We also had pet ashes (our old Siamese cat who we had to put down a few days before leaving), loads of hand luggage etc, no issues at all. We feel really settled here thus far, challenges will come I'm sure but hopefully we can deal with them as they arise. S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zk2102 Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 Welcome zk2102, we have now been here for just over a week and feel quite settled, the only headache so far has been the accommodation where there is a lot of competition due to the areas we want to be in. From our experience, sort your TFN, MediCare, Bank and Driving Licence ASAP then the rest will tend to fall into place. Each of these provide points which can be used in place of a credit record. If possible get a copy of your employment contract as this also goes a long way. Regarding Singapore Airlines, we booked in 86kg for 2 of us! The lady at check in asked to see my visa grant letter, increased our allowance and after some thought allowed us to proceed with no charges. We have travelled here on a previously validated visa so should have only been allowed 30kg each. We also had pet ashes (our old Siamese cat who we had to put down a few days before leaving), loads of hand luggage etc, no issues at all. We feel really settled here thus far, challenges will come I'm sure but hopefully we can deal with them as they arise. S Hi. Yep, we're sorting all of the above out tomorrow. We also found accommodation a bit tricky due to area we want in the right catchment area. Glad to hear your feeling settled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClezS Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Arrived on Thursday morning. Staying n Biggera waters for a couple if weeks. All very surreal at the moment. Sorted out our bank accounts and Mobile phones yesterday. Going to Helensvale today to sign up with letting agents and hopefully get a rental sooner rather than later. Love the Gold Coast, good choice for us. Going to have a fun day tomorrow cos our 10 year old is not enjoying the boring stuff! My 18 year old is coping ok considering she left the love of her life behind in the UK. She doesn't start uni till next march so I hope she manages to meet some new friends through sports clubs etc... All in all we're doing ok. Just want to mention that Singapore airlines were fantastic. We travelled with 5 Suit cases, a BMX bike, long board, 4 heavy hand luggage cases and the dogs ashes in hand! Didn't charge us any extra and the in flight service was amazin. Hiya, glad to hear you arrived safe and well. There's so much to do isn't there. Our 11 year old isn't enjoying the boring stuff either...But as I keep telling him once it's all done we can have some fun...But trying to get fun times inbetween boring stuff too!!! Got our son enrolled in school (he's done pretty well for school holidays!!!) So he starts on 7 October for the last term. That was an easier task than in the UK and we're looking at rentals...Waiting to hear about an application we've got in atm. All in all it's bloody lovely here isn't it. Hope your daughter does make some friends and meet people...as do you. Everyone I've spoken to so far is really friendly and helpful. Good luck with getting everything sorted...I haven't got everything done yet but getting there. When we went to get our medicare cards the lady in there wouldn't process our application as we're in temp accommodation and she said we needed to have a more perm address as the cards take 4-6 weeks to come through. When I told the OH this he said I should have been able to get a temp card until we had an address, so maybe that's something to mention when you go for your cards. Had I known I'd have questioned this. However planning to go back and try again in the next day or so. Hope you're having/had a good fun day...Back to the dull stuff for us. Oh and Congratulations...Happy days eh?! X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnley Girl Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Welcome to the new arrivals...glad you made it over safely. I'm glad your first impressions of the Gold Coast have been positive. There is always so much to do. On Saturday we went to South Bank, Brisbane and spent the day there on the beach in the city, had lunch at Max Brenners chocolate bar then English fish and chips at Chumley Warners. Had a great day out with lunch and tea for $100 (three of us). We'd probably have spent double that at good old Blackpool. Anyone fancying meeting up I would love to join. I'm in Helensvale and have been here for nearly four months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tina0101 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Hi Tina. We're nearly there with the boring stuff. Having a fun day out today though and back to it tomorrow. We're in Brisbane to look at the Uni on Tuesday. I'll catch up with you next week over a cuppa xx we're doing unis Wednesday and Thursday! Terrifies me that it's all going to happen in January 2016 and not September 2016 as we had thought!! Good luck x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zk2102 Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Hiya, glad to hear you arrived safe and well. There's so much to do isn't there. Our 11 year old isn't enjoying the boring stuff either...But as I keep telling him once it's all done we can have some fun...But trying to get fun times inbetween boring stuff too!!! Got our son enrolled in school (he's done pretty well for school holidays!!!) So he starts on 7 October for the last term. That was an easier task than in the UK and we're looking at rentals...Waiting to hear about an application we've got in atm. All in all it's bloody lovely here isn't it. Hope your daughter does make some friends and meet people...as do you. Everyone I've spoken to so far is really friendly and helpful. Good luck with getting everything sorted...I haven't got everything done yet but getting there. When we went to get our medicare cards the lady in there wouldn't process our application as we're in temp accommodation and she said we needed to have a more perm address as the cards take 4-6 weeks to come through. When I told the OH this he said I should have been able to get a temp card until we had an address, so maybe that's something to mention when you go for your cards. Had I known I'd have questioned this. However planning to go back and try again in the next day or so. Hope you're having/had a good fun day...Back to the dull stuff for us. Oh and Congratulations...Happy days eh?! X Hi, nice to hear from u. Sounds like its all going well for you. We're just about secured a rental fingers crossed. We're having the same issues wih Medicare. Havnt got a school yet due to holdays. Lets all meet soon. Good luck with it all x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zk2102 Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Welcome to the new arrivals...glad you made it over safely. I'm glad your first impressions of the Gold Coast have been positive. There is always so much to do. On Saturday we went to South Bank, Brisbane and spent the day there on the beach in the city, had lunch at Max Brenners chocolate bar then English fish and chips at Chumley Warners. Had a great day out with lunch and tea for $100 (three of us). We'd probably have spent double that at good old Blackpool. Anyone fancying meeting up I would love to join. I'm in Helensvale and have been here for nearly four months. Hi. We're in Helensvale. Love it here. Just about to secure a rental in Oyster Cove. We're sat having lunch at the marina right now. Lets get together really soon. Would be good to meet and chat with people and get the kids together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zk2102 Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 we're doing unis Wednesday and Thursday! Terrifies me that it's all going to happen in January 2016 and not September 2016 as we had thought!! Good luck x St Lucia campus sounds & looks amazing. Let me know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnley Girl Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Hi, nice to hear from u. Sounds like its all going well for you. We're just about secured a rental fingers crossed. We're having the same issues wih Medicare. Havnt got a school yet due to holdays. Lets all meet soon. Good luck with it all x There is a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement for people from UK in Australia. So I think you would be able to access medical services anyway until you get your medicare number. Once you've signed your tenancy take a copy in to medicare office. Once its on the system you don't need to wait for the card you can ring for the medicare numbers. Just quote these at GP as they don't ask to see the cards anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnley Girl Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Hi. We're in Helensvale. Love it here. Just about to secure a rental in Oyster Cove. We're sat having lunch at the marina right now. Lets get together really soon. Would be good to meet and chat with people and get the kids together. Its lovely there. You've done well to find a rental so soon. Yes we should meet up. My youngest is 12 so goes to high school after xmas. We should introduce them so your lad knows someone at primary when he gets there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zk2102 Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Its lovely there. You've done well to find a rental so soon. Yes we should meet up. My youngest is 12 so goes to high school after xmas. We should introduce them so your lad knows someone at primary when he gets there. That would be great. We've never rented before so on the 2nd day we trawled the agents on foot and didn't realise they were franchises. We've had more luck online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnley Girl Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 That would be great. We've never rented before so on the 2nd day we trawled the agents on foot and didn't realise they were franchises. We've had more luck online. just a thought and don't want to worry you but if no-one has told you yet watch out for the magpies. Its nesting season and they often swoop and attack when people are around the trees. You will see runners and bike riders with cable ties fastened to their hats or even people with eyes painted on the back of the hats. Apparently you should stare them in the eye to ward them off. I didn't think much of it but when in Brisbane on Saturday I saw it for myself when a magpie attacked a bike rider and she didn't even see it coming. You will find also that everything is bigger here like the crows. They are huge..don't want to panic you but just to make you aware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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