Vanduex Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Nearly 8 months in! It feels like years whilst at the same time feeling like weeks. Hard to explain. I will start with the compulsory - these are my views and how I feel the majority of the time. Feel free to comment or question and I am happy to elaborate. I will also state that this is primarily a very positive report and I am aware of this. It is hard to remove those rose tinted glasses after 8 months but hopefully I am relatively balanced. It is still early days! 12 months ago, Easter was here and was sat at home reading every thread on PIO. Visa had been granted and my notice had been handed in. The fear and excitement went hand in hand and every visit to family was tinged with bitterness but also love and pride. Bitter-sweet. Truth be told I flick through PIO occasionally but I am no longer that active, but I remember wanting more of these reports, more real and current experiences, so I promised myself to write a 5 month report, then a 6 then a 7. I didn't get around to it. So here we are at 8 months! Family - me 32, wife, 36, son, 17 Living - Wellington Point, Brisbane Bought a house, with a pool Work 25 mins away Wife works in E Brisbane. Longer commute - 45 mins - longer than we would like but will potentially re-evaluate after a year and some experience in sector. In summary, I love it here and my wife does as well. I have no intention of moving back home at this stage but remain open to feelings changing in the future, you never know what is going to happen. Right now, at this stage in life I am where I need to be. We committed to 5years - we intend to be citizens because as we said, you never know what will happen and we always want the options of moving around. This dedication to a 5 year stint helps a lot, we know that this is life now. We couldn't move back even if we chose to, we have out house, our kitten (Magneto - currently in for castration, poor little man). Give yourself a milestone or a date to re-visit where you are. It is a family move for most of us, need to discuss it. Schools - this is a funny one. Is it behind the UK? In a lot of ways yes, in other ways I would send my son to school here in a heartbeat over the UK. I am a teacher so I am sort of in the thick of it. My actual role is to improve classroom practice. Literacy and Numeracy seem a little behind but personalisation, character development and freedom to explore concepts are much better. I am not looking for a debate on this point but know many will not like it. They do some things very very right and my son has flourished. Always a good student but has really developed here. Very happy with that experience and he is too. Off to uni in 12 months (9 months earlier than his friends in the uk) defo something to be aware of. The 'outdoor lifestyle'. I read this a lot on here . . . I am an avid PS4 player. When we first arrived I had withdrawal from gaming and TV. Sitting on the sofa every night was my perfect plan. On the odd occasion that is still true. However for the most part I don't like being in doors anymore. I don't like watching TV I get restless. You won't realise how major this next point is: I haven't played my PS4 for 2 months, I have minimal interest. Yeah sometimes I fancy it, but I will only give it an hour, as opposed to the 4-6 I used to give. We have lost weight as a family, I have dropped 2.5 stone in 8 months. We have done a mud run, we have been to aqua funpark in Coolum, we walk, we even jog! We swim in our pool. This is a huge culture shift for our family. Lots of people will think so what, and that they do this stuff anyway. For me it is incredible. A massive change to our lives and one we are determined to maintain. Its not all roses! We miss family and we miss select friends. In a brutal way you realise who was close to you and you whatsapp then regularly. The other masses all comment on facebook etc and we Skype most weekends. We are close to our parents but I think Quoll said it a year ago - sometimes you need to be selfish and in the best case scenario they are happy for you. Still tough but this is not surprising or unexpected. It is what it is and you need some inner strength to push through this. Money - I earn more than I did in the UK. equivalent of 7k pounds more, plus I am a rung down the ladder from where I was. that is an indication of prices here. Is it expensive -yes, but not everything. Do we struggle? Not really, we have had some tight spots and few difficult weeks, but in the grand scheme of things we have coped and we are starting to save again. It isn't the same, I can't compare it, I eat different food here anyway, it would be unfair to price match everything of equivalent. I would add that Aldi is a great little saver though. Worth a visit for sure! Then shop around, avoid the routine of the weekly shop. We get meat at a butchers, veg at a fruit barn, tins at coles, spices at a spice shop. Explore. Its not a bad idea to look around. Friends - I cannot stress how much this helps, also how lucky we have been. My wide joined the sister forum to this one and we popped to a bbq with some people. We have made friends for life. We spent, Friday night Saturday night and all day on Monday with them. We share experiences and take on challenges together. All out of our comfort range but we do it together. Everybody gives and shares. It has helped us enormously! Make the effort to get to these events, it will open doors and encourage you to embrace your new local community. I am going to an 80s themed fancy dress . . . . TV - awful - can't sweeten it hehehe. They fit commercials in between sentences I think. That said I only watch 3 or 4 shows these days, its no bother. I record everything and just zip through it. Internet - we are on a fibre optic line - 30mb I think. Plenty fast enough but not the 100mb line we had at home. But even then it isn't a drama, you simply adapt. The guy from Telstra said - well how much land did they have to cable in the UK, and how much land have we got to cable here? A valid point We pay $250 at the moment. That's for 200gb internet a month, all foxtel channels including sport and movies, a phone line etc. There is defo cheaper out there but I have lots of bolt-ons for 6 nations etc. It has been a pretty consistent service so far. Driving - never got a speeding ticket in the uk. I have one here - also they do a 'double points' weekend hehehe Its funny really, but not if you get busted. Speed limits are regularly adhered to. Lanes are a free for all on motorways, undertake or overtake! Be vigilant. Weather - hot and humid. People say summer has been bad, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. There are days where putting a shirt on is appalling. Just sticky and damp. Air con is good but a pool is better. lower the core temp. Turns out my blood is not tasty. Rarely get bitten. However, my poor wife is a regular buffet for the little gits. On Sat night just gone she had 16 bites despite being covered in sprays and surrounded by candles. This has been particularly taxing for her in particular and the itchiness is a constant reminder of being uncomfortable. It appears that our female friends suffer more frequently than the blokes. The good news is that my Welsh Translucent skin has a bit of colour to it. Often an angry reddish tint but we are learning to manage it and we are serious about protecting our skin. A large tub of 50 SPF stays in the boot of the car next to the bug spray. Medical - Luckily minimal experience. Wife needs a check up with GP which has been quick and painless and relatively cheap. You can actually 'shop around' and choose your Dr. As for a dentist, we haven't been yet, but it sounds pricey Will no doubt be able to better advise in the future, too many sweets as a child . . . . I think I am going to stop there. I have tried to be honest and balanced. I must finish by repeating that I am so pleased to be here. It is what I wanted it to be. My wife is my best friend and we are exploring the area together. We run everything by the other and enjoy as much time together as possible. A new focus in life and an appreciation for the changes we are making. Its not going to be like that for everyone and we have had our 'wobbles' but we are cracking on and feeling good. I hope that so many more are as lucky as we have been and can create a similar report in the future. Thanks again to PIO, without which the process would have been far more complicated. We wouldn't have made some of the decisions that we did without the guidance on this forum. Take care all! Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Thanks for that report Richard. We are going to be near neighbours in a few months time. Less than 100 days until we leave now (not that I am counting). I suspect the mozzies may be my biggest issue. Wherever I have been in the world they always like me (and that includes here). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Very good report Richard and I'm glad you and your family have settled down so well :smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Great report Richard. With regard to mozzies and women................mozzies are attracted to most perfumes...............that may be the issue for your OH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Thanks for that report Richard. We are going to be near neighbours in a few months time. Less than 100 days until we leave now (not that I am counting). I suspect the mozzies may be my biggest issue. Wherever I have been in the world they always like me (and that includes here). Try Vitamin B1. Mozzies are a very serious issue in the Northern Territory because they carry really nasty diseases like dengue fever. While on holiday there, i went into a chemist to get some insect repellent. The chemist told me not to waste my money and sold me a bottle of Vitamin B1 tablets. I am usually a mozzie buffet, like Vanduex's wife. Aussie mosquitos even bite through my clothes! I never had one bite all the time I was taking the B1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Fantastic tip Marissa! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tina0101 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Try Vitamin B1. Mozzies are a very serious issue in the Northern Territory because they carry really nasty diseases like dengue fever. While on holiday there, i went into a chemist to get some insect repellent. The chemist told me not to waste my money and sold me a bottle of Vitamin B1 tablets. I am usually a mozzie buffet, like Vanduex's wife. Aussie mosquitos even bite through my clothes! I never had one bite all the time I was taking the B1 Already take a Barocca but am going to beast it up with extra B1. Thanks for the tip!! The bitey insects are one of the worst things about the last 8 months. The last 3 days have been really bad though, for some reason!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Speaking about nasties, I remember when heartworm disease in dogs existed only in NT and QLD but it has slowly spread to other states now too. Not Tasmanian though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Richard, We moved about the same time from Kent to Brisbane and would agree with most of your comments although not having any kids we did not have the issue of schools etc. My biggest change since landing has been employment, my last employer who employed me before leaving the UK were very American in their ways of doing business, treat their employees hard and fire them if they fall behind. Fortunately I kept on their good side however I have since moved jobs to a much more secure and friendly company...phew. Brisbane is great, loads to do, not too expensive and friendly although does have issues, just different problems to UK. We have friends here, yes miss the UK mob and family but we had to be selfish and think of ourselves. We have also bought a house, very stressful and emotional but got it in the end, now just to sell up in UK. One day maybe meet up as you are just around the corner from some friends. Notice you stuck with South side. S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Great report- hope life continues to be good for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Thanks for the update Richard, i agree with most of what you say, thanks for taking time out to write it. With your internet ,we found giving them a call every 6 mths is a goer, we now get 500 mb and a land line phone line with free local calls, $1 calls to the UK for $100 pr month.They upped the internet last week as it used to be 200, but maybe they are panicking with this Netflix as Optus don't charge a download usage. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstyc822 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 What a fantastic report - very positive, thank you very much :rolleyes: Myself (34), hubby (32) and daughter (3) leave Scotland in 4 weeks to start our new life in Brisbane and what a great help this forum has been :hug: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milliem Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 great update and thanks for sharing Also in Brissy and also a teacher. We got our internet with belong on a telstra line. 80gb with phone and calls, no contract tie in for $80. A couple of weeks in they contacted us to say they were increasing our gb to 500 a month at no extra charge. I'll take it. Millie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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