Guest aussie roy Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 ps Welcome to Canberra,my kind of territory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 I quite agree with you Aussie Roy (gee, you have been here even longer than I have!!!) if we didnt have to put up with the pollies polluting the environs and giving us all a bad name because of their ineptitude this would definitely be the best place in Aus to hang out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest michelle in Havant Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Hi everyone We have just found out that due to a few major problems with our 175 visa app lodged in April we are now going to have to apply for a 176 with sponsorship from ACT. I was in complete panic yesterday as I hadn't even considered ACT as an option and hadn't done any research!!! Having read the posts on here I am now feeling a lot happier and it looks like this could be just the place for us. We would prefer to live in an outer suburb, and I was wondering if there are any areas to avoid, or any you would recommend. We have a 15 year old who loves scuba diving, football etc, a 3 year old and a 1 year old, so somewhere fairly near a park etc would be good. Also does anybody know any good sites for research as I haven't been able to find much info so far it all seems to be about NSW! Thanks! Michelle x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chrissygirl Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Hi everyone, We have finally made it to Canberra! We arrived last weekend and have spent the last few days sorting out the trivial things such as tax numbers etc. Can honestly say we have been impressed with Canberra so far! Staying for the next 3 weeks in Kingston although we have our eyes on a property to rent in Fraser. Looking forward to meeting up with people in the near future to say hi and thanks for all your help in the last couple of months. If anyone has any hesitations about Canberra - don't - from what we have found out, it's a lovely place with a lot going for it! Sarah and Shaun Hi sarah and shaun, we are flying out 24 feb, due to start work in Canberra 26 Feb, would love any help you can offer regarding temp accommodation for 2/3 weeks until we find something, permanent. PM me, would love to meet up, and find out more about canberra, Nick and Chrissy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Hi everyone We have just found out that due to a few major problems with our 175 visa app lodged in April we are now going to have to apply for a 176 with sponsorship from ACT. I was in complete panic yesterday as I hadn't even considered ACT as an option and hadn't done any research!!! Having read the posts on here I am now feeling a lot happier and it looks like this could be just the place for us. We would prefer to live in an outer suburb, and I was wondering if there are any areas to avoid, or any you would recommend. We have a 15 year old who loves scuba diving, football etc, a 3 year old and a 1 year old, so somewhere fairly near a park etc would be good. Also does anybody know any good sites for research as I haven't been able to find much info so far it all seems to be about NSW! Thanks! Michelle x Well, you could do worse than start here Live in Canberra You may want to rethink the outer suburbs bit - in general they tend to be the new builds and a bit soul-less IMHO. It isnt a city where you actually want to avoid the city centre - the nicer areas are inner north, inner south, Woden Weston, inner Belconnen. There are a few places to avoid but you can work them out closer to the time. You dont need to worry about parks, Canberra is full of green space and we have half a dozen city centres (retail centres basically) with all but one built on a lake. The main centre - Civic - was the first area to be developed and it is what most people refer to as the city centre - however you can live within a mile of it and think you are in the outer suburbs without having the hassle of driving for half an hour to get there. Scuba diving is a bit restricted - not much diving really locally but there is a thriving club which does regular dives down at the coast if your son has his certificates (padi here) and that can be quite exciting. Football here = rugby but we have soccer clubs which are quite thriving. You could do a lot worse than Canberra!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dublin Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Hi ya since my last message we have been assigned a case officer. I couldn't believe it we seem to be waiting for so long. I nearly fell off the chair while reading the email. So still a bit to do but things are moving along. Yipee there is hope. Safe journey and let us know how your getting on. from Tara & family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest michelle in Havant Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Well, you could do worse than start here Live in Canberra You may want to rethink the outer suburbs bit - in general they tend to be the new builds and a bit soul-less IMHO. It isnt a city where you actually want to avoid the city centre - the nicer areas are inner north, inner south, Woden Weston, inner Belconnen. There are a few places to avoid but you can work them out closer to the time. You dont need to worry about parks, Canberra is full of green space and we have half a dozen city centres (retail centres basically) with all but one built on a lake. The main centre - Civic - was the first area to be developed and it is what most people refer to as the city centre - however you can live within a mile of it and think you are in the outer suburbs without having the hassle of driving for half an hour to get there. Scuba diving is a bit restricted - not much diving really locally but there is a thriving club which does regular dives down at the coast if your son has his certificates (padi here) and that can be quite exciting. Football here = rugby but we have soccer clubs which are quite thriving. You could do a lot worse than Canberra!!!! Thanks for the advice, I had a good look at the website and I am starting to get excited about Canberra now!!!! The title of the website says it all, I think I was having a real blonde day when I was trying to find out info (kept searching ACT instead of Canberra). My daughter is padi qualified so she will definately look into joining the local club, and now I have told her this she is becoming a bit more receptive to the idea of Canberra. I Just hope they have girls soccer (football) teams!!! Even our 3 year old would be unhappy and throw a few tantrums, as she loves football and goes to soccer tots once a week!!! (Will keep my fingers crossed!!!). If not at least I will be able to soften the blow with a few visits to the local parks etc!!! Thanks again!:yesxmas: Michelle x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest michelle in Havant Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Forgot to say in my last post, congratulations on your case officer Tara and family, shouldn't be too much longer!!!!!! Michelle x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aussiehopper Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Hi Sarah & Shaun, Just read your thread, hope you managed to get your ideal property? And that all is well? We've just heard that Canberra will sponsor us and are really, really, really, really exicted. It looks like an awesome place and can't wait to get there. Let us know how you're getting on... Oh yes, did I mention we're really, really excited? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aussie roy Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 Michelle,there certainly is womens soccer,it has be going for over thirty years.The club my girls belonged to,Weston Creek,in fact I was manager,a flash title for dogsbody and the team was really diverse lot in the beginning,consisting of 13yearolds up 50.We were part of the the men's club and we were the first team to win a trophy for the club,as the years went by the womens first team were very successful,my eldest daughter represented the state but someone who wrote the history of the club omitted the beginning of the womens team by starting from 1982 instead of 1977. Today Canberra has a team in the Womens National League. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sarahnshaun Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Hi everyone, Sorry for the long gaps in posting - we are currently only using wireless prepaid internet whilst we wait for our broadband to get installed. For all those moving over here, we found allhomes.com.au was the best we came across in terms of finding a place. We then just wiki'd an area to find out roughly what it was like. We also did a lot of 'drive by's on properties the first weekend. We were very fortunate in that we got the first property we applied for, but certainly think that having all the supporting documentation for the application ready to go after the viewing, scanning it into the laptop and e mailing it to the real estate agent so it was with them as soon as they got in the next morning helped. Well, we have now moved into our new house in Fraser and have managed to furnish it, mainly from using Local Classifieds, Buy and Sell for Free | allclassifieds. This is a great resource if, like us, you are selling everything and starting again. Check out fantastic furniture's website as well as they do whole house packages for a couple of $k. It's not stuff that's going to last forever, but more than good enough for getting started. We've moved into Fraser which is right at the top north end in Belconnen, and although we feel a little bit out on the edge, it is very easy to get around Canberra. The public transport system is great - the buses are always on time and it is very cheap to get around. A bus pass for a month to go anywhere within Canberra, for an unlimited amount of times each day is $80. Be aware though that Canberra is a very spread out city, unlike anywhere we've been before! It really is like a series of towns rather than one big city, so it would probably pay to be choosy about the suburb you decide to live in relative to your place of work. That said, traffic really isn't bad in Canberra, Northbourne Av. at around 8 am is as bad as it gets, and that's a breeze compared to commuting in the UK. A weekly shop costs around $200 for 2 adults and 2 small children, but could almost certainly be done for less, we're probably overbuying at the mo, trying to figure out what we do and don't like. We have just had our gas and electricity set up and we are currently paying $15 a month for each! We are also getting foxtel IQ installed this week (we missed our sky+ box so much!) which costs around $80 a month for pretty much all the channels. $107 per month if you want all of them. Our broadband and telephone is costing around £80 a month. We have managed to get the kids in with a childminder as I found a job within two weeks of being here, and Shaun started his new job in our second week. For the two of them at the childminder its $500 a week. Roughly the same as the uk really. The only thing about going to a childminder and not a registered childcare centre is you cannot claim a percentage of your childcare costs back. however, there is a problem with registered childcare over here as there is a huge shortage. One of the main providers of childcare across Australia (ABC) announced it was having financial problems a few weeks ago which meant that some centres would be closing. Don't think any in Canberra were affected, but there are still loooooong waiting lists for the big centres. These are the main things we have learned since being here: Apply for your tax file number via the net, whilst still in the uk as it can take up to 21 days to come through and would avoid having to fork out for emergency tax when you start your new job. You will get any extra tax back, but it will be at the end of the financial year, rather than in the next pay packet. Wait for around a week until going to a medicare centre to apply for medicare as it takes them a few days to receive all your details through. Be prepared to wait for a bit as there can be a queue. If you have a child under the age of 3, you will need to know your medicare number for when you apply. Get a sat nav and laptop. These were our life savers!!! If you want to find out how far a place is to the nearest supermarket. Check these supermarket websites for their locations: coles and woolworths. You can then use Australian travel maps, street directory, driving directions & aerial photographs - Whereis.com to calculate the distance from one place to another. Kmart and target are good places to pick up your basic household goods and furnishings. JB Hifi and Dick Smith Electronics are good places for your electronics, there's also Bing Lee and the Good Guys for electrics, but we haven't used them yet. Harvey Norman also does electronics and furnishings. Myers is probably a bit like John Lewis back in the UK. Fyshwick is the area to head to for electronics/furnishings/ cars, it's full of large stores selling this kind of thing. You can pick up some bargains at Online Shopping @ DealsDirect.com.au - #1 Bargain & Discount Shopping and Online Shopping: oo.com.au - Bargain and Discount Shopping for online shopping. For the first few weeks, we found that we needed to take our passports with us to places (such as the bank) whilst we were in our hotel. Apply for a bank account before you get here as it makes it alot easier once you get here. We transferred our money through hifx who were brilliant. They also have a link with westpac who are a major bank here. With hifx they will transfer your money over and also absorb any charges the australian banks may charge you. It makes it a lot easier to arrive and start out when your money is already in your account over here, you just need to go to your nominated westpac branch and activate the account and pick up your cards. Be aware that things don't always happen as quickly over here as you may be used to in the UK, an example is that we were quoted timescales of up to 20 working days by one company to get phone/broadband installed, there have been other examples, but I can't think of them at the mo. All in all though, we are enjoying it, think we have had just one 'Oz is crap' day out of another 30 'Oz is great' days, and that's not a bad average. It has been by turns frustrating, exciting, breathtaking, and eye opening since arriving here, expect more than just a little culture shock, but overall we are all loving it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest michelle in Havant Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Thanks for the great post sarah and shaun. I am glad that so far you are enjoying Canberra!! We have had a look at some of the sites and they will be really useful when we arrive, and they have given us a good idea about what things are going to cost!! I was wondering what paperwork we will need to provide to secure a rental? Look forward to your next update!! michelle x :emoticon-signxmas: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Great to see that you have all got settled in so quickly and you have definitely found your way around the utilities and facilities!!! Dont forget freecycle as well - you can pick up some gems on that if you are looking to furnish instantly and cheaply! freecyclecanberra : freecyclecanberra Also, have you discovered the markets? Fruit and veg markets at Belconnen and Fyshwick, Thurs - Sun and if you go Sun afternoon you can get it at knock down prices. Also Trash and Treasure - another boon for the newly arrived - Jamieson Market on Sunday morning (early!). Also see Saturday's Canberra Times for a list of garage sales to get the odd little something! Hope you havent been put off by the weather! The rain on Friday was just brilliant:twitcy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sarahnshaun Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Thanks Quoll. forgot to mention the garage sales and freecycle!!! We haven't yet made it to the markets but it is on our agenda! For rentals Michelle, I advise getting as many references as possible! We only had one rental reference from a little while ago before we were married and put into military accommodation. But we took along character references, previous employer and new employer references to make up for this. Basically, as we had little rental references, we bombarded them with references from other aspects of our life to prove we could afford the property we were looking to rent and also that we were good people! If you do not have have an employment arrangement set up here already, you may need to provide proof that you can afford the property for the next few months whilst you are seeking employment (bank statements etc). If you go through a rental company, they will ask for four weeks rent as the bond and two weeks rental upfront. People do rent their properties privately aswell in the Canberra times homes edition (think this is a sunday). I must admit, we were very nervous about how we would set everything up and get our new life kick started but you just cope. The first day for us was a blur but after that (and buying a satnav), we found our feet and just ticked things off our to do list one by one. It's a lovely feeling the first time you drive over Lake Burley Griffin and see the telstra tower in the distance, after seeing it on the internet for the past year! The weather hasn't put us off Quoll! I did get soaked on Friday though as I forgot to pack a coat when we came over here and had to wait at the bus stop in the pouring rain without an umbrella! We know its needed here so we do not moan if we get a few days of rain a month! We are really enjoying Canberra and we are not regretting our decision to make the move. I think the fact that we knew we weren't moving to a "home from home" and we're prepared for some difficult days has helped. Still feels weird buying a Christmas tree and presents whilst wearing a t-shirt and shorts though! xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest michelle in Havant Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Thanks for that Sarah and Shaun. I will start getting my references organised now as its probably something I will forget when I am running round booking flights and temporary accomodation etc. We have a CO, so hopefully it won't be too much longer before our visa is granted!!! Thanks again. michelle x:emoticon-signxmas: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Forget the Belconnen and Ftyshwick markets as they are not proper farmers markets. The two real farmers markets are Capital Region Farmers Market every Saturday morning at Mitchell and Southside Farmers Market every Sunday morning in Woden. Food Lovers Australia on SBS TV rated the CRFM the best farmers market in Australia. At home today with the air conditioning technician as the air broke as of course it would on a 37C day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sasbear Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Hi everyone, Just thought I would give you a quick update on how we are getting on - we got the house we wanted in Fraser and have collected the keys this weekend. I have also managed to get a job and start on Monday! Shaun has also got a car that he wanted. We feel as though we have been extremely lucky with all three to happen so fast! The car and the house are definitely better than we could of afforded back in the UK! We're just in the process now of buying stuff from allclassifieds.com. Definitely recommend that site if you are having to start over again like us. You can pick up some real bargains from there. Good luck to all those moving out here in the near future. It seems as though more and more brits are moving to Canberra - I hope the next meet up can hold us all!!! I can certainly say that for anyone who has never been to Canberra that we have not regretted our move for a minute. Sarah x Hi Sarah, Just joined this after a tip off from another site (BE) - I see you are in Fraser - so are we!!! Been here nearly 4 years. Let me know where abouts in Fraser will you - we had a couple move in opposite us recently - maybe it's you. Sarah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sarahnshaun Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Hi Sarah We are in Rogers St, just off Shakespeare Cr. Where abouts are you guys? we have two small children so i'm sure you would of heard us if we were neighbours!!! if we are neighbours though, what a small world! you shouldn't of said you were also in Fraser, I will be pestering you with questions on any forthcoming neighbourhood things going on etc! How are you finding Fraser four years on? Sarah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olly Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Canberra is okay except there are too many politicians there.... !!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sasbear Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Hi Sarah We are in Rogers St, just off Shakespeare Cr. Where abouts are you guys? we have two small children so i'm sure you would of heard us if we were neighbours!!! if we are neighbours though, what a small world! you shouldn't of said you were also in Fraser, I will be pestering you with questions on any forthcoming neighbourhood things going on etc! How are you finding Fraser four years on? Sarah Hi Sarah, We are on Bingley Crescent - bottom end. Love Fraser - work in Civic. We are hopefully having a picnic in the park this weekend (Saturday) with some other expats. You are more than welcome to join us. send me a pm for details. Sarah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sasbear Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Yes Olly - too many of them indeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anada Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Welcome to Australia Sarah and Shaun. I hope you grow to love Australia as much as i do - and that's a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Only ministers live in Canberra, backbenchers live in their electorates and lob in when parliament sits and that isn't a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sarath Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Hello friend, I need ur help .. i am started Aus Tra processing . I lke to apply for the post of Electronic equipement Tradesperson . The job decription says that Repairing of Radio & TV. Also they want 900 hrs of training Related to the occupation . i Have 3 year diploma in electronics . But Radio & Tv (subject ) Cover around 150 hrs only. Tell me whether i can apply for this post . :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Not sure who you can talk to on that one sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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