stamples Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 P.S. I look forward to meeting you all soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest destinationoz Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Good Luck with the job hunting Stamples!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matjones Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Hi thanks for the reply, that is so weird we were looking at a place in Forde and was told it is too far from the City and not much there? We have a daughter at 18 and my two dogs will be in Sydney quarantine for 30 days and thought it would be best not to visit as i will get really upset but now that you have said the dogs were depressed then i think i must go and see them, do you get to be with them or is it just through the glass? We want somewhere with a bit of life and people who are friendly as we want to meet lots of people and have a very interesting and active life haha We have a friend of a friend arranging property for us to view for when we arrive, so hopefully we will get a long term rental within the 2 week of us being in a hotel. Thanks for any help or feedback you can give us as i am sure you will agree it is very nerve racking. :spinny: Forde is a great suburb, although can be a little pricey. It is about a 15 min drive from here to downtown, and we have no problems getting around. The only issue would be if you landed a job in Tuggeranong, then the drive from Forde would be a little far. We are a couple of minutes drive from Gungahlin center, which is a nice little strip of shops,restaurants and cafes. There area 2 major supermarkets, (woolies & coles), along with a couple of specialty food shops, including asian, indian and korean grocers. Also, they are in the process of finishing construction on the Forde Shops, which will probably include a greengrocer & coffee shop. It is very peaceful up here, and we are right next to the Mulligan Flats Nature reserve. I see kangaroos everyday whilst out walking the dogs, its pretty amazing. There are several lakes in the neighborhood, which are great for walking the dogs around, or for going on bike rides. Belconnen center is also just a 15 minute drive away. Fyshwick and the airport are also just 15-20 minutes away. You would probably need a car if you lived up here, but I'd say you pretty much need one in Canberra anyway. Public transportation is reportedly not that great. Forde is one of the newer suburbs, so the houses are generally bigger, although land plots are smaller, but usually plenty of space for the dogs to run around. Also has the advantage of super high speed internet if that's a requirement, albeit somewhat expensive. It is definitely a little quieter up here than some of the suburbs, but a 'bit of life' is never too far a drive away. We were initially worried about being all the way up north too, but after living here for 4 months, we absolutely love it. You will find most people to be really nice, and easy to get along with. We are already good friends with several of our neighbors. Regarding the dogs, you are able to go into their kennel with them. They have general visiting hours twice a week from 1pm-3pm, and then you can schedule 2 appointments for the morning time, which are just 30 minute visits, where you can take them out to the play areas. We went to all of them, but going to the 2 hour ones would be the most practical ones for you (although can't go to play area with them). Might be worth going to one, and see how you feel, and how your dogs are dealing with it. Are you getting them housed together? That will make things so much easier. Good luck with everything, and feel free to message me privately if you have any further questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest devlin1972 Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Forde is a great suburb, although can be a little pricey. It is about a 15 min drive from here to downtown, and we have no problems getting around. The only issue would be if you landed a job in Tuggeranong, then the drive from Forde would be a little far. We are a couple of minutes drive from Gungahlin center, which is a nice little strip of shops,restaurants and cafes. There area 2 major supermarkets, (woolies & coles), along with a couple of specialty food shops, including asian, indian and korean grocers. Also, they are in the process of finishing construction on the Forde Shops, which will probably include a greengrocer & coffee shop. It is very peaceful up here, and we are right next to the Mulligan Flats Nature reserve. I see kangaroos everyday whilst out walking the dogs, its pretty amazing. There are several lakes in the neighborhood, which are great for walking the dogs around, or for going on bike rides. Belconnen center is also just a 15 minute drive away. Fyshwick and the airport are also just 15-20 minutes away. You would probably need a car if you lived up here, but I'd say you pretty much need one in Canberra anyway. Public transportation is reportedly not that great. Forde is one of the newer suburbs, so the houses are generally bigger, although land plots are smaller, but usually plenty of space for the dogs to run around. Also has the advantage of super high speed internet if that's a requirement, albeit somewhat expensive. It is definitely a little quieter up here than some of the suburbs, but a 'bit of life' is never too far a drive away. We were initially worried about being all the way up north too, but after living here for 4 months, we absolutely love it. You will find most people to be really nice, and easy to get along with. We are already good friends with several of our neighbors. Regarding the dogs, you are able to go into their kennel with them. They have general visiting hours twice a week from 1pm-3pm, and then you can schedule 2 appointments for the morning time, which are just 30 minute visits, where you can take them out to the play areas. We went to all of them, but going to the 2 hour ones would be the most practical ones for you (although can't go to play area with them). Might be worth going to one, and see how you feel, and how your dogs are dealing with it. Are you getting them housed together? That will make things so much easier. Good luck with everything, and feel free to message me privately if you have any further questions. Hi thanks for that we will keep looking for rentals and see what comes up for the month of July. What type of references do we need, do you need proof of your no claims for car insurance, did you need any proof on savings like bank statements, i cant believe i have shredded everything for my mortgage as we sold the house March and we shredded everything that we thought we didnt need now i think i got shredding happy haha. We are trying to organise all our paperwork that we need to bring with us as we stupidly didnt put it in with our furniture? I did think that i was organised but maybe not. We have booked our hotel and our flights and the dogs are all prepared apart from that???? What about clothes we have beening buying a range of summer and winter clothes for our arrival as we are not sure what to expect. Do you have any advice on our long journey i.e what to take and what not to take. Sorry for all the questions thanks again for your help :wub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMoo Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Hi Just wanted to say, with regard to references for property, we have a dog too and so we put together: References from our neighbours Reference from house owner (as last house in England was leased) Dog CV with pictures I think this all really helped as we were successful with the first house we applied for. One of the agents also suggested to have to hand any pics (in and out) of your home to show that your dog isn't destructive). Also in our 'property pack' we had copies of passports, birth certs, driving licences, last 4 payslips and confirmation of rental payments. Hope this is helpful. Not sure on the car-front as we haven't faced that challenge yet! Clothes? Its pretty chilly just now. I'd advise warm coats, long sleeves and snuggly dressing gowns for the chilly evenings and mornings. (we're off to visit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMoo Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 That should have said (off to visit our dog for the first time today so very nervous!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest devlin1972 Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Hi Mrs Moo thanks for that are your dogs in quarantine just now, i am really worried about my pooches travelling ang going into quarantine. Were are you staying in Canberra, how long did it take to find a rental. We are trying to look for property while we are here and line some up for viewing when we land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matjones Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Hi thanks for that we will keep looking for rentals and see what comes up for the month of July. What type of references do we need, do you need proof of your no claims for car insurance, did you need any proof on savings like bank statements, i cant believe i have shredded everything for my mortgage as we sold the house March and we shredded everything that we thought we didnt need now i think i got shredding happy haha. We are trying to organise all our paperwork that we need to bring with us as we stupidly didnt put it in with our furniture? I did think that i was organised but maybe not. We have booked our hotel and our flights and the dogs are all prepared apart from that???? What about clothes we have beening buying a range of summer and winter clothes for our arrival as we are not sure what to expect. Do you have any advice on our long journey i.e what to take and what not to take. Sorry for all the questions thanks again for your help :wub: Our rental package included things like passport, drivers license, birth certificate, letter from previous landlord, bank statements showing available funds. Payslips showing earning potential, as well as a couple of pics of the dogs showing how irresistible they are Also, if you had a pet sitter/doggie daycare provider, you can get a letter from them stating how well behaved your dogs are. When we got here it was the busy season, so the agents were not willing to schedule individual appointments, and you have to go to their open houses, usually on weekends. I heard if things are slow, they may make the occasional personal appointment, but don't expect it. If you have a scanner, I would advise scanning and emailing your application package (just make sure you adjust settings so file isn't too huge), and always give them a call after to make sure they have everything they need. also, you won't be able to rent a property until you actually view it, or send a representative, such as your friend. What are your requirements? bedrooms? price range? i'll keep an eye for you. I did actually see 2 houses around the corner go on the market the other day. As MrsMoo said, it is pretty cold right now. Bring plenty of jumpers! Also, coming from the US, I find clothes here to be ridiculously expensive, so if you can, do a little more shopping there before you leave and bring extra with you. Regarding getting a car, you can try and get some kind of documentation of driving history, but we didn't have it. They just asked us a bunch of questions when we signed up for insurance, and they gave us a good rate cause we had been driving for such a long time. We purchased a car on our second day here, and paid cash for it, so we didn't have to deal with getting financing. If you can give a big down payment though, you should be able to get some kind of financing providing you have proof of funds/ old payslips. Car registration (rego) is pretty expensive here, we just paid around $900 to register for the next year. When you buy a car it should have some rego on it still, if you want to cut costs, just look for a car that has quite a bit of rego left on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matjones Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 That should have said (off to visit our dog for the first time today so very nervous!) Hope everything went well with the visit today! The staff at Sydney were really great with us, and took good care of our pups. Is your dog on a 30 day sentence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMoo Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Hi Mrs Moo thanks for that are your dogs in quarantine just now, i am really worried about my pooches travelling ang going into quarantine. Were are you staying in Canberra, how long did it take to find a rental. We are trying to look for property while we are here and line some up for viewing when we land. We just went to visit for the first time today. She looked very miserable as we arrived but went bananas when she realised it was us. The quarantine station is extremely well run and friendly, its about as much as you could possibly hope for and, at least having two dogs, they'll have each other for company. We had been looking at property since about March (when we had our preview trip). A few came up but obviously we weren't in a position to commit. We've had a relocation agent out here to help us so we were fortunate that she could view on our behalf and then, when the one we've leased came up, she went and viewed it for us (we still haven't actually seen the inside yet!!) We're staying at the Medina in town until our house becomes vacant. I think the rental market is a bit slower at the moment so you may be lucky and find that property is around a little longer; it probably depends on the type of property you're looking at and how much in demand it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matjones Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 We just went to visit for the first time today. She looked very miserable as we arrived but went bananas when she realised it was us. Yes, our dogs looks pretty stressed and frightened when we first saw them. It took them about a minute to realize who we were, and from that point on they did great. The biggest problem is that they just do not know what is happening to them. For all they know, they have been given up to the animal shelter. Seeing the owner soon after arrival makes all the difference in my opinion. What kind of dog do you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest devlin1972 Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Yes, our dogs looks pretty stressed and frightened when we first saw them. It took them about a minute to realize who we were, and from that point on they did great. The biggest problem is that they just do not know what is happening to them. For all they know, they have been given up to the animal shelter. Seeing the owner soon after arrival makes all the difference in my opinion. What kind of dog do you have? We have 2 Llhaso Apso dogs and they are very nervous dogs so i am worried sick about them on the flight, i dont seem as worried about the quarantine as they will be together i think it is half the battle for them having each other. They will travel together in a joint crate with wire mesh as the divide. Do the quarantine notify you when they arrive or is that something you have to do you self. I dont even have that information yet an agency is dealing with our booking will need to chase that up to arrange a visit as soon as i land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matjones Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 We have 2 Llhaso Apso dogs and they are very nervous dogs so i am worried sick about them on the flight, i dont seem as worried about the quarantine as they will be together i think it is half the battle for them having each other. They will travel together in a joint crate with wire mesh as the divide. Do the quarantine notify you when they arrive or is that something you have to do you self. I don't even have that information yet an agency is dealing with our booking will need to chase that up to arrange a visit as soon as i land. Yes, the flight can be quite stressful. Luckily we were on the same flight as the dogs, and it was a direct flight. We saw the dogs out on the tarmac, loaded onto the plane, and then got confirmation from the captain before take off, that they were aboard and well. Once your dogs are paroled, we should get together at one of the dog parks for a meet & greet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMoo Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Yes, our dogs looks pretty stressed and frightened when we first saw them. It took them about a minute to realize who we were, and from that point on they did great. The biggest problem is that they just do not know what is happening to them. For all they know, they have been given up to the animal shelter. Seeing the owner soon after arrival makes all the difference in my opinion. What kind of dog do you have? We have a Rhodesian Ridgeback. They're an extremely loyal and pack-orientated breed, so being separated is particularly stressful. We're talking about getting another one while we're over here so that, if we travel again, she'll have a buddy to travel with. The quarantine people won't contact you, you will need to call them. They told me that as my dog arrived in the morning I could call in the afternoon for an update, other wise it would need to be the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matjones Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 We have a Rhodesian Ridgeback. They're an extremely loyal and pack-orientated breed, so being separated is particularly stressful. We're talking about getting another one while we're over here so that, if we travel again, she'll have a buddy to travel with. Nice, they are beautiful dogs. Will be good to have a buddy! Our two are inseparable. We have two small dogs, a Poodle/Schnauzer mix and terrier/chihuahua mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chris H 58 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Hey welcome to Tuggers! Its where I live too. Have to say though that rent is EXPENSIVE for a 2 bed unit! Eekkk!! We rented a gorgeous 3 bed ensuite town house, double garage, 3 loo's, etc, ducted heating, central vac system the lot for $480pw which was $2085pm. We have now bought in same area ... LOVE it here!! Its cold today, but hey, its not forever! Hope you love Canberra as much as we do. xxx If you need any help, feel free to pm me. Cheers. Chris xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest devlin1972 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Thanks for the replies guys, i am sure you will agree all us dog lovers treat the dogs like one of the family and wish i could have my dogs on the flight with me and on my seat but maybe that will happen one day i just hope the journey doesnt affect them in any way with them being nervous dogs? I would love to meet up with the dogs once we arrive and get them new friends. We are looking forward to our new life and are counting down the days. The house prices are expensive i would agree there but i am sure we will find a bargain somewhere haha:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuching Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Hi Kuching, we are also stying in a furnished apartment in Reid when we arrive. Which one is it you are going to? Hi Watsons, great to hear that you will be staying in Reid too. We are going with Greentrees Apartments. http://greentrees.com.au/ how about you ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surhythms Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 Well guys we have finally arrived in Canberra and have been here two weeks now. We havent had the time to do one bit of sightseeing or touristy things as we have been busy getting cars, houses and schools. Will email with more details on what we think of it and any tips later.... just to say we got here safe, sound, really like it and lets say are doing the total opposite of what was in the original plan. Nothing like going to the other side of the world to turn your plans upside down!! LOVE IT THOUGH Suzanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claireg Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Glad you arrived safe and well. Pete was asking me this morning had you posted anything yet! look forward to hearing more. Claire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMoo Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Well guys we have finally arrived in Canberra and have been here two weeks now. We havent had the time to do one bit of sightseeing or touristy things as we have been busy getting cars, houses and schools. Will email with more details on what we think of it and any tips later.... just to say we got here safe, sound, really like it and lets say are doing the total opposite of what was in the original plan. Nothing like going to the other side of the world to turn your plans upside down!! LOVE IT THOUGH Suzanne Hi Where are you staying? Maybe we should grab coffee and compare notes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surhythms Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 Hi Where are you staying? Maybe we should grab coffee and compare notes! Hi MrsMoo We are in calwell - where are you guys? deffo up for a coffee!! Suzanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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