Guest Andy Shayler Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Hi all, We currently live in Telford, Shropshire and I have just been granted our permanent visa as I have a sponsored job in Hume Canberra, we move out around the 24th November. We are both 28 and have been married for 7 1/2 years, we have a nearly 4 year old son called Anton and can't wait to start our new life in Canberra. We are very interested in meeting up with families in our situation and who have been through what we are experiencing. Please share any useful info etc with us regarding Canberra. Thanks Andy and Helen Shayler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andy Shayler Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Hi all, We currently live in Telford, Shropshire and I have just been granted our permanent visa as I have a sponsored job in Hume Canberra, we move out around the 24th November. We are both 28 and have been married for 7 1/2 years, we have a nearly 4 year old son called Anton and can't wait to start our new life in Canberra. We are very interested in meeting up with families in our situation and who have been through what we are experiencing. Please share any useful info etc with us regarding Canberra. Thanks Andy and Helen Shayler:smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Perseus Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Have been a member of this forum for a while but never posted anything until now.After 20 months and lots of paperwork we finally got our visas granted last week. :biggrin: All we need to do now is sell our house and we can get going! We live in Angus in Scotland and are going on a State Sponsorship with my husband's job. I am a Primary School Teacher and hoping to get work once we have settled, although after reading some other posts I'm not sure how easy this will be! We have an 8 year old son and a 3 year old daughter. It would be great to meet some families on here so that we could meet up when we come across. We would love to be over by Christmas but it all depends on our house sale. We will need to find a short term rental while we wait for our shipping to arrive. Could anyone recommend anywhere? We have seen a variety of places but just wondered if anyone had tried and tested? Looking forward to meeting lots of people in the same boat! Hi We are in a similar situation, we were granted our 176 visa in June 2011 and have booked our flight to arrive in Australia on 16th March 2012. We have a boy aged 8 years and a girl aged 5 years. We have been to Australia before but never Canberra so we are not sure what to expect (except for the 10,000 hours of research I have been doing). I have booked a 1month fully furnished 2 bedroom cottage in Kaleen to begin with to give us time to look for something more longterm, I booked it with stayz. At the moment we are thinking we will rent our UK home out as we dont want to sell when prices are low and the exchange rate from GBP to AUS is really bad too. As long as we can get enough rent to cover the uk mortgage we should be ok (i think). We would love to meet up with any familys before or when we get there. My husband is from scotland and we are going up for a visit in a couple of weeks but we will unfortunately be on the west coast, Ayr, Glasgow, Helensburgh otherwise i would of suggested we could have met up (we live in Cheshire). Im trying to manage my emotions about the move which feel a little like a roller coaster ride, Ive wanted this for so long and now we have it within reach it suddenly feels a little scary to start all over again although also very exciting. Im trying to down size and get rid of all our furniture so we dont have to take so much with us, we wil be having christmas dinner on our garden table and chairs this year ha ha. Id love to chat/meet up with anyone in a similar situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judith501 Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 I tried to pm you - not sure if it worked but we live in kidderminster and flying to canberra 21st november - perhaps we should meet up b4 we go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judith501 Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 I tried to pm you - not sure if it worked but we live in kidderminster and flying to canberra 21st november - perhaps we should meet up b4 we go This was for the couple in Telford as we are not far from you. we have a son who has just turned 5 and he will be goung to Kingsford Smith School in HIggins/Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claireg Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Hi Judith We've been in Canberra one month now and have been in our rental house in Macgregor just over a week now. Higgins is really close to us, so if your still up for a meet up with the kids give me a shout when you are settled. In the past week I have been to a playgroup at Mount Rogers Primary school in Melba, a Paint and Play session in the park in Dunlop, both free and from 0-5 year olds. When you get settled pop into the West Belconnen Child & Family Centre at Kippax (Holt) they will give you a list of all the playgroups, etc. And it is also a place where you can get immunisations done, see a nurse,etc. Also at the Kippax Centre is a library and they do story times for 3-5 year olds on a wed morning and also one for 0-2 year olds on a Friday afternoon. And if you need some 'me' time there is a gym called Energy Fitness which has a creche too. I'm sure i'll find more over the the coming weeks! Good luck with your travels and to everyone else arriving soon Claire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Hi Judith In the past week I have been to a playgroup at Mount Rogers Primary school in Melba, a Paint and Play session in the park in Dunlop, both free and from 0-5 year olds. When you get settled pop into the West Belconnen Child & Family Centre at Kippax (Holt) they will give you a list of all the playgroups, etc. And it is also a place where you can get immunisations done, see a nurse,etc. Hey, I went to the Early Links to Learning playgroup last Tuesday as well!! It was pretty good wasn't it? I'm also going to ConnectNPlay on Thursdays which is free as well, although probably won't be able to make it for the next couple of weeks due to other commitments. You can actually search playgroups online now which I thought was pretty good! http://www.playgroupaustralia.com.au/act/go/find-a-playgroup :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claireg Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 I really enjoyed it and my toddler enjoyed it too. lots to do plus story time and fruit for the kids. I'll look out for you, I have two girls, one is 2 and a half and a 9 month old baby. Claire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 I really enjoyed it and my toddler enjoyed it too. lots to do plus story time and fruit for the kids. I'll look out for you, I have two girls, one is 2 and a half and a 9 month old baby. Claire I'll be the one with the 2 year old twins. My daughter was the one having a bit of a tanty last week at story time lol. My husband should be coming this week too Sent via Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judith501 Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 Hi Jurls/Claire wish we were there now - really looking forward to meeting you both and all the others on this thread. we fly 2 weeks tomorrow. will look forward to your view of canberra claire - is it what you expected - what are the bad point so far (none I hope) ha ha :daydreaming: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 Hi, I just posted on one of your other threads. Will you still be hairdressing in Belco? We're in Macquarie and have a 3.5 and 9 month year old ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judith501 Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 Hi Hope to start Monday 12th December. Will be covering all of Belconnen. Thanks, look forward to doing your hair and meeting your family our twins Eve and Mia are 2 and half and hope we can meet for play dates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest destinationoz Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Hi, I just posted on one of your other threads. Will you still be hairdressing in Belco? We're in Macquarie and have a 3.5 and 9 month year old ) We're in Macquarie too and loving it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 We're in Macquarie too and loving it!!! We love it here too. Especially Ricardos for breakfast ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judith501 Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 Hey - we all seem so close to each other and have kids of very similar ages. Will be great when we all meet up to exchange stories and for kids to play. So looking forward to it now - does any one know if they sell White Zinfandel wine in Canberra, if not may have to stay in the UK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Hey - we all seem so close to each other and have kids of very similar ages. Will be great when we all meet up to exchange stories and for kids to play. So looking forward to it now - does any one know if they sell White Zinfandel wine in Canberra, if not may have to stay in the UK! Everyone is close. You can drive across the whole of ACT in 45 minutes :wink: No idea about White Zinfandel, not even sure what that is to be honest. . We've been drinking our way through the wines we bought from the winery we got married at earlier in the year. Plenty of superb Australian and New Zealand Wines available, you're sure to find something nice to drink. :cute: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacquiB Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Do sure about the wine your after but there are so many available over here it's fun trying them to find the one you like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinemac Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Good to hear from someone in the same position as us. Sorry not been on the site for a while so just noticed your post. Am sure we looked at that cottage in Kaleen on Stayz last night! Hoping to fly out Jan/Feb but not booked flights yet as waiting to finalise house sale. So much to think about at the moment, my head is buzzing! I feel exactly the same as you, wanted it for so long but just hope we like it! Will keep in touch and let you know when we intend to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinemac Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Hi Judith We've been in Canberra one month now and have been in our rental house in Macgregor just over a week now. Higgins is really close to us, so if your still up for a meet up with the kids give me a shout when you are settled. In the past week I have been to a playgroup at Mount Rogers Primary school in Melba, a Paint and Play session in the park in Dunlop, both free and from 0-5 year olds. When you get settled pop into the West Belconnen Child & Family Centre at Kippax (Holt) they will give you a list of all the playgroups, etc. And it is also a place where you can get immunisations done, see a nurse,etc. Also at the Kippax Centre is a library and they do story times for 3-5 year olds on a wed morning and also one for 0-2 year olds on a Friday afternoon. And if you need some 'me' time there is a gym called Energy Fitness which has a creche too. I'm sure i'll find more over the the coming weeks! Good luck with your travels and to everyone else arriving soon Claire Hi Just wondered if you went straight into your rental in MacGregor? Is it long or short term? Trying to find somewhere furnished til our shipping arrives. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela820 Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 We ended up using Accomodate Canberra and they have been excellent. A super modernpartment in the city cnetre and any problems have been sorted out straight away. Expensive though at $1200 a week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinemac Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Hi We are in a similar situation, we were granted our 176 visa in June 2011 and have booked our flight to arrive in Australia on 16th March 2012. We have a boy aged 8 years and a girl aged 5 years. We have been to Australia before but never Canberra so we are not sure what to expect (except for the 10,000 hours of research I have been doing). I have booked a 1month fully furnished 2 bedroom cottage in Kaleen to begin with to give us time to look for something more longterm, I booked it with stayz. At the moment we are thinking we will rent our UK home out as we dont want to sell when prices are low and the exchange rate from GBP to AUS is really bad too. As long as we can get enough rent to cover the uk mortgage we should be ok (i think). We would love to meet up with any familys before or when we get there. My husband is from scotland and we are going up for a visit in a couple of weeks but we will unfortunately be on the west coast, Ayr, Glasgow, Helensburgh otherwise i would of suggested we could have met up (we live in Cheshire). Im trying to manage my emotions about the move which feel a little like a roller coaster ride, Ive wanted this for so long and now we have it within reach it suddenly feels a little scary to start all over again although also very exciting. Im trying to down size and get rid of all our furniture so we dont have to take so much with us, we wil be having christmas dinner on our garden table and chairs this year ha ha. Id love to chat/meet up with anyone in a similar situation. Not been on the site for a while so just noticed your post. Good to hear from you. We have never been to Canberra before either so just hope we like it! Am sure we looked at that cottage in Kaleen last night on Stayz! We are also trying to find somewhere short term. A lot of more older fashioned properties than I had imagined. Hoping to be out in January/February now. I can relate to the emotional rollercoaster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinemac Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 We ended up using Accomodate Canberra and they have been excellent. A super modernpartment in the city cnetre and any problems have been sorted out straight away. Expensive though at $1200 a week! That is expensive! Will have a look at that site, don't think I have been on that one yet. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claireg Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Hi Caroline. We stayed in Googong just outside Queanbeyan for the first 3 weeks. Booked it on stayz. Fully furnished with a full kitchen, two bedrooms, one bathroom. Decor was a bit outdated but for a short let was ok with us as we were out all day every day looking at cars, viewing rentals, etc. We paid $97 per night. You do need a car if you stay there though. Queanbeyan centre is only a 10 min drive and you can do your shopping at coles in the riverside plaza. Also has a Medicare office there too to get your Medicare cards. The owners live upstairs and rent out the separate unit underneath, they are lovely people, we had a few BBQ,s with them. Lots of kangaroos around the place too and Googong dam is nearby and a nice place to go. They are selling up though and moving to the coast so don't know whether they are still taking bookings. It is on stayz as Googong acres. Good luck Claire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claireg Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Forgot to add it also has foxtel and the kids room has a bunk bed with a double on the bottom and also the use of a cot if you need it. Has cooker, microwave, fridge, kettle, toaster and a pool table too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claireg Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Hi Jurls/Clairewish we were there now - really looking forward to meeting you both and all the others on this thread. we fly 2 weeks tomorrow. will look forward to your view of canberra claire - is it what you expected - what are the bad point so far (none I hope) ha ha :daydreaming: I'm really enjoying Canberra so far. Now that we have a long term rental and our stuff is here we are quite settled. Still loads to do and see. Went to the water park on Saturday, our toddler loved it. It's not massive but good for a day out. Not come across any bad points yet. Food shopping is a little on the expensive side but you can get some good deals and it pays to shop around. We are eating completely differently than the uk, healthy salads and marinating chicken on the BBQ. We have both lost weight from not eating so much stodge! Things which are quite expensive compared to the uk we don't bother buying now. I love prawns but yet to see them anywhere at a reasonable price. Bananas are coming down in price. Last week in woolworths at kippax they were $5.98 a kilo and yesterday they were $4.99 a kilo. The main thing for me so far is missing my family and friends, no matter how much research you do, nothing can prepare you for it until you are here. That's the hard bit but keeping busy and getting out and about doing things and meeting people certainly help. Looking forward to meeting up when you get here. Claire If you head to the belconnen fresh food markets on a Sunday after 3pm you get can some fruit and veg cheaper as they only open wed-sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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