Sue Ashforth Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Our first things to do were the usual - register with Medicare, find somewhere to rent, rent a car, etc. We;ve moved to beautiful Port Macquarie in NSW. Things to note on arrival are as follows - and we wished we'd known before we set off: RENT You will definitely need rental references, proof of bills payments, proof of income (these papers are all with the shippers, except we'd never rented before. Good job my son-in-law's brother had been a real estate agent and could put a good word in for us!) You only get one chance to look round the property; this will probably be with several other families also hoping to rent the property. If you’re only there 15 minutes, this is ALL you get to look around – no second visits! We were asked to pay one week’s rent as deposit ( it was then taken off the market). On signing the contract, we paid one month’s rent as bond (bank cheque into a Rental Board Bond) and one week’s rent. Two week’s rent was asked for in advance (we’d already paid one week as the deposit so only needed to pay one further week). At the contract signing, you are given an ‘’outward report’’ of the condition of the property, listing ALL defects. Once you move in, you are given 7 days in which to complete your ‘’incoming report’’ where you list any defects you may find that they have missed. You need to check everything carefully as you cannot add to the report once you have handed it back to the agent. (Even dirty marks on the wall, dirty/damaged fly screens etc., etc.) Best way to do this is to start cleaning - you won't feel like it but you'll see any faults!) SETTING UP We only brought our clothing and hygiene stuff as we were only allowed 23 kgs each plus hand baggage. Here’s what we needed to buy to get started: laundry basket, clothes airer, scrubbing brush, insecticide, cobweb brush, tin opener, pans, non-stick frying pans, mats for doorways & bathroom/toilet, towels, tea-towels, crockery, cutlery, baking tins, dishes (oh, why did we have to send it all with the shippers?) We also purchased a bed & bed linen (mattresses much more expensive than UK but bed linen OK for price), dining table & chairs, TV & cabinet and several small rugs for doorways. We had to borrow a 3-piece suite until we could purchase one and also borrowed a set of drawers. Oh, and we bought a fridge-freezer and a car. We’re not buying anything else till our stuff comes …… SHIPPERS Talking of which, we estimated our goods at 300 cu ft and paid up front. However, whilst in Hong Kong on our second day out of the UK, we got a message from my sister saying that the shippers maintained that our goods in fact measured 400 cu ft and we had to pay them an extra 580 quid before they would ship our goods! I’ll let you know what happens when they arrive and we find the boxes are only half-filled! We'll certainly be trying to claim some of the extra costs back! OTHER STUFF Insects: Ants crawl everywhere – they can smell a rice-sized bit of sweet stuff from metres away and tell all their mates – who then form a long line from their entry point to the sweetie! You’ll need ant-killer (or a wet cloth). Cockroaches – our place has been fumigated so none yet but the last place had a few – and they’re not all small, either! Stamp on ‘em, sweep ‘em up or spray them – it’s not very nice to tread on one during the night (or hear one trying to claw its way out of a paper carrier bag in the middle of the night - as happened to me – I laid awake for 3 whole hours till the alarm went off and my husband awoke as I daren’t get out of bed or even peep over the blankets! Could have been a snake, though? And one other thing - paper wasps! They start building small nests in the eaves but apparently they can sting several times and often do without provocation! If you see any nests (they look almost like small wall hooks) - remove them with a cobweb brush immediately! Storms: Many, beautiful, colourful sheet & fork lightning, long-lasting and buckets and buckets of heavy rain! People: Very friendly and speak to you on the street to say Hello (most of ‘em anyway) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Glad you are settling in, it takes a while. Ants are a pest as are cockroaches but fortunately as we have a cold winter in Melbourne we are not so bothered with both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Great update, thanks for sharing. Ants are a huge problem and they manage to get everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 I like Port M - has expanded too, wondered about moving up there but not sure if I could really leave Sydney! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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